The moment arrived as if cued by the God of Suggested Themes.

It was still mere minutes after the Utah Jazz had lost Game 3 to the Kings, coming up exactly one black eye short, and someone mentioned to John Stockton that the Jazz now faced a one-game series in its effort to stay alive in the NBA's second season.

"It's been a one-game series since Game 1," Stockton replied without missing a beat. "And now it's a one-game series."

And it looks as if style points are just out of the question.