The better team?

Answer: "I think if you look at the nucleus the Stars had at the time, we were just as good," says Ron Boone, who played on the ABA championship team and was a team broadcaster for both of Utah's Western Conference championship squads in the NBA.

The difference, Boone acknowledges, is Karl Malone and John Stockton. The future Hall of Famers would have presented great problems for the Stars. Though he declined to venture how long a series between the teams might have gone, Boone believes it would have been competitive.

Boone, who holds the distinction of being the only man to play for both the Utah Stars and Utah Jazz, is often approached by fans who claim to have been in the Salt Palace the night when the ABA championship was won.

Boone gets a kick out of asking the well-wishers what year it was that Utah claimed the crown. Few remember, especially as time continues to pass.

Boone, however, recalls. Winning a championship is special. Always has been, always will be.

"You don't want to believe it's been 30 years," says Boone. "It has gone by quickly."