"Make him pay" - Stockton was Utah's best player according to Phil Jackson's scouting report ahead of the 1998 NBA Finals

The Utah Jazz were the greatest obstacle to the Chicago Bulls' dreams of a second three-peat in the late 90s. They were a powerhouse squad coached by Jerry Sloan, whose offense heavily relied on the Karl Malone and John Stockton pick-and-roll.

Ahead of the 1998 NBA Finals, Phil Jackson made a detailed scouting report about the Jazz. Interestingly, Stockton was mentioned a couple of times in the report. The Zen Master regarded the legendary point guard as the greatest threat.

Was Stock the best Jazz player?

In his scouting report, Jackson outlined some key things to watch for, like Utah's propensity for the fast break and the imperative need to crash the boards.

Phil also detailed the strengths of the likes of Karl Malone, Bryon Russell, and Shandon Anderson. However, two pointers contained Stockton's name, which suggests that he's the heart and center of the Jazz.

It's an interesting bit that shows how good Stockton was in his prime. It proves that the stories were true. That little unassuming point guard from Spokane, Washington, might not look like it, but he was one of the masters of basketball.

Related: "It's just like a good friend saying we cannot hang out anymore" - Magic Johnson on Karl Malone refusing to play with him in the 1992 ASG

More challenging than Jordan

It wasn’t just Phil who respected John’s basketball skills. Seattle Supersonics legend Gary Payton, who matched up with the Jazz guard multiple times, claimed that Stockton was tougher to defend than Jordan .

"He only played 34 minutes,” Payton said. “That's what Jerry Sloan played him. And then when you look up, he shot the ball 10 times, he made eight. He shot seven free throws, he made all seven. Next thing you know, you look up he got 16 assists… And we getting beat by 20. But I'm saying I'm gonna play the whole game, and I got 30, and I'm trying to struggle, and we still lose about 20."

Even though John did not win an NBA championship, this does not remove him from the list of the greatest NBA point guards ever. Those little anecdotes from Jackson and Payton tell us that the 6-foot-1 Jazz guard may look like a random dad who likes to play pickup, but in reality, he’s one of the toughest athletes ever.

Related: John Stockton never felt an aura about Michael Jordan when he faced the Chicago Bulls in two straight NBA Finals: "We were there to win"