This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
If the Jazz miss the NBA playoffs next month, they will lament how they blew two chances to beat Golden State.
The consolation for the moment is the latest loss increases the possibilities of the Warriors' coming back to town in April.
That's my preferred script, anyway. Two more games with Golden State in this building would be much more fun than having the Jazz play San Antonio, making the No. 8 spot perfect for this team. With the inevitable result of a first-round exit, why not bring the defending champions to Vivint Smart Home Arena for the sake of entertainment value?
Everything conspired against the Jazz at the end of regulation in Wednesday's 103-96 overtime defeat, after the Warriors never led in the fourth quarter. The Jazz lost because they couldn't make free throws in the final period and they couldn't rebound the ball in the last 20 seconds, when the Warriors turned a second chance into Klay Thompson's tying 3-pointer.
The Warriors soon may become historic, and the Jazz could have done their part to prevent it. If not for the Jazz's failure to close out this game or a Nov. 30 contest, Golden State (68-7) would have a tougher time topping the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (72-10) for the NBA's all-time best record.
The hopeful "67-8" sign behind the basket failed to become a fulfilled prophecy. And doing the in-arena promo about chicken sandwiches for fans if an opponent misses consecutive free throws in the fourth quarter apparently haunted Gordon Hayward, because it happened to him.
So this thing goes into the books as a missed opportunity for the Jazz, yet it also serves as the counter-argument to anyone who suggests there's no merit in making the playoffs just for the opportunity to get swept. In so many ways, the game illustrated why playoff experience would be valuable for this team — and why the Jazz would be competitive at home.
They showed again that they can play with the Warriors in this building. And all they have to do to make this season a success is win one playoff game. Not a series, a game. That's all anybody is asking, considering the Jazz have not won a playoff game since 2010, beginning with the Los Angeles Lakers' second-round sweep.
The downside of Wednesday's outcome is the recognition of what a win would have done for the Jazz (37-38) in the playoff battle. By losing, they dropped into a three-way tie with Houston and Dallas for seventh place in the Western Conference. My goal is to manipulate them into the No. 8 spot, but that could get tricky.
The weird thing was how the Jazz looked tired in the first half, although Golden State had played the previous night. Eventually, the Jazz and their crowd got going, showing signs of what playoff games with the Warriors would be like.
By making only 4 of 14 free throws in the fourth quarter, the Jazz kept themselves from seizing control. Shelvin Mack missed one attempt and made the other with 24.3 seconds left, leaving the Jazz ahead by three points. That sequence came after Mack's offensive rebound, then the Warriors' Shaun Livingston produced a big one of his own — teeing up Thompson for another try from the left wing.
The Jazz botched their last possession of regulation, and Golden State dominated overtime. So the Jazz did not join the list of teams that have beaten the Warriors: Milwaukee, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Portland, the Lakers and San Antonio.
The Warriors stood 19-0 as Nov. 30, when the Jazz's Rodney Hood missed a go-ahead 3-point attempt in the last six seconds and Golden State survived. That game marked the last appearance together for the Jazz's Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert and Alec Burks. Coincidentally, Favors absorbed a hard foul from Andrew Bogut in Wednesday's third quarter and went to locker room for good with knee soreness.
His absence affected the Jazz in the end, when they also hurt themselves.
Twitter: @tribkurt