This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Those 23 seconds stung.
The Utah Jazz had a razor-thin lead on opening night and the kind of defense that is supposed to protect those kinds of things. But a miscommunication while defending the next play put the shot-blocking Rudy Gobert just out of position as Detroit guard Reggie Jackson drove in for the game-winning layup.
"It was a one-possession game," Jazz coach Quin Snyder said, reflecting back a few days later. "I'm not saying if we stop we win, but we're in good shape — and we couldn't get a stop."
But that frustrating loss to open the new campaign might have actually been a catalyst for what has happened since.
"It bothered us," Snyder said. "Because I think they take pride in their defense right now."
The Jazz responded to disappointment with defensive resolve, clamping down hard in back-to-back 20-point wins over the Philadelphia 76ers and the Indiana Pacers to close out their first road trip of the season with a 2-1 record.
There were questions whether Utah's defensive gains at the end of last year were real. Right now the Jazz look like they're trying to put those questions to rest.
Against the Sixers, the Jazz blocked eight shots, forced 10 steals and held Philly to a measly 30 percent shooting.
"I think they're growing something that appears to be sustainable for a while," 76ers coach Brett Brown said.
The next night, after a slow start in Indianapolis, Utah gave up just 27 points in the second half.
Utah had the NBA's best defense after the All-Star break last season and through three games this season it's No. 1 again.
"It's definitely our calling card," said forward Gordon Hayward, who had a poor shooting night Saturday in Indianapolis but still managed to hound All-Star forward Paul George on the other end of the floor, limiting him to 16 points.
The Jazz's three opponents have averaged just 79.7 points, hitting on a meager 37.2 percent of their shots.
The Jazz, who start this season playing eight of their first 10 games away from Salt Lake City, will need more of that to weather a difficult start to the season.
"We've wanted to be a good road team," Snyder said, "and that begs with playing good defense."
So far, so good.
Gobert had six blocks against the Sixers and ranks third in the NBA in both rebounds (13.3) and blocks (3.7) per game. The Pistons, Sixers and Pacers combined to make just 11 of the 37 attempts they had at the rim with Gobert defending.
After watching a simple layup beat them in Detroit, Gobert was frustrated with himself and the mistakes that had cost the Jazz a win.
By Saturday night in Indiana, he and the Jazz had channeled that frustration into a pair of dominating performances and a 2-1 record to start the year.
"We feel good," Gobert said. "It was a great road trip for us. We could have had the first one also, but we have to keep the same mindset and play the same way every game."
Twitter: @tribjazz —
Trail Blazers at Jazz
P Wednesday, 7 p.m.
TV • ROOT