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It took one trade and one game for Shelvin Mack to go from benchwarmer to starter on a team fighting for the playoffs.
And in one play late in an important contest Tuesday night, Mack helped his new squad take an important step toward its postseason goal.
After missing a pair of 3-point attempts late, the Utah Jazz's new starting point guard sized up his defender, took the ball to the rim and floated in a bucket to give the Jazz some breathing room they would desperately need to claim a crucial overtime victory.
"Just try to keep attacking," Mack said after a 117-114 overtime win against the Rockets, a victory that pushed Utah a half-game ahead of Houston for eighth place in the West. "That's one of the shots I work on every day. I wasn't able to knock down the jumper, so I and to take it to the rim and make a play."
The Jazz expect more of those plays down the stretch from Mack, whose move to the starting five could be a permanent switch.
"By and large what we decide," Snyder said prior to tipoff, as he mulled over the choice of starting Mack over rookie Raul Neto, "I think there will be some consistency going forward. We are not at a point now where we need to be making changes all the time and trying to find combinations and things like that."
Mack, whom the Jazz picked up last Thursday from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a second-round pick, had impressed in his first outing with the Jazz. On Sunday night in Portland, the point guard scored 16 points and dished out six assists.
He followed that with a solid performance Tuesday against the Rockets. In 32 minutes, Mack had 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting, dished out two assists and grabbed a rebound. His six turnovers were the only real blemish.
"It felt great," he said of his first game in front of his new home crowd. "It got super loud, especially when Rodney (Hood) was able to knock down those 3s."
Mack started and finished the game, closing things out alongside point guard Trey Burke, who finished with 15 points in 28 minutes. Neto, the team's starter in all but two contests before tonight, played eight minutes against Houston.
"There is an experience there," Snyder said of Mack. "We think about him being new to our team, but he's played in as many playoff games as the rest of our team combined. So that experience factor also plays in."
Mack has appeared in 21 playoff games. Trevor Booker (9), Gordon Hayward (4) and Derrick Favors (4) are the only other Jazzmen with postseason experience.
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