This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

Whenever I hear Cole Aldrich's name, I remember how some Jazz fans were deathly worried that the team would end up with the former Kansas center in the 2010 NBA Draft.

And now he may have killed the Jazz's 2016 playoff hopes by grabbing a rebound away from Derrick Favors.

The disclaimer in this discussion is the Jazz still can make the playoffs by winning their last three games — at Denver on Sunday, vs. Dallas on Monday and at the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. They have a one-game lead over Houston with three to play. Yet unless they get another gift from Houston, the Jazz have used their margin for error by wasting a chance to beat the depleted Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.

Aldrich played a big role in the Clippers' 102-99 overtime victory at Vivint Smart Home Arena with 21 points and 18 rebounds. He rebounded his own miss, snatching the ball from Favors — which hardly ever happens, when Favors gets his hands on it — and scoring a tying basket with 2.4 seconds remaining in regulation.

That's among the plays I'll remember most from this game, even beyond Jamal Crawford's winning 3-pointer in OT. As the Jazz finally surged ahead in the fourth quarter, I kept waiting for the dagger shot that never came. They had two possessions with a seven-point lead, and couldn't increase it. Shelvin Mack missed a 3-pointer with 3:33 left and Favors missed an inside shot, and the Clippers gradually caught up.

And then the Jazz had three possessions in a tie game in overtime, but couldn't score, giving the Clippers their winning opportunity.

This defeat didn't quite fall to the level of a 2009 loss to Golden State, which basically fielded a team of D-League players in a road win over the Jazz. But it is in that category, considering the Clippers' staffing approach and what was available to the Jazz. They could have taken a two-game lead over Houston, capitalizing on the Rockets' home loss to Phoenix on Thursday. But they returned the gift.

Now, it gets tougher. Denver hasn't quit, as illustrated by Friday's win over a San Antonio team that was resting some players. Dallas has won six straight games to maintain its playoff position, after I figured the Mavericks were done, thanks to Chandler Parsons' injury. So winning these two games would require big efforts from the Jazz, and then who knows what might happen in Kobe Bryant's last game.

I'm already preparing myself for the Jazz's rationalization of missing the playoffs, and I don't want to hear it. This team once stood 26-25, and now it's 39-40. The math doesn't reflect progress.

Twitter: @tribkurt