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Oakland, Calif. • The coach made his way through the crowd to the corner of the room where his all-star forward was sitting. There Quin Snyder leaned down, clasped hands with Gordon Hayward, hugged him and shared a few whispered words.
Nobody, not even Boris Diaw, brings champagne to the first round, so what celebrations there were in the Jazz's locker room after their victory Sunday were quiet ones.
There's no question, though, that their Game 7 victory over the Clippers was a major milestone for a franchise that has been rebuilding for half a decade.
"It means a lot," Hayward would say later. "It definitely means a lot."
Hayward and forward Derrick Favors have shared in the losses since their rookie seasons in 2010, frustratingly plentiful in the early years of their careers. They shared a podium Sunday after combining to topple the Clippers.
"I think it's just me and Fav from that rookie season," Hayward said. "So we've been through some pretty hard downs. The community has stuck with us. It definitely feels good to go from 25 wins (in 2013-14) to where we were this year, making the playoffs and winning a series."
The Jazz's journey has been about progress. Hayward's teams have increased their win totals each year under Snyder but still lacked anything worth mentioning in the postseason portion of their résumés.
Perhaps it was fitting that the Jazz wore their green jerseys Sunday. Snyder had used the word "green" to describe his team at various times during the two weeks of the first round. He didn't run from it after Sunday's victory, either.
"We don't have to prove that we're not young and inexperienced," Snyder said. "We are. There's nothing wrong with that."
It is, however, becoming less and less true, much to the Jazz's delight. Hayward and the Jazz's "young veterans," as general manager Dennis Lindsey likes to call them, at last have both playoff experience and playoff victories under their belts.
Now the Jazz, regardless of what happens as they face the juggernaut Golden State Warriors, are guaranteed at least four playoff games, each at a level Hayward and most of his teammates never have experienced.
"I know Salt Lake has been blessed with a tradition of playoff success, so for them to stick with me and stick with Fav and ride it out, it means a lot," Hayward said. "I know they're going to be excited to have us come back and play again in front of them, and it mean a lot for me to play in front of them."
It is a breakthrough for the franchise, its fans and its foundation, all of whom hope the incremental may one day lead to the monumental.
"I think it sheds that label [of youth and inexperience] a little bit," shooting guard Rodney Hood said of his team moving on to the second round. "We're an up-and-coming team. We're going to be a team to worry about in the West for years to come. This is a great step. It gives us a lot of confidence."
Confidence, and precious experience.
"I've talked about it all year, about experiences and how the past couple years we've experienced so much stuff," Hayward said. "I thought it would help us further down the road. I think we used a lot of those in this series. I think we're going to use the experiences we got from this series moving forward."
Twitter: @aaronfalk