(Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) during the Utah Jazz practice at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus in Salt Lake City Friday April 13, 2018.
In the many ways playoff basketball differs from the regular season, here’s one that will show up right away: Joe Ingles predicts he or one of his teammates will get a foul early. Very early.
That, said Ingles, is a key part of setting a playoff series tone when the Jazz tip off Sunday afternoon against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“You want to see how aggressive you can be,” he said Friday afternoon after practice. “You want to be the more aggressive team. We’re happy to pick up an early foul to kind of set a tone of where that level is. We want to be the ones being more aggressive.”
Aggression will be a key factor in a first-round series that’s expected to be one of the most titillating in the NBA playoffs. Between the second-rated defense of Utah and the 10th-rated defense of Oklahoma City (and two of the top four teams in steals), physical defensive and aggressive play should be the norm.
It might be something of an equalizer against a Thunder team that has capable scorers: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and even Steven Adams.
JAZZ VS. THUNDER<br>Game 1 • Jazz at Thunder, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, TNT<br>Game 2 • Jazz at Thunder, 6 p.m. Wednesday, NBA TV<br>Game 3 • Thunder at Jazz, 8 p.m. April 21, ESPN<br>Game 4 • Thunder at Jazz, 8:30 p.m. April 23, TNT<br>Game 5 (if necessary) • Jazz at Thunder, TBD April 25<br>Game 6 (if necessary) • Thunder at Jazz, TBD April 27<br>Game 7 (if necessary) • Jazz at Thunder, TBD April 29
However, unlike last season’s first-round series against the Clippers, Ingles said he doesn’t foresee the Jazz having set defensive matchups throughout the games. Having players like Jae Crowder and Royce O’Neale off the bench who can guard elite scorers should help the versatility on the defensive end, and because the Thunder run in transition so often, the Jazz have to be ready to guard mismatches anyway.
“We’ve got a number of guys who can match up with their guys,” Ingles said. “I don’t think it’s gonna be kind of last year we were kind of set in who we were guarding. And the way they play, they’re aggressive, misses or makes, they’re running the floor. So we’re gonna be cross-matched or mismatched in transition, so everybody’s gonna be matched up with everyone.”
The Jazz, who have averaged fewer than 90 points in their four regular season meetings with the Thunder, have said they aren’t the same team that last fell to OKC in January, particularly with Rudy Gobert back in the fold. Similarly, the Thunder aren’t the same either — they’ve lost leading perimeter defender Andre Roberson, but have gotten a boost from late addition Corey Brewer, who is hoping to play on Sunday.
The goal in this first meeting is to find that place where they can bring toughness, but also win the game. So expect that message to be delivered early.
“A lot of games are physical, I guess,” Ingles said said. “It kind of turns up a notch being in the playoffs. But we’re not gonna walk in there and get punked, I know that. We’re not gonna let that happen.”
Road warrior mentality?
Of the most remarkable things about Utah’s turnaround this season, perhaps no statistic is more remarkable than this: After starting the season 5 for 19 on the road, the Jazz have now won 15 of their last 17 games away from Vivint Smart Home Arena.
It’s something that coach Quin Snyder said he may discuss with the team a little bit, but he isn’t leaning on that recent run to get the Jazz through the next two games in Oklahoma City.
“We’ve got to be aggressive and confident in those things whether at home or on the road,” he said. “I don’t think our road record of late means that we have a better chance on the road or less of a chance.”
Still, there may be a skillset that’s developed the Jazz can use in the series. Players have talked about becoming closer and building chemistry on the road. They’ve also had the best defensive rating in the NBA on the road (97.8) since Jan. 24, the start of their road turnaround.
They’ll need every available tool to win in Chesapeake Energy Arena, which is ranked third in attendance capacity (99.6 percent) this season. Oklahoma City went 27-14 at home this season, including two wins over the Jazz.
“We’ve been better,” said Ricky Rubio of Utah’s development in road games. “We started the season with a lot of doubts on the road, but I think we’re playing better now. We believe in our strength and we keep pounding and getting wins.”
Jazz unveil promo plans for home games
Get ready for Vivint Smart Home Arena: City Edition.
The first two Jazz home games will feature T-shirt giveaways for match-ups scheduled with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, April 21 and Monday, April 23. The first game will be played with the redrock-themed City Edition court, and the Jazz will give away yellow, orange and red shirts throughout the arena to recreate the color gradient effect featured on the uniforms. Similar to last season’s playoffs, there will be a 101-foot wide banner unfurled over the lower bowl prior to tip-off.
The Jazz will also be giving out white T-shirts for the second home game for a scheduled “White Out” promotion.
Utah earns 21st 2018 Draft pick in tiebreaker
The NBA announced Friday afternoon that the Jazz will pick 21st in the 2018 NBA Draft after breaking a four-way tie. Oklahoma City earned the 20th pick, but the pick will go to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Likewise, New Orleans’ pick at No. 22 will go to the Chicago Bulls for the trade for Nikola Mirotic. Indiana Pacers get to pick at No. 23.
