Any debate about whether this is the most popular Jazz team in 20 years ended late Monday night when the celebration of another rousing victory at Vivint Smart Home Arena made their playoff rival’s “Loud City” building seem like a library by comparison.
Fans love this team, and the Jazz just keep making themselves more endearing. These guys are embraceable in every way. They’re also really good, inspiring another question: Is this the best Jazz team since the franchise’s NBA Finals years?
No. Not yet. More work remains for this team to rise above the 2007-08 group that almost forced a Game 7 against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. (If you’re wondering, I rank the 2008 team over the 2007 Western Conference finalists because of the fluke of No. 8 seed Golden State’s upset of Dallas in the Jazz’s bracket that season.)
Before this discussion can go too far, the current Jazz must brush aside Oklahoma City in a series that continues Wednesday with a close-out opportunity in Game 5 on the road. A convergence of history and human nature makes winning that game awfully difficult for the Jazz, so the series likely will extend to Friday’s Game 6 at Vivint. The Jazz should advance now that they have restored a home-court aura.
Houston most likely would be next, with the Rockets representing one of the best regular-season performers the Jazz ever will have faced in the playoffs. The Rockets’ 65-17 record would put them in a class with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls and the 2016-17 Golden State Warriors, giving the Jazz a chance for distinction.
So these are my criteria for the 2017-18 Jazz to be viewed as better than the ’07-08 Jazz: If they take Game 5 (an assignment the Deron Williams/Carlos Boozer team absolutely mailed in during a 95-69 loss at Houston) and win even one game over the Rockets or win Game 6 vs. OKC and beat the Rockets twice, I’ll give them the Best Jazz Team in 20 Years Award.
That prize would add to their potential collection of NBA Coach of the Year (Quin Snyder), Rookie of the Year (Donovan Mitchell) and Defensive Player of the Year (not you, Joe Ingles) awards. The voting is over, but Snyder, Mitchell and Rudy Gobert are retroactively strengthening their cases during the playoffs.
Ingles is further establishing himself as the league’s biggest pest, antagonizing opponents and teammates alike. The last part is good fun from the Aussie. Ingles was at his playful best during the midnight news conference after Game 4, sitting at one end of a four-player dais. When a question was addressed to Ingles, Gobert slid a microphone toward Ingles, who responded, “Your first assist,” then checked the stat sheet that showed one assist for the center.
Mitchell, with Gobert seated next to him, later mentioned playing with the Defensive Player of the Year. Ingles interjected, “Thank you.”
The interaction on and off the court makes these guys who they are. They play together in a way no Jazz team has done in a long time. Fans enjoyed everything about Games 3 and 4, right down to the little skirmish that made Jae Crowder the first Jazzman ever to be named the Sub of the Game after being ejected.
I’ve always defended the Williams/Boozer teams as being better than they’re given credit for, especially after the trade for Kyle Korver in December ’07 helped the Jazz become almost unbeatable at home. That team finished 54-28, beat Houston in six games in the first round of the ’08 playoffs and won two home games over the Lakers before missing two late 3-point tries that could have sent Game 6 into overtime.
Those Lakers went 57-25 on their way to the NBA Finals, well short of Houston’s standard this season. That’s why a win or two over the Rockets would elevate the Jazz in a historical perspective.
In January, nobody would have imagined having this conversation. That’s what makes this season and this series so much fun. The even better part? This really is just the start of big things for this version of the Jazz.
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