Man, oh, man.
The young, surprising Utah Jazz are going to the NBA Finals.
It’s a given. I’m telling ya. They’re going all the way. Buckle up and enjoy the ride.
Did you see what these guys did to the Clippers on opening night?
In case you’ve grown used to ignoring bad news, turning your head and coughing, paying no mind to a team that wanted to lose … well, this isn’t last year’s nightmare. It’s something new, something refreshing, something different.
Here’s what you missed: The Jazz played and they won. That’s right, they wrapped the Clippers in tobacco pulp and smoked ‘em.
In doing so, they held the Clips to a mere 108 points, while the Jazz themselves got 129. They shot the ball as though they had lasers for eyes, as though they had CeraVe all over their soft hands with soft touches, as though the ball knew exactly where it was not just intended to go, but where it was supposed to go. Splash, splash, splash. The ball dripped, the nets snapped.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz forward Kyle Filipowski (22) and Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) as the Utah Jazz host the LA Clippers, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.
They defended like angry men, knocking the Clippers to the floor and never letting them up. They played with abandon, without the recklessness. They rebounded. They shared the ball. They played focused and happy.
You want numbers? They went like this: shooting — 55.2 percent, (Clippers 44.3); 3-pointers — 38.6 percent, (Clippers 31.1), free throws — 80 percent, (Clippers 76.3); rebounds — 46, (Clippers 38); turnovers — 12, (Clippers 15); steals — 11, (Clippers 8), and best of all, assists — 38, yes, you read that right, (Clippers 28).
Who were the stars? Walker Kessler had 22 points, nine boards, four assists and four blocks; Lauri Markkanen went for 20 points, as did Brice Sensabaugh, who got his in 23 minutes. There were more. Keyonte George had 16 points. All told, six Jazz players scored in double figures, and nearly everyone contributed in one way or another.
Who played best for the Clippers? Not Kawhi Leonard, not James Harden (although he did have 11 assists), not Bradley Beal. No. All you need to know is the name Ivica Zubac. That’s it. That tells the story.
The Jazz were all over the Clippers, and the Clippers collapsed.
Vegas said the Jazz would win … what, 18 games this season? Ha, they’ve got one already, 1-for-1, so far.
After all these years of waiting, is this the season in which the Jazz get what they always wanted, what their fans have craved and never got?
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy with Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23), Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George (3) and Utah Jazz center Walker Kessler (24) as the Utah Jazz host the LA Clippers, NBA basketball in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.
OK, no. No freaking way. That part of this was a smart-assed joke.
Apologies.
But the good news is that what new Jazz boss Austin Ainge said when he took the wheel of the club as he was hired during the offseason was what John Lennon said he wanted, what is in such short supply in the world these days — the truth. “Gimme some truth.”
He — Ainge, not Lennon — said the Jazz’s days of tanking were over. He said, in so many words, that the team would actually do what it could to win, to try real hard to win. That sounds so basic, but it’s been absent for so long around here. Everybody sort of gets it. It’s what some teams feel as though they have to do to get their best shot at decent lottery picks. But that works only if Lady Luck leans over and kisses you on the mouth. The sweet lady has more often given the Jazz a stiff jab to the kisser.
Fans here have been fairly loyal to the Jazz, given what they’ve had to watch of late. But they have their limits, too. Even if the NBA’s competitive floor leans away from the Jazz on account of market size or lack of television appearances or fewer product-endorsement opportunities or no nearby ocean-front property, whatever, at some point tanking becomes less attractive and, in some cases, fruitless and soul sucking.
It seems like a decent enough idea, one that on occasion must be tried, but sooner or later, fans start to walk away. Even those who used to fly flags out their car windows and name their dogs and kids after Jazz players back when the Jazz were winning. They cross a threshold where they want to win, but if that’s not in the cards, then they just want their guys to give it their best shot. That’s always been appealing to fans here, regardless of the fact that the Jazz have never gotten that title.
Most of the fans on hand at the Delta Center for the opener on Wednesday night walked away, all right, but not out of disgust. They walked away with a win, and just as importantly, they walked out the door knowing the team they root for did all it could to win.
Sure, that team won’t win an NBA title this season. It’s anything but a given. The Jazz aren’t going all the way. But at least they’ll try to win when and what they can. It was good enough against the Clippers. It won’t be good enough against other teams. So be it.
But the seasons of faux basketball are over and done with.
Thank the basketball gods, if you will. If you won’t, thank Austin Ainge and Will Hardy.
What everybody around here found out is that the only thing worse than losing is not sacrificing every possible thing to win. Not next year, not three seasons out, but right here, right now, tonight and every night.
