Apr 14, 2014; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz starters huddle prior to the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at EnergySolutions Arena. The Lakers won 119-104. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
You’ve heard this all before: an NBA regular season isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon, filled with highs and lows and peaks and valleys. Yes, there are going to be those miserable negative 5-degree mid-February road games in Milwaukee. If the Utah Jazz are going to take the next step, consistency is key to it.
Yes, there are going to be back-to-backs and five games in seven nights. Yes, there will be injuries, exhaustion and a myriad of other variables to battle through. But the one thing that distinguishes elite teams is consistency. The ability to “bring it” game-in and game-out. Yes, talent, depth and experience are all factors, but being able to concentrate and dig deep for 82+ games is what separates a 30-win team from a 60-win team. For the Utah Jazz, consistency is the next step in their path towards greatness.
Jazz fans should be no strangers to consistency. For years they cheered on one of the most consistent duos (and teams) in NBA history. We all knew what to expect from John Stockton, Karl Malone and Co.: Stock was going to hand out a half-billion assists; Malone was going to abuse whomever was defending him while putting up at least 20 and 10; and Jeff Hornacek and the rest of the team were going to nail their cuts, hit open shots, play lockdown D and generally make other teams miserable. For years it was poetry in motion and the Jazz won a boat load of games because of it.
One of my favorite Jazz moments of yesteryear was Nick Van Exel talking about defending the Stockton-to-Malone pick-and-roll: “Yeah I got a way to defend it. Bring a bat to the game and kill one of them.” That quote speaks volumes in regards to consistency. Teams knew what was coming and they still couldn’t stop it.
“Yeah I got a way to defend it. Bring a bat to the game and kill one of them.” – Nick Van Exel
The first component towards establishing consistency is winning at home. The ESA used to be where road teams would abandon their hopes and willfully accept their bludgeoning. It was a downright terrifying place to play. Rabid fans sat right on top of opposing players, Jerry Sloan would menacingly pace the sidelines, shouting orders like the round ball version of General Patton while his team earned W after W.
Take for example the 2007-2008 Jazz squad. They went 37-4 at home and ending up winning the Northwest Division. They capitalized on that intimidation factor, and that’s the kind of “taking care of business” mentality this new Jazz team must adopt to reach the next level.
The next component is defense. Last year the Jazz were downright putrid on the defensive end, ranking near the bottom in every defensive category. It was one of the biggest reasons why Tyrone Corbin was let go. New head coach Quin Snyder has been lauded for his tough, defensive mindset, but so far this season the Jazz are still a dumpster fire defensively, ranking 28th in the league. The fact remains, defense wins, and if the Jazz want to get back to being a championship caliber team, that number is going to have to go way, way up.
We’ve seen flashes of brilliance from this team, followed by some head-scratching blunders. Derrick Favors posted a career high 32 points a few weeks ago against the Phoenix Suns, and followed that performance with 6 points against the Los Angeles Clippers. Gordon Hayward has one of the best games of his career against Cleveland, only to go 3-9 for 12 points in the next game against the Dallas Mavericks. Trey Burke, Alec Burks and Enes Kanter have all had their fair share of “oh wow” and “oh no” moments already this season. It’s these kind of roller-coaster performances that keep teams swimming in a pool of mediocrity.
Moreover, we’ve seen the Jazz compete their tails off against the Toronto Raptors and Atlanta Hawks for three quarters, only to fall apart in the 4th. Someone needs to get these guys a copy of Glengarry Glenn Ross and let them know: coffee is for closers.
These gaps pertain to coaching as well. In the second half of the Detroit Pistons game, Trey Burke was getting rotisserie cooked by Brandon Jennings. Quin Snyder made the decision to switch Alec Burkes on Jennings down the stretch—a decision that played a major factor in the Jazz winning that game. The next night, Snyder was given a masters tutorial by Pacers coach Frank Vogel. Vogel manipulated his lineup, exposed the Jazz’s looming defensive weaknesses and rode Roy Hibbert and A.J. Price (?!?!) to victory. Let’s hope it was a lesson Snyder doesn’t soon forget.
With a new system, new coach and new players, growing pains are inevitable. Mistakes are going to be made, but the important thing is to make sure those mistakes don’t continue grow into problems. Winning in the NBA takes attention to detail, chemistry and a laser-like focus. The Jazz have to realize there is almost no margin of error in the Western Conference. The Conference is already stacked and improving teams like Phoenix, New Orleans and Sacramento aren’t doing them any favors. If they want to find themselves back at the top, those moments of lapses are going to have to be held to a minimum.
The Jazz are getting closer and I’m optimistic, but the next step is stretching these moments of brilliance into games and seasons. Give these guys some more time to gel, build trust and find their niche and good things are bound to happen.