Following the Utah Jazz’s incredible win over the Charlotte Hornets last night, several fans were quick to give overwhelming praise to the supporting fans.
The Utah Jazz’s win last night over the Charlotte Hornets was one of the most impressive of the season so far. Despite trailing by nine heading into the fourth quarter, the Jazz put the clamps on defensively and were firing on all cylinders on offense to close the game on a 23-6 run and come away with an impressive 105-98 win.
Gordon Hayward and George Hill were both incredible as they combined for 58 points on 21-of-31 (.677) shooting from the field and 7-of-12 (.583) shooting from behind the arc. Five of those seven threes were contributed by George Hill who finally looked more like the player fans had come to expect in the earlier part of the season.
Indy's Finest.#TakeNote #CHAatUTA pic.twitter.com/FfYic11iuP
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 5, 2017
Off the bench, Joe Johnson had an incredible game as well as he put up 18 points including eight in the final quarter. Yet while his clutch performance very well should have earned him recognition as the Sixth Man for that contest, when asked about the game, Iso Joe actually gave that honor to someone else.
And that “someone else” just so happened to be the loud and rocking fans inside Vivint Smart Home Arena. His most praising quotes can be found in the Tweets below:
Joe Johnson: "Man, felt like a playoff atmosphere, especially late. When you get the crowd into it like that, that helps out a lot."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 5, 2017
Joe Johnson: "That's our sixth man, and we need this place to be hostile, night in and night out. I think our fans do a great job of that."
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) February 5, 2017
Comparing last night’s atmosphere to a playoff game is high praise coming from the a seven-time All-Star who has seen more than his fair share of playoff games.
And although Utah was once considered one of the most daunting places for opposing teams to play, it’s no secret that the hostile environment that once existed there has cooled down over recent years. Therefore, it’s great to hear Joe mention that the fans are doing a great job and that unbelievable atmosphere that once existed there on a nightly basis is steadily making its return to full force.
But Johnson wasn’t the only one giving praise to the incredible lift that the Jazz faithful provided last night. In his post-game comments, George Hill was clearly impressed with how loud and engaged the fans were as noted by the Deseret News’ Jody Genessy:
"This place is really loud." — George Hill, agreeing with me during his postgame comments.
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) February 5, 2017
Given that at one point in his early Indiana career, Hill called out Pacers fans for their lack of support, this electric atmosphere has likely been a welcome sight.
Joe Ingles also took to Twitter to give fans a well-deserved shout-out for the extra lift and support they gave the team last night:
And while there wasn’t necessarily any specific praise from Gordon Hayward after last night’s win, it wasn’t long ago that he took to social media thanking fans for their support in the win over Milwaukee, so it’s pretty clear that he and the rest of the guys, specifically Rudy Gobert and Boris Diaw who have praised fans on social media all year long, are very pleased with the atmosphere that is being fostered in Vivint Smart Home Arena.
Great win tonight for our team! The crowd @vivintarena was awesome! Love the support from our fans! pic.twitter.com/Ca2DrlPZ6C
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) February 2, 2017
It’s great to see Jazz fans showing so much passion and excitement at games to help will their team to victory and it’s even better to see the players taking note and giving their loyal supporters credit for the role they’re playing in the wins.
As the Jazz will more than likely play in their first playoff series in five years this season, it will be crucial for them to reconstruct that formerly daunting home court advantage that once struck fear into visiting opponents.
With the Jazz now in fourth place in the Western Conference and looking to secure home court advantage for the first round, these engaged, loud and determined Jazz fans will need to be the fire that fuels Utah in the postseason and backs up Ingles’ sentiment that they are indeed the best fans in the league.
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And if last night’s game is any indication of how Utah’s home crowd is going to be moving forward, come playoff time that should very well prove to be the case.
All stats courtesy of NBA.com