The J-Notes
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Top 5 “Get outta your seat” moments from 2016-17 Utah Jazz season

By Jared Woodcox

Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz players celebrate after forward Joe Johnson (not pictured) scored the winning basket as time expires in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers at Staples Center. The Jazz won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz players celebrate after forward Joe Johnson (not pictured) scored the winning basket as time expires in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers at Staples Center. The Jazz won 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots in front of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 20, 2016; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) shoots in front of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during the third quarter at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

#4. Gordon Hayward dunks on Greek Freak

Not long after the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, an article by Juliet Litman of The Ringer was published that essentially bashed Gordon Hayward’s lack of showboating or acting like a superstar during the All-Star Game. A lot of Jazz fans caught wind of the article and it justifiably ruffled a lot of feathers (including my own).

The article even went on to compare and contrast Gordon Hayward to rising superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, essentially further degrading the former while praising the latter. Interestingly enough, Utah’s first game after the All-Star break just so happened to be against Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.

To be quite frank, I have no idea whether or not Hayward saw the article, and if he did, I have no idea whether it truly bothered him or not. Either way, he sure got the last laugh with this absolutely stunning poster jam over the Greek Freak himself:

“And the stare down! Oh what a stare!” Yes, I did in fact yell that as I jumped off my couch after Hayward punched that one home.

Litman had disrespected Hayward’s All-Star performance and while I’ll admit he did look a little uneasy in the game (hard for someone used to going full-bore and actually playing defense to simply go into showman mode), he turned around and doled out some disrespect on Antetokounmpo (who had been touted as a better All-Star personality than Hayward) in a game that actually mattered.

A dunk of that level of savagery would have brought me out of my seat regardless, but the fact that it came shortly after the criticism surrounding Hayward, was over one of his All-Star colleagues and was finished up by a truthfully uncharacteristic stare down made this one all that much better, landing it in the Top 5.

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