Utah Jazz: Somehow, some way a playoff spot remains a possibility

Slim though it may be, the Utah Jazz somehow still have a chance to lock down a playoff spot this season.

Aristotle said hope is a waking dream; Utah Jazz fans would do well to remember as much. Although the team’s season has felt more like a waking nightmare, hope prevails that a playoff berth is still in reach.

It may be of the “hoping for the best while expecting the worst; are you gonna drop the bomb or not?” variety, but it’s nonetheless legitimate in this year’s weird Western Conference.

Just a few, short nights ago, the Jazz looked to have hit rock bottom. Facing an exhausted Indiana Pacers team that was on the wrong end of a back-to-back, the boys in blue had an epic letdown on their home floor. Despite the circumstances, it was Indy that looked like the more vibrant, active team.

Things looked so grim, in fact, that stuff like THIS happened —

Quin just stood up and considered calling a timeout, then sat down with a look of disgust.
— Spence Checketts (@spencechecketts) January 16, 2018

Wednesday’s big win over former Jazzman George Hill and the Sacramento Kings probably did little to lift fans’ spirits. Dominant though it was, the Kings are arguably the worst team in the NBA. And the Jazz still didn’t play a perfect game.

Meanwhile, the team’s typically stalwart D has been in cream-puff mode for some time, the 3-point shots haven’t been falling, Rodney Hood is getting booed, #TankNote t-shirts are being pushed on social media and the injury report is still a mile long.

Nevertheless, the victory in Sac-Town moved Utah to within five games of the West’s top eight. They’re also just five games out of the No. 6 seed, which is just one spot lower on the table than where they finished last season.

Rookie Donovan Mitchell summed it up best: “We’re one hot streak away from being right back where we were,” he said after the Pacers loss. He’s not wrong either.

As bad as the Jazz have been — and believe me…they’ve been really bad for extended stretches — they remain within striking distance of postseason play. As crazy as it seems, a Rudy Gobert return, a well-executed trade and a quick string of wins would put the Jazz band back in the saddle again.

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And all of those things are firmly within the realm of possibility.

Now, does that mean I’d throw down big money on them actually bridging the gap and making some playoff noise? Not by a long shot. The odds of doing so may be dwindling by the day.

But, despite their many downfalls, the Jazz remain a squad worthy of going out on a limb for. And I, for one, am willing to make the trip.

Even if that limb snaps, a primo draft pick is probably headed Utah’s way. The Jazz also boast one of the Association’s best coaches and an intriguing young core to build around.

Any way you slice it, the future is bright in Jazzland.

That said, the Jazz aren’t just playing for the future or trying to live down a losing past. They’ve still got hope for the now and, really, you should too.

A waking dream is better than a waking nightmare any day of the week. Especially when that dream actually has some kind of shot at coming true.