Utah Jazz-Rockets Game 5: Can the Jazz stave off elimination?

The Utah Jazz find themselves in a 3-1 hole to the Houston Rockets. In order to stave off elimination, there are a few adjustments that must be made.

I’m going to get this out of the way early: The fact that the Utah Jazz are playing meaningful basketball in May is an amazing accomplishment, and something that every Jazz fan should be proud of.

It seems like many Jazz fans have forgotten that this team had a 19-28 record mid-way through January. They had just lost to the Atlanta Hawks in embarrassing fashion, and all but the most faithful of fans had moved on from the idea of going to the playoffs. The Jazz may lose in five games to the Rockets, but the future is still extremely bright.

Now onto the series at hand. After stealing home court advantage from the Rockets with a 116-108 victory in Game 2, it seemed as though the Jazz may be able to make this series interesting. Most everyone believed the Jazz could get one game at home, and this series could go six or seven games.

Unfortunately, the Jazz were not able to protect their home court, and lost both games with uninspiring efforts.

With a healthy Ricky Rubio in tow, I believe they would have been able to win at least one of their home games. His steadying presence, solid decision making and constant intensity would have been a big help to the Jazz. It also would have relieved the pressure that was placed on Donovan Mitchell‘s shoulders, and allowed Mitchell to focus more on his scoring.

Rubio and Dante Exum have already been ruled out for Game 5, which means Donovan Mitchell will once again have to handle a larger workload as both a facilitator and scorer. There are a few keys to the game that if accomplished, could help the Jazz extend this series, and bring another playoff game back to Utah.

Joe Ingles and Co. need to catch fire from three

The one game that the Jazz were able to steal from Houston came as a result of the Jazz out-shooting the Rockets from three. The Jazz shot 15-of-32 from three-point range, while limiting the Rockets to only 10-of-37.

I don’t know if we can expect the Jazz to match their Game 2 performance, but they have to find a middle ground between that game and the surrounding games. The Jazz have shot 25-of-80 in the three losses this series.

One of the key players in this will be The Left Handed Larry Bird, A.K.A. Joe Ingles. In Game 2, Ingles set a career playoff high with 27 points on 7-of-9 shooting from three.

Ingles has been shooting 46.5 percent from three during this series, but he will need some help for the Jazz to win. Donovan Mitchell, Jae Crowder, Royce O’Neale and Raul Neto are each going to need to step up their shooting to keep the Jazz in the game. I’m going to set the number at 12. If the Jazz can make 12 or more three pointers, they should have a puncher’s chance of winning.

Rudy Gobert must win the matchup against Capela

Rudy Gobert is asked to do so much for this Utah Jazz defense that it is almost unfair to expect more from him. That being said, the Jazz will need more if they are going to win tonight. Gobert has taken a lot of heat this series, but we have to remember that he is the primary reason the Jazz were able to turn their season around. They would not be playing today without his dominant performance in the second half of the year.

Defensively, I have no complaints for Gobert. He is being asked to contain Chris Paul and James Harden as they drive to the basket, while simultaneously guarding Clint Capela as he rolls to the basket off the pick n’ roll. These are some of the best players in the world he is being asked to contain, and while it hasn’t worked 100 percent of the time, the Rockets have performed significantly under their regular season offensive rating.

The main area where Gobert must improve and make his presence felt is on the offensive side of the ball. He has not made Capela work defensively, which makes it easier for Capela to provide help defense.

His averages of 12 points and 10.5 rebounds don’t look terrible, but they don’t tell the whole story. The Jazz have an offensive rating of just 96.3 this series, and Gobert is not helping.

Andy Larsen, who is the Utah Jazz beat writer for KSL, said this in regards to what Gobert needs to do better:

"Another thing Gobert could do more effectively: take advantage of Capela helping. With how much Capela was rotating onto Jazz guards, Gobert should have been able to eat at the rim on putbacks and offensive rebounds. Certainly, his defense has altered Houston’s approach on the offensive end. But when the Jazz have the ball, I think they can get more from Gobert. He doesn’t need a post move, doesn’t need a jump shot. But Gobert can get stronger in other aspects of the offensive game to help his team win."

Couldn’t have said it better myself. Gobert is never going to have a refined offensive game. He will likely never develop a reliable jump shot, or much of a back to the basket repertoire. What he can do though, is out-hustle Capela and the other Rockets to create those opportunities for himself and others.

Continue to fight through the final buzzer

Being down 3-1 in a playoff series is incredibly difficult to overcome. In the history of the NBA, only 11 teams have ever come back to win a series after being down 3-1, and only four of those teams have been the road team. So…you’re saying there’s a chance!

That has to be the mindset of the Utah Jazz. If they have mentally accepted defeat and are expecting to lose, then this game is already over. You can’t be thinking about summer vacation and expect to compete.

The other struggle will be continuing to fight through the buzzer. The Rockets were one of the best 1st quarter teams in the league this season. They jump on you early and then coast to victories. The Jazz have shown incredible resilience this season, and if they are to fall behind by 10 or more points early, it’ll take a lot of mental toughness to keep themselves going.

With players like Chris Paul and James Harden, and then a coach in Mike D’Antoni, the Rockets have some guys who have failed to rise to the occasion in the past. If the Jazz can stay close and perhaps even have a lead late, Houston may falter. Then the series comes back to Utah, the pressure is on the Rockets, and the Jazz can try to be a part of history.

Houston closes out the series

One of the things we have learned about the Rockets this series, is that the Jazz could play a near perfect game, and the Rockets could still end up winning.  With no Ricky Rubio, Dante Exum and a limited Derrick Favors, it’s going to be extremely hard for the Jazz to win this game, even if they do excel in each of the key areas listed earlier.

Next: Report: Former Utah Jazz guard Rodney Hood refused to enter Game 4

It’s been a heck of a season, and the Utah Jazz have a bright future with the core they have in place. Unfortunately, I think the season ends tonight in Houston.