The J-Notes
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Utah Jazz: Five games to watch during the 2018-19 season

By John Keeffer

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 27: Alec Burks #10, Ricky Rubio #3, and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz stand for the National Anthem before Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 27: Alec Burks #10, Ricky Rubio #3, and Donovan Mitchell #45 of the Utah Jazz stand for the National Anthem before Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 27, 2018 at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BOSTON, MA – MAY 13: Kyrie Irving #11 Gordon Hayward #20 and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics look on during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 13, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA – MAY 13: Kyrie Irving #11 Gordon Hayward #20 and Daniel Theis #27 of the Boston Celtics look on during Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2018 NBA Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 13, 2018 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images) /

November 9, 2018: Boston Celtics vs. Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz fans will finally get their chance to give Gordon Hayward a proper welcome back to Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Now let me be clear, I have never been a huge fan of booing opposing former players, but if anyone deserves it, it is Gordon Hayward. The way he left Utah has been talked about ad nauseam, so I won’t add anything further than saying, it’ll be good to have Hayward back in Utah.

The real reason I have this game here, though, is because the Celtics are an incredibly exciting team for this upcoming season, and look to be potentially the best team in the Eastern Conference.

The potential lineup of Kyrie Irving, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Al Horford is fascinating to think about. That lineup has a real chance of being one of the best in the league, and could legitimately compete with the Golden State Warriors in a series. The Jazz actually have a solid lineup to compete against them, though, being able to play Ricky Rubio or Dante Exum, Donovan Mitchell, Joe Ingles, Jae Crowder and Rudy Gobert.

This will also give us a great opportunity to see the growth in second year stars Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum. In their two head-to-head matchups last season, Mitchell outscored Tatum 39-23.

Tatum blossomed in a big way during the playoffs, though, and appears to be putting in work with Kobe Bryant this offseason. Heading into next season, both players should show major improvement, and it will be fun to see the two young guns going head-to-head.

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