Will the Utah Jazz wake up in 2021-22?
It’s time to face the facts: the Utah Jazz have not felt like a serious NBA title contender this season.
At 41-25, they’ve been good. Nobody could deny that. Fourth in the Western Conference is fourth in the Western Conference. If they’re satisfied with another also-ran finish, they’re well on track.
Only, they can’t afford one.
The Utah Jazz title window is closing
There is a sense of urgency around this Utah Jazz season. There always has been. That’s what’s created when rumors about your best player’s discontent run rampant.
We already knew they could compete in the regular season. They’ve been doing that since people wondered if Rodney Hood was their franchise player. The remaining question has always been whether they could take the next step.
If last night was any indication, they’re not ready for the NBA Finals.
Utah Jazz drop close contest to inferior opponent
The Jazz lost to the San Antonio Spurs by a final score of 104-102. It was a historic game that saw Gregg Popovich surpass Don Nelson for the most regular season wins of any NBA Head Coach in history.
Good for Pop. He’s one of the greatest basketball mind we’ve ever known: he deserves this. We just wish he hadn’t made history against the Utah Jazz.
The Jazzmen were heavily favored in this game. It didn’t matter. There were no injuries to blame. They simply struggled to put the ball in the basket.
Do the Utah Jazz need to tweak their formula?
It’s been said ad nauseum: you live by the three, you die by the three. Last night, the Utah Jazz died a thousand deaths from beyond the arc.
Or, at least 27. That’s how many they missed of their 40 attempts, resulting in a hohum 32.5% accuracy rate.
It somehow looked worse than that. The loss highlighted the issue with three-point dominant attacks. When they’re clicking, nobody can stop them. When they aren’t, they have a tendency to make a team look as bush league as the Utah Jazz did last night.
Perhaps Quin Snyder should flesh out a more comprehensive Plan B for the Jazzmen.
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Perhaps he will, or perhaps, the Utah Jazz will stick to their guns. All hope isn’t lost for this franchise. Still, if a fan’s faith was wavering, they couldn’t be blamed.