homeytennis
Well-Known Member
We can only speculate if genius Quin had trotted out Hughes the last two games if the result would have been different.
Mitchell injury
- Thread starter mongoose01
- Start date
Even in the context that Minnesota is 14-13 when KAT and Russell both play and Utah was missing Mitchell, I can’t reconcile with the fact that we just lost 2 straight to a team that had yet to win back-to-back games ALL SEASON as well as the fact that we looked completely out-hustled in both games.
The one silver lining I can find, and believe me, I went looking pretty deep is that if Utah is gonna have a bad stretch of play where things need to get ironed out, it’s better to have that happen now as opposed to the playoffs.
However, what makes me nervous about that line of thinking is the fact that Utah hasn’t looked great since just prior to the All Star break. That’s a pretty long stretch to be out of sorts and not only that, it’s coming at a time in which the schedule eased up considerably. When this team was playing the toughest schedule in the league, they looked like world beaters. Now that the schedule has eased up considerably, they look like garbage.
Guys like Lebron, KD, and Steph have shown the ability to flip the switch on and off. I’m not quite sure Mitchell, Gobert, and Conley have earned that trust, or quite honestly, even know where the damn switch is.
The one silver lining I can find, and believe me, I went looking pretty deep is that if Utah is gonna have a bad stretch of play where things need to get ironed out, it’s better to have that happen now as opposed to the playoffs.
However, what makes me nervous about that line of thinking is the fact that Utah hasn’t looked great since just prior to the All Star break. That’s a pretty long stretch to be out of sorts and not only that, it’s coming at a time in which the schedule eased up considerably. When this team was playing the toughest schedule in the league, they looked like world beaters. Now that the schedule has eased up considerably, they look like garbage.
Guys like Lebron, KD, and Steph have shown the ability to flip the switch on and off. I’m not quite sure Mitchell, Gobert, and Conley have earned that trust, or quite honestly, even know where the damn switch is.
fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
2020-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
You don't think the jazz looked good when they stomped the bulls in Chicago by 25? Or when they beat the nets by 30? How about when they beat the cavs by 39? What about when they beat the magic by 46? How about when they beat the trailblazers by 19? They beat the rockets by 23 and the Lakers by 14.
These are 7 of their 17 wins since the all star break. You don't think have looked great in any of their 17 post are star wins? They were garbage and out of sorts in all 17 post all star break wins?
Agree to disagree I guess
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app
LoPo
Well-Known Member
Well, I didn’t say they’ve been exclusively bad. Those wins you posted were great wins. I still think it’s a pretty damn fair statement to say that the Jazz have put out some very concerning play the 2nd half and of the season.
Backpeddle! Backpeddle!
Where’s the backpeddle? Beating Orlando by 46 points is really neat and all, but I don’t think winning a game like that and trending downward are mutually exclusive.
I think the Jazz are showing some foundational cracks that lead me to worry this team can’t make a deep playoff run. But hey, we beat Cleveland by a whole bunch of points, so I’m overreacting, right?
fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
2020-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
Agreed. This "rough" stretch since the all star break also coincides with the team having more players miss games due to injury than they did pre all star break and I think that has an effect.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app
NAOS
Well-Known Member
The two rough spells we’ve had this year we’re both during particularly road-heavy stretches. Apparently it’s really hard to be on the road this year with Covid-safety protocols early every morning. Nobody is sleeping very well (which raises the likelihood of injury, fwiw).
The jazz had the #1 seed on their plate. A huge advantage. And they’ve pushed it back into the center of the buffet table. And key players are either hurt or look gassed.
Need to get a win against PHX.
The jazz had the #1 seed on their plate. A huge advantage. And they’ve pushed it back into the center of the buffet table. And key players are either hurt or look gassed.
Need to get a win against PHX.
As I continue to search for silver linings, I’m hopeful that Donovan’s injury and subsequent time off will lead to a fresher version of DM heading into the playoffs.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
What’s the silver-lining in a 2nd round matchup against a full-strength Clippers team? Tia.
I feel like CP3 is going to be a lot more hungry for that than we will be.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
Fify
There’s no silver lining to that. It would suck.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
Indeed.
There’s no way of over-estimating how much better it would be to put PHX and LAC on the other side of the bracket (and staring at one another). The HC advantage is obviously huge, but these two teams’ strengths play much more into our weaknesses than any other WC team.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
And, for the record, I project very weak odds of us holding onto the #1 seed. Maybe somewhere in the 30% range.
I think if we can grab the next two games then our odds are looking pretty good. But grabbing the next two games is, you know, not looking very good.
NAOS
Well-Known Member
A big reason why we’ve been running ahead of the conference was because of our lack of injuries and games missed due to Covid protocols. I guess we might be seeing who we are relative to the rest of the conference once we begin to be more similarly afflicted.
There’s been so much noise in the results this year. It’s been fun to drink the koolaid..... But I hate looking like a naive fanboy, and this team is sorta doing that to me right now. Maybe I’m overreacting.... but I would not put money on us beating the Clippers in the second round (I’d obviously root for it, but I’m not putting real money on that matchup), so I don’t think it’s much of an over-reaction. A second-round exit would be such a *fart-sound* result to the season.
And then we field a less talented team next year, so yeah?
There’s been so much noise in the results this year. It’s been fun to drink the koolaid..... But I hate looking like a naive fanboy, and this team is sorta doing that to me right now. Maybe I’m overreacting.... but I would not put money on us beating the Clippers in the second round (I’d obviously root for it, but I’m not putting real money on that matchup), so I don’t think it’s much of an over-reaction. A second-round exit would be such a *fart-sound* result to the season.
And then we field a less talented team next year, so yeah?
fishonjazz
Well-Known Member
Contributor
2018 Award Winner
2019 Award Winner
2020-21 Award Winner
2022 Award Winner
2023 Award Winner
2024 Award Winner
The silver lining remains the same.
A fresher Donovan mitchell against a full strength clippers team is preferable to a run down less fresh Donovan against a full strength clippers team.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app
LifeOnaPlate
Well-Known Member
WELP.