Huge, possibly season-saving win last night in Portland. Lots of emotional rollercoaster rides and lots of story lines last night. We will discuss some of those story lines further, but what was your highlight of last night's victory?
One story line from last night was the Millsap, Favors, Jefferson front court. Many Jazz fans have been asking for this very lineup and there have been reasons why Jazz fans have expected it to happen at some point. For one thing, Millsap played some small forward at the end of last season and then there is this:
You can't see the date on this tweet, but it was from before the first game of the regular season. From what I can tell, neither Evans nor Millsap had played any significant minutes at the small forward position all season. Maybe the first minutes this season.
The question is: can this lineup continue to be successful or was it a one time thing?
And just when you thought the point guard issue was becoming a big problem:
I'm not a doctor, but that sprain looked pretty bad. I wouldn't be surprised if it kept Harris out for a couple of games. This is when having two good back up point guards is now a fantastic problem. If Harris is out against Phoenix, who starts?
If there is one Jazz fan who would be the last Jazz fan to quote scripture, would it be this guy?
Absolutely Hilarious. How did he come up with that scripture?
In case you were wondering, that scripture perfectly describes last night's game. Please refer to the downbeat title.
James Peterson is the author of the Utah Jazz blog Harpringer of Doom. You should read that blog for the name alone, but also for the content. Here is a well thought out post on the Jazz's chances of making the playoffs. James has the Jazz falling one game out of the playoffs and I tend to agree. The Jazz are going to have to win one more game this season that is an expected loss, I think. And last night doesn't count. However, a loss last night probably keeps us out of the playoffs, so that win was huge. Also, Houston got an unexpected win last night over Chicago. It looks like Denver and Utah may duke it out for the last spot.
The nice thing is that the Jazz are going to end up with either a lottery pick or a playoff meeting. Thats a nice win-win situation. Some Jazz fans would prefer for the Jazz to miss the playoffs and get a pick and some Jazz fans would rather the Jazz get some experience in the playoffs.
If you find yourself on one side of the issue, does that stance have conditions? If you want the lottery pick, does it change your mind if you know the Jazz will have the 14th pick and no other first round pick? If you want the Jazz to make the playoffs, does it change your mind if you knew that the Jazz would get swept and only one of the games was competitive, much like the Laker series two seasons ago? What if you knew that Coach Corbin would rely more heavily on the vets in the postseason and that the young guys didn't even see much of the floor? Discuss.