The Utah Jazz continue their NBA Playoff run

The Utah Jazz had to play Game 1 of the second round less than 48 hours after an emotional Game 6 victory over the OKC Thunder. Needless to say, the results were about as you’d expect. Fortunately the Jazz able to learn some things in the 2nd half and after some Quin Snyder adjustments they should be ready to go for Game 2 against the Houston Rockets.

The Utah Jazz and OKC Thunder had one of the most entertaining first round series of the NBA Playoffs. After the victory, some overreactions are in order. These can be found on the Ringer here:

3. PUT ON YOUR THICKEST, STRONGEST, MOST PROTECTIVE OVEN MITTS AND LET’S GET TO COOKING THE HOTTEST OF TAKES: DONOVAN MITCHELL IS A TOP-THREE POINT GUARD IN THE LEAGUE.

There’s some other thoughts and reactions there that are worth reading. The Utah Jazz continue to make some noise and are getting more and more credit for their incredible performance this season.

Speaking of recognition, Adidas has really been picking up their advertising game through Donovan Mitchell’s amazing rookie season.

This movement has even inspired other fanbases during 76er games for a little heckling.

With how hard Adidas has been making a push with their newest rookie, could a pair of signature shoes soon be in order?

We’re nearing the end of the season but the Downbeats and the Fanposts keep coming.

This week anniegetyrgun is asking for some help in a search for old Larry Miller footage

i’ve been searching and searching for the video or the transcript of the video from either 97 or 98 where nbc (or whomever) interviews miller at half time of one of the games where he talks about not going to games on sunday. anyone got a link?

thanks in advance :)

The guys over at Sports Illustrated recently discussed Donovan Mitchell’s shocking playoff performance so far:

Mitchell, I agree, he’s just so crafty around the basket and all he needs to add is a little big better three-point shot and he’s going to be so dangerous. I was prepared to be like a little league parent in these playoffs with Donovan Mitchell. I expected him to go like 5 of 17 and have like 16 points and six assists. I was going to be like, ‘Look, there are a lot of encouraging signs.’ But he’s just out there, he is one of the best players on the floor and it raises the ceiling for the Jazz long-term. If he is going to be at a superstar level, that player paired with Gobert is going to make the Jazz really good for a long time.

The future of the Utah Jazz is in great hands for the long term. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert a foundation that the Jazz can successfully build around for a very, very long time.

I recently read a decent piece from Basketball Breakdown about Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio and their dominance against the Thunder.

The Utah Jazz weren’t supposed to be this good. Not right away, at least. The offseason brought them the departure of Gordon Hayward, a two-way stud who represented the team’s only option for forcing the issue offensively. They effectively swapped George Hill for Ricky Rubio, arguably a net negative given the team’s glaring lack of spacing and shooting.

Utah’s only real addition they made came in the form of 13th overall pick Donovan Mitchell...

For all his virtue, Rubio has never been a scorer... But while most poor scorers prioritize hiding on offense, Rubio does the opposite. Instead of passivity, Rubio embraces the aggression of his position, even while recognizing his limitations...

For all of Rubio’s wizardry, Utah’s atypical offense works in large part because Mitchell has already established himself as one of the league’s most emphatic and violent scorers. The rookie’s raw abilities have opened a cavalcade of doors for Rubio and coach Quin Snyder, thus allowing the Jazz to throw idiosyncratic sets at an unsuspecting defense...

It’s 2018. Rookies aren’t supposed to provide value and point guards with a career average of 10.8 points per game are assumed to be liabilities. And yet here we are, with Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio—the NBA’s odd couple—leading a Utah squad that no team wishes to face.

Let’s hope Utah can get Ricky Rubio back in the lineup sooner rather than later. The Jazz need all hands on deck to try and take out the top-seeded Rockets.