Going from 5th in the lottery to 5th seed in the playoffs made this Jazz season one to remember

It’s been a great year for the Utah Jazz! So great that after the series ended, Jazz fans wanted to say goodbye to the team one last time. And so what we do? We went to greet them at their 1:15 AM arrival!

After some incredible Tweeple helped set up the meeting, I wanted to film what happened so all of you could see it.

For me, I can’t remember a team more easy to root for than the 2017-18 Utah Jazz. The emotions have been amazing where Jazz fans have the lowest of lows to some of the highest of highs.

I decided to skip the lows and list some of my favorite high points this season:

• I was a big fan of Donovan Mitchell pre-draft. And I was really excited that he worked out with the Jazz even though we were in the 24th spot. When we moved up to the 13th spot and got him I screamed as loud as if the Jazz hit a game winning three.
• Seeing Donovan Mitchell in Summer League was incredible. His scoring was off the charts and showed that the Jazz might have just drafted a very special player. His 8 steal game had me fanning myself.
• Joe Ingles took another step this season and was a guiding force through all the good games and the bad. Before it seemed like his personality and leadership were what were most valuable. But this season it was very much his talent as well. He was an incredible shooter and playmaker for the Jazz while also providing impressive defense. Joe Ingles is definitely one of the top wings in the league and people recognize it.
• Rudy Gobert’s return from his second injury led the Jazz to one of the most remarkable runs in NBA history. They went on a win-streak that led to the 5th seed of the playoffs and made #tanknote look silly (EVEN THOUGH IT WASN’T AND YOU CAN FIGHT ME FOR ALL I CARE)
• The Jae Crowder trade was a great move seeing him instantly incorporate into the team and culture so quickly made him an instant favorite for me.
• Donovan Mitchell brought a hype and notoriety to the Jazz I’ve never seen, including the Stockton and Malone era. His incredible numbers and electric play were must see TV for the entire NBA world as he’d light up Twitter and the ESPN highlights.
• Donovan Mitchell’s scoring 40+ points on two occasions was ridiculous. Rookies are just not supposed to be this good.
• The Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons ROY debate was fun and created a fun rivalry for years to come.
• Ricky Rubio joining the team and altering his game to Quin Snyder’s system is a big sign of his humility and character. He’s a class act in every way and because of that his game went to another level. Post All-Star break he became a legitmate three point shooter and his understanding of the system grew as the season went on. You can pinpoint that Atlanta loss as a turning point for a lot of things, but the biggest might be when things clicked for Ricky. On top of that, his mentorship of Donovan Mitchell will be invaluable for years to come.
• I’ll take credit for being on the Royce O’neale bandwagon early. Seeing his tape you could easily see an NBA player. But when he lost a tooth in preseason, picked it up, then threw it aside to get back to the play made me team Royce forever. Royce is quickly becoming a major part of the teams future as well with his three point shooting and elite level defense.
• The Jazz winning the first round of the playoffs and ending the season for Russell Westbrook and Paul George was phenomenal. Nothing is better than Donovan Mitchell’s game 6 performance. He put the team on his back and willed the team to victory. There have been so many times I have to remind myself that he’s a rookie. Just remarkable.

I’m sure I missed a lot. What were your favorite moments of the season?

After Donovan Mitchell’s fourth quarter injury last night, Jazz fans were holding their collective breath waiting for the news of what happened. Luckily it looks like he’ll be okay.

Even though the season ended without a championship, it looks like the Jazz players were in good spirits after the season’s end. Here are some of my favorite messages from the players.

Finally, I wanted to thank all of YOU, our readers and commenters. The site wouldn’t be what it is without all of you crazy fanaticals! Personally, I’ve had so much fun doing downbeats and post game videos and seeing your positive reactions has been great. And even though this season is over, I can tell you that the future is going to get better and better at SLC Dunk!

Thanks for a great season, Dunkers!