This was as fun a game as I can remember. The Utah Jazz dominated the New York Knicks at home, 106-85; and the fans finally got what they were looking for. No, not a 21 point blowout, but free chicken from Chick-fil-A! Well, more seriously, the fans wanted to see the team win at home (before tonight Utah was only 4-4 in Utah), but also see something that an entire generation of Jazz fans saw -- a dominant home performance. Anyway you look at it, for food, for fun, or for victory, this team did it. They came out shooting threes and not missing any in the first quarter that started the ball rolling in the right direction. Their defense was very impressive against a healthy and rested Knicks squad -- Carmelo Anthony 's team could only manage 11 points in the first quarter.
The Jazz were rolling because Gordon Hayward was on a mission, and the Jazz ended up scoring 60 points by half (a buzzer beater by Alec Burks put them there). It was a great example of defense, even defense without Rudy Gobert anchoring the team, as the Knicks scored just 35 points at the half, in direction comparison. They picked up +2 points in the third when the Jazz let them "kind of" back in the game, but it was a blowout and in the end the only thing people were worried about was the Chick-fil-A status. This may be recency bias, but that's really all the announcers and fans on twitter were talking about. If an opponent misses two free throws during a sequence at the line in the fourth quarter each fan can redeem their #NYKatUTA ticket at a Chick-fil-A for some free food! Late in the game Lou Amundson missed two, there was a lane violation on the second, and the refs play the game, but the final ruling was in our favor. (Sasha Vujacic was playing the part of the heel after getting Rodney Hood tossed . . . and wasn't missing his 4th quarter freebies when they counted most.)
You can say that the team earned some free food as well. They shot 9/21 from downtown (42.9%), four guys were in double figures (Gordon Hayward 24, Derrick Favors 20, Trey Burke 15, Alec Burks 10), and overall the team pounded the glass for 51 rebounds. Every active player got in the game, and I really want to see more of this down the line. What I mean isn't just free food. I mean a return of home domination.
Utah used to be where teams just never won. Winning on the road has been great, and a great change in the culture. But there are some traditional Jazz basketball things I wish to always see -- and that's the crowd going nuts at home, and the road team leaving with their hearts crushed.
This was a dope win. I want to see more like this, please.
The Jazz have a home and home set against the Oklahoma City Thunder next. At home on Friday, on the road on Sunday.