Jazz shootaround: "buckle up" freeway signs; Snyder's player-coach relationships


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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz held shootaround Friday morning, just ahead of their 8:30 p.m. MT matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers. Jazz forwards Gordon Hayward and Joe Johnson spoke with the media, along with head coach Quin Snyder.

Buckle Up sign

This message has been up on signs above Utah freeways and highways all day Friday:

You think Utah is excited for Game 6 tonight? (via r/UtahJazz) pic.twitter.com/mZtNqpbLol — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 28, 2017

Props to the Utah Department of Transportation to figure out a way to mix messages, supporting the local team and promoting safety as well. And thanks to Jazz play-by-play man Craig Bolerjack! Without his signature "buckle up" call when the game gets exciting, this sign would be a lot less fun.

And it is just part of the atmosphere the Jazz think can help them win in Game 6.

"Being here through all the rebuilding that we had, having them stay loyal to us, it's pretty cool," Hayward said. "The arena is electric when we play, and we're going to need them tonight for sure."

Player-coach relationship

As the Jazz have succeeded in the playoffs so far, one story has been the emergence of Snyder and the trust he puts in his players. Today, the players spoke about what that trust does for them.

"He's been so good for our team," Hayward said. "His preparation, his passion. He's always trying to find ways to help me, help the other guys on the team be successful. So detail-oriented. I think he's a huge part of our turnaround from 25 to 30 to 40 to 50 wins. He's been our leader, and we appreciate everything he's done."

Hayward told a story of when he first learned Snyder was going to coach the Jazz moving forward.

"I remember in Chicago, going out to eat when he got hired with my wife and him. We talked about life. We didn't talk about basketball at all. He started building the foundation then, and we've had talks and meals since then, and our relationship has really gotten pretty strong. I think you need a good relationship, coach-player, to take the team to the next level."

Johnson was asked what he'd say about his Utah experience if he was trying to recruit a free agent to come to the Jazz, like he did last offseason.

"It's awesome, man. It's a great culture here. Great young team, a great coaching staff that believes in their guys and do whatever they can to help us succeed out there on the court," Johnson said. I've enjoyed it, each and every moment."

Chris Paul's desperation mode

One thing that the Jazz are wary about going into Game 6: Chris Paul in full desperation mode, knowing that he may be in his last game with the Los Angeles Clippers if his team loses tonight. He has the option to opt out of his contract this offseason, and may choose to do so to guarantee himself more money, or to move his talents to another team.

It's something the Jazz are looking out for. As Snyder told team-owned 1280 AM on his appearance Thursday, "I don't think you can extinguish (Chris Paul), you've just got to make sure the fire doesn't burn everything else down."

Hayward takes a similar approach: "He's going to do everything in his power to win this game," he said. "We've got to start to contain him, and not let him let get everyone else going besides himself."

Doing either one of those things would probably be enough to get the Jazz a win tonight. But if Paul can score more than 30 and get his teammates (J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan, and others) involved in efficient scoring, then the Jazz could be in trouble.

Joe Johnson Instagram

There was a picture making the rounds on Instagram of current Jazzman Joe Johnson in 2001, in a Boston Celtics jersey, trying his best to defend Karl Malone. I asked him about that photo, and what he remembers about The Mailman at today's shootaround.

> Joe Johnson also took a moment to relive the time he played against Karl Malone 😂 [pic.twitter.com/r692oqSpeE](https://t.co/r692oqSpeE) > > — Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) [April 28, 2017](https://twitter.com/utahjazz/status/858036048047333376)

"He was a monster. I got caught in between and it was a 3-on-1, and I was the one guy back on defense," Johnson said. "He was coming down the lane and I was telling myself to take a charge. But, you know, he always comes with his knees high, and I got out of the way. Coach took me out and I was a rookie, I'll never forget it. He cussed me out and everything. I didn't get back in the game neither, but I wasn't taking that charge."

By the way, Johnson is making his way up the minutes played leaderboards. He's now 21st in NBA history in most minutes played with 43,029 minutes. Malone is second with 54,852 minutes played, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is first, he played 57,446 minutes.

"35, 36 is what it is. It's 16 years logged in this league," Johnson said. "I've enjoyed every minute of it."

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Andy Larsen

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