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SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz appear to be one of the more unlikable teams in the NBA; that is to say, anywhere outside of Utah.
On March 2, the Jazz found themselves in a physical battle against the playoff-hopeful Minnesota Timberwolves. In the fourth quarter, with the Jazz pulling away, Wolves guard Jeff Teague pushed Ricky Rubio into the first row of the Vivint Smart Home arena, causing a shoving match between the two teams. Teague was ejected, as was Jazz forward Jae Crowder, who found himself in a verbal confrontation with Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau.
Eventually, that fight ended up on Twitter, with injured Wolves star Jimmy Butler applauding Minnesota’s tenacity.
haven’t used Twitter in years. But yeah Jeff that’s what I like to see. Rubio getting up quick for no reason.
— Jimmy Butler (@JimmyButler) March 3, 2018
YouTube: Jeff Teague Hard Foul On Ricky Rubio / Ejected From The Game / Timberwolves vs Jazz
Days later, on March 5, Jazz head coach Quin Snyder earned his first NBA ejection. The ejection came against the Orlando Magic when he protested a call by referee Bennie Adams, before storming the court and verbally confronting each of the three game officials. Snyder’s ejection was no accident, as he commented after the game.
“Hopefully, we can get a good whistle, a fair whistle … sometimes you react, and in this case, I reacted," he said. "I generally don’t do that, but in this instance, I felt strongly about the situation.”
His players supported him in the locker room, with rookie Donovan Mitchell saying of the ejection: “I liked it; I thought it was great and it shows the passion that he has.”
YouTube: Quin Snyder earns his first ejection
Thursday, Rubio was again on the receiving end of a shove at the hands of the opposing team. The Phoenix Suns’ Jared Dudley took umbrage with Rubio’s decision to capitalize on Marquese Chriss’ missed dunk attempt by quickly trying to advance the ball up the floor. Dudley shoved Rubio, who responded by going chest to chest with the NBA veteran before Chriss shoved Rubio to the floor after the play had been blown dead. Both Dudley and Chriss were ejected for their actions. YouTube: Jared Dudley, Marquese Chriss shove Ricky Rubio in big Suns-Jazz altercation | ESPN
Though it doesn’t appear Rubio was the instigator in these extracurricular confrontations, it’s not the first time he’s been embroiled in an off-the-floor controversy. When Rubio’s Spanish National team faced off against Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s French National team in EuroBasket 2015, the two future teammates feuded over officiating on Twitter.But Rubio isn’t the only controversial Jazzman. Breakout forward Joe Ingles has had his share of dust-ups so far this season. Here is Ingles feuding with the Houston Rocket’s MVP candidate James Harden.
YouTube: James Harden Goes Crazy After Gobert Tried To Injure & Ruin His MVP Season
And here with future Hall of Famer Pau Gasol: YouTube: Pau Gasol Exchanges Words with Joe Ingles, Both Trash Talk! Spurs vs Jazz February 12, 2018
And with last year’s MVP Russell Westbrook: YouTube: Joe Ingles Ready To Fight Russell Westbrook After Hard Grab
And with fellow Thunder All-Star Paul George: YouTube: Paul George Shoved Joe Ingles, Got Heated Just 11 Seconds Into The Game
And with Thunder rookie Terrance Ferguson: YouTube: Joe Ingles hits a 3-pointer and yells at OKC's Terrance Ferguson
The Jazz didn’t increase their likability when at this season’s trade deadline, they traded Rodney Hood to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Crowder. Crowder is one of the NBA’s few remaining tough guys and has carried the reputation from Boston, to Cleveland, and now to Utah, where he is regularly the first player to come to his teammates' defense. A simple YouTube search reveals many of Crowder’s earlier career run-ins. The Jazz willingness to display this fiery edge is a stark departure from last season. During the 2016-17 season, the Jazz amassed a total of 13 technical fouls, led by Gobert’s nine. The other four were split evenly between George Hill, Hood, Boris Diaw and Trey Lyles. Former Jazzman Gordon Hayward, who ranked second on the team in minutes played, ended the season without picking up a technical foul.
This year, with 12 games still remaining in the regular season, the Jazz have picked up 23 technical fouls. Gobert, again, leads the team with seven, despite playing in only 44 games so far this season. Eight other players have at least one. The Jazz are tied with Philadelphia with the 15th most technical fouls for the season. Last year, the Jazz were near the bottom of the league, tied at 27th with Minnesota.
Despite the Jazz uptick in fights and technical fouls, the team is as easy to root for as ever. Between jersey sales, home sellouts, and a significant recent uptick in social media interaction, the Jazz have struck a chord with their fanbase.
It’s not foreign territory for Jazz fans. Karl Malone, one of two statues standing outside of the Vivint Smart Home Arena, is the NBA’s all-time league leader in technical fouls with 332 as a player. Meanwhile, Hall of Fame head coach Jerry Sloan is the league leader in career technical fouls, earning nearly 500 from his time as a player and a coach.
The Jazz have shown a newfound tenacity on the floor, resulting in more on-court tussles and technical fouls. The fight the team has been willing to show appears to have earned the support of the fanbase as much as their recent winning ways.
The more unlikable the Jazz have become to the rest of the league, the more they’ve endeared themselves to their local community. And with the recent uptick in mid-game controversies, it’s a trend that may be here to stay.
