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SALT LAKE CITY - The Utah Jazz have played over 3,000 minutes this season, and their playoff lives will boil down to 48 more on Tuesday.
The Jazz needed overtime to take down the Magic 117-107 and separate themselves from the Suns by a game for the final spot in the playoffs. After Tuesday night in Salt Lake City, the previous 130 hours of basketball might not matter.
The playoff scenarios for the Jazz are still open to a wide possibility of finishes. They could finish seventh or tenth in the Western conference. When it all comes down to it the only scenario the Jazz are worried about is beat the Suns and they are in.
"We need a win," said Alec Burks. "It's that simple."
That is the easiest way to get into the postseason. If the Jazz beat the Suns in EnergySolutions Arena, they will make the playoffs. If the outcome doesn't go as planned for the Jazz they still have hope, but Gordon Hayward said it best for what they have to, "win our next game."
The Suns lost Saturday to the Nuggets, which clinched a spot for Denver leaving one spot open, and the Jazz now have a game lead. That gives them a little lee-way. The Jazz could lose to Phoenix, then have the Suns lose again in their final game and still make the playoffs.
Coach Tyrone Corbin joined the rest of the team in the "just win" mentality. He mentioned the non-win scenarios for making the playoffs.
"I"m aware of them, but I don't want to talk about them right now," Corbin said.
In the end that is all that matters. Most players brought up the fact that they just have to win - where, when and how seemed irrelevant. A team that was dismissed from the start of the season is now one game away from the postseason and they are focusing on their own role in this and not hoping for someone else to collapse.
We need a win, it's that simple
–Alec Burks
"We take care of things ourselves," said Devin Harris after a 21 point night and a block on a potential game-winning shot in regulation. "We don't want to depend on anybody else to lose and this and that. We got to take care of what we can control and that's come out and win these games."
For the rookies and sophomores, for the first time the playoffs are not only the goal, but firmly in reach. However, the Jazz need to take the next game a play at a time and not make playoff plans yet.
"We just got to stay focused, not get ahead of ourselves," Jefferson said, after another double-double night, with 21 points and 10 rebounds. "No time to celebrate, still got to take care of some games."
If the Jazz win out and the Nuggets lose two more games the Jazz could finish with the seven-seed. If they lose to Phoenix and Phoenix wins their final game, or the Jazz lose to Portland they would finish ninth. If they lose both games and Houston wins out they would fall to tenth.
