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SALT LAKE CITY -- Raise your hand, lean back in your chair or give us a grin if you picked the Jazz to be in the playoffs when the lockout ended back in December. For me, I can do none of the above!
I'd like to say I picked the Jazz to be playoff players, but the truth is I believed this mix of young promising talent wasn't quite ready to blend in with veterans Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, Earl Watson and Raja Bell. Toss in Kevin O'Connor's second chance club of Josh Howard and Jamaal Tinsley, and I figured Ty Corbin may get 25 wins out of this team. Most sports publications and NBA insiders picked the Jazz to finish last in the West. But at last count the Jazz were 35 and 30 with one game to play and Tuesday night earned a playoff spot in the Wild West with a home town win over Steve Nash and the Suns.
This team doesn't quit. They never have, which is a strong testament to Ty Corbin's coaching and counseling abilities. We've watched "Big Al" Jefferson learn what it means to share the ball, Millsap's grit, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward realize they do indeed belong in this league, Tinsley and Howard resurrect careers and provided leadership in the locker room.
And after two months of struggles, Devin Harris found his old All-Star form he once enjoyed in Dallas and provided the attack-the-rim personality and 3-point shooting the Jazz desperately needed just in time.
So now it's on to the playoffs. And for much of this Jazz team, it will be their first post-season experience. "Big Al" said Tuesday night in the locker room, "It's time to shock the world."
For many, it would be a shock to win just one game against the top seed in the West, but it would be more shocking if they didn't fight for every bounce and bucket along the way!
Some have argued the post season takes away draft picks. But nothing can replace playoff minutes. From my chair, this team has proven and earned the right to take the next step. It may be a train wreck, or "Big Al" may be right. But the first steps in this long journey have just been taken.
And we're all in for a wild ride!
