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SALT LAKE CITY - The Jazz are out of the playoffs and the season is over for a young team that overachieved and made the year interesting.
With a steal and a layup by Manu Ginobili the Spurs eliminated the Jazz with an 87-81 game that shouldn't have been as close. The fight of the Jazz with a 15-0 run kept fans on their feet until the end, when they came up just short. Much like the season that saw so many ups-and-downs the last game can be looked at as a microcosm of the season as a whole.
Here is a look at the game and the season. The similarities are there more than just the competition, but hope and enjoyment in Jazz nation.
The start wasn't pretty, The season started with three double-digit blowouts. The game started with the Jazz going down 11-4. It seemed like the same old story carried over. Last season ended with a whimper. Game 3 ended much the same.
They were then able to dig in. In the season they railed off eight wins over their next nine games. In the game they grabbed the lead and were up by four right until the first quarter break.
Then the games turned sour. The season had losses to the Warriors, Hornets, Rockets, Timberwolves and Kings, all in February, all are lottery teams. They had a losing record and were nearly sunk.
In game they survived Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, but they started to let the lead the slip away at the hands of Tiago Splitter, Matt Bonner and Gary Neal. The Jazz were down 21 with 6 minutes left, fans were leaving, the beautiful season was coming to a close.
In the season they stabilized with wins over the Lakers, Thunder, Nuggets and Mavericks. They caught a break when the Spurs rested their key players. They found a spark in the big-lineup and from the injuries that threatened to ravage their season they found a spark in DeMarre Carroll, who went from D-League castoff to starter for a playoff contender.
The Spurs began to rest their players with a commanding lead. Then a small spark happened, Jefferson hits a long two, Carroll, now playing closing minutes in the Jazz's close-out game, scores two buckets after earning time with hustle and the lead is trimmed to 13.
The big-lineup takes over in season. The Jazz go from outside looking in to winning five-in-a-row and seven of their last nine. They take down the Suns in the second to last game of the season to secure a spot in the playoffs. They don't believe they are done yet.
Young Derrick Favors hits free throws, Al Jefferson comes out of a slump and gets four points, Paul Millsap grabs five defensive rebounds and Devin Harris gets to the line and suddenly the Jazz are down four, in prime position to keep their season alive.
The stories converge at this point, and lead in to what- ifs. The Spurs sweep the Jazz in the first round to end a magical season. Ginobili gets a layup to end the 19-2 run and the Jazz's hopes for a magical comeback.
The question lingers: What if?
What if the Jazz played the whole season the way they played their final five games, they might have been able to avoid the Spurs in the first round. What if the Jazz played this hard in the previous three-and-a-half games. They might have at least extended the series a game and instead of packing up their lockers tomorrow.
However, both scenarios also end in hope. The Jazz have shown that they have found a way to win. The big-lineup could end up having the Jazz as a near-50 win team. They had some mental lapses, but they actually had a chance to win the game.
They now know how to win in the regular season and they got experience to see what the playoffs are all about.
