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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz had everything laid out for them to get back in the thick of it: The Lakers had just lost, the Jazz were looking for revenge and the Knicks didn't have their stars.
Then what was a lead started to slip away and suddenly a dream night turned into a nightmare with the Knicks getting hot and the Jazz going cold on the way to a 90-83 loss.
The loss might not end the season, but if the Jazz can't right the ship and fast it could be looked at as the turning point. And by fast that is to say in the next three games in a Texas road trip. The Jazz have 15 games left, but none more pressing than the next three against Houston, San Antonio and Dallas.
The Jazz have been able to bounce out of slumps early in the season, but doing so on the road against teams that are still fighting for their own playoffs will be another animal entirely.
Forget the road, we just got to win games period.
–Paul Millsap
The old adage of don't let a game beat you twice is now firmly planted in front of the Jazz. How do the Jazz get over the loss to the Knicks in time to beat the Rockets in Houston on Wednesday?
"Forget the road, we just got to win games period," said Paul Millsap.
The last time the Jazz saw the Rockets it was part of the 45-point beat-down the Rockets put on the Jazz at home. Now with both teams fighting for their playoff lives the Jazz have to get inspiration and not fear from the last game and move on.
Then if they can find a way to beat the Rockets getting a win in San Antonio seems even more unlikely, but the Jazz have to find a way to get a win somewhere in there.
"Well, you got to," said coach Tyrone Corbin. "You got to find a way to do it. Houston's not going to feel sorry for us. We've got Houston, then go over to San Antonio and Dallas, and those guys are not going to feel sorry for us. If you feel sorry for yourself it's going to be a long trip."
No one will feel sorry for the Jazz especially not the Mavericks who, believe it or not, could pass the Jazz with a win on Saturday if the Jazz can't find a win on this trip.
"Our backs are against the wall," said Randy Foye. "As a man, as a person, me. I wouldn't want it no other way. It's never easy, never was. Just got to bring it."
The Jazz found a rhythm against the Grizzlies the game before. Gordon Hayward started and the Jazz won the third quarter against a red-hot Grizzlies squad. Against the Knicks the Jazz were amiss. They were up two at half and got outscored by 9 in the second half against a team missing its top offensive and defensive player.
Forget x's and o's. Just find a way to take victories. It's at the point of the year where you almost just got to take it. Execute the best as we can is a good strategy, but at the end of the day we have to be so determined that you can feel the tension on the court.
–Earl Watson
The team couldn't get into its sets. Couldn't hit shots. Couldn't do much of anything and the close game just seemed out of reach. The captains, Millsap, Mo Williams and Al Jefferson, combined for 12-36 shooting for 31 points.
While the sets might not be working, one player seems to think that it shouldn't be about what is called, but just doing what needs to be done.
"Forget x's and o's. Just find a way to take victories," said Earl Watson. "It's at the point of the year where you almost just got to take it. Execute the best as we can is a good strategy, but at the end of the day we have to be so determined that you can feel the tension on the court."
Can the Jazz find a way to take victories? Whether that is being aggressive, or starting with the defense or simply making plays the Jazz haven't been able to be consistent in that regard. Watson might be right though, the Jazz need to have a determination to win.
They all know it, this could be the end of the season if they go 0-3. The Knicks game could have spared that, but with the loss the Jazz have three games to keep their heads above water.
