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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz played their last game two weeks ago and there is time to remember the good times and the bad. Today will be a look back at the good times for players, the top individual performances for the season.
Without a big time superstar this list gets interesting. Different players had to step up and make plays. There is only room for five, there will probably be snubs and omissions, but this is what we are going with looking back at the season today.
First some honorable mentions. Everyone in the Toronto 3-OT game. In that game Paul Millsap had 34 points on 16 shots and hit three 3-pointers, Al Jefferson had 24 and 17 and hit a 3 to send it to overtime, Mo Williams had 17 points and 14 assists.
The Magic win early in the season where Jefferson hurt his back he had 31 and 15. Mo Williams going 6-7 on 3-point shots against the Trail Blazers or his 20 point and 12 assist game against the Clippers.
5. Derrick Favors vs. Milwaukee:
This is the lone loss on the list, but it is not for lack of trying from Derrick Favors. With Al Jefferson still out young Favors got his second start in a row. The first start was Enes Kanter's breakout game, this one was Favors enjoying himself.
He ended the night with 23 points and 15 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. A feat that came close to Kanter's performance, but this game is probably more remembered by Favor's not playing the final quarter and overtime. The Jazz were down 10 going into the fourth and the Jazz clawed back in without him, so Ty Corbin rode the line.
Give him another even 8 minutes and he could have easily hit 30 and 20, but it ended with just the ho-him 23-15 night.
4. Paul Millsap's near triple-double vs. New Orleans:
Paul Millsap has his best games when someone else steals the show. This game was about Gordon Hayward's huge second half, where he went 8-10 after a terrible start to push the Jazz. Millsap's big game against San Antonio is overshadowed by Mo Williams' late 3-pointer. Even the aforementioned Toronto game is probably more remembered for Jefferson's game-tying 3-pointer.
Those other two were great, but the game against New Orleans was his finest this season. He lead the team in minutes with 39, shot 8-13, had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists. He was well on pace for a triple-double, but the assists dropped off late, he got his seventh with 11 minutes left in the fourth. Oh and just for good measure he helped hold Ryan Anderson to 0-10 shooting from the field.
3. Randy Foye goes lights out vs. Brooklyn:
Randy Foye had been building momentum leading up to this game and then suddenly the floodgates opened and he was ready to go. He had five points in the first half including his first 3-pointer he sat the entire second quarter, most likely absorbing power from the great beyond.
The third quarter started with his lone miss, a steal and a turnover by him. Then something clicked and he turned it on. He hit a couple from deep, then deeper and then from seemingly the parking lot. Okay, the farthest out was 28-feet. The Nets started guarding him before the Jazz got the ball.
He said it was like throwing a rock into the ocean. It was an absolute treat to watch.
2. Enes Kanter's 23-22 vs. Charlotte:Yes it was Charlotte, but goodness gracious Enes Kanter had himself a night to remember. It wasn't even just the numbers, 23 points and 22 rebounds, but the efficiency was astounding. He went 10-12 from the field.
The game might be discounted a little because everyone had a good game. DeMarre Carroll had 19 on 7-10 shooting and Jeremy Evans had 14 on 6-8, but Al and Paul were gone and Favors had fouled out, it was all on him and he showed why he was a top pick.
1. Al Jefferson's 40-13-6 vs. Minnesota:
This is tough to slot because the previous two were really good. This gets the nod for two reasons: one is the random historical significance and two is the timeliness of it. The historical perspective is he did something, scoring 40 points and was the outright leader in points, rebounds and assists, only six other players had done, ever. They are Shaquille O'Neal, Patrick Ewing, Larry Bird, Artis Gilmore, Bob McAdoo and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
The other part is that the team was fighting for a playoff spot. The Jazz were down by one at half and the deficit actually reached 7 points. In the second half he just didn't miss, he scored 29 in the second half. He made moves on moves and ended the night 19-27 with 13 rebounds and 6 assists.
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It's not like the Timberwolves are that much better than the Bobcats, especially without their starting big men, but Jefferson's biggest game came when the team needed him the most.
Now go ahead and hate, argue and disagree. Any of them could probably be exchanged for a couple spots, but this is the list. There are a couple of Gordon Hayward games that didn't make the list, the Heat and Thunder wins produced several big games, but neither made the list.
Take, dissect and analyze and maybe find one some under the radar games and put it in the comments.
