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SALT LAKE CITY — Gordon Hayward stepped to the free-throw line in the closing minutes of Utah’s 123-115 win over Boston Friday, and a chant broke out.
“We don’t miss you,” the Jazz fans yelled. “We don’t miss you.”
It was a game that was more important to the Utah fans than the Utah players. And that was felt long before anyone had even got to Vivint Arena.
Joe Ingles said he felt it as he walked down the Salt Lake City streets leading up to the contest. Fans were buzzing about the game like it was May, not November. The season is still young, but this game that mattered, and it mattered a lot.
That much was certain from the moment Hayward stepped on the court — over an hour before tip. As Hayward trotted out of the tunnel to put up pregame shots, he was greeted by a collection of boos from the few hundred fans who had already made their way inside. That was the start of a long night of heckling from the Jazz crowd.
Starting during Boston’s layup line before the game, Hayward was showered with boos every time he touched the ball.
“I expected some of that, it's part of the game,” Hayward said. “They were booing me from the get-go. It’s part of the game. Even in warmups, I didn’t think they were going to boo. That was kind of funny to me.”
It was a game in which the Jazz fans got just what they wanted. They got to take out 16 months of pent-up anger and frustration. They got to see their new heroes defeat their fallen one. And they got to give Hayward a final message: You have been replaced. Both in their hearts and on the court. And his on-court replacements made it hard not to leave happy.
“When you have I don’t know how many thousands cheering for you and booing other people,” said Rudy Gobert, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds, “it fuels you.”
And one person in particular: Jae Crowder.
Hayward’s decision to join Boston set off a chain reaction that eventually led Crowder to Utah. The Celtics chose Hayward, opting to sign him to a max deal and trade Crowder to make space.
Crowder is one of Utah’s most emotional players. He’s the first one to stand up for teammates, to jump on the floor, to scream after a huge play. But even he reached a new level on Friday.
“He hit the hell out of my hand after that last 3,” Ingles said.
That 3-pointer was one of two big triples in the fourth quarter from Crowder, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, as he helped the Jazz hold off Boston’s second-half rally.
The Jazz fans felt how special it was for Crowder, too. The moment he checked in, he was given a partial standing ovation. And when he hit that final 3-pointer, the Utah crowd was louder than any time it booed.
“It was a playoff atmosphere, we needed everybody in the arena,” Crowder said.
Crowder hit a 3-pointer to end the first half to cap off a 3-point barrage from the Jazz. Utah hit triples on its final four possession of the half, with the first three all coming from the same person: Ingles.
Ingles replaced Hayward as the starting forward for the Jazz, and in the former Jazzman’s return he put up a stat line that was reminiscent of the types Hayward put up during his All-Star season in Utah. Ingles had 27 points (20 of which came in the first half), seven assists and five rebounds. He shot 10-for-14 from the field (5-for-9 from 3-point range).
"We executed what we wanted to do and we were making shots," Ingles said. "It makes the game a lot easier when you make shots."
There was some relief for Ingles following the game. He wasn’t necessarily relieved the Jazz got the win or that the game itself was over. He was just happy that he didn’t have to be asked about it anymore.
“You guys can get your stories out now and hopefully we can move on with life,” Ingles said. “For us, it was Boston vs. the Jazz. It was nothing to do with one person. I’m kind of glad I don’t have to answer questions anymore, we can all move on, we can all enjoy our lives and keep on playing.”
Maybe the Jazz fans can now be over Hayward’s departure. They saw firsthand that he isn’t the same player, at least not yet, as he was in his final season in Utah.
"I maybe was dreading it a little bit, the hoopla, the whole thing," Hayward said. "With my injury and everything too, it’s been a whole year, we are focusing on our own thing. I know the Jazz are focusing on their thing too."
A major part of that thing is Donovan Mitchell. And Jazz fans got to see the new face of their franchise attack their old one.
Near the end of the third quarter, Hayward switched on to Mitchell. Mitchell drove to the right of the basket and hit a floater over Hayward’s outstretched arms. The crowd responded predictably.
It was because plays like that and with the play of Crowder, Ingles, Gobert and the entire Jazz team that it made it easy for the fans to send Hayward off the court with one last message: He is not missed.
But he clearly isn’t forgotten.
