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NEW YORK — One by one, the Jazz players received hearty boos as they were introduced to the famously raucous Madison Square Garden crowd.
Then came Donovan Mitchell.
Cheers rang through the famed arena as the 25-year-old, who grew up less than an hour from Manhattan, was announced to the crowd. Yes, Mitchell had a lot of childhood friends and family in the stands. He even came into the postgame press conference out of breath having ran over to talk to them.
But even he didn't have enough to justify that loud applause. The cheers came as a result of a hope that Mitchell might one day make his way back home.
Then he went out and tantalized the New York crowd even more.
Mitchell had 36 points, eight assists and six rebounds to lead the Jazz to a 108-93 victory over the Knicks Sunday.
The finishing touch? A driving one-handed slam that stopped a Knicks' comeback.
New York cut Utah's 15-point lead down to 4 with under six minutes left to play. But that highlight-reel dunk — a play that got a mixture of oohs and, yes, cheers — kickstarted a 14-2 run that slammed the door on New York's hopes of a win.
"I'm having more fun," Mitchell said when asked the difference between playing in MSG now compared to his rookie season. "The first year was just a lot."
Then, the numerous ticket requests were hard to handle, the texts from old friends a bit too demanding. Things haven't necessarily calmed down for him, but he's become better at handling them. For example, he said he's not afraid to tell some people they have to get their own tickets.
"I think the biggest thing is really the external stuff," Mitchell said. "And it's fun seeing friends and family being able to do that, but also understanding you got a job to do."
He's a lot better at that job than he was in his rookie year, too.
Mitchell could always score, now he's thriving at leading a team. On Sunday, he was a dynamic playmaker.
"I think the biggest thing is my passing's improved for sure, but I think creating advantages for us," Mitchell said.
That all started with some conversations. Quin Snyder said one of the more fun parts about coaching Mitchell is the dialogue that the two can have about a matchup. The two can analyze a defense together, and figure out the best way to attack it.
If a team takes away the roll man (like the Knicks did on Sunday; Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside combined for one shot at halftime), what else is open?
"Where should the ball be? What's the location? Do we want it on the sidelines? Is it better in the middle? All those things," Snyder said. "It's fun having that dialogue before the game, but also during the course of the game. It's something I know Don takes pride in. Having a guy that listens like that, for a coach, that's something you really enjoy."
Especially when he has all the skills needed to make those talks effective. Mitchell's ability to recognize and attack a blitz was the key to Utah's offense on Sunday — from him splitting a double or going to a small-small pick and roll, or simply getting off ball and letting Jordan Clarkson take over. Clarkson scored 18 of his 23 points in the first half and was 9 of 13 from inside the arc.
"The biggest thing for me is to try to make the game easier for everybody," Mitchell said. "Especially when you got Bojan (Bogdanovic) and Mike (Conley) out. The ball's in your hands the whole game, you've got to think for everybody. And so the biggest thing is be willing to take steps in that direction. It's easy when guys trust you and you go out there you trust yourself."
It doesn't hurt when you get to play in front of family, friends and some hopeful admirers, too. Even when his mother was, well, being a mom on the sideline.
"She was telling me the whole game that my tights were ripped and I had to change," Mitchell said. "That's what she was telling me every time I sat down. It's fun."
