'Joe! Joe! Joe!': Ingles (and other former Jazz players) get hero's welcome as Wolves win


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SALT LAKE CITY — "Joe! Joe! Joe!"

The steady chant started to build like a rising pulse through the Delta Center. At that point, the game was well-decided. The Minnesota Timberwolves were putting the finishing touches on a 138-113 win over the Jazz, but the fans had more pressing matters to attend to: get Joe Ingles into the game.

With 3:51 left, Minnesota coach Chris Finch obliged the thousands of Jazz fans, signaling for Ingles to head into the game. The fans rose to their feet and gave Ingles a standing ovation as he checked in for a game for just the 10th time this season.

Those cheers returned every time he touched the ball, egging him on to shoot. Alas, the fans didn't get that wish. Lauri Markkanen played some tight defense to close the game, and Ingles never got enough breathing room to fire away.

Ingles has only taken three shots this season and has yet to score a point. Even with the Timberwolves returning to Utah in late February, Thursday's game may have been the last time Ingles plays on the court where his NBA career took off.

If that is the case, consider it a fond farewell.

"That's fire," Clarkson said of the reaction. "I mean, he's a legend. All the guys, they come back and feel a lot of love, especially from the home crowd that we've got here. We've got the best fans, so I didn't expect anything less.

"But Joe's a legend, man, always and forever. He's engraved in Utah culture and Utah basketball."

It was a day of reminiscing for former Jazz players with Ingles, Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley — three pillars of Utah's last playoff team.

"It's always a great feeling for me, just like when landing on the plane and seeing the people, seeing the love, and just also the energy," Gobert said. "It feels like home — always. It's always short during the season, but it's always great."

Gobert finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Conley didn't play due to a thumb injury.

From the cheers Gobert received when he got introduced in the starting lineup to the chorus for Ingles, it's clear there's still a connection between the fans and the players of that era.

"They are very passionate," Gobert said. "For me, like coming in as a rookie, we weren't really good the first few years, but they watched us go from being last in West to being first in West. I really feel that they embraced me and embraced us as a team, and it felt really genuine."

If nothing else, Thursday night proved just how genuine that was.

"I gave everything I got to this franchise, so it's always cool to come back in this community," Gobert said. "And when I come back, it's always cool to see some familiar faces, and then hear some positive in the world and love."

The players also feel a connection for those Jazz teams. Twice now, Minnesota and Utah have found themselves in the same city on the road. That's led to Clarkson and those former Jazz players laughing it up in hotel lobbies, telling stories about their Utah days.

Stories about being the first team to experience COVID-19, playing in the bubble to being the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. All of those moments made them a "close-knit family."

"I think those moments don't die for us," Clarkson said. "We still look back and always get a laugh about how crazy we were; but at the same time, we see the growth in all of us — the growth of Rudy, Joe, everybody, man, we've just been there with each other through a lot of ups and downs. I think that's what made the bond unbreakable."

Unbreakable for the players and as thousands of cheers showed, unbreakable for the fan base, too.

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