2021 post season #1 seed in NBA!

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Joe Mullinax: Quin Snyder says he expects a combination of Grizzlies adjustments as well as staying with their initial gameplans. Points out the offensive rebounds and the Grizzlies making Jazz pay for mistakes with fastbreak points

– via Twitter sbnGrizzlies

play Ersan/Morgan/Brantley

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https://kslsports.com/460491/jazz-ca...-in-game-four/

It’s been no secret that Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley have been the key to the Jazz success in games two and three.

Mitchell has mostly sucked after forcing his way onto the court but ok I guess

In fact, Morant and Brooks have combined to score 182 of the Grizzlies 352 points throughout the series, more than 51 percent of the team’s production. And, they’ve done it at an efficient rate.

who cares about efficiency eh Mitchell and Clarkson!

Tonight’s key matchup will pit Mitchell against Brooks in a rivalry that has been brewing throughout the season. The players had two competitive battles during the regular season which carried over in the opening-round playoff series.

Fortunately for the Jazz, Mitchell has gotten the better of the Grizzlies’ standout defender.

In 24 possessions when Brooks has been Mitchell’s primary defender, the Jazz All-Star has scored 19 points on 5-7 (71 percent) shooting, including 4-6 (66 percent) from the three-point line, while earning seven trips to the free-throw line.

In roughly 49 possessions against all other Grizzlies defenders, Mitchell has scored just 35 points on just 12-35 (35 percent) shooting from the floor and 3-14 (21 percent) from three, while earning eight trips to the free-throw line.

Brooks has however continued to punish the Jazz offensively. The fourth-year wing is averaging 27 points per game, the second-most of any player in the series while shooting 53 percent from the floor and nearly 36 percent from three.

good thing Mitchell is carrying them!

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https://www.deseret.com/2021/5/31/22...phis-grizzlies

“Sometimes we are looking at the ball instead of hitting our guys,” Bojan Bogdanovic said.

too bad they don't have a coach that will put guys in the game that want to hit guys like Ersan

Additionally, the Jazz would make things a lot easier on their centers if they would put more pressure on the ball and make things more difficult from the perimeter. It’s obviously the Jazz’s defensive scheme to funnel things into Gobert’s orbit, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try to slow things down before it gets to Gobert.

If you're Mitchell, Clarkson and Bojan it means exactly that

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https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/5/31/22...novan-mitchell

Game 3 also showed that the Jazz have a multitude of weapons that can beat you on any given night. If Bogdanovic or Ingles are having a sub-par game, Conley and O’Neale are capable of stepping up like they did. But it’s not as possible without Mitchell. Mitchell’s presence means every piece on offense is in its rightful spot. You aren’t asking Jordan Clarkson to play 30 minutes, or Joe Ingles to take on too much of the playmaking load. Everyone is tasked with the right amount of weight and nothing is too reliant on any single role player.

you should be asking Ingles to step up as a playmaker when Conley isn't in the game

Having Mitchell back puts Ingles back with the bench unit and keeps his minutes down, which is a good thing in the long run if you can keep Ingles fresh, but the Jazz need Ingles’ ultra efficient production when he’s on the floor to win these games. His shooting and playmaking can decimate defenses and lighten the load for Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell. Ingles having the ball in his hands also makes Jordan Clarkson more of an off ball player and can get him more efficient shots rather than constantly having to create something out of nothing. Clarkson’s ability to create something when everything breaks down is a nice advantage for the Jazz, but things are better when the team is moving the ball and creating advantages. That’s where Ingles makes his biggest impact. He takes the right shots or creates better ones for his teammates. The Jazz just need that to happen when he’s on the floor.

Clarkson will have as many iopen looks as he wants. Too bad he doesn't want them and can't shoot anyway

The Dillon Brooks villainy has been one of the main storylines of this series. The thing is, he’s not a supervillain. Since Donovan Mitchell has returned the Jazz have torched Brooks. He simply can’t stop Donovan Mitchell in the slightest.

the last post says the opposite

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Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on the role players: “They’re the difference between us being a very good team and a great team. … Having guys like Joe and Jordan, who can give us a big spark off the bench, that’s what makes us special this year. It’s hard for teams to guard us for 48 minutes.”
– via Twitter tribjazz




Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on the Jazz responding to Memphis’ rallies: “It’s resilience. And the most important part is continuing to trust each other. When it gets tough, we raise our level, and we do it together.”
– via Twitter tribjazz






Eric Walden: Donovan Mitchell: “[The Grizzlies] a team that’s never gonna quit, —up 30, down 30, whatever quarter. … Too many times tonight, we get up 9 and get careless. I threw a baseball pass for a turnover. I had another bad pass. Those are the things we have to nip in the bud.”
– via Twitter tribjazz






StatMuse: Donovan Mitchell is averaging 27.4 PPG in his playoff career. That’s the most in Jazz franchise history (min 25 games).
– via Twitter statmuse

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Meghan Triplett: Donovan Mitchell walked off the court and gave his kicks to 2 Jazz fans.
– via Twitter Meghan_Triplett

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https://kslsports.com/460579/full-te...-4-in-memphis/

If you recall, Bojan Bogdanovic missed the entire postseason after undergoing season-ending wrist surgery in May, while Mike Conley missed the first two games of the series to attend the birth of his child. Additionally, the Jazz have replaced the backup center minutes of Tony Bradley and Juwan Morgan with veteran Derrick Favors.

They won one of the games Conley missed and it's debatable rather the rest makes them better

Now, just as it was when they swept the Grizzlies over three games in four outings in March, it’s apparent the Jazz simply have more talent than the young Memphis roster. If Rudy Gobert isn’t playing well, Favors will. If Conley is having an off night, Jordan Clarkson will be on. If Joe Ingles is quiet, Royce O’Neale will be loud.

No chance without Gobert and Conley playing well. One of the worst teams in the league

After losing game one last season, the Jazz won three consecutive games in Orlando without ever having a home crowd behind them. Then, just as the winds shifted in their favor, they turned once again on the Disney World Campus as the Jazz watched three close games slip out of their hands.

didn't have a home team against them either

“You get the sense that when he misses, he keeps shooting,” Snyder said of the Sixth Man of the Year award winner. “To that extent, he’s mentally tough enough to take the next shot, but he’s also someone that cares so deeply about that playing well and about helping the team.”

he sucks

The dedication to maintain bench minutes has led to two rough stretches to open the fourth quarters in Memphis but has left extra gas in the game to close games. In game three, the Jazz closed the final four minutes on a 14-2 run to secure the victory.

not going to work in the next round

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https://kslsports.com/460537/derrick...ter-of-game-4/

After Dillon Brooks had a dunk on the other end, Joe Ingles and Favors ran their famous pick-and-roll in consecutive plays. Favors has been a massive addition this season for the Jazz after returning to the organization following a one-year stint with the New Orleans Pelicans.

massive?

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https://kslsports.com/460532/jazz-fi...e-in-playoffs/

“I like to give those guys the freedom to make some of those decisions on their own. We’ve got smart players, and they’re unselfish and when that’s the case, the ball tends to find the open man.”

for some strange reason Mitchell and Clarkson are open more than anyone

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https://www.ksl.com/article/50177282...e-4-showed-why

The Jazz aren't worried about Jordan Clarkson — Game 4 showed why

they should be

To be frank, Clarkson had more than struggled in the first-round series. He was 3 of 21 from 3-point range through the first three games and was shooting 37% from the field. The man the Jazz call for instant offense off the bench was bringing anything but that.

he's been awful for months

It wasn't just his shooting, either. He had four turnovers in Game 1, failed to get a rebound in Game 3, and was making head-scratching decisions along the way.

same decisions he always makes. Shoot, shoot shoot!

"Not a lot of teams have a guy that can legitimately get you 40 points in 30 minutes or however minutes he plays," Mike Conley said, before adding: "He's gonna win us games."

and make it tough to win a lot more

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https://www.ksl.com/article/50177218...ith-game-4-win

"Don (Donovan Mitchell) had done a lot during the game. and was wearing down a little bit so I gave him a couple possessions off," Conley said. "I've been in that position plenty where I feel real comfortable with the ball in my hand later in the game and was able to knock down a couple good ones."

it's ridiculous that the ball isn't in Conley or Ingles hands all the time. Memphis has had no answer for the pick and roll but instead Mitchell and Clarkson are gunning!

Mitchell finished with 30 points and eight assists in the win for the Jazz. His 35 minutes seemed to at least show that his minute restriction from the injured ankle had been raised, if not eliminated altogether. And he looked much more like his normal self, springing off the floor for layups and rebounds, especially one high-rising one in the third.

yep 8-22 he's back!

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https://www.deseret.com/2021/6/1/224...4-nba-playoffs

There was a spring in Donovan Mitchell’s step on Monday that we didn’t see in Games 2 and 3. He was turning corners a little faster, getting up higher for rebounds and was more explosive on his drives. His game-high 30 points never felt forced or even overt. He quietly led the game and the Jazz.

8-22 isn't forced?

Royce O’Neale has been aggressive, kept the ball alive, hit shots, defended well and has been instrumental in the Jazz winning three games in a row against this Grizzlies team. The thing that impresses me the most about O’Neale is that he’s faster than he looks like he might be and is a great rebounder.

imagine if he didn't have to play out of position!

After a Game 3 in which Joe Ingles was nearly invisible save a single 3-point shot, the Aussie looked much more intentional on Monday. Not only was he more involved and creating at a higher rate on the offensive end, he was engaged on defense. That’s the thing with Ingles, it’s excellent when he’s firing from 3-point land and hitting, but he’s such an effective creator and so valuable defensively that as long as he is playing within himself it almost doesn’t matter if he’s scoring at a high rate, the Jazz have a lot of people that can score the ball. He just can’t fall off the map like he did on Saturday.

He doesn't have to score but he needs to take open shots, playmake and defend

Gobert went up for a layup, was fouled and before he even had a chance to hear that the official behind him had whistled the play, he looked at the baseline ref, and was incensed to the point of punching the stanchion multiple times. He was headed to the free throw line but his reaction gave Memphis some free points first. Can’t do that. Just because you think the official closest to you wasn’t the one that called the foul doesn’t mean that you should lose your cool when you are leading a series and about to win to go up 3-1. That’s not the right time or the right reaction.

nothing wrong with playing emotional and getting a T as long as you don't get two

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https://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat...ba-playoff-run

The Utah Jazz are primed for a deep playoff run

At least according to a common advanced stat

struggling with Memphis

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https://www.slcdunk.com/2021/6/1/224...nt-rudy-gobert

Now, as it pertains to Mitchell, this game was both really good and really bad for him. When it comes to the positives, he did a much better job of facilitating tonight, ending the game with 8 assists. He also did a fantastic job of getting to the line. During the second half in particular, Mitchell was getting some super-star level calls, leading to 13 free-throw attempts for him on the night. At points during throughout the game, I had no idea how the Grizzlies were supposed to defend Mitchell because they kept getting called for any contact they gave him on drives. This, obviously, is a great thing for Utah. I don’t think it can be overstated how important a whistle like this could be for them moving forward. If Mitchell gets James Harden-esque officiating, Utah’s ceiling skyrockets.

3 TO's 8-22

As for the negatives, it concerned me to see how easily the Grizzlies scored on Mitchell throughout the game. I’m scared that when the Jazz face a better team, one with multiple dynamic offensive threats (like the Clippers), Mitchell will become a big target. While part of this could be his ankle, watching Mitchell die on almost any kind of off-ball or on-ball action tonight was not very confidence-inducing. He simply has to do better than getting easily beat off the dribble by Grayson Allen for the Jazz to beat the Clippers or the Lakers in the future.

seriously going to blame his ankle? When has he ever played D?

Mitchell also just had a poor shooting night. While ended the game with 30 points, it was mostly thanks to getting a plethora of free-throw attempts. This isn’t at-all concerning because bad shooting nights just happen. However, I will say that I think part of the reason why he shot poorly was because of some bad shot selection. I think Mitchell has to stop settling for contested mid-range jumpers moving forward.

it should be concerning because he's a gunner

However, per-usual, I think this one has to go to Rudy Gobert. He ended the night with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and changed the pace of the game in Utah’s favor multiple times. At this point, I think we know the equation pretty well: if Rudy Gobert plays well, the Utah Jazz play well.

he pretty much always plays well. The difference is how much help he gets

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https://www.ksl.com/article/50178256...n-jazz-history

For all his greatness, Malone was known for coming up short occasionally in the playoffs. But he also had plenty of stellar moments, leading the Jazz to phenomenal success over the years.

When did Mitchell not come up short?

Only 24 years old and in his fourth season, Mitchell is on pace to shatter every expectation after he went 13th in the 2017 draft. Through his first 25 playoff games, he averaged 27.3 points, trailing Kevin Durant, LeBron James and Anthony Davis as the only active players to average more than Mitchell in their first 25 playoff games.

expectations have been very high since early in his rookie year and he's fallen way short so far

As the two-time All-Star knows full well, legends are not made in anything but at least the conference finals, a place the Jazz have not come close to achieving recently. At the same time, as their best record in the regular season showed, this Jazz team is the best during Mitchell's four years in the league.

yet 13-6 without Mitchell

Rather than bore you with a slew of mind-numbing stats, ask yourself one simple question: With the game on the line, who is the Jazz go-to player? Undoubtedly, the basketball belongs in Mitchell's hands.

belongs in Conley or Ingles hands

Already, at his tender age, Mitchell is the team's most clutch player. The great thing about this season is the Jazz have plenty of weapons, meaning he is not required to take every big shot and can use his incredible athletic ability to act as a distributor and take pressure off his teammates.

Rudy has made way more clutch plays. No cares about D sadly though

For sure, Mitchell has a long way to go before cementing his legacy in franchise history. But it's obvious to see he's on the path to greatness, possibly beyond anything his predecessors ever accomplished.

hard to compare eras but he doesn't compare with Gobert or Conley at the moment