The Jazz's thrilling victory in the fourth game against the Lone Rangers showed the confidence and determination of the team: "This is a team we want to be. ” / Jazz show heart and resolve in thrilling Game 4 win over Mavs: ‘This is the team we want to be’
Published: April 23, 2022 US time
Publisher: the Athletic
Article author: Tony Jones
Article translated by de Gaulle
On the afternoon of April 22, local time, Sir Utah summoned all the players to the team's training hall and collectively held a video lesson, and the video prepared by the coaching staff for the players was the third game of the previous series with the Lone Rangers.
All the "ugly truths" were laid out, and every Jazz player clearly saw that lone ranger guard Jaylen Scott was on the radar. How Bronson sped past them again and again. They also saw how Doncic, dressed in a training suit and with a towel around his neck, was excited to enter the field and celebrate the victory with his teammates at the last moments of the game. At that time, the Jazz's players had not yet received the news that Doncic was about to make a comeback in Game FOUR, but seeing Doncic in such a state, their hearts must have also celebrated, and sooner or later this day would come.
Could it be that the Jazz's fate this season is to be decided in this way? "We all watched the video collectively," the Jazz's Bogdanovic said, "and it's clear to each of us that this team today is not what we want to be." Especially in the first half [of the third game], we played without any energy at all. ”
But in the second half of Game 3, and throughout Game 4, the Jazz seemed to wake up. With Doncic returning from injury with 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, the Slovenian guard used a retreat three-pointer to stretch the lead to four points in front of Gobert, the Jazz gritted their teeth and fought the game back, winning a 100-99 victory that allowed them to return to Dallas with a 2-2 lead.
According to statistics, in the last 10 years of playoffs, the Jazz are the fifth team that can finally reverse the victory within the last 40 seconds of the game and still lag behind by 4 points. From this data alone, you can feel the change in the appearance of this team today. With such a win, the Jazz not only tied the big score of the series, but also gave themselves a chance to return home to play the sixth game of the series. Although Doncic's return has greatly increased the strength of the Lone Ranger, through this crucial victory, the Jazz have also found their own morale and morale. Many times, the overall trend of the series may be completely reversed by one game.
"That's the team we want to be," said Gobert, who finished the empty dunk and helped the team seal the win, "we just want the team to look like this." For us, the next challenge is how to play that every night, every minute of the game. No matter who's on the pitch, we have to play that way, we have to play with that intensity. ”
For the Jazz, what made the fourth victory sweeter was that they weren't playing flawlessly. On the contrary, they still made a lot of mistakes in this game. For example, they conceded as many as 16 free throws in the whole game, and many times missed free throws in the final moments. For example, they shot just 10 of their 35-point shots from outside the three-point line, and since the series began, they have never beaten the Lone Ranger in a single three-point game. Also, in the core showdown, the returning Doncic scored 30 points efficiently with a 52.4% shooting rate, while the Jazz core Mitchell shot only 7 of 21 shots and 2 of 10 three-pointers, scoring very inefficiently.
After several comparisons, it seems that jazz does not have an advantage everywhere. So what exactly did they do to win this crucial battle? The answer is defense. Once, the Jazz were a defensive team, but in recent years, the team has transformed into an offensive team. The number of content that mocks and criticizes Jazz's defense on social media is endless. In the two games that lost to the Lone Rangers before the series, their defense and points conceded were also very bad.
However, at such a critical moment in the series, the Jazz seem to have regained their former defensive glory. Lone Ranger players need to repeatedly conduct on the outside in many offensive rounds, but they still can't find an easy shot. Such a situation is rare in the first three games of the series.
In the Jazz's defensive chain, Bogdanovic is undoubtedly the best performer, and his defense against Bronson in this game is arguably the best performance of his career so far. Many times in front of Doncic, the player who has always been considered to be strong and weak in attack can also have good defensive destructiveness. "He didn't even tell anyone he was going to do that on the field," Mitchell said after the game, "and he just stepped on the pitch and let himself be fully engaged defensively, releasing a lot of energy." When you see a teammate around you playing like this, you're sure to follow him without hesitation. He set an example for us. ”
The Jazz's high-quality defense also continued into the final stages of the game. After taking the lead through Gobert's air connection, the Jazz also needed to defend the Lone Ranger's final counterattack. Bogdanovic and House stepped forward at the right time to force Doncic to pass the ball in his hand. Gobert rotated in time at the rear and pounced on Dinwiddie, who received the ball, making him have to shoot three points with great interference. Compared to the previous round of empty pick-ups, Gobert's last defense is also very critical.
For the Jazz, this game not only brought them a victory, but also restored their confidence in the team. Although they have not played smoothly this season and the frustration within the team is serious, there is still no shortage of talent and ability in their squad. The team, which finished first in the regular season last season, would not have fallen to this point this season. Therefore, to find the jazz that you deserve, but also to return yourself to this round of competition in the series.
Of course, the most emblematic and motivating goal for jazz comes from the empty pick at the end of the game. The ball flew out of Mitchell, who hadn't been able to pass well all season, and found Gobert, who had been in a slump in attack in his previous games. For the Jazz's internal and external duo, such a winning goal can be regarded as a double liberation for both of them.
In today's social media era, Mitchell has naturally heard a lot of outside talk about his relationship with Gobert. And this cooperation between the two, and their subsequent chest bump celebration, is undoubtedly the scene that Jazz fans most want to see.
"We trust each other," Mitchell said after the game, "and although we think a lot of the comments are funny, you still hear those voices." So, now we both feel great. ”