On Sunday, April 30th, the Utah Jazz, and the Los Angeles Clippers met on the hardwood for a game seven "win or go home" matchup. Gordon Haywood and company were determined to prevail against Chris Paul and the Clippers. Utah is not a team that is familiar with making the playoffs. Their last appearance came in the 2011-2012 season as they entered the western conference playoff bracket as the 8th seed. Both the Clippers and the Jazz understood the situation game seven brought to the table, it just so happens that the Jazz were the team who was better prepared.
A teamwork grade of an A+
Winning in the NBA is a hard thing to do when you cannot rely on your teammates. The Utah Jazz had team members that were willing to leave everything on the court Sunday afternoon, and it showed in the box score. When the final buzzer sounded, the Jazz had a sum of seven players who recorded double-digit point totals. Gordon Hayward led the charge bringing in 26 points and eight rebounds. Both George Hill and Derek Favors came through when their team needed big plays.
Favors assisted Hayward on the glass as he recovered 11 rebounds on his own. When it came time to score points, Favors and Hill decided that 17 points each would be enough to hold the Clippers off. The Jazz also received help from their frequent contributors Joe Johnson and Rodney Hood.
The offensive execution that was displayed on the court was a thing of beauty. The Jazz were able to hold a lead of 21 at one point in time throughout the matchup while the Clippers were only able to go up by one point at the most. The Jazz made sure the Clippers understood they were here to play.
Clipped short in the playoffs
The Clippers were outscored in three out of the four quarters that transpired in Sunday's afternoon matchup. The team was able to put up a fight in the fourth quarter. They were able to outscore the Jazz by three, but the points came a little too late. Chris Paul struggled through the duration of the game.
The Clippers captain was held to 13 points as he struggled to knock down shots. Paul finished the game shooting a disappointing 6 for 19.
Jamal Crawford and DeAndre Jordan tried to pick up the slack. DeAndre finished game 7 missing only three shots from the field. The injury of the Clippers star power forward Blake Griffin altered the team's rebounding tremendously. The Jazz were able to take advantage of the glass as they won the board battle 46-38. The Jazz will look to take their momentum into the Golden State. The Warriors are the next stop, and the Jazz must prepare for Steph Curry and company. Hopefully, the Jazz can continue on the road to the NBA Finals.
