NBA Playoffs, Recap 8 — Flipping the Script for the Jazz and Clippers
Two of the league’s unluckiest teams continue to trade punches
Let’s take a moment to catalogue the cacophony of misfortune that has defined the UTA/LAC first-round series. Rudy Gobert went down mere seconds into game one, and that’s pretty hard to top as far as bad luck goes. But now he’s back, and the Clippers lost their own star player — Blake Griffin—to an injury. The series has flip-flopped to no end since these events, and Utah’s victory last night brought the series to 2–2 going into game five.
For me, there were always two things that made this series the most interesting of the first round (from an objective standpoint). The first was how closely matched these teams are in terms of talent and skill, and the second was how important this series was to teach team. The Clippers and the Jazz both have huge roster decisions on the horizon, and exiting the playoffs as soon as possible makes keeping desired players extremely tenuous.
So when Gobert went down in the first game, Utah fans saw everything flash before their eyes. The apocalyptic scenario — where Gordon Hayward and George Hill both leave in free agency — reared its head, and everything the team has been building to for years was instantly cast in doubt. The Clippers have already kept their core around for a long time, but this season loomed as a final testing ground for these players. Just like the Jazz, an early exit could mean the dissolution of one of the best starting fives of the last several years. Griffin’s injury, despite being somewhat normal now, was just as crippling for LA.
On twitter, people always talk about how much they hate “narratives,” and I get it. It’s easy to fabricate and over-analyze certain players and events, and this word is a good choice to describe those. But for me, the word “narrative” also describes the hectic seasons for these two teams, season that are building to a finish that could define the long-term future of each franchise. I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I want Utah to win, but I am sympathetic to LA, as well.
So now, the series is down to three games, with the first and last in Los Angeles. I don’t know who I would pick as the favorite right now. Griffin’s injury hurts, but LA has always been exceptional at absorbing a blow like this one. With home-court advantage, and playing against a less-than-100% Gobert, that may be enough. Chris Paul has been unbelievable in this series, and expecting anything less seems naive. But if the Jazz play with the desperation they showed last night, it may not matter.
There’s more going on around the league, of course. The Cavaliers just swept the Pacers, the Rockets outlasted the Thunder, and every other series is barreling toward the finish line. But I can’t find any stories that are more interesting than the fates of these two teams, and I can’t wait to see this series reach the end.
