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Takeaways From the Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event

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Takeaways From the Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event

Kelby’s takeaways from the Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event.

The Utah Jazz Meet The Team event went off without a hitch Friday evening. The beginning-of-year fan night experience sees small changes in format year to year, but this season’s event was one for the books.

For an overview of the Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event, CLICK HERE.

First Thing’s First – Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event.

First off, I know it’s a bit of a stretch to try and find takeaways from the friggin’ FAN NIGHT, but that’s the kind of thing we do at The Jazz Fan Show.

Without further adieu, my takeaways:

#1 | SO MANY Utah Jazz Fans

I arrived at Vivint Smart Home around 3:30 PM to record some segment for an upcoming episode of The Jazz Fan Show. I miraculously found free street parking next to the steps on the northwest corner of the arena.

As I came around the corner, I was surprised to find a line of people waiting for the doors to open… at 5:00 PM.

Now, I know an hour and a half isn’t actually that long, but this wasn’t for a game. This was a FAN NIGHT.

Pretty impressive.

As the night moved forward, the entire lower bowl of the stadium filled up. To my surprise, the first few rows of the upper bowl were also full.

We love this team, plain and simple. They work hard, win games and never back down.

But I think a lot of that love lies in how the team interacts with each other. We’re all friends when it comes to our Utah Jazz.

That will never change.

#2 | Still Looking Good in Purple

It was rumored ahead of the Utah Jazz Meet The Team Event that players would be showing off their new Classic Edition Purple uniforms.

Even though I knew the purple was coming, it was still almost overwhelming to see the jerseys in person. I felt it my chest.

It literally gave me chills.

“We look good in purple,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said.

I think all of here at The Jazz Fan Show agree.

#3 | Offseason (of Nothing) Was Good To Us

When Jae Crowder was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers for Rodney Hood, I have to admit I had my concerns. He just didn’t look good in Cleveland, which was surprising following his time in Boston the previous year.

Again, as happens so often in my life, I was forced to admit I was wrong almost immediately.

After seeing what Jae did during the final stretch of last season, I could see some serious potential.

“Give him an offseason with the Jazz coaching staff and I think he’s gonna make a big improvement,” I’d always say (mostly to people who didn’t want to be talking to me about basketball).

It already looks like that offseason is paying off. Jae is noticeably thinner and moving around better. I can’t wait to see how his role evolves throughout the year.

Derrick Favors also came into camp in even better shape than his already surprising transformation last season. Could it be that chasing kids around the house all summer is better for you than we thought?

#4 | Taking a Shot In The Dark (Hey-oh)

There were a few things I wanted to see improvement in almost immediately this upcoming season. One of those things was the shooting of one Dante Exum.

Coming off shoulder surgery last season following an injury-plagued career, Dante’s shot looked like the rust may have done permanent damage to those shooting mechanics.

But I’m happy to say he was absolutely lighting it up during the 3-point shooting competition, along with Ricky Rubio, who has improved his shot exponentially since arriving in Utah.

Can’t wait to see how Dante improves after an offseason of health.

#5 | Watching Grown Men Dance Badly

I hate this, and that is a MASSIVE understatement.

I literally had to turn my head and pretend it wasn’t happening.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Rookie dance off

A post shared by David Locke (@dlocke09) on

This gives me no joy.

About The Jazz Fan Show

The Jazz Fan Show is a podcast and blog focusing on all things Utah Jazz. Founded by Ryan Van Dorn and Kelby Jones in September of 2018.

You can hear the show on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 AM MST on 1280 AM and 97.5 FM The Zone. If you’d like to be notified when articles and podcast episodes are released, subscribe below!

Will the Utah Jazz make a deep run in the playoffs?

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Utah Jazz Playoffs

As the hottest team entering the playoffs, are Quin and the Boys poised to surprise the masses by doing something special in the playoffs?

You may remember THIS APRIL 2018 ARTICLE by Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. In the article, Gobert discusses his development and what led him to be successful in the NBA.

But more importantly was the promise Rudy left with all who read his words:

Utah Jazz Playoffs Rudy Gobert Player's Tribune

Any team that wants a piece of us is gonna have to come to Salt Lake City and deal with all 19,911 of you.

Rudy Gobert | April 2018 Player’s Tribune

Well, here we are. The time has come for Rudy’s words to come to fruition.

The Utah Jazz has done it’s part by reaching the playoffs. Now is the time for fans to reciprocate.

Are We About to See Something SPECIAL??

The Utah Jazz have seemed to fly under the radar for most of the season. At the beginning of the year, it seemed as though the team would seriously underperform.

However, as the season progressed, the Jazz seemed to be figuring out the game without anyone really noticing. Even with a mass of injuries plaguing the team night in and night out (especially at the PG position…), the team still seems to be on an entirely different level than others.

Right now, it seems as though the first round draw for the Jazz will be the Portland Trailblazers. Portland recently lost star guard CJ McCollum to a knee injury and center Jusuf Nurkic to a disgusting broken leg.

This may seem like a lucky break (pun intended) for Utah’s chances of avoiding a first-round exit. However, if the Jazz are able to overcome an injury-plagued Portland team, who would be waiting for them in the second round?

CLICK HERE for more from The Jazz Fan Show.

GSW/OKC First Round Matchup

Chances are Golden State comes out of the first round without much of an issue. If standings stay pat (which could absolutely not happen), the Warriors would match up with the Thunder in round one.

Originally, I thought this would be incredibly beneficial for the Jazz. OKC seems to match up really well with GSW, and has had some real battles with the defending champions this season.

However, Paul George seems to have at least one bum shoulder, which leaves Russell Westbrook to take the brunt of the teams shots.

Look for a whole bunch of complaining, with GSW beating OKC in six (my gut says five).

How much damage can OKC do to GSW in the first round?

If OKC looks anything like it did at the beginning of the season, look for the matchup to be a serious issue for GSW. But the REAL question still looms…

Can the Utah Jazz get to the Western Conference Finals?

It’ll take some serious high-level play and a cataclysmic GSW/OKC first round series, but I won’t say it’s not possible.

Take a look at fivethirtyeight.com’s NBA predictions below:

Utah Jazz Playoffs

Right now the Utah Jazz have a 4% chance of making the Finals, which would make that slightly higher for the WCF.

In conclusion…

My heart says first round exit (tampering expectations), my head says second round exit (logical) but my gut says WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS!

… with a little help, of course.