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“Classic” Jerseys Hint at a “Classic” Utah Jazz Team

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"Classic" Jerseys Hint at a "Classic" Jazz Team“Classic” Jerseys Hint at a “Classic” Utah Jazz Team

By Andy Allred

Last week’s game against the Mavericks felt good.  The Jazz certainly didn’t have their best game in history. They struggled with certain aspects of the game, especially free-throw shooting, but their victory never really felt in doubt.

This win seemed to instill a confidence back into the players and the fan base that this version of the Jazz can have success and do some pretty special things when they are playing their game.

The “Classic Edition” Jazz Jerseys

The Jazz donned their “Classic” Purple Jerseys for the first time this year and they did not disappoint.

It was obvious that the Jazz organization and fans alike were excited to show off the new threads.

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In Utah, we make legends 💜

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Since I was a kid, purple has been my favorite color. Now I remember why.

The “Classic Edition” jerseys somehow manage to give a nod to the historic past of the Jazz while simultaneously promising a bright (purple) future.

A New Classic Jazz

The jerseys weren’t the only aspect of the game that resembled Jazz past, the play on the floor did the same. However, the past wasn’t so long ago.

The first half of this game gave fans glimpses into the kind of suffocating defense that the Jazz are capable of and were so known for last year. The players fed off of each other’s energy and seemed to really play a Quin Snyder defense.

The Mavericks did make a push in the second half, and to be honest the Jazz didn’t look quite as sharp. The intensity, however, did not decrease.

The game turned chippy, the game turned physical, and while I hated how many foul shots were taken, I did love the intensity of the Jazz.

Win or Lose, You’ll Know You’ve Played the Jazz

At the beginning of the season I remember saying that win or lose, opponents are going to hate playing against the Jazz.  So far this season, I haven’t seen as much of that attitude as I expected.

But that night I saw it.

The game got pretty heated with six technical fouls and one flagrant.  The Mavericks were frustrated that they were losing. They were frustrated at the Jazz defense, and they responded with their own aggression.

In this humble Jazz fan’s opinion, this has been and should be the identity of the Jazz moving forward:

Hard-nosed defense, not backing down and having each other’s backs.

Not only do I believe this will lead to more Jazz wins, but I also think it will make the hopefully few losses that the Jazz suffer more bearable.

Remember: Apathy is the enemy of fandom.

The Jazz released their schedule for each jersey at the beginning of the season.  They may have to modify that schedule to include a few more “Classic” Jazz nights.

I’m sure the fans will appreciate it.

About The Jazz Fan Show

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

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Utah Jazz History Doesn’t Repeat Itself… and That’s Okay.

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Utah Jazz History Doesn't Repeat Itself... And That's Okay

Utah Jazz History – Thoughts Before the Opener

As I look forward to tonight’s season opener, I’ve spent all week thinking of Jazz of seasons past. The years of Jazz fandom have come as a blessing and a curse. I have fond memories of watching and going to games with friends and family, but I also have had my heart broken a few times as well (Jordan pushed off on Russell).

Utah Jazz History From my Childhood

Utah Jazz History Doesn't Repeat Itself... And That's Okay

My dad has been a season ticket holder longer than I’ve been alive. That’s right, back to the Salt Palace days. I specifically remember him paying for a subscription to Homecourt Magazine, and I worshiped those magazines.  I wanted to know every single thing about each player. I’d rip the centerfold posters of the players out of the magazine and hang them all around my bedroom. My dad would also bring home the Gametime program from each game, which at the time seemed like a magazine but now I realize they are just the programs. I would spend evenings in the backyard shooting hoops with my Gametime magazine, acting out how I felt the game should have gone.

History Repeats Itself

As a nineties Jazz fan, I never realized how good I had it.  I didn’t understand that part of having two once in a lifetime Jazz players on the team at one time meant that I may never see players like that play for the Jazz for the rest of my life.  As a high school social studies teacher, I often say to my class the “history repeats itself”, and that’s what I was looking for with the Jazz. After John and Karl retired, I found myself searching, like many Jazz fans, for who would take their place.

The years immediately following John and Karl’s retirement, Jazz fans watched Kirilenko’s freak athleticism and could be mildly entertained. However, the real sting of the loss of those two hadn’t quite sunk in.  In 2005, when the Jazz drafted Deron Williams, I remember thinking to myself “this guy is going to be the next John Stockton”. He wasn’t. When the Jazz added Boozer in 2004, they had their Malone replacement. He wasn’t. Thus began my quest to have history repeat itself in the Jazz organization. I didn’t understand how the Jazz could win without those guys. I repeated this maddening optimism with Mo Williams, Paul Millsap, Devin Harris, Al Jefferson, Trey Burke, and Derrick Favors. I’ll even admit that last year when the Jazz traded for Ricky Rubio I was finally content that the Jazz had found their pass-first point guard that they had needed.  I was desperate to relive the glory days of John and Karl.

Utah Jazz History – A “New Era”

This last season, I finally came to my senses. Watching the Jazz stand pat in the offseason made me realize that the front office and coaching staff are excited about the current roster. How was that possible with no Stockton and Malone to run the patented pick-n-roll? The Jazz may not have replicated their 1997 NBA Finals roster, but they did manage to assemble a roster that could get back there. A new generation of Jazz stars are arising, and with them, a new Jazz philosophy: “Team is Everything”.

Let’s face it, the West is stacked.  Even so, analysts from around the country are giving the Jazz a shot at being right up there with the best. If Donovan can grow this year at the same rate he did last year, if Rudy can continue to have a presence like the Defensive Player of the Year that he is, if Jinglin’ Joe can keep stroking it, I don’t see why the Jazz can’t beat any team on any given night. This team had a strong showing last year, and the exciting part is that there is still room for improvement. Donovan made this clear a few weeks ago in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune’s Gordon Monson when he said, “… We can’t live on what we should’ve, what we could’ve done. No, let’s just go out and do it. Everybody has that same hunger and passion. We’ve all been underrated our entire careers.” This passion combined with humility is what Jazz fans love. It is the reason Stockton became a household name. But those days are over, in the past, the history has been written. Tonight, the “new era” Jazz continue to write their own legacy.

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!

Five Reasons We’re Pumped for The 2018-2019 Utah Jazz Season

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Five Reasons We're Pumped for The 2018-2019 Utah Jazz SeasonFive Reasons We’re Pumped for The 2018-2019 Utah Jazz Season

It is finally here. The Jazz preseason starts this Saturday. The Jazz will have their first preseason test against the Perth Wildcats.  The team from Australia includes the one time Jazz man, Bryce Cotton, who was the MVP of the NBL this past season.

With the regular season around the corner, here is a list of five things to look forward to this Jazz Season.

5. The Style

Style has always been an important aspect of the NBA.  It’s funny the same guys that criticize their wives for watching “Project Runway”, tune in early to an NBA game to see what crazy style Westbrook is rocking that game.

The Jazz have never been a team known for their style, but this particular group seems to have a certain swagger that make them fun to watch.  Some of the style questions fans will watch for are:

5 Things to Look Forward to This Jazz Season
Courtesy of DeseretNews.com
  • Will Ricky Rubio keep the Samurai hair?
  • Is Rudy going to bring back the salute?
  • Will Donovan get his signature shoes?
  • Will the Classic jersey receive the same support as the City jersey from last year?

4. The Improvement

This summer the Jazz committed to the plan to bring everyone back from last year. Because of this, we don’t have a lot of new players to analyze and predict how they will fit in.  Grayson Allen is of course the exception, but he’ll be mentioned more below. Since the roster looks similar to last years’ the big question is, where will the Jazz improve?

The first place to look is at the Jazz stars.  Rudy Gobert is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. If he can maintain his defensive presence while continuing to improve his offensive game, he is going to be in the conversation for best center in the league. Donavan Mitchell took the league by storm last year.  If he plays every season at the same level he finished last year, he will be one of the best Jazz players ever. The crazy thing is that he might, and in my humble opinion will, get better.  Mitchell is well on his way to becoming a very special player not just recognized in Utah, but in the league.

The second place to look for improvement is at the backup guard position.  Dante Exum still leaves so many questions for Jazz Fans.  While the optimism seems to be waning a bit, it is still hard to not see the incredible upside that Exum has. Alec Burke is another question mark. Last year he was a consummate professional racking up DNPs, while at the same time being prepared when his number was called.  Most players usually don’t have a huge improvement year as late in their career as Burke is, but then again, Quin Snyder isn’t most coaches, so it would be great to see Alec take a step forward and be a veteran presence and contributor. Other players that hopefully can show some improvement include Royce O’Neale, Jae Crowder, and the return from injury of Thabo Sefolosha.

3. The Bromances

5 Things to Look Forward to This Jazz Season
Courtesy of KSL.com

This one is kind of an odd one, but the comradery of this version is fun.  Whether it’s Gobert and Neto doing their camps together over the summer or Mitchell and O’Neale attending BYU and UofU sporting events, the players seem to genuinely like spending time together. Hopefully the Jazz have another season of pranks, jokes, and Instagram jabs to look forward to this year.

2. The Awards

Last year the Jazz were in the awards discussion for the first time in years.  Mitchell won the dunk contest, Gobert won the DPOY, and Mitchell and Snyder were finalists for the ROY and COY honors. Obviously Donovan won’t be in the running for the Rookie of the Year, although a sophomore did win it last year, but Quin and Rudy will hopefully be right back in the conversation for their respective honors at the end of this season.

To put Donovan in the MVP conversation would be wildly optimistic. However, there is a fair chance that the Jazz could have two all-stars for the first time in ages.  The stacked Western Conference may impede this a bit, but it is still possible.  If Mitchell and Gobert do make it to the All-Star Game, they’ll hopefully spend more time showing their talents, and less complimenting John Wall’s handles.

1.The Attitude

The number one thing to look forward to this Jazz season, is the attitude of the team.  There is a toughness in this team that is rare in the NBA.  Quin Snyder has the team committed to defense and for the most part, there is buy in by each individual player.  Other teams in the NBA are going to hate matching up against the Utah Jazz. Win or lose, the Jazz had a tendency to make their opponents work last season, and there are a lot of teams that don’t want to do that.

The players always had each other’s backs last season, and the first full season of Jae Crowder in a Jazz uniform will only add to that.  Then there is Grayson Allen.  All antics aside, Allen is a tough kid. It is to be seen how much playing time he will get his rookie season. If this were the Jerry Sloan era, the answer would probably be very little. But we will see. What can be expected, is that when Grayson plays, he’s going to play hard. This will only strengthen the overall attitude and swagger of the Jazz.

Regardless of the final record and the playoff position, this year is almost certainly going to be a good one to watch. The Jazz are back and we couldn’t be happier.

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!

Is a Rudy Gobert Evan Fournier Boxing Match in the Works?

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Rudy Gobert Evan Fournier Boxing Match

Is a Rudy Gobert Evan Fournier Boxing Match in the Works?

The two French National teammates exchanged jabs on Twitter following the Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin match.

Rudy Gobert hasn’t been shy at all when it came to his recent boxing training. He’s been posting all over social media, perhaps as way of letting future opponents know what’s on the horizon.

Following the recent Canelo Alvarez and Gennady “GGG” Golovkin match, Gobert and Orlando Magic Forward Evan Fournier exchanged Tweets regarding the fight:

Great fight, but once again GGG won to me. As he won the first one. He got him stumbling and should have got the edge. But who knows 🤷🏾‍♂️, still was a classic.

— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) September 16, 2018

 

 

 

A Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier boxing match? Yes, please.

So the question remains: when and where can we expect this fight to happen.

The Jazz Fan Show has only one request: please let us know with plenty of heads up so we can properly prepare (think Malone/Rodman wrestling match).

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!