Jazz eliminated from playoff contention with 96-85 loss to Lakers
After starting the season 27-13, the Jazz seemed well on their way to another successful season and another chance to make some noise in the playoffs. The departure of long-time head coach Jerry Sloan seemed to be a surmountable challenge. Then the Jazz traded its all-star franchise point guard Deron Williams to the New Jersey Nets. To make matters worse, the Jazz fell victim to the injury bug, throwing off their starting rotation and adding to the already difficult task of adjusting to a new head coach.
Since the all-star break, the Jazz have arguably played the worst basketball in the NBA. Despite several chances to win, Utah has let games slip away in the deciding minutes. Their 5-14 record since the all-star break threatened the Jazz’s seemingly-guaranteed trip to the playoffs.
Over the weekend however, that fear became a reality as the Los Angeles Lakers, a team who is accustomed to eliminating the Jazz in the playoffs, eliminated the Jazz from the 2011 playoffs with a 96-85 victory over the Jazz at Energy Solutions Arena.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team in NBA history has ever started a season 15-5 and not made the playoffs. In addition, no squad during the 64-year timeline of the league has reached 27-13 and not qualified for the postseason.
“I thought we did a good job in the first half,” Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin said. “We executed well. They just made a run in the second half.”
After trading leads with the defending champs through the first four minutes of the first quarter, a 16-foot baseline jumper from Jazz forward Paul Millsap sparked a 19-6 run to give Utah a 26-13 lead.
The Lakers would cut the lead back to six by the end of the first quarter, but the Jazz would respond with another spurt to start the second quarter and held their largest lead of the night at 41-24 with 7:28 to play. Unfortunately for the Jazz, that’s when things began to unravel.
“We stopped executing, we stopped moving the ball around,” Millsap said. “It seemed like everything was clicking, then everything went stagnant.”
The Lakers’ Lamar Odom hit a jumper midway through the second quarter that would spark a 16-7 run and cut the Jazz lead to six to end the first half.
Since the all-star break, the Lakers have been No. 1 in field goal percentage defense, 3-point field goal percentage defense along with overall points allowed in the second half. Those stats held true for the reigning champs as they held the Jazz to 40 percent shooting from the field, 0-5 shooting from the 3-point line, and 37 points in the second half.
The Jazz, who have reached the postseason for the past five years and 24 out of the last 28 seasons, now face the grim reality of missing the playoffs.
“We’ve talked about it,” Corbin said. “It is what it is. It’s disappointing.”
Even though the Jazz are no longer in playoff contention, the players still feel there is something to play for.
“It’s about pride,” Jazz forward C.J. Miles said. “It’s about competing. We aren’t making the playoffs, but we still don’t like to lose.”
There are now five games left in the season for the Jazz to get its record above .500.
-ty.d.hus@aggiemail.usu.edu