Quin Snyder was speaking strictly about his own team, not making any kind of commentary about his playoff opponent.
Yet the Jazz coach wonderfully framed this series vs. Oklahoma City after a Game 2 victory when he delivered one of those cliches that came to life on the court. “The strength of our team,” Snyder said, “is our team.”
Individually, the Jazz never could match the Thunder’s star power. Collectively though? That’s another story. And that’s what makes this series so fascinating.
The truth is this discussion would be much different if the Thunder’s Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook had hit some shots instead of going 0 for 14 in the fourth quarter of Game 2. Or if the Jazz’s Ricky Rubio had missed from the left corner instead of drilling a 3-pointer that sent the Jazz ahead to stay.
Reverse those outcomes and everybody would be talking in advance of Saturday night’s Game 3 about how OKC’s talent was too much for the Jazz to overcome. But those guys missed a bunch of shots, Rubio made a big one and here we are, immersed in a series that seems destined to go seven games and prove … something.
Real Salt Lake’s “the team is the star” mantra succeeded in Major League Soccer during the Jason Kreis/Garth Lagerwey era. The Jazz’s “the strength of our team is our team” may not sound as succinct, but it is working because the players are making it work.
“I believe they believe it,” Snyder said after Friday’s practice. “That’s how we want to play. We’ve got to create [shots] for each other, and we’ve got to defend together. … That’s become an identity. We have to play the way we have to play. Every team’s different. … Everybody’s got their own style and identity.”
The Jazz’s unselfish approach is a function of necessity, but it plays well in this market. Even when rookie guard Donovan Mitchell took over the fourth quarter Wednesday, his biggest play was an assist. Mitchell started to drive then quickly whipped a pass to Rubio for a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 4:02 remaining. The Jazz never lost their lead after a play that was not necessarily designed that way but stemmed from Mitchell’s ability to analyze the defense and decisively make the right pass.
“Just a read,” Mitchell said. “It was similar to the play we had in Toronto.”
That came in January when Mitchell was handed the ball for a potential win-or-lose shot and the Jazz trailing by one point. He shoveled the ball to Rubio, whose 3-pointer from the left wing with 4.8 seconds left gave the Jazz their second victory in what became an 11-game winning streak.
Those plays have helped define the Jazz’s season. The Jazz veterans by now should be tired of having so many questions about Mitchell directed to them. But that doesn’t seem to be happening, mainly because they like the rookie. Regardless of how genuine or calculating he might be, he’s very conscious of deflecting the spotlight and deferring to his teammates. The latest example came Wednesday when he turned around a question that was framed as his personal triumph over Westbrook into his praise of Derrick Favors for his 20-point, 16-rebound effort.
And then Mitchell credited everyone Friday from the person who prepares the smoothies at the Zions Bank Basketball Campus to general manager Dennis Lindsey for a franchise vibe that has sustained him through a long rookie season. “Teammates that are great to be around” have kept him going, Mitchell said.
That’s what characterizes the Jazz’s operation. “The strength of our team is our team” might sound like just another corporate catchphrase, but they’re validating it.
Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort: That is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
Michael Jordan said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”
The Jazz realistically just are trying to win a first-round series this year and build from there. If they beat the Thunder, they will have done it as a group project.
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