Terance Mann effectively ended the Utah Jazz’s season on Friday night. Utah went into the second half with a 72-50 lead, the Jazz appeared to be well on their way to even the series and return home for game 7. However, that momentum was quickly halted in the third quarter when Terance Mann went off for 20 points in the third. Matched up against Rudy Gobert, Mann took advantage of the centers sagging perimeter defense. His second half surge essentially had the Jazz playing a Mann down on defense. Pun intended.
Gobert had no answer. Mann wasn’t just hitting threes on poor rotations, the Clippers were running their offense through the second-year guard. And the now 3 time defensive player of the year could not do anything about it. Mann, who averaged 7.0 ppg in the regular season had a career-high 39 points on Friday. Including shooting 7-10 from three. At one point down a key third quarter stretch the Clippers made a three on five consecutive possessions, each of which on a Gobert assignment.
Los Angeles highlighted a clear problem for the Utah Jazz. Rudy Gobert’s perimeter defense, or lack thereof. Watching the game, Gobert moved like he had bricks for feet. However, the continued barrage of 3-pointers the center allowed wasn’t the only issue. Gobert was also beat on more than one occasion at the rim by Mann, and Reggie Jackson in key moments. The Jazz were in utter disarray for nearly the whole second half outburst from the Clippers.
No Adjustments
The most embarrassing part for Utah was their lack of adjustment. It was like watching a sinking ship with no crew looking to plug a whole or get rid of the filling water. The only adjustments that were made was a temporary 2-1-2 zone by the Jazz. However, that was also disjointed and again it was Gobert’s assignments that kept scoring. Frequently down the stretch you would see Donovan Mitchell directing Gobert to switch from Mann to Patrick Beverley mid-possession. Why was this happening possession? Why was Gobert still guarding a guard?
The Clippers had essentially taken the Defensive Player of the Year off the court by dragging him out to the perimeter to still get beat. But why leave him in the game? Despite a small lineup Gobert was ineffective offensively, and defensively Utah must have had a better matchup on their bench. Instead of forcing them to beat them that way, they let Terance Mann beat them.
Gobert finished the game with a plus/minus rating of -24, which is astounding for a team that was leading by 22. Despite being taken advantage of possession after possession, Gobert played the most minutes of any Jazz player with 42. His backup, Derrick Favors, finished +12 in only six minutes. Could he have come in to switch the course of the game? Surely he could defend the perimeter a little better. Or what about Georges Niang? Joe Ingles? Why Gobert for 42 minutes of historically bad defense.
More Than Mann
However, it wasn’t just Terance Mann that beat Utah. Reggie Jackson killed the Jazz all series, but had 27 points in the game six victory. Patrick Beverley also killed the Jazz in the second round and changed the series from game two on. On Friday, Beverley was responsible for fourth quarter daggers from deep and finished 3-4 from distance in the game.
The Jazz came into this series as one of the deeper teams in the league, however the Clippers proved to have the deeper bench. A concern many had for LA was not being deep enough. But players like Mann, Beverley, Kenard, and more stepped up big. Will this continue in the conference finals against the Suns?
What’s Next For Utah?
Losing a lead and being eliminated like that is extra hard for a team. New Jazz minority owner Dwayne Wade was quick to point out the success that Utah had this season.
Utah did have an incredible season beyond expectations and it is a building block for the future. Donovan Mitchell was sensational this postseason and will keep the Jazz a contender for years to come. What role will Dwayne Wade as owner play in the foundation being built? Could this bring free agents to Utah?
After today and admittedly a little recency bias, it needs to be asked is Rudy Gobert a postseason problem for Utah? The analytics show no player impacts a game defensively like Rudy Gobert, and the DPOY is a deserved award. However, in the postseason with shortened rotations, and teams playing small Gobert can be taken off the court while also being on the court like he was Friday night. Is there a way to address this? You can’t have a $205 million defensive player of the year ineffective for 24 straight minutes in playoff games.
Donovan Mitchell
Utah also has decisions to make on whether or not to bring back Mike Conley, who missed much of this series with a hamstring injury. Conley is expected to be in demand for a big contract, and the Jazz must decide if they want to pay that. The Jazz acquired Conley two years ago, and after struggling in his first season played great in 2020-21. He played a near perfect first series against Memphis, and Utah really missed him in the first five games against Los Angeles.
Despite the loss and the questions surrounding the team, Utah had an outstanding season. With the best record in the NBA the team made strides to their championship aspirations. It will be interesting to see what their new ownership group does to help push them over the edge. This is a fun, talented team and it should be attractive to free agents.
