Comeback Kids.
Games like these showcase exactly why sports are, in my humble opinion, the absolute pinnacle of entertainment. You want suspense? Drama? Emotion? Yeah, a good movie or TV show can bring you those things.. But for my money, nothing compares to the scriptless, unpredictable stories that unfold on the court/field/rink/pitch/and everywhere in-between.
Tonight, much like in the dramatic win against Cleveland earlier this year, this one sent you through a full gamut of emotions. I’m ashamed to say I more or less threw in the towel on a couple of occasions. Whether it was pulling out my phone to focus on reading tweets about the lackluster first half instead of actually watching it, or getting so thoroughly frustrated with the start of the second half that I retreated from the TV altogether, it was safe to say the frustration end of the emotional scale was my wheelhouse far too often tonight.
Which is what makes the spectacle of sports so fantastic.
Few things can take me from the pit of frustration and despair to jumping and screaming on the top of the mountain of sunshine and happiness (and often right back down again) within the span of a couple of hours. It’s absolutely remarkable, and even though it has the ability to completely destroy my mood, I can’t help but love the ride. No matter which way it goes.
Anyways, enough of me fawning over how much I love getting wrapped up in sports… How about that game tonight?!
I can’t help but think that this has to be a springboard for the rest of the season… The Sundiata Gaines finish still stands as one of the most excitingly satisfying wins I’ve seen in years, but in terms of pure gut and determination, this win has to be tops for the season thus far. I mean, honestly. They were without AK and Memo, Deron started extremely slow and finished with a horrible shooting night (but decided to show the world that he is, in fact, an extremely solid defender. The first time I saw him guarding Roy late in the 4th I’m pretty sure I yelled at Jerry to fix that problem immediately. DWill shut me up pretty quickly), Fes was playing huge minutes in crunch time and the boys came back to win against a playoff caliber team in a hostile arena on the 4th game of a road swing. A road swing in which they finished with a record of 4-0, and pushed the road winning streak to 7 games.
7 straight road wins. Let’s put that into perspective shall we? The Jazz won 8 road games total last season.
I know there are a lot of pessimists out there — Fans who feel the need to rip Boozer at every turn, get ridiculously upset about the Brewer trade, or just find the dark gray lining of every Jazz cloud they see — To them I must say: we are truly witnessing a special run here.
I went on at length in a previous post about why it’s worth it to let go and embrace this team right now, and I stand by that statement. Yes, I felt like puking after the first 2 and a half quarters last night, but it’s allowing yourself to get that frustrated and angry that makes games like tonight’s that much more enjoyable.
So even if the Jazz get run out of the building by the tough matchup that the Hawks are, sign me up for more.
Either way, it’s one helluva ride.
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Justin
I've been a Jazz fan for well over two decades now, and I can safely say that my fandom only grows with each passing year. Yes, the Jazz have the power to ruin my mood for longer than I should probably allow, but they have also been responsible for some of the fondest memories I've had throughout the course of my life. To those of you who have found the ability to read through any of my long-winded Jazz rants in their entirety, I say a fond and sincere thank you.
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February 22, 2010
Awesome post! That game was absolutely fantastic. Even when we were down in the trenches, I knew the Jazz were going to pull an amazing comeback. I had that gut feeling. I didn’t know if they would win or not, but I knew they were coming back. This was the best game I have watched in a long, long time. I think it beats the Sundiata Gaines game against Cleveland, for me.
February 22, 2010
Thanks for the Article Jazz Hype!!!
Because of the amazing first half the jazz had, I found myself doing more interesting things like organizing a bookshelf, cleaning some boxes out and playing with my sons elmo live and being more entertained. I then chose to follow the game from Gamecast on my ESPN App. Well, they posted that D-Will missed the 20 foot shot and that the final was Portland over Utah 83 – 81. I was disappointed in the loss but thrilled they even came back to put up a fight. I didn’t even realize what happened until this morning when I saw a Jazz Hype update. Shame on you ESPN for not headlining the greatest comeback this year in the NBA. Go Jazz and keep the Hype!
February 22, 2010
By the way, how stupid is ESPN for making a huge deal out of the Celtics big comeback of 20 points to the nuggets then losing 114 – 105. Sweet comeback! Looks like the ESPN guys fell asleep and didn’t make it to the 4th quarter…
Jazz Hype would never fall asleep on the Jazz!
February 22, 2010
Thanks for the nice words about Jazz Hype Brian. We appreciate that! That’s completely lame on ESPN’s part. We would never ever do anything like that. Mark my word.
February 22, 2010
What a great game played by booz and D-Will’s defense. My mother came into my room before the fourth quarter and told me to get to bed, but as a jazz fan i still had some hope that they can do it! What a game!
February 23, 2010
Great post and great game!
Let’s hope that we’re in for another exciting win tonight!
Loving Jazz Hype by the way…. you guys rock : )
February 22, 2010
It was kind of random that I was able to watch last nights game, but I did tune in and was rewarded with the most awesome game I have seen in a long time. I don’t watch every game so if last nights game was one of the few I do get to see this season….lucky me!
Great post Justin. Keep the rants coming.
April 24, 2010
Thanks for the Article Jazz Hype!!!
Because of the amazing first half the jazz had, I found myself doing more interesting things like organizing a bookshelf, cleaning some boxes out and playing with my sons elmo live and being more entertained. I then chose to follow the game from Gamecast on my ESPN App. Well, they posted that D-Will missed the 20 foot shot and that the final was Portland over Utah 83 – 81. I was disappointed in the loss but thrilled they even came back to put up a fight. I didn’t even realize what happened until this morning when I saw a Jazz Hype update. Shame on you ESPN for not headlining the greatest comeback this year in the NBA. Go Jazz and keep the Hype!