NBA playoffs: Jazz beat Clippers in Game 7
Everybody wrote the Utah Jazz off in their best-of-7 series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite the men from Salt Lake winning 51 games — the same amount as the Clippers in the regular season — most believed the series would go five, perhaps six games.
As it turns out, the Jazz and Clippers went seven games. After losing Game 6 at home, Utah came out to the Staples Center and effectively put this version of the Clippers to rest, winning 104-91 in decisive fashion. The Jazz were terrific defensively, something that has been their calling card all season. Los Angeles was stifled, falling behind by double digits in the second quarter and never making much of a run throughout the remainder of the afternoon.
Gordon Hayward led the way with 26 points and eight rebounds, while Derrick Favors chipped in with 30 huge minutes off the bench, totaling 17 points. For all the Los Angeles fans who will mope about losing Blake Griffin in Game 3 of the series, Utah can fire back with being sans Rudy Gobert for much of the matchup. Gobert was healthy for Game 7 but played all of 13 minutes, saddled with foul trouble from the start. He scored one point.
The Jazz deserve to be where they are. While they likely fall to the Golden State Warriors in the next round, Utah is giving reason to believe in the future. If the front office could put another piece or two around the core of Hayward and Gobert, the Jazz could get back to competing for championships as they did in the days of Karl Malone and John Stockton.
Meanwhile, the Clippers find themselves facing down the barrel of a long offseason. Paul Pierce has already announced his retirement, a move that was a few years overdue. While DeAndre Jordan is locked into his deal and head coach Doc Rivers isn’t likely to leave, the other main pieces are a mystery.
Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are both looking at one-year player options, worth $24 and $20 million, respectively. There’s a good chance both turn decline and hit free agency, looking for one more payday. Paul is 32 years old while Griffin is 28, making this the right time to make a move. While there’s a decent chance one returns, it’s hard to see both going back to Los Angeles with real hopes of a title.
Ultimately, this was the golden era of Clippers basketball. Los Angeles had been a dumpster fire throughout its history, but finally got repeated runs into the spring. Unfortunately, those turned into false hope, with disappointment becoming a familiar feeling for the fanbase.
