National Basketball Association
Utah Jazz: Takeaways Leading Into Game 2 Against Clippers
National Basketball Association

Utah Jazz: Takeaways Leading Into Game 2 Against Clippers

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 2:04 p.m. ET

Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) dribbles on the baseline on Utah Jazz center Boris Diaw (33) in the first quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz fought hard in order to take Game 1 against the Los Angeles Clippers on the road. What can we take away from their efforts going forward?

Despite all types of adversity, the Utah Jazz started their first playoff run since 2012 off with a bang, winning Game 1 in exciting fashion. They dispatched the Los Angeles Clippers by a score of 97-95 at the Staples Center thanks to a game-winning floater from Joe Johnson.

The game stayed fairly close early, with the score all knotted up at 52 at halftime, and it would remain so the rest of the way, with no team taking a lead larger than eight points.

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Johnson led the charge for the Jazz with 21 points, with Gordon Hayward, George Hill, and Derrick Favors each chipping in more than 15 each.

Quin Snyder went deep onto his bench in using a 10-man rotation, while Doc Rivers put forth only eight players, discounting Paul Pierce's two-minute stint.

On the Los Angeles side, Blake Griffin and Chris Paul combined for 51 points, with only DeAndre Jordan (10) reaching double figures elsewhere on their roster.

As the series moves on, the Jazz can expect to meet an extremely motivated Clipper team Tuesday night, for dropping another game at home would almost surely mean the death of their playoff hopes.

Many trends and issues emerged from Game 1 that will likely dictate how the series progresses on Tuesday and beyond.

As for what those are, let's get into it!

Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) is helped off the court by teammate guard George Hill (3) and center Boris Diaw (33) after going down to an injury in the opening seconds in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs against the LA Clippers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Rudy Goes Down

On quite literally the first play of the first game of their first playoff series, the Jazz were dealt a gigantic blow when star center Rudy Gobert suffered an injury banging knees setting a screen.

He was unable to put weight on it initially and hobbled to the locker room with the help of a trainer. Reports varied at first, but it was certain that the Jazz would not see him back for at least the rest of the game.

Utah was forced to adjust on the fly (more on that later), but the loss of Gobert will continue to affect them for the rest of the series, or at least however long he is out.

Can a makeshift center rotation continue to hold their own on the glass? The Jazz rebounded 28 out of the Clippers' 45 missed field goals on Saturday, while Los Angeles took in 32 of the Utah's 41 misses.

Luckily, the Jazz only allowed eight offensive rebounds, although this did equate to 21 second-chance points. Derrick Favors, who had only six boards, needs to step up production in that area.

Although it was initially assumed to have ended his postseason, the latest reports say Gobert does not have a ligament tear or any other serious ailment. The Jazz released the following statement, diagnosing the injury as a hyperextension and bone contusion.

Gobert was initially examined at STAPLES Center by the Utah Jazz medical staff and underwent X-rays on his left knee, the results of which were negative. He was then transported off-site for further magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing, which revealed no ligament damage. He has been diagnosed with a left knee hyperextension and bone contusion. He will continue to be reevaluated and further updates will be provided when appropriate.

Gobert was also spotted moving around at practice Monday. He wore a knee brace, but seemed to be, from those in attendance, in high spirits:

He's been ruled out for Game 2, but the small chance of Rudy making his return sooner rather than later should give any Jazz fan hope, as despite their hard-fought success, he's still an invaluable asset to their team.

Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz forward Joe Johnson (6) celebrates his game-winning shot with teammates forward Joe Ingles (2) and forward Gordon Hayward (20) in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Johnson's buzzer-beater downed the Clippers 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Iso Joe's Big Night

With Gobert out and Gordon Hayward being hounded by Luc Mbah a Moute into a 7-for-18 shooting night, someone had to step up in order to carry the Jazz offense.

Part of that contribution came from Derrick Favors, who rebounded from recent injury in a big way, scoring 15 points and playing extremely well on defense, but the biggest effort clearly came from Joe Johnson.

The veteran, who had appeared in over 100 playoff games, went for 21 points on ultra-efficient 9-of-14 shooting.

He got his points in a variety of ways, shooting three-pointers off feeds from penetrators, slicing into the lane for floaters and short jumpers, or taking on the mismatched Blake Griffin in isolation.

On the game's final play, Johnson got matched up on Jamal Crawford off a switch and drove the lane for a tough floater that fell in as time expired, winning the game for Utah just seconds after the Clippers had tied the score at 95.

The ability to perform both in the playoffs and in the clutch was a major reason behind the Jazz's decision to sign Johnson this summer, as he has a history of just this kind of heroic effort.

Obviously, the 35-year-old Johnson can't be counted on for this type of outburst every game. Utah will need other players, perhaps Joe Ingles, who had just eight points, or Rodney Hood, who shot just 2-for-7 from the field, to step up.

Still though, it's nice to see that "Iso Joe" still has it in him. The Jazz should rest assured knowing they have a versatile forward and cold-blooded closer ready to go for whenever they may need him.

Apr 15, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward (20) grabs a rebound as LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) falls behind him during the fourth quarter in game one of the first round of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. At left is Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15). Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Going Small

As soon as Gobert went down, the Jazz found themselves down to just a handful of traditional bigs, left with only forward-center Favors and backup center Jeff Withey available.

With no contingency plan in place for this sort of thing, you would think this would radically alter the Utah's rotations, and to an extent, it did.

Favors wound up playing 32 minutes, larger than what was planned for him, but certainly not an outsized amount of playing time given the circumstances. Withey still played just nine minutes.

Furthermore, Favors and Withey never saw the floor together, meaning the Jazz were running out Johnson or Hayward at power forward for a large chunk of the game. This is a strategy they've deployed in spots while Favors was injured, but rarely for an entire four quarters.

The Clippers opted to play Griffin and Jordan together for 31 minutes and although Griffin did score 26 points, he did so while shooting just 9-for-21 and getting to the free throw line three times.

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    The Jazz's quicker small-ball 4s were able to get the better of Griffin on more than one occasion, as well as hound him on defense to the tune of six turnovers.

    If Doc Rivers counters the Jazz attack by switching to a smaller style himself, he is taking one of his best players off the floor in either Griffin or Jordan.

    However, if he remains stubborn, Utah can presumably continue to hurt his team in mismatches, while still being able to hold their own on defense.

    Marreese Speights' floor-stretching capabilities did prove problematic for the Jazz bigs, making two long-range shots and finishing a plus-12. Favors and Withey are just too slow to close out effectively to the three-point line and also protect the paint.

    The matchup chess match that will occur between Snyder and Rivers will be an interesting one to watch, as it will dictate how well each team pays to their strengths.

    Apr 12, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32) and guard Chris Paul (3) react during a NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Kings 115-95. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

    Two Threats

    The Clippers have one of the best starting lineups in the league, between the star talents of Paul, Griffin, and Jordan as well as the complementary skills of Mbah a Moute and J.J. Redick.

    However, their bench leaves a little to be desired, especially with Austin Rivers out, as he was on Saturday night. Against the Jazz, no bench player scored more than Jamal Crawford's eight points.

    Doc Rivers chose to play his starters a full 19 minutes together over the course of the game, according to NBA Stats. Curiously, despite the talents of this group, it actually finished minus-13, the lowest of any Clipper five-man group.

    With so few options for creating shots, Los Angeles' offense can become predictable and a little stale, as Andy Larsen points out:

    For the Clippers to dribble the ball up the floor, then find a multitude of ways that all find Griffin in the post, just isn't that hard of a matchup for the Jazz to defend. The Jazz had many more problems with guarding Chris Paul when he kept the ball, or even things like Mo Speights playmaking.

    It will take a fundamental change to the Clippers' offensive philosophy in order to fix this issue, as they have run the same offense virtually all season.

    Ranking 16th in pace, the first option downcourt is a high-low post entry to either Griffin or Jordan, who will attempt to seal their man up the lane.

    The Jazz did not show much vulnerability to this type of action, proving much less effective in stopping the pick and roll, or in other instances this year, Jamal Crawford in isolation.

    Watch for Los Angeles to feature Griffin as their main option less, diversifying their offense for greater efficiency.

    Game 2 in Los Angeles will take place on Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. Mountain, where the Jazz will look to steal another game on the road.

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