Will the Utah Jazz make this a series?

THANK YOU! Man, playoff basketball is so much more enjoyable when the Jazz win, am I right? I’d rather pretend like games 1 and 2 didn't even happen. Utah’s defensive tactics bombed and they were embarrassing blowouts. Quin Snyder made some adjustments when the series shifted to Salt Lake.

But Game 3 ended in a heartbreaking loss. It felt like the air had left the building. I honestly didn’t know how much fight this team would have after going down 3-0 to the Houston Rockets. I was not going to be surprised by a sweep.

But I should have known what to expect. This is the team that made an historic season comeback last year. This is the team that took down the reigning MVP and Paul George despite not having home court advantage. This is the team that went on another late season run this year. This is the team that refused to lose games to jockey for playoff position. This team is resilient. This team doesn’t give up. This team wasn’t done yet.

After a tight 3 quarters last night, Donovan Mitchell absolutely TOOK OVER. He entered the game to start the 4th quarter with the Rockets up 3, 79-76. In just 3 minutes he scored 13 points and gave the Jazz a 91-80 lead. It was insane!

Had this been game 3, this is the type of game that could flip a series. That huge momentum swing could carry over to game 4 and the Jazz could have this tied up 2-2. Unfortunately, the Jazz still face a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series deficit. No team in NBA history has ever won a 7 game playoff series after going down 3-0. Not one.

But what if? What if the Jazz take the confidence from game 4 to Houston? What if the role players show up again and the Jazz (gasp) actually make the wide open shots the offense has been generating. The Jazz have generated the highest quality shots in the NBA playoffs this year, but have the worst shooting percentage on these wide open shots than any team in the last FIVE postseasons.

What if shots start falling? What if Utah can force a game 6 in Salt Lake and take advantage of another raucous crowd? What if the Jazz can push the Rockets to a game 7, where anything can happen? What if they accomplish the impossible?

It was just one year ago that we witnessed a #16 seed upsetting the #1 seed in the NCAA tournament for the first time. I wasn’t sure I would ever see that in my lifetime. It was supposed to be impossible. Could the NBA see a seemingly impossible task be overcome? Will the Utah Jazz make this a series yet?

Stay tuned.