It Is A Joy...Watching This Man Play

I didn't see most of the game. I had some work to do, but after that was done, I turned it on.

Things were looking grim for the home team. Orlando had scored fifteen straight points, led by five, with only a few minutes remaining in the game.

Then Donovan Mitchell brought the crowd to its feet with a monster, "highlight film" slam dunk.

From that point on, the Utah Jazz dominated.

It is a joy to watch that man play.

Back in the early 1990s, I actually worked with the Utah Jazz organization. For two years I watched two of the best players to ever play the game, John Stockton and Karl Malone. I don't think I appreciated just how good they were--funny, how you don't realize what you have until it's gone.

The Jazz had some lean years, good players, but they just couldn't get over the hump. The last couple of years, however, the team has won more than it's lost and they're now a playoff-caliber team year after year. In fact, they are no longer considered a push over and can beat any team in the league. One of the reasons for their success is Mr. Mitchell.

There are certain players you can't take your eyes off of. They demand your attention because of what you've seen, because of what you think they're able to do. Donovan is one of those players. I'm not the greatest student of the game, but when he gets the ball, there's energy that flows from him, energy you can feel even though you're no where near the building. It's hypnotic, and oh, so entertaining.

I hope I enjoy watching Mr. Mitchell play for years to come, preferably wearing the purple, yellow, and/or green colors of the Utah Jazz. I know I'm appreciating what I'm seeing now.

*Photos used without permission from the National Basketball Association, the Orlando Magic, or the Utah Jazz

The Old Cowhide Globe Hit Home...

The season's young, teams are still figuring things out, especially with so much movement in the off-season. But, when you watch a game like the one that took place Friday, November 9th in Salt Lake City...

It was a thing of beauty.

Because it's a new season with new players, the fans--as well as the other teams--are trying to figure out the new Jazz players, too. There's new names and new faces attached to those names. Fans can be patient, unless they feel the team ought to be winning now.

Not being in the building, can only imagine what it must have been like, watching a double-digit lead evaporate in the final minutes. Then, it looked like the game would go to overtime...

But wait!

There's still time on the clock!

An in-bound pass to Bojan Bodganovic in the corner. He shoots the three, and...

It goes in.

The place went crazy, and I'm sure Jazz fans watching outside the building did too.

The Bucks from Milwaukee (to quote Alice Cooper, "it's pronounced 'mill-e-wah-que' which is Algonquin for 'the good land'...) played for the Eastern Conference Finals last season, falling to the NBA Champion Toronto Raptors. This is a good team. Last Friday, the Jazz were better, three points better. 

I've been fortunate enough to be in that building a few times, mostly when John Stockton and Karl Malone played. The Jazz fans love their team. They did then; they do now. Hopefully, there'll be more celebrations than not this season, and from now on. Because on a tense November evening in Salt Lake City (to quote Hot Rod Hundley), a gentle push, and a mild arc, and the old cowhide globe hit home.

All photos used without permission from the National Basketball Association or the Utah Jazz