Now 16 years into an admirable NBA career, Joe Johnson is happy to still be contributing significantly to a winning team. Marc Spears of ESPN recently wrote about the veteran’s career and the role he currently serves with the Jazz.
In a transcribed interview with Johnson, Spears asks the swingman about his life as a veteran in the locker room and how he came to sign with the Jazz last summer.
George Hill will miss tonight’s game with Golden State because of soreness in his left big toe, the Jazz announced via Twitter.
“It’s something he’s been fighting all year,” Utah coach Quin Snyder told reporters (Twitter link). “It’s been sore. He’s been playing through it.”
Snyder said he hasn’t decided if Raul Neto, Shelvin Mack or Dante Exum will start in place of Hill. He added that Hill’s absence will be a huge loss to the team’s offense.
The ninth-year point guard is in his first season with the Jazz after being acquired from the Pacers in an offseason trade. He is averaging 15.6 points through Utah’s first eight playoff games.
Several under-the-radar players who will be free agents this summer are improving their bargaining position with their performance in the playoffs, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. He identifies six players, starting with Golden State big man JaVale McGee, who is averaging 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks through five games despite playing just 11.8 minutes per night. McGee signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Warriors for the veteran’s minimum and could be in line for a huge pay raise in July. The others that Kennedy singles out are Serge Ibaka of the Raptors, Joe Ingles of the Jazz, Nene of the Rockets, Andre Roberson of the Thunder and Deron Williams of the Cavaliers.
There’s more news from around the basketball world:
Tonight, the Jazz begin their second-round matchup with Golden State. While Utah prepares for a difficult challenge against the heavily favored Warriors, there are other team-centric happenings worthy of monitoring. Stay current below:
The Warriors will face the Jazz in the conference’s semifinals, though Golden State was rooting for the Clippers to beat Utah in the previous round, Chris Haynes of ESPN.com writes. Were the Warriors concerned about the opposition’s slow pace, Gordon Hayward‘s perimeter game, or Rudy Gobert‘s defensive presence? None of the above. They were worried about being bored.
“There’s no nightlife in Utah,” Matt Barnes said. “Obviously, as players, you want to be able to have a little bit of a nightlife, but the main focus is winning games. Me personally, I want to get out there because I want to beat the Clippers. That’s my former team, and my kids are out there. But as far as nightlife, there’s no comparison to nightlife in Utah and L.A.”
Barnes added that he’s not sure what he’ll do during his spare time in Utah. “I think there’s an Olive Garden out there and then a Benihana. So you’ll definitely be locked in [on the game] all the way,” He said.
The small forward hasn’t played yet in the postseason because of ankle and foot issues, though it appears he’s getting set to play in Game 1 against Utah, according to Golden State’s Twitter feed. Shaun Livingston, who has a hand injury, is considered questionable for the contest.
Here’s more from the Western Conference:
The Jazz could be without the services of Alec Burks for the remainder of the postseason, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Per the paper’s sources, the guard could be shut down for the rest of the playoffs on account of his current knee injury.
Burks saw his role decrease substantially in 2016/17 and he averaged just 6.7 points per game in the opportunities that he did get. Sidelined for the entirety of Utah’s first-round series against the Clippers, Burks hasn’t played meaningful basketball since April 12.
The emergence of Rodney Hood over the course of the past two seasons and the offseason addition of Joe Johnson have limited Burks’ chances to thrive in the Jazz lineup. The 25-year-old, however, is just two seasons removed from averaging 33.3 minutes per game in an injury shortened 2014/15.
Jones adds that, while it appears as though the shooting guard will be shut down with Utah’s second round slated to begin on Tuesday, no final decision has been formally made.
Last year’s NBA Finals combatants, the Cavaliers and Warriors, made quick work of their first round playoff opponents, dispatching the Pacers and Trail Blazers respectively in four games apiece. However, many of the other first round series around the NBA remain very much up in the air.
Currently, four series are tied at 2-2, with two of those Game Fives scheduled for tonight, and two more on tap for Wednesday. The Clippers and Jazz have each split their home games, resulting in a 2-2 tie, while the No. 7 seeded Grizzlies won two home games over the Spurs following David Fizdale‘s post-Game 2 “take that for data” rant, pulling even in that series. Those four teams will be in action tonight.
Over in the Eastern Conference, the No. 1 seeded Celtics find themselves tied with the No. 8 Bulls in an unusual series in which road teams are 4-0 so far. Meanwhile, the Hawks ripped through the Wizards‘ defense in two games in Atlanta, evening that series at 2-2. Both of those series will resume on Wednesday.
In each of those four series, the higher seed maintains the advantage, with two of the final three games on their home court. But most of those higher seeds don’t look as formidable as they did entering the postseason.
What do you think? Will any of these series result in upsets? If the Jazz are able to knock off the Clippers, should that series even be viewed as a legit upset, given the absence of Blake Griffin and the teams’ identical regular season records?
Vote below on which lower seeds will make it through the first round — you can pick as many as you want. After placing your vote, share your thoughts in the comments section!
The All-NBA teams were scheduled to be announced during the league’s inaugural award show on June 26th. However, because the selections may impact teams’ offseason plans, the league will unveil the winners in the weeks leading up to the draft, as Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post writes.
The newly created Designated Player Exception drove the change. Being selected on an All-NBA is a criterion for the massive extension and players such as Paul George and Gordon Hayward will be eligible for as much as $70MM more in an extension should they make one of the three teams.
The early unveiling arguably helps the Pacers the most. If PG13 lands on one of the teams, Indiana will have the inside track to signing him long-term as soon as this summer. If he doesn’t earn one of the spots, the organization can begin to seriously consider whether or not it should deal the small forward. George has long been linked to the Lakers and the Pacers may look to deal him rather than see him leave for L.A. without receiving any compensation in return.
Here’s more from around the league:
After being upgraded to questionable earlier in the day, it now appears as though Rudy Gobert is healthy enough to return to action tonight, Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets.
Gobert had been sidelined since banging his knee on the first play of Game 1. Shortly after the injury was sustained, the big man underwent X-rays and an MRI which both revealed that there was no structural damage.
With Gobert in the lineup, the Jazz will get the opportunity to exact revenge on a Clippers team that has hopped out to a 2-1 lead over their shorthanded opponents. In Game 3, of course, Clips forward Blake Griffin went down with a toe injury that will cost him the remainder of the postseason.
In 81 games for the Jazz this season, Gobert emerged as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with an improved offensive game. His 14.0 points and 12.8 rebounds per game, coupled with the sheer length that he possesses around the rim, will serve the visiting Utah squad well.