With 11 seconds left in the game, down by a point, it was an alley-oop play that secured victory for the Utah Jazz.
Donovan Mitchell threw it up to his co-star, Rudy Gobert, who slammed it down and through the net for what turned out to be the game-winning bucket.
It only tied the series at 2-2, but the way those last points were earned sprouted some optimism in Utah and from minority owner Dwyane Wade, who couldn’t help but shower the star duo in praise after the final buzzer.
“Talk is talk. At the end of the day, those guys have a respect for each other, man,” Jazz minority owner Dwyane Wade, the NBA legend who Mitchell considers a mentor, told ESPN. “I just love how we trust each other as a team down the stretch.”
“Rudy making those big plays coming from Don was obviously big, but a lot of [the discussion about their relationship] was outside noise, too. It’s just good to see them execute like that and for the two star players on our team to trust each other in that space like that.”
Dwyane Wade on Donovan Mitchell-to-Rudy Gobert for W: “At the end of the day, those guys have a respect for each other, man. It’s just good to see them execute like that and for the two star players on our team to trust each other in that space like that.” https://t.co/z6IcfGbO5r
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 24, 2022
Much has been made about the Mitchell/Gobert duo. Both are All-Stars who have achieved great regular-season success together.
In the playoffs, however, Utah has fallen short time and time again, and much of the NBA community has lost faith in their potential to win a title.
There have also been reports of a rift between the star players, which started back in 2020 when Gobert caught COVID-19.
Needless to say, there are reasons to be pessimistic about the future of Jazz basketball. There are questions about Mitchell’s loyalty and the relationship he has with his main co-star.
This summer, the team will no doubt address those concerns. For now, they are focused on surviving to Round 2 and making amends for their shortcomings.
