The Utah Jazz were back in residence last night, playing their first official game of the 1989-90 season, a.k.a. The Season Opener. Even if it was cleverly disguised as something more resembling, say, a run-of-the-mill game in mid-January.
The Jazz and season openers haven't gotten along very well the past several years. They were on a seven-year opening night losing skid going into last night's game. Either somebody broke a mirror seven years ago, or they were going about their season openers completely wrong.So they were taking no chances last night, dismissing the mirror theory and going with a whole new approach.
To call it understated would be an understatement.
Whereas openers past have looked like Broadway premieres or New Year's Eve galas or Donald Trump arriving at a restaurant for dinner, last night's looked like a convention of accountants.
There were no tuxedoes (as there were for last year's Black Tie opener), no stretch limos, no banners, no streamers. No excessive spending anywhere.
Marie Osmond, the First Lady of Orem, showed up to sing the national anthem and she wore pants (but she did not wear boots and, even without Dan Seals, nailed about a 9.8 on the anthem).
Tupperwear parties and supermarket openings have more frills than this opener.
The Jazz had all the seats sold, so they didn't need any of the fancy stuff for ticket sales. When Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who was coaching in his first official opener, had gone to Jay Howells, who was taking over as the Jazz's general manger for his first official opener, and suggested that they cut out the hype, Howells said OK.
"The coaches felt that, in the past, everything that went on was a bit of a distraction," said Howells.
"Besides," he added. "This way we didn't need to get the fire marshall's approval to blow the place up."
In their exuberance, other openers - as well as playoff games - have sometimes experienced those kinds of situations.
There was only one pregame ceremony, when Jazz owner Larry Miller presented trophies to Jazz players Thurl Bailey, Karl Malone, John Stockton and Mark Eaton for accomplishments won during last season.
This was done without spotlights or footlights.
Then Marie sang her song, a cappella, and then they had the opening tap.
It should be added that last night's low-key approach might also have been more fallout from the somewhat dismal end to last season's playoffs, when the Jazz, heavily favored, fell to the Golden State Warriors in three straight games.
There had been a lot of hype and frills for those games, too.
Most noticeably absent was the "We Will Rock You" neon sign that had been donated by a fan for the start of the playoffs and placed in front of the Salt Palace.
Instead, last night's opener had a band standing in front of the Salt Palace. It was playing soft rock.
We Will Soft Rock You?
The soft rock band, plus others that were playing country and dixieland, were strategically placed outside the arena, well apart from the playing floor.
In light of all this, the obvious questions are: Did it work? Did the Jazz sneak past their season opening wall? Did they circumvent their fear of first nights?
The Denver Nuggets would be the first to say yes. The Jazz led the Nuggets virtually the whole game en route to their 122-113 streak-ending win.
Significantly, these are the same Nuggets who carried a six-year opening night winning streak into last night's game.
Not that opening your first game is necessarily the key to the season. The last time the Jazz won their opener they went on to a 30-52 record in 1982-83. They haven't had a losing season since, despite the fact they've never won an opener.
But the Jazz aren't giving this one away. Not after playing a lot like they played last January. Stockton got 23 points and 19 assists, Malone got 40 points and 16 rebounds, Bailey got 23 points in 33 minutes and Eaton, despite foul trouble, had four blocks and seven boards in 22 minutes.
If that's not midseason form, what is?
"We just wanted to get in and play," said guard Bobby Hansen, "when you start with fireworks and stuff like that, it's bound to distract you. That's fine for the fans. But as a player, you just want to play."
"It was the players who wanted it quieter tonight," said Sloan. "I can understand why."
Obviously, it was to change their luck, and it worked. The Jazz didn't look at all like their usual first-of-November opening night jittery selves. The first one is done, and they aren't. The've still got their no-hitter.
"You know what they say," said Sloan. "You can't win 82 if you don't win the first one."