He knows we’re trying to get to that level. We’re trying to get to that playoff team level. It starts with our practice habits. It starts with defense — just taking that to another level, being able to come out with more juice, coming out with that juice in the first half that we have in the second half. – Jazz point guard Trey Burke
SALT LAKE CITY — Moments after his team was soundly beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder in a home preseason game, Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder gave an unforgettable postgame interview.
Asked a question about Rudy Gobert’s struggles, Snyder responded with what could be called his Declaration of Quindependence.
For two and a half minutes, the Jazz coach delivered an unexpectedly frank and lengthy answer that had nothing to do with the Stifle Tower, but provided an honest reality check to his team’s situation.
“We’ve got an opportunity to be a good team,” he said. “(But) it’s not like anybody or our team has done anything.”
To Snyder, that October night provided a stark contrast of where his team was — talented but young and inconsistent — and where a championship-contending team was — talented, experienced and dialed in.
As far as Snyder was concerned, his team hadn't “touched” the level of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and company just yet. He wanted his players to learn from how hard the Thunder went before the game and during it.
“Those are hungry guys that are All-Stars,” he said. “If we want to get to that place individually, collectively, that’s what you have to do. You have to say, ‘Look, that’s it.’”
Snyder was impressed with how OKC appreciated the difficulty of winning and how “you have to do everything” and even then you have to get lucky at times.
“I’m not dampening any enthusiasm, but I am being realistic about who our group is — and that’s what our group needs,” Snyder concluded. “We need to be realistic about the level that’s out there and if we want to reach it, it’s a hard road.”
A month later, Snyder believes his team has taken a step toward reaching that point. The Jazz have endured one of the toughest schedules in the NBA, earning a hard-fought 6-6 record that is actually better than it looks considering how many road games they’ve had.
“I think we’re improving,” said Snyder, admitting that the Jazz are moving forward despite occasionally taking a step back. “On the whole, that’s really our goal as much as anything (improving).”
Snyder likes that the team is learning to play on the road, where the Jazz have a 4-5 record. He likes that his players are getting better at playing well at the end of close games, which was evident in recent wins against Atlanta and Toronto.
“He knows we’re trying to get to that level,” Jazz point guard Trey Burke said. “We’re trying to get to that playoff team level. It starts with our practice habits. It starts with defense — just taking that to another level, being able to come out with more juice, coming out with that juice in the first half that we have in the second half.”
One thing the Jazz have shown in the month since that 113-102 lesson of a loss is resiliency.
Utah has bounced back from adverse situations and results time and time again early in the season. That happened again Friday when the Jazz made a competitive game in Dallas after a horrid second quarter led to them falling behind by 20 points.
“I think we’re really resilient. We know it’s 82 games. We could win three games in a row and know that the next game could be one of our worst games if we allow it to be,” Burke said. “We could lose three games in a row and the next game could be our best game.
“It’s an up and down type of season and league. (With) so many games, we have to have the ability to forget about the last game regardless if it’s a loss or a win, learn from it and move on to the next one.” Burke predicts Monday night’s game will be a “dogfight” with the Thunder.
“We’ve all collectively made strides on both ends of the court,” Burke added. “Obviously, they’re a playoff team. It’s going to be great to see how we respond to that challenge.”
JAZZ NOTES: The biggest challenge for the Jazz, especially the guards, will be trying to contain Westbrook, who’s averaging MVP-like numbers this season — 28.5 points, 10.2 assists and 7.8 rebounds. “Compete. There’s nothing else you can do,” Burke said. “We all know he’s a great player, but you’ve got to compete against him.” … This will be former Jazz center Enes Kanter’s second game in Utah since he was shipped off to OKC last February following his demand for a trade. The backup big man is averaging 13.2 points and 8.8 rebounds. … Superstar Kevin Durant has missed the Thunder’s past six games with a strained hamstring injury. … Oklahoma City played Dallas at home on Sunday night. … The Jazz held a practice Sunday after taking Saturday off.
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