All-Star Game announcement plus a victory make for perfect day for Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY — All the stars looked to be aligned as the Utah Jazz kicked off their 41st season Wednesday night with optimism not seen around here in about two decades, since the Stockton-and-Malone NBA Finals years.

Not only was it opening night, but speaking of stars, just a few hours earlier, NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced that the 2023 All-Star Game was returning to Utah where the game had been played 30 years before. What could be more exciting?

All that was needed to top off a big day was a Jazz victory, which after many anxious moments finally came to pass as Utah eked out a five-point victory to send the Jazz faithful home happy.

Earlier in the day, the Jazz had made their “major announcement,” one that they had been keeping under their hats for the better part of a year, according to Jazz CEO Steve Starks. The governor and the mayor joined Jazz officials for the NBA’s announcement, which was was met with enthusiasm from all sides. 

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Surprisingly, when longtime Jazz P.A. announcer Dan Roberts read a blurb about “the NBA awarding the 2023 All-Star Game to Utah” during the second timeout of the game, it received only mild applause from the sold-out Vivint Arena crowd. 

Perhaps the excitement from the official announcement 3 1/2 hours earlier had worn off by then or maybe fans were worried about the fact their team had scored just 12 points in the first seven minutes.

But talking to several fans around the arena confirmed that there is genuine excitement about the return of the All-Star Game. 

Longtime Jazz fans Ken and Jenni Vitrano were sitting on Level 5 finishing up their dinner, both wearing Utah Jazz sweatshirts and “Smurf” style wigs with blue and black hair sticking straight up (the “hats” had been part of a Deseret News promotion in 2004).  

“I’m excited about that, it’s a big deal,” said Ken. “There’ll be a lot of revenue coming in and it will put Utah on the map and be a chance to showcase our state.”

As for the upcoming season, he said, “I’m excited about it, but they have to learn to play together better. The longer they play together they’ll gel more as a team.”

Andy and Dottie Whitehorn sitting in Section 19, both wearing John Stockton No. 12 jerseys, called themselves Jazz fans from “a long time ago, since the 1970s,” although they didn’t live in Utah when the last All-Star Game was here.

“It’s a new season, anything can happen, but we’re hoping for the best,”  Andy said.

As for the All-Star Game announcement, Andy said, “It’s wonderful, BUT IT’S FOUR YEARS AWAY.” Then, lowering his voice, he said, “I wish it was next year.”

 “We’re excited about the All-Star Game coming here,” Dottie added.

Former Jazzman Thurl Bailey, now a TV analyst for the Jazz and looking resplendent in a shiny purple suit, remembers the ‘93 All-Star Game well and is excited about getting All-Star Weekend back in Utah. 

“It’s awesome,” he said. “I wasn’t on the team, but I was here during the All-Star weekend and watched my former teammates Karl and John get the MVP. 

“It’s great timing with the renovations on the building and the new additions to the team. It’s a great honor to have it coming back here. It’s great for the state.” 

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After the first quarter, 1280 AM radio personality Tony Parks and the Jazz Bear roamed the stands handing out about a dozen No. 23 Jazz jerseys in honor of the 2023 All-Star Game, not Jazz forward Royce O’Neale, who wears that number. But that was the end of any talk about the 2023 All-Star Game, as everyone turned their attention to the court. 

The Jazz were lucky the Thunder didn’t have much more than Chris Paul in their lineup. Paul, one of those visiting players Jazz fans love to boo, scored 22 points with eight rebounds and three assists. The Thunder also had a guy named Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who played for the Clippers last year and he led the Thunder with 26 points, while another OKC newcomer, Danilo Gallinari, added 21.

On the other hand, the Jazz were lucky they had Donovan Mitchell, who looks like he’s upped his game a couple of notches since last year as he finished with 32 points and a career-high 12 rebounds.  Without Mitchell and his 14-of-22 shooting that included a spectacular driving two-handed dunk to end the first half, the Jazz would have surely started the season with a defeat against a team not expected to make the playoffs.

Unfortunately Mike Conley, who came to the team amid much fanfare in the offseason, looked more like his predecessor at point guard, with an abysmal Ricky Rubio-esque 1-for-16 performance. However, afterward coach Quin Snyder praised Conley’s defensive performance despite his poor shooting night. 

So now it’s on to play the Lakers Friday night, followed quickly by games against Sacramento Saturday, Phoenix Monday and the L.A. Clippers Wednesday.

It was a big day all around for the Jazz, who are looking forward to big things in 2019-20 with something else to look forward to in 2023.