SALT LAKE CITY — The difference between being up 3-1 in a playoffs series versus being tied 2-2 can not be overstated or overblown. It was those circumstances that made Game 4 between the Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets the most dangerous game of the series.
“We’ve talked about playing with urgency every game. Sometimes the game manufactures some of that for you, whether it’s a response to a loss or some sort of complacency that kicks in. But, this is the playoffs and teams have a sense. I know our team has a sense right now, that every game is important.” — Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder
After two blowout victories, the Jazz knew that they were going to get the Nuggets’ best shot. It’s not like Denver is unfamiliar with being down 2-1.
Last year in the playoffs, the Nuggets trailed 2-1 to both the San Antonio Spurs and the Portland Trail Blazers in the first two rounds only to come back and force a Game 7 in both cases, beating the Spurs and narrowly losing to the Blazers.
Denver coach Mike Malone knew that Game 4 would be as much about mentality as it would about scheme.
“We can make all the changes that we want, but if our mindset doesn’t change, if our competitive fire doesn’t change, if our mental toughness doesn’t change,” he said before the game. “You can change the lineups and change the game plan but I think more importantly what are you bringing to the table, what kind of force, effort, pride, fight are you going to bring to the table? And thats the most important aspect of tonight’s game.”
Heading into Game 5 with a victory and the series tied could have been a momentum shifter for the Nuggets, but the Jazz were prepared for the urgency that the Nuggets were going to bring on Sunday.
“It’s obviously something you mention,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said before Game 4. “We’ve talked about playing with urgency every game. Sometimes the game manufactures some of that for you whether it’s a response to a loss or some sort of complacency that kicks in. But, this is the playoffs and teams have a sense, I know our team has a sense right now, that every game is important and if somehow or another the importance of the game were to overwhelm playing well that would be problematic. Hopefully we’re equally urgent, regardless of where the series lies.”
What was expected became an apparent reality in the opening minutes of Game 4 with the Nuggets more aggressive on the offensive end and making key adjustments on the defensive end. But, as Malone said, it was more about the intensity and fight of the Nuggets than anything and they showed just that throughout the game, keeping things close, stopping Jazz runs, and hitting big shots in big moments.
A Nuggets win on Sunday could have been a huge swing in this series, but the Jazz withstood the reignited fight that Denver brought and instead of heading into Game 5 tied, the Jazz have the massive advantage of a 3-1 series lead.
Being on the side of just needing a single victory to advance to the second round is an incredibly different position and a much better one for the Jazz to be in, and it was their ability to match the urgency of the Nuggets that allowed them to reach that position.