Jazz Don’t Care About National Spotlight Against Lakers
Oct 25, 2019, 12:22 PM
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
(Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz play their first of 25 games on national television against the Lakers Friday night, but that doesn’t seem like a big deal to anyone on the roster.
When the national television schedule was released, it seemed like a sense of pride for the organization. When the team announced broadcast plans for the season, they touted the fact that over a quarter of the games would be broadcast across the nation including tonight’s game in the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles.
It’s only game two of the NBA season and ESPN will spotlight this Jazz team against LeBron James and Anthony Davis. It’s got to mean something to the players. Right?
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Nope.
“That’s cool,” Royce O’Neale said when he was told the game was going to be nationally televised.
Then came his deadpan follow-up sentence, “It’s just another basketball game.”
No excitement. No thrill. No declarations of “I’m going to Disneyland” from the players or coach Quin Snyder.
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“I know we’re playing the Lakers, obviously, but I didn’t know it was on (national) television,” said Snyder. “That’s kind of external. You know, no more than the uniforms you wear…I think the thing that matters is we’re playing the Lakers and they are a really good team.”
You would expect a coach to say something like that, but even O’Neale said playing on national TV comes with the territory of being an NBA player.
“It’s basketball, that’s what we love doing. So we’re here for it,” he continued.
The Jazz should be getting used to national attention. Last season, the Jazz were featured 17 times on national television.
The eight-game increase was probably spurred on by the fact that Utah is an outside contender for the NBA Finals after trading for Mike Conley and signing free agent Bojan Bogdanovic. Media executives also know the star power of Donovan Mitchell.
Donovan Mitchell was sensational in the season opener. He had 32 points and a career high 12 rebounds in the Jazz 100-95 win over the Thunder. I put together his best plays. #TakeNote #UtahJazz #NBA @kslsports @KSL5TV https://t.co/mswkFuB8kZ pic.twitter.com/dAZRsmGvY9
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) October 24, 2019
Whom the Jazz play, in terms of location and star power, also plays into the national broadcast schedule. Three of the games are against the Lakers. They play the LA Clippers, Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors twice on either TNT, ESPN or NBATV.
All of Utah’s games against the Denver Nuggets will be featured nationwide along with three contests against the Portland Trailblazers. Those last two teams have won the Midwest Division the past two seasons.
Fans watching the ESPN broadcast should expect most of Friday night’s coverage to focus on the Lakers. What else do you expect when Los Angeles has one of the greatest players to play the game and his new all-world running mate Davis?
#utahjazz have a big national TV game against the Lakers, but that’s not what was on Quin Snyder’s mind. https://t.co/KxTwetl4BU
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 24, 2019
Oh, and they’re the Lakers. It’s their second nationally televised game in as many games. They lost to the Clippers on Tuesday 112-102. If the Lakers lose to the Jazz expect a lot of talk about how bad things are for the “Lake Show” two games into the season.
While Jazz fans may care about the coverage, the players and coaches don’t really care. If they win, the coverage will take care of itself.
“NBA players love to play basketball. You see guys compete a lot of different places, whether the cameras are on or not. And, certainly, you know, we appreciate that it’s on TV. It’s a good thing. But it doesn’t change how you prepare,” said Snyder.
Rudy Gobert, though, wanted to clarify one thing about the featured late game on ESPN.
“The Lakers are playing the Jazz and not the Jazz playing the Lakers,” Gobert said with a smile.
For all of the Jazz coverage and interviews you need, check out Jazz Notes podcast, hosted by Cleon Wall and Ben Anderson. Subscribe wherever you find podcasts or on the KSL Sports app.
