Jazz Have Been Down 0-2 To Houston Before And Won
Apr 18, 2019, 12:48 PM | Updated: 3:49 pm
Forward Andrei Kirilenko #47 of the Utah Jazz celebrates a win in the final seconds against the Houston Rockets in Game Seven of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2007 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center May 5, 2007 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – While things may look bleak now for the Utah Jazz, the organization has been here before.
In the 2007 playoffs the Jazz trailed the Houston Rockets 0-2 to start the first round series. They would rally to win the tilt, clinching the series victory with a 103-99 victory in Game 7 in Houston.
In that Game 7, both Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams turned in double-doubles to lead Utah to its first playoff series win in the post-Stockton and Malone era. Boozer had a game high 35 points with 14 rebounds while Williams had 20 points and 14 assists. Houston’s Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming had 29 points apiece.
The Jazz would move on to beat the Golden State Warriors in the second round, five games to one before losing in five games to the San Antonio Spurs in the conference finals. The Jazz haven’t been back to the penultimate round of the postseason since.
Keeping It In Perspective
There are numerous parallels from that series in 2007 to this year’s current situation. First, the Jazz lost both of the first games of the series in Houston. The Rockets were led by a dynamic scorer in Tracy McGrady then, and are led by the top scorer in the NBA now in James Harden. The winner of the series then had to face the Warriors while this year’s winner will also likely meet Golden State in the second round.
The differences however between the series are quite vast and have little to do with where the Jazz currently stand. With about a 12-year gap between mirroring situations, neither team has any of the same players or coaches on the roster.
Also, in 2007, the first two games were much closer as Utah lost by just nine and then eight to go down 0-2. This year, the Jazz have lost the opening games in Houston by 32 and 20.
While history has little, if any impact on how current games play out, it doesn’t favor the Jazz in their current situation. In Utah’s entire playoff history, they’ve been down 0-2 in a series 13 times. That victory over Houston in ’07 stands as the only time they’ve managed to win the series after losing the first two games.
Back to SLC ✈️ pic.twitter.com/WIUpMORwBB
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) April 18, 2019
While it is certainly possible that Utah could come back and take the series – after all, crazier things have happened in sports before – it will be essential to get back on the right foot in Game 3. No NBA team has ever won a playoff series after losing the first three games. There’s always a first time for everything, but the odds are that going down 0-3 will likely result in a first round exit for the Jazz.
Broadcast Info
Game 3 between Utah and Houston will tip off Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and be broadcast on ESPN.
