By Johnathan Kendrick
Normally when playoff races come
screeching to a disappointing halt. When eager anticipation falls
flat on its face. When the raw belief your team can do anything
slips through your fingers and falls to the floor. It’s easy to
point that first finger of blame. The refs – the league – and oh the
conspiracy theories. They hate us – they love them. Oh the fate, oh
the humanity. It’s ok to feel that way, at first, I suppose, but
after 20 years who really knows.
Get it out of your system quickly then. Sulk in sorrow if you must.
Swear off watching the playoffs if you have to. Just get it out of
your system quickly. Hand over hand, foot hole after foot hole,
climb out of that pit of sorrow and see the world has not gone dark.
The temperature has not dropped beyond the thermostat’s reach. You
can talk to your family, you can reminisce with your friends. You
can listen to sports radio and read the papers – and even confront
the inevitable fan of another team who will come at you with “Jazz
Stink” and just smile.
The Jazz didn’t stink. Not as a team, and not as… well, as
individuals, some learned to shine. No, they didn’t collapse in to
the dark of night. Instead their season faded into the brightest of
sunsets, one that will be remembered for years to come. When you
take a step back and realize the Jazz had no right being in the
playoff race with two games left in the season, it’s easy to see
that this season was a huge success.
Two of the game’s greatest players were gone. Stockton finally
answered retirement’s long expected yet still surprising call.
Malone, after much public debate by both management and fans,
decided it would be best for all involved if he went elsewhere. If
losing the team’s one-two punch wasn’t bad enough, Captain, leader,
and the offensive first option, Matt Harpring, was lost for the
season well before the half way point. The team’s longest tenured
player, Greg Ostertag, assumed the role of leader. Ostertag will be
filing for free agency this summer, however it may be appropriate if
he were to announce his retirement – retroactive to two games before
the all-star game.
Jerry Sloan didn’t give any preseason predictions credence. He never
gave them credibility. When something went down, Sloan righted the
ship. When something went wrong, Sloan lead the team through. A
winning season was all he would settle for – and with a team of
“no-names” and rookies, he got it.
The season was amazing from start to end. A success from any point
of view. You never want to take pride in losing. The Jazz may not be
playoff bound, but they are not finishing anything less than
winners. They won more than half their games, and more importantly
they won all the respect and admiration of fans, players, and the
league.
Yeah, it may be your first instinct to be disappointed. It certainly
is the easiest emotion. But then again, everyone’s first instinct
was that the Jazz would be the league’s worst team. It would have
been the easiest road. But not the most satisfying.
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