Welcome to Miguel’s Friday Thoughts! I will discuss last night’s Jazz/Clippers Game 2, Rudy Gobert winning the Defensive Player of the Year Award, and Julio Jones going to the Tennessee Titans. Buckle up! This is going to be fun.
Utah Jazz took a 2-0 lead over the Clippers in the series. The Jazz came out firing last night. Donovan Mitchell is emerging into a superstar. The second coming of Dywane Wade, and he is locked in. There’s a reason why the Jazz are the No.1 seed this year, and they play great at home. Jazz led as many as 19 in the game. In the 3rd quarter, the Clippers showed some fight. Reggie Jackson contributed a lot to his shooting, which resulted in the Clippers ending the 3rd quarter on a 31-17 run. Clippers played well in the 4th quarter and grabbed the lead until the game’s last five minutes. There were about three possessions where Bojan Bogdanovic played impressive defense on Kawhi Leonard. Leonard gave up the ball to Markieff Morris Sr and kept missing wide-open shots. If the Clippers made those wide-open shots, they would’ve won the game. Clippers missed nine straight field goals. Therefore, the Jazz capitalizes and puts them down in Game 2. Clippers head coach Ty Lue is not making the proper adjustments. I’m not too fond of the fact that he’s not using Rajon Rondo as much in the game. Rondo is not a guy that deserves to have DNP’s (Did Not Play, Coach’s Decision). This man is a 2-time champion. He’s been there, and he’s a vocal leader. You must have that guy on the floor.
Rudy Gobert won his third Defensive Player of the Year Award. He’s a helluva defensive monster. In my opinion, it should’ve gone to Sixers forward Ben Simmons. Simmons was sensational all year long from a defense standpoint. His defense is one of the reasons why the Philadelphia Sixers were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. Simmons losing to Gobert reminds me of that priceless interview Ben Simmons had with Rachel Nichols on ESPN. Simmons said, “He [guarded] me in Utah, and I had 42.” The best way for Ben Simmons to have the last laugh now is the win the NBA championship.
Wide Receiver Julio Jones found a new home in the Tennessee Titans. The Falcons traded Jones to the Titans. If you are a Titans fan, this is excellent news. Titans have another weapon in their offense to join running back Derrick Henry. How far will they go? I still think they need a few more pieces on defense. On paper, their offense looks legit, but they need more weapons on defense. After all, defense wins championships. You saw that with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.