NBA coaches react to numerous comeback wins by the Utah Jazz
In the NBA, teams will take wins anyway they can get them. Whether they lead wire-to-wire, win a close one, or come back from a large deficit, a victory results in one more ‘W’ on the
standings, no matter how it gets done. The Utah Jazz know this all too well, having pulled off numerous comeback victories over their recent five-game winning streak.
The Jazz have come back from big holes in all five games, including overcoming a 22-point deficit against the Miami Heat and coming back from 18 points the next night against the Orlando
Magic. Up next for the comeback kids is a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday 15 November. And Thunder coach Scott Brooks knows that the Jerry Sloan-coached Jazz never give up.
“How can he have not ever had the Coach of the Year?” Brooks said of Sloan, who has been coaching since 1988. “It’s the toughness. He doesn’t let his team quit. They just keep playing.
They’re not going to win all of the games, but they’re going to play hard in all of the games.”
Gregg Popovich, coach of the San Antonio Spurs, is known as one of the best coaches in the game today and had some flattering words for the Jazz.
“I think it’s another testament to the team that over the years has been the most mentally tough in the league,” he said. “Year in and year out, their mental and physical toughness is
a standard that we’ve always tried to approach.”
The comebacks haven’t only come against the Heat and the Magic as the Jazz began their five-game winning streak by coming back from 18 points against the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this
month. After the Miami and Orlando games, they fought back from an 11-point fourth quarter deficit against the Atlanta Hawks and a 16-point half time deficit against the Charlotte Bobcats.
Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy said while the presence of Sloan helps, it’s ultimately the players who need to get it done.
“It’s a 48-minute game, and over 48 minutes I don’t think it’s surprising that a team with Deron Williams, Paul Millsap, Al Jefferson, and Andrei Kirilenko can win games. I don’t think
that’s surprising,” he said.
Brooks is well aware of Utah's recent comeback victories.
“Jerry Sloan, he’s tough and they don’t give up. They don’t quit,” he said. “That’s crazy what they did.”
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