For the first time in 21 years, the Utah Jazz will play on Christmas and head coach Quin Snyder, Rudy Gobert and the whole team is not taking it for granted.
The Jazz will host Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers on Christmas day. Head coach Quin Snyder admitted that it's a special day for the team, especially considering that it's the biggest day in the league.
“Christmas is a special day and the NBA Christmas Day games are for all of us, whether you’re playing or not. It’s part of the holiday,” coach Quin Snyder told Ryan Miller of KSL.com.
Jazz center Rudy Gobert is also excited to be featured in the Christmas day games, admitting that it's an opportunity for them to show what they can do following their surprising run in the playoffs last year.
“The best teams in the world are playing,” Gobert said. “It’s great for us. It’s a good opportunity for the world to see what we can do.”
On the other hand, forward Thabo Sefolosha shared the same sentiment as Gobert. The 34-year-old veteran even pointed out that being in the lineup of games is a testament to the Jazz's massive improvement.
“It’s an honor to play on Christmas, everybody is watching,” Sefolosha added. “It’s a big basketball day — amongst many other things. It’s great. I think it shows the improvement of the team, the commitment of the organization to make a good culture, a good team and it’s working.”
Kyle Korver, meanwhile, said that he is looking forward to the games too. However, he warned his team not to go with the hype and instead stay true to their identity as a team.
“There is a lot of excitement,” Korver said. “You don’t have to hype yourself up for it. There is going to be a ton of hype and excitement and energy. I’m excited for, first, Christmas with my kids in the morning. That’s the best.
“There are challenges to it. You try not to get caught up in the hoopla of a Christmas Day game. You try to stay true to who you are. Christmas Day games are unique there is just a lot of stuff going on.”
Utah is 16-18 on the season, 11th place in the Western Conference. They are coming off a 107-106 home loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Jazz will try and made it a great Christmas for their fans by beating the Trail Blazers.
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