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As the Utah Jazz went on another terrific regular season run, they even caught a huge break before the playoffs as Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic injured his calf on Game 82. Thus, Doncic was not expected to suit up for the first few games of their series, but the Mavericks still have the upper hand so far in the series, 2-1.
Losing is inevitable in the NBA, but the way Utah has lost over the past two games has been very disappointing and embarrassing. Leaving Rudy Gobert on an island, lackadaisical perimeter defense, and subpar offensive production from the core has been some of the notable issues surrounding the Jazz in this series. Even with all the criticism and negativity in the first three games, the Jazz can still be optimistic as they are only down one game with Game 4 on Saturday afternoon in their home court.
Jazz-Mavs Game 4 Predictions
Eric Paschall gets more minutes at the 5
Kenny Smith said on Inside the NBA last night, “Not all big men in the NBA are expected to shoot threes, but they must at least guard it to stay on the floor.” That has not been the case at all for Gobert at all because Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans are forcing Gobert to stay on the corners, which leads to a plethora of corner shots from the behind the arc for the whole 48 minutes.
This is not the series for Gobert to be utilized, thus Eric Paschall must be inserted as a small-ball five who definitely has the quickness and athleticism to lessen the impact of Kleber and Bertans. Furthermore, Gobert does not even pounce on smaller individuals guarding him offensively compared to Paschall who can go on fantastic scoring spurts through his phenomenal offensive arsenal.
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Mike Conley gets out of his shell
As one of the starters and veterans of this squad, Mike Conley has been glaringly missing with his impact and production in this series. With Conley usually contributing despite the low scoring output, he will step up on the plate in Game 4 as must not risk going down 1-3 to a Doncic-less Mavericks team. The disarray in the Jazz offensive sets must be mitigated by Conley, especially with his track record in his previous tenure in the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Jazz wrapped up the regular season with the best offensive rating in the association, but that is far from the case in the playoffs as they have plummeted to sixth. Donovan Mitchell could also handle the ball ton in this critical Game 4, but Conley is the stabilizer and facilitator Utah is in dire need of. Moreover, Conley must convert timely long range bombs that could swing the momentum and tie the series at two, heading to Texas.
Donovan Mitchell emerges as an admirable leader
The leadership characteristics of Mitchell has been lacking blatantly over this past week, but he would not let it spiral deeper into the series. As Jalen Brunson has continually been cooking the Jazz defense, Mitchell must be thrusted into the role of containing Brunson or even Spencer Dinwiddie. Leaders must be more than ready to play defense at the playoff level and not just limit their impact offensively.
On the other end of the court, getting the rock and putting your stamp down in the last five minutes of a NBA playoff game must be enhanced by Mitchell. When the going gets tough, Mitchell has been missing as Utah has had trouble catapulting the whole team and maneuvering through the defensive sets of Jason Kidd and the Mavericks. That cannot be the case anymore in Game 4, and Mitchell will emerge as a superstar as well in Game 4 and prove the doubters wrong.
Many fans are looking toward the offseason plans already for Utah by revitalizing their roster or firing their coach. Even if they do indeed keep this series close and squeak through it, this could still be the last dance of this iteration of the Jazz. However, the focus must not be on that just yet, but still try to manage and triumph over this incredible Dallas squad who will likely welcome Doncic back to the fold for Game 4.
