JimLes
Well-Known Member
Just thought I'd start this thread to recognize and honour the top plays by our boys in the years 2010-2019. It's been a long 10 years, with a lot of lean years(by Jazz standards), but that doesn't mean there was no stuff to cheer about. Here are my top 5, in chronological order.
Sundiata Gaines - Jan 15th 2010
I don't think I need to remind you of the story of Sundiata Gaines. The G-Leaguer on a 10-day contract who had gone 0-4 from the three in his NBA career and who was only out there because Williams rolled his ankle earlier in this game. I also shouldn't have to point out that with Okur, Korver, and Miles being out on the floor, there was no way the ball was ever meant to be in his hands. Thankfully, we also had Ronnie Price out there who gets the ball with 4 seconds left and decides to make a half-hearted dribble attempt, but then gets scared and just dumps the ball off to the next person available. The rest, of course, is history. Bonus points for beating LeBron, because who doesn't hate LeBron?
Paul Millsap - Nov 9th 2010
Since I am talking about plays, this is theoretically about the putback and the sheer intensity of that moment, but the entire 30 second sequence was insane. You have to remind yourself that Paul Millsap had only hit two threes in his first 4 seasons, and he would only hit 6 more that season after this game in Miami. The 3 threes in a game remained as his career high until he left Utah. Bonus points for this being the first season of the first modern superteam, so it felt extra good to beat them.
Jeremy Evans - Oct 19th 2012
This is actually preseason, but I figure disqualifying it based on that would just be unecessarily pedantic. It remains one of the greatest sequences I have seen in a basketball game of any kind. The ball seems to be ten and a half feet in the air by the time Jeremy gets to it, but he swats it just right and it lands perfectly in his path as the momentum carries him forward. Then he gathers just outside of the three point line, and delivers a dunk that alone might have made this list. Props to Turiaf for hustling and playing D in a preseason game, because without him challenging, this would've been just a practice dunk, esentially. This way, it's one of the greatest posters of the past 10 years. Bonus points for the reaction of the Clippers scrubs sitting in the corner, who seem both in awe and terror of Evans, like he's going to come at them and slap them all with his manhood after the dunk.
Trevor Booker - Jan 9th 2015
I don't think I've seen a shot like this ever in the NBA, before or after. It's rare enough to score with 0.2 on the clock, but that's always a heave towards the basket and a tip in from two or three feet out. The craziest thing is that this almost looks premeditated. He's under the basket with a smaller defender on him and then he calmly walks away to volleyball this in from outside the paint. The sheer audacity of it is stunning. Bonus points for being embarrassing Westbrook in the process, who's the most overrated player of 2010-2019.
Joe Johnson - Apr 15th 2017
Our first playoff win in seven years, and the shot that would go to brake up that iteration of the Clippers. I am trying to remember if it was also our first buzzer beater in the playoffs since Stockton ended Hakeem, Barkley and Drexler's relevance, but I'm not sure about that. Joe was so good in that series against the Clippers, but the game winner stands above all other plays. Bonus points for being only a year younger than the man defending him, but looking about 10 years younger on that play.
Sundiata Gaines - Jan 15th 2010
I don't think I need to remind you of the story of Sundiata Gaines. The G-Leaguer on a 10-day contract who had gone 0-4 from the three in his NBA career and who was only out there because Williams rolled his ankle earlier in this game. I also shouldn't have to point out that with Okur, Korver, and Miles being out on the floor, there was no way the ball was ever meant to be in his hands. Thankfully, we also had Ronnie Price out there who gets the ball with 4 seconds left and decides to make a half-hearted dribble attempt, but then gets scared and just dumps the ball off to the next person available. The rest, of course, is history. Bonus points for beating LeBron, because who doesn't hate LeBron?
Paul Millsap - Nov 9th 2010
Since I am talking about plays, this is theoretically about the putback and the sheer intensity of that moment, but the entire 30 second sequence was insane. You have to remind yourself that Paul Millsap had only hit two threes in his first 4 seasons, and he would only hit 6 more that season after this game in Miami. The 3 threes in a game remained as his career high until he left Utah. Bonus points for this being the first season of the first modern superteam, so it felt extra good to beat them.
Jeremy Evans - Oct 19th 2012
This is actually preseason, but I figure disqualifying it based on that would just be unecessarily pedantic. It remains one of the greatest sequences I have seen in a basketball game of any kind. The ball seems to be ten and a half feet in the air by the time Jeremy gets to it, but he swats it just right and it lands perfectly in his path as the momentum carries him forward. Then he gathers just outside of the three point line, and delivers a dunk that alone might have made this list. Props to Turiaf for hustling and playing D in a preseason game, because without him challenging, this would've been just a practice dunk, esentially. This way, it's one of the greatest posters of the past 10 years. Bonus points for the reaction of the Clippers scrubs sitting in the corner, who seem both in awe and terror of Evans, like he's going to come at them and slap them all with his manhood after the dunk.
Trevor Booker - Jan 9th 2015
I don't think I've seen a shot like this ever in the NBA, before or after. It's rare enough to score with 0.2 on the clock, but that's always a heave towards the basket and a tip in from two or three feet out. The craziest thing is that this almost looks premeditated. He's under the basket with a smaller defender on him and then he calmly walks away to volleyball this in from outside the paint. The sheer audacity of it is stunning. Bonus points for being embarrassing Westbrook in the process, who's the most overrated player of 2010-2019.
Joe Johnson - Apr 15th 2017
Our first playoff win in seven years, and the shot that would go to brake up that iteration of the Clippers. I am trying to remember if it was also our first buzzer beater in the playoffs since Stockton ended Hakeem, Barkley and Drexler's relevance, but I'm not sure about that. Joe was so good in that series against the Clippers, but the game winner stands above all other plays. Bonus points for being only a year younger than the man defending him, but looking about 10 years younger on that play.
