That game's on me
— Gordon Hayward (@gordonhayward) April 11, 2015
Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished three assists in his upstart team’s 89-88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. The 25 year-old was arguably the best player on a floor featuring the likes of Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph, leading the Utah Jazz to a wildly competitive game against a Western Conference elite.
But highlights won’t remember Hayward’s stellar all-around performance, and instead focus on his failure to send the Jazz to overtime as the game clock read .1 seconds remaining.
Trailing 89-86 with 1.2 seconds left, Utah inbounded the ball to a suddenly open Hayward in the near corner for a game-tying three-point attempt. Marc Gasol, typically, made up more ground than most anticipated he would and recovered to the Butler product in time to swat his shout out of bounds. The former Defensive Player of the Year raked Hayward’s follow-through after initially blocking the ball, though, and officials whistled him for a foul that sent Utah’s best player to the stripe with the game in the balance.
Swish. Swish. Clank.
We can debate accuracy of the foul call, and it bears mentioning that Hayward struggled in the second half overall after a brilliant first 24 minutes. But basketball games aren’t decided on a single possession no matter what the clock, score, or narrative says; every play during the first three and-a-half quarters matters as much as those performed in the clutch.
Hayward didn’t lose this game for the Jazz, basically, though it’s encouraging nonetheless that he’s willing to take the blame. Utah has the league’s fifth-best record at 17-9 since trading Enes Kanter, firmly establishing itself as a playoff contender for 2015-2016 and many years beyond. And while it’s the collection of talent GM Dennis Lindsey has assembled that makes the Jazz’s future brightest, that the team is led by a player with the mindset of Hayward looms large, too.
He’s a leader, a reality made abundantly clear by his social media penance in wake of an untimely missed free throw.
This was a bigger win for Memphis than loss for Utah, of course. Due to the Houston Rockets’ dramatic loss to the San Antonio Spurs, Gasol and company hold a half game lead over Gregg Popovich’s squad for second-place in the Western Conference with three games left to play.
[Video via NBA Game Recap]
