Jazz has fallen from the top again. Already marked by their elimination in the first round of the last playoffs against Denver when they led 3-1, the Jazzmen this time fell in the conference semifinals against the Clippers.
The disappointment is all the greater this year, as Quin Snyder’s troops finished in first place in the regular season and Kawhi Leonard was missing in the last two games of the series. Even on the last meeting, Utah led by 22 points, before collapsing in the second half. Donovan Mitchell knows in any case that it will take time to digest this new backlash.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do next week, but I’ll probably be pissed off watching the end of the season. It hurts more than last year, because we were still in the lead and we lost again. It’s gonna eat away at me for a while, when I’m going to watch the series between the Clippers and the Suns and even when I’m going to watch the final. Maybe we had an incredible regular season. Despite the ups and downs, we never stopped fighting. But it will eat away at me, even when I go shopping, I will think about it ”, did he declare.
Summer is going to be long …
The Utah full-back doesn’t have much to be ashamed of on a personal level, having had to contend with a sprained ankle that didn’t stop him from spinning at 32.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.5 Assists per game in his playoff campaign including two points to 39 and 45 points against the Clippers.
Donovan Mitchell did not hide behind his physical glitches, and recognized the victory of the Clippers in the battle of “adjustments” after the first two games won by the Jazz. Mike Conley’s package also (“A Hall of Famer in my eyes”) also weighed. But on arrival, it is the frustration that dominates.
“She’s for us, and for no one other than the guys who were on the pitch. We did not carry out our plan. We were in a position to win a lot of these games, we just failed ”, he added. “I’m not hiding behind the pain, it’s not me. I was just trying to find a way to play, any way I could. It was my state of mind. Mike tore himself away to come back, we all fought. We didn’t want to go home. No one was ready for this, and we still aren’t. We worked so hard to get there. And for it to end like that, for me and the whole band, it’s devastating. We try to fight despite the elements. It’s hard. They have a talented team ”.
Difficult for him to project himself at the moment, except that the rehabilitation of his ankle will be at the heart of his summer program in order to get back in shape next season.
| Donovan Mitchell | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2017-18 | UTH | 79 | 33 | 43.7 | 34.0 | 80.5 | 0.7 | 3.1 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.5 | 2.7 | 0.3 | 20.5 |
| 2018-19 | UTH | 77 | 34 | 43.2 | 36.2 | 80.6 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 23.8 |
| 2019-20 | UTH | 69 | 34 | 44.9 | 36.6 | 86.3 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 4.3 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 2.7 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2020-21 | UTH | 53 | 33 | 43.8 | 38.6 | 84.5 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 26.4 |
| Total | 278 | 34 | 43.9 | 36.2 | 82.9 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 2.8 | 0.3 | 23.4 | |
