SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell had a good idea of what Quin Snyder’s game plan was for the LeBron team in the All-Star Game.
“I think he took what we did during the season in terms of three-point shots and told them to shoot harder and harder,” Mitchell said.
Well, when you have Steph Curry and Damian Lillard on your team, it’s best to take advantage of that. Snyder led his team to a 170-150 victory over Mitchell and Team Durant on Sunday in Atlanta. And, yes, he was one of those tougher and tougher 3s who finished the game with Lillard pulling the midfield line and punching a triple to get the LeBron team to reach the 170 mark.
But Snyder isn’t about to get any credit for anything that happened Sunday.
“(I trained) as much as they wanted, which was a couple playing in a couple of situations,” Snyder said. “A little help in any way you can, but I think they almost have it covered.”
It was just part of the trip. He said it was a thrill just to be at the party; look at the courtyard and not only see All-Stars, but also the former Hall of Famers. It just added to the excitement that three of his players were there as well.
Jazz was well represented in Atlanta. Mitchell, who played for Durant, had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes; Rudy Gobert scored 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes for the LeBron team; and Mike Conley, who debuted in the highly anticipated All-Star, scored 3 points and two assists in 12 minutes for Team Durant.
The Jazz players didn’t play a huge role in the final result, but they had a lot of fun moments, including a debut that Conley would never have seen coming.
On Conley’s first play in an All-Star Game, he did something he hadn’t done in years: he faced Chris Paul for the first tip to start the second quarter. Unfortunately for Conley, he lost the jump match, but that was the only negative part of the whirlwind day.
“I wasn’t ready for the tip,” Conley said laughing. “I was told I was going out there and getting ready to protect someone and that I’m looking back (and the bench said),‘ Mike go jump. ’I wish I had won the tip, but outside of that it was an experience. fantastic, very funny “.
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– utahjazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2021
In the first half, Mitchell leaked inside to make an inn next to Gobert. The two-time defensive player of the year could have eliminated him, but he thought he would let his regular teammate have a free one.
“I was supposed to go block myself; I thought I would, I didn’t have the legs to try to sink her,” Mitchell said.
Gobert said, “I let him get the first pitch. After that, I told him I wouldn’t let him go anymore. He got scared in the second half. I thought I’d try something, but he didn’t.” t – smart decision. “
Mitchell did not return the favor to let his teammate have a free pass. When Gobert got the ball next to the hoop, Mitchell the bear hugged him to avoid what would surely have been a mess.
“Speaking of all the fun in the trash: I had to miss it, I had to make sure it didn’t get there,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell got a 3 on Gobert’s long arms in the second half, not as exciting as a challenge on the edge, but also easier (and safer).
There was a bit of drama related to Conley. He was the last All-Star to enter the board on Sunday, waiting until the end of the third quarter to get his first points. Mitchell said he and the team had been trying to find ways to get him a bucket and so there was some relief when Conley defeated a 3-pointer in the final minutes of the third quarter.
And that shot was all Conley needed.
“Once I got the bucket, he said,‘ I’m fine, man, you can take me out. Let these guys play running and do a show, ”Conley said.
All in all, it was a successful match and weekend for the Jazz, who were the most represented team in the match. Utah was one of only two teams to have three All-Stars (the other being the Brooklyn Nets), and was the only team to play all three. And they took their coach with them. All this became a special day for the organization.
“It was fun to be out of these guys,” Snyder said.