Below regular circumstances, the Utah Jazz (4-16 general) dropping a sport wouldn’t be headline information. But it surely was the approach they misplaced in opposition to the Lakers on Saturday night time to safe that sixteenth defeat that was significantly notable.
Trailing 105-104 with simply seconds remaining after LeBron James clanked his ninth missed three-pointer of the night time, Jazz head coach Will Hardy sprinted to midcourt to name a timeout and arrange a play for a possible game-winner.
The one drawback? His timeout truly prevented what would have been a go-ahead basket (and doable game-winner) from Collin Sexton that might have left the Lakers with simply 2 seconds left to attain their very own basket. At the same time as somebody who intently coated the tanking Lakers of the mid-2010s, I’m unsure I’ve ever seen this earlier than:
Can’t recover from this timeout by Utah Jazz coach Will Hardy that took away the sport winner from Collin Sexton…
Completely brutal lmao pic.twitter.com/n3TK9vOUHM
— Josh Reynolds (@JoshReynolds24) December 2, 2024
The Lakers secured the win by stopping Utah from even getting a shot off after no matter play Hardy drew up within the timeout… which totally cements this as one of many worst timeouts of the NBA season. Or greatest, if you happen to’re a Jazz fan like our group at SLC Dunk that’s rooting for losses because the group appears to be like to safe pole place in the Cooper Flagg derby. The one one which will surpass it on the finish of the yr is Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra calling a timeout he didn’t have a couple of weeks in the past, however even that one didn’t wipe away a possible game-winner.
That is additionally a humorous about-face for Hardy, who simply flamed his complete group two weeks in the past for an absence of situational consciousness after Lakers rookie Dalton Knecht lit them up for a career-high 37. Now, it’s Hardy’s personal absence of really feel that value them one other tight sport, and provided that coaches nearly by no means purchase into any intentional tank job, it’s protected to say this a) was in all probability an accident and b) goes to go away Hardy not getting a complete lot of sleep tonight.
To Hardy’s credit score, he took accountability and was apologetic when talking with reporters after the sport:
Will Hardy: “Collin began to retreat, dribble backwards, and I began calling outing. It is clearly loud. The hope can be to have a couple of extra seconds than 2.1 however, yeah, it is powerful.”
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) December 2, 2024
Hardy, cont.: “I informed (Collin) within the locker room, I robbed him of a second on the finish of the sport. However you go into these conditions, we observe these conditions, you may have cues and issues that you simply’re searching for. It did not go our approach.”
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) December 2, 2024
Nonetheless, if it finally ends up securing the Jazz a prime draft decide within the loaded 2025 class, it’s truthful to say followers might find yourself forgiving him, in addition to go down as a legendary area of interest second in franchise lore.
