SALT LAKE CITY – Donovan Mitchell had a good idea of what Quin Snyder’s game plan was for Team LeBron in the All-Star Game.
“I think he took what we did during the season until he shot three and just told them to shoot farther and harder,” said Mitchell.
Well, when you have Steph Curry and Damian Lillard on your team, you better take advantage of that. Snyder led his team to a 170-150 victory over Mitchell and Team Durant on Sunday in Atlanta. And yes, it was one of those more distant and more difficult 3s that ended the game with Lillard pulling up from within the midfield line and punching a triple to take Team LeBron to the 170 goal.
But Snyder will not take any credit for anything that happened on Sunday.
“(I coached) as much as they wanted, which meant some moves in some situations,” said Snyder. “Help in any way you can, but I think they have everything under control.”
He was just part of the tour. He said it was exciting to just be in the game; to look at the court and not only see All-Stars, but also the ex-Hall of Fame. It only increased the excitement that three of his players were there as well.
Jazz was well represented in Atlanta. Mitchell, who played for Team Durant, had 15 points, four rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes; Rudy Gobert had 10 points and seven rebounds in 13 minutes for Team LeBron; and Mike Conley, who made his long-awaited All-Star debut, made 3 points and two assists in 12 minutes for Team Durant.
Jazz musicians did not play an important role in the final result, but they had many fun moments, including a debut that Conley would never have foreseen.
In Conley’s first play in an All-Star Game, he did something he hadn’t done in years: he faced Chris Paul for the opening tip to start the second quarter. Unfortunately for Conley, he lost the jump contest, but that was really the only downside about the turbulent day.
“I wasn’t prepared for the tip,” said Conley with a laugh. “I was told I was going outside and getting ready to protect someone and I’m looking back (and the bank said), ‘Mike is going to jump.’ I wish I had won the tip, but other than that it was a great experience – a lot of fun. “
📹 | 𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐀𝐏𝐄!#NBAAllStar x #Take notepic.twitter.com/LBvkn2M5FF
– utahjazz (@utahjazz) March 8, 2021
In the first half, Mitchell leaked inside to a tray next to Gobert. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year could have hit him, but he thought he would let his usual teammate have one for free.
“He should block my tray – I thought he would, I didn’t have legs to try to bury it,” said Mitchell.
Said Gobert: “I let him do the first tray. After that, I told him I wasn’t going to let him do more. He was a little scared in the second half. I thought he was going to try something, but he didn’t have a decision. intelligent. “
Mitchell did not return the favor of letting his teammate have a free pass. When Gobert hit the ball right next to the ring, Bear Mitchell hugged him to avoid what would certainly have been a dunk.
“Everything was fun speaking badly – I had to get him dirty, I had to make sure he didn’t get there,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell hit a 3 on Gobert’s long arms in the second half – not as exciting as a rim challenge, but easier (and safer) as well.
There was a little bit of drama involving Conley. He was the last All-Star to enter the board on Sunday, waiting until the end of the third quarter to score his first points. Mitchell said he and the team were trying to find ways to give him a bucket, so there was some relief when Conley dropped a 3-point basket in the final minutes of the third quarter.
And that shot was all Conley needed.
“As soon as I picked up the bucket, I thought, ‘I’m fine, man, you can take me out. Let these young people run and do a show,'” said Conley.
Altogether, it was a successful game and a weekend for Jazz, which was the most represented team in the game. Utah was one of only two teams to have three All-Stars (Brooklyn Nets being the other), and it was the only team to have all three players in play. And they brought their coach with them. All of this made it a special day for the organization.
“It was fun to be out there with those guys,” said Snyder.