The Chris Rawle Show

With very rare exceptions, situation is everything for a player. Public perception shifts depending upon what a player is asked to do, and how his teammates perform around him. Deandre Ayton's game-winning alley oop (and overall performance) is the perfect catalyst for a discussion around situation and role.

The Utah Jazz season is over after blowing a 25-point second half lead in Game 6 versus the LA Clippers. After a successful regular season, the Jazz were small-balled to death by LA as their defense cracked at the foundation. Another Donovan Mitchell playoff scoring explosion couldn't cover up their defense flaws or an injured Mike Conley. The offseason looms and with it, uncomfortable questions must be asked and answered.

Nothing brings out emotion like the playoffs and nothing in the playoffs brings it out like Game 7. This weekend featured two Game 7s (Bucks vs Nets, Hawks vs Sixers) that gave fans everything: the razor thin margin between winning and losing; another great, lost performance of the playoffs; winning players playing poorly and losing players playing well; and the inevitability that a flawed team will win a championship.

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 119-111 in Game 5 to take a 3-2 series lead. The highs of Game 1 were met by the lows of Game 5. No Kawhi. Jazz going 3/24 from 3 in the second half. Paul George dominating. Reggie Jackson closing. It's time for the Jazz to dig deep with a possible season-ending game looming on Friday night.

There are two themes consistently threaded throughout the sports watching experience: awe for world-class athletic performance and sympathy for the losing side. Game 5 of Bucks-Nets tapped into both sources. Kevin Durant played the greatest game of his playoff career and pushed Milwaukee to the brink of elimination, forcing the Bucks to confront yet another possible playoff failure.

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 118-104 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was an ass kicking in every sense of the word. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both went off. The Jazz offense struggled mightily against LA's ability to switch and swarm on defense. Have the Clippers tapped into something unstoppable with their small ball lineup, or are there adjustments Utah can make going into Game 5?

The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Utah Jazz 132-106 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It was a white-hot shooting night for nearly every Clipper. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard did whatever they wanted. Donovan Mitchell was constantly double-teamed and ended his night with a tweaked ankle. What can the Jazz change going into Game 4?

The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 117-111 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals. In another close affair, the Jazz relied heavily on six players (Mitchell, Gobert, Bogdanovic, Clarkson, Ingles, O'Neale) to seize control of the game. It was an emphatic answer to the constant playoff question: how do you respond to adversity?

The Colorado Avalanche's season is on the brink, down 3-2 with Game 6 against Vegas tonight. It's time for reflection because it's easier to reflect before the end occurs, if it occurs. What does it mean when something comes to an end?

The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Clippers 112-109 in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals. On a court with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Donovan Mitchell was the best player during an emotional night inside Vivint Smart Home Arena, filled to max capacity for the first time since the pandemic lockdown.