Utah Jazz Going Green: Will They Ever Lose Again In Their Retro Uniforms?

In what has been a volatile season, the Utah Jazz may have found the key to consistency: their green retro uniforms.

In games where the Jazz have gone green this season, they are 5-1—including last night's 105-98 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

The Jazz have won every kind of game imaginable in the green duds: home (Pacers, Lakers, Cavs), road (Mavs, Spurs), blowouts (111-93 over Mavs), and nail-biters (97-96 over Cavs).

Can a simple wardrobe adjustment really spell success? Remember what Frank Abagnale Sr. tells his son in Catch Me If You Can:

Frank Abagnale, Sr: You know why the Yankees always win, Frank?
Frank Abagnale, Jr: 'Cause they have Mickey Mantle?
Frank Abagnale, Sr: No, it's 'cause the other teams can't stop staring at those damn pinstripes.

Could it really be that opponents have been taken aback by the old-school green and gold? Or is there a "Mickey Mantle" that has stepped up for the Jazz against stiff competition?

The numbers suggest Carlos Boozer is that Mickey Mantle. In the Jazz's five wins while wearing green, Boozer has averaged 22.4 points and 10.8 rebounds.

Both those numbers are above Boozer's current season averages of 19.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. For him, it just might be easy being green.

The Jazz are scheduled to wear green five more times this season, all of which are winnable games: Jan. 29 vs. Sacramento, Feb. 17 at New Orleans, Feb. 27 vs. Houston, March 17 vs. Minnesota, and March 24 at Toronto.

If the current success continues, Jazz fans should clamor to make the old green and gold a regular member of the uniform rotation.