Rudy Gobert on Jazz Clinching Playoffs vs. Grizzlies: A Week Ago We Lose That Game

The Utah Jazz are going to the postseason for the sixth consecutive year. 

Utah clinched a playoff berth Tuesday with a 121-115 overtime win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

"A week ago we probably don't win that game. There was a trust and intensity down the stretch," center Rudy Gobert told reporters. "… We competed, we played the right way, the ball moved. And it's a different game when we play the right way."

The Jazz's streak of six straight playoff appearances is the second-longest run in franchise history. They had a run of 20 consecutive postseason appearances from 1984 to 2003. 

Head coach Quin Snyder has had the Jazz among the best teams in the Western Conference all season, though they have cooled off since a hot start. They were only 1.5 games behind the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the West after a 120-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Dec. 31. 

Since then, though, the Jazz have gone 21-23. They are still a top-five seed in the conference, but they have fallen 16 games behind the No. 1-seeded Phoenix Suns.

Now that the Jazz are officially in the playoffs, the focus will shift to how far they could advance. They haven't progressed beyond the second round in each of the previous five years under Snyder.

Last season was arguably the most devastating playoff loss during this stretch. The Jazz lost in six games to the Los Angeles Clippers, who didn't have Kawhi Leonard for the final two games because of a partially torn ACL.

Terance Mann, who averaged 7.0 points per game during the 2020-21 regular season, put up 39 points in the closeout game for Los Angeles.

There have been rumblings of tension within the Jazz, specifically related to the dynamic between Donovan Mitchell and Gobert.

On the Feb. 11 episode of of The Crossover NBA Show with Chris Mannix and Howard Beck (h/t HoopsHype), Beck said "some tensions" that exist within the Jazz locker room "might be a little worse than we've been led to believe."

In a podcast interview with Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, Mitchell denied any rift with Gobert:

"First of all, we're good. I just want to go on record with saying that. I think it's interesting that stuff happens, and he and I have never played at this high of a level together since we've been here. So I make the joke, 'For a group that hates each other, man, we're playing pretty well.'

"And we can be even better. We're good. We're focused on winning. We have a common goal. I think that's the biggest thing. You don't always have to be the best of friends with people you work with. But at the end of the day, if you work towards a common goal that's beneficial to the team, that's what's first. We want to win, and I don't think either of us are worried about what's being said around us."

Mitchell and Gobert have been Utah's best players this season. The former is averaging a team-high 26 points and 5.3 assists per game. The latter, who is having another Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season, is averaging a career-high 14.8 rebounds, along with 15.4 points per game.

The Jazz have been one of the most efficient teams in the league all season. They rank fourth in net rating (plus-5.6), first in offensive rating (116.5) and 11th in defensive rating (110.8), per Basketball Reference. 

All of those statistical markers look great, but the focus for Utah is going to be on what happens now given their lack of recent playoff success.

The Jazz took care of the first major hurdle by making the postseason. Now, the real test for Snyder, the coaching staff and players begins as they try to make a deep playoff run.