Gordon Hayward Says Jazz Were 'In Shock' During Kobe Bryant's Final Game
Kobe Bryant hadn't topped 40 points in a game during the 2015-16 season prior to his 60-point farewell explosion against the Utah Jazz on April 13, and Gordon Hayward admitted the gravity of the moment stunned his team.
In a blog post on his personal website (h/t Pro Basketball Talk's Kurt Helin), the Jazz swingman broke down the events that transpired down the stretch of Kobe's unforgettable final NBA game as the Lakers came from behind to capture a 101-96 win at Staples Center:
"We were trying to win, and for a while there we were. But at the end of the game, in the closing minutes, everything that transpired kind of shocked us, to be honest. We were up double digits for most of the second half, and we led by 10 with about three minutes to go. So when Kobe started hitting shots and the game started to get close, a lot of us were in shock.
It was like being a part of a showcase, or being in a video game. There wasn’t really much normality about it. A guy scored 60 points and took 50 shots. There was something different as far as his aggressiveness. I think every time he touched it, you knew he was going to try to shoot it, or try to score, or try to get something going. He’s always an aggressive player, but that night, he was ultra-aggressive and tried to score on every single possession.
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Hayward also admitted that "the [Houston] Rockets were already up by 30 when we were on the bus going to the game. So we knew we probably weren’t going to the playoffs, and that the game in L.A. was just going to be an experience for all of us."
But with Kobe's historic night in the rearview mirror, Utah can only look back at the 2015-16 season and use it as a motivational tool in the years to come.
The Jazz jockeyed with the Rockets for playoff position down the homestretch of the campaign, but their fate was ultimately in Houston's hands entering the final day of the regular season.
Quin Snyder's young bunch proceeded to drop four of the season's final five games with a postseason berth in sight, as slip-ups against the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and Dallas Mavericks put the trendy preseason pick in a hole that was too difficult to climb out of.
"During the last couple games of the season, we were going up against veteran teams with years of experience on us, and it showed," Hayward wrote. "However, it also showed us how we have to play and compete down the stretch, when we’re fighting for a playoff spot, and teams are amping up the intensity."
With a young core consisting of Hayward, Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors, Rodney Hood, Alec Burks, Trey Lyles and Dante Exum, Utah should continue to develop at a nice pace after reaching the 40-win plateau for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign.
And if the Jazz's stock continues to trend in a positive direction, they should be in position to snap the franchise's four-year postseason drought next season.
