Jazz Play On While Gobert Checks On Eye Contact
Nov 27, 2019, 8:02 PM
Rudy Gobert #27 of the Utah Jazz looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on November 01, 2019 in Sacramento, California.(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Jazz played without Rudy Gobert while “The Stifle Tower” was attempting to put his contact back into his eye in the second quarter.
No Rudy Gobert, no problem – at least for one possession.
Wait! What?
No contact, no problem.#TakeNote #KSLSports pic.twitter.com/mMFXTSl36z
— Sam Farnsworth (@SFarnsworthKSL) November 28, 2019
Gobert lost the contact while fighting for an offensive rebound on a missed shot by Mike Conley. He continued to play even though Conley got the offensive rebound and passed it back to Donovan Mitchell for a missed 3-pointer.
When the Pacers turned the ball over on the ensuing possession, Gobert went to the sideline to make sure the contact was not scratched and then reinsert it into his eye. But while he was attempting to get his vision right, the Jazz played on without subbing him out for another player.
That sounds like a bad idea. Right?
4🆚5 and we get the bucket 🤷♂️
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 28, 2019
Not for the Jazz. The Pacers tried double-teaming Mike Conley, who beat it, drove to the basket and then passed it out to Joe Ingles beyond the 3-point line. Ingles then used his old man skills – a behind-the-back dribble and an awkward-looking lefty short shot – to score a bucket.
The 4-on-5 offensive set seemed fitting in the Hoosier state.
In the 1986 movie “Hoosiers” Hickory coach Norman Dale finished a game with only 4 players on the court due to philosophical differences with one of his players. Coach Dale’s move didn’t go over well with fans of Hickory Huskers. But, hey, it can work – for a short time.
