Rudy Gobert threw down the hammer to win the game for the Jazz. (0:17)
The Utah Jazz have one of the NBA's most heavily scrutinized partnerships, and with their season likely on the line, the Utah Jazz's franchise cornerstones connected.
The Jazz were able to even the series on Saturday with a go-ahead alley-oops from Mitchell and Gobert. It was the sweetest moment yet in the All-Stars.
Gobert said that it was poetic justice that it was a play they had made many times. It was the game-winning play tonight.
The dynamic between Gobert and Mitchell has been the focus of much of the discussion about the Jazz over the last few years. Mitchell blamed Gobert for infecting him after they were the first two NBA players to test positive for COVID-19. The Jazz started training in preparation for the bubble, and they didn't talk for months.
Mitchell and the big man had been at odds before that point because of Mitchell's passing to Gobert. While the Jazz were struggling late in the season, Mitchell's passes to Gobert became a focal point in media coverage of the team.
The leaping chestbump Gobert and Mitchell had at half court after the go-ahead dunk was about more than celebrating that play, which was Mitchell's first game-tying or go-ahead assist to Gobert in the final minute of any of their 345 games played together.
It was a good time.
The Jazz coach said it felt good. I will not lie to you.
Mitchell said it felt good because it was just like, man, you hear it. It was good to see that and to be able to do it on a stage like that, but the same plays we made throughout the game were the ones that were good to see.
We trust each other, we feel each other, and we are out there making good plays. It felt good. It is good to trust, that is all it is.
During his postgame interview, Gobert said, "Man, f--- the talk."
Gobert was talking about the discussion of his dynamic with Mitchell. There have been persistent rumors about Mitchell potentially asking for a trade this summer, and the Jazz potentially shopping Gobert in the trade market, as well as the fact that Snyder is a candidate for other head coaching jobs.
Gobert said there was a lot of noise and people were talking about the future. We have a team and we are 2-2 in the series.
Mitchell had his lowest scoring outing of the series, finishing with 23 points on 7-of-21 shooting, but he did not have a point in the second half. The Jazz came back from a four-point deficit in the final 38.6 seconds.
Utah was within a point with 31.2 seconds remaining after Mitchell put back an and-1. Mitchell and Gobert ran a pick-and-roll after Powell missed a pair of free throws. Mitchell made the right read when Powell switched onto him, and delivered the ball to Gobert, who was able to roll down the paint.
His seventh assist was to Gobert.
Mitchell had a 19-to-12 assist-to-turnover ratio in clutch situations this season. I have to make the right play because the ball is in my hands.
The pass to Gobert was the right play for Game 4. The Jazz wrote a great script.
Talk is having a conversation. The Jazz minority owner, D- Wade, said that the guys have respect for each other and that he loves how they trust each other down the stretch.
Rudy making those big plays coming from Don was obviously big, but a lot of the discussion about their relationship was outside noise. It was good to see them execute like that and for the two star players on our team to trust each other in that space.
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