I'm a fan of Lang Whitaker's #MUSCLEWATCH feature, so I already knew that Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward celebrated his four-year maximum contract extension by getting extra swole:
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I'm not sure if Joel Freeland reads #MUSCLEWATCH, too, but after Thursday night's exhibition affair, the reserve Portland Trail Blazers big man definitely knows what kind of pressure those extra pounds can put on a would-be rim protector:
I'm not sure where exactly Hayward added those extra pounds of muscle, but they sure looked useful as he exploded off his right foot, met the British bruiser's body flush in the air, somehow kept climbing and powered down the two-hand stuff as Freeland descended to the deck.
There's not a whole heck of a lot more Freeland could've done here — the Blazers' D was in trouble as soon as power forward Thomas Robinson failed to stall Hayward's dribble penetration coming off a high screen by new Utah forward Trevor Booker — and his commitment to trying to help out merits praise, under Teddy's old "the credit belongs to the man in the arena" adage. On Thursday, though, that praise-worthy commitment netted him nothing but an appointment to be on the receiving end of a hammering.
Hayward finished with 14 points on 6 for 12 shooting, five rebounds, four assists, a block, a steal and five turnovers in 34 minutes of playing time as the Jazz topped the Blazers, 109-105, in Portland. All five Jazz starters scored in double figures, led by point guard Trey Burke's 22 points on 9 for 16 shooting, to go with seven assists.
New Jazz head coach Quin Snyder kept his starters in longer than Blazers counterpart Terry Stotts, saying he wanted to get his expected season regulars more experience against live opposition ("You can't manufacture this in practice") and more chances to boost their spirits by competing well down the stretch of a tight contest against quality competition after Utah often stumbled in close games last year.
"We got into a lot of these situations last year too, so it’s good to learn from them," Hayward said after the game, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. "I think we have to realize it’s not going to happen for us every single time. For it to happen tonight is a step in the right direction and something we can build our confidence from."
And the next time Hayward finds himself in need of self-assurance stimulation, he can just go right back to the videotape and remember what happened when he met Freeland in the air.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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