The NBA Finals have finally been set! With the San Antonio Spurs about to take on the New York Knicks starting this Wednesday, two Utah Jazz alumni will technically be featured in the matchup: Jordan Clarkson and Kelly Olynyk.
It will be cool to see those two vie for a title, especially knowing that one of them will emerge victorious from it all. The only downside is that a rare occassion such as this exposes the one tragedy from when the team blew it up four years ago: we never got Donovan Mitchell vs. Rudy Gobert.
Both Mitchell and Gobert have only continued their individual and team success since the Jazz traded them, but like their days in Utah, they haven't really gotten over that hump. Both have made the conference finals, but it's become clear that neither are really on that elite tier that the teams who have eliminated them are at.
It's a shame because we would have loved to see two of the 10 best players the Jazz have ever had compete in the final round against one another, especially knowing the rocky history between the two. Such a finals matchup would have excited and divided the Jazz fanbase on who to root for.
But four years later, it really feels like a fantasy. A fun one at that, but one that is too good to be true.
And it will likely never happen...
Both the Timberwolves and Cavaliers are among the NBA's most stuck teams. Minnesota's at the point now where they may start to ponder if it's worth keeping Gobert at this point or use him to get some upgrades. They are also coming off three consecutive beatdowns by the eventual Western Conference champions.
The Cavaliers pretty much lucked out that the playoff bracket played out in their favor, and like thew Timberwolves, it has become clear that they are good, but not good enough. In fact, their problems are worse because they are depending on Mitchell to be their guy, wereas the Timberwolves are depending on Gobert to be a guy.
As the teams are currently constructed, it's hard to see how these two will see each other in an NBA Finals matchup. If one or both gets traded, there remains the possibility they might see each other in a playoff matchup at some point (or even crazier, they could reunite as teammates), but a finals matchup seems unlikely.
That isn't to say any of this takes away from the exciting prospect of seeing a Jazz alum win a title in the next few weeks, but it would have been so cool to see Gobert vs. Mitchell.
