Utah Jazz win sparked by Shabazz Muhammad celebration

Motivated by an opposing players celebration, the Utah Jazz rallied to victory.

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Nobody likes when an opposing player rubs it in and taunts after a big play. Whether it be celebrating on a team’s logo, slowly trotting along the base path after a long home run, or staring down a team’s bench after a big three pointer, players are always ready to celebrate to stick it to the other team.

Shabazz Muhammad was next up in the unnecessary celebrations department. Although not necessarily the most egregious of celebrations, especially considering some of the stuff seen in today’s NBA, it was enough to fuel a furious rally and a comeback victory that Shabazz will probably want to forget.

Muhammad hit a big three late in the game to put the Minnesota Timberwolves on top of the Utah Jazz, he did the famous three goggles taunt to the entire Utah Jazz bench. Muhammad who plays for a team that is 20 games under .500 decided to celebrate big anyways, and the end result was something that would happen to a team that is 20 games under .500.

The shot gave Minnesota only an 87 – 80 lead, and the game was by no means close to being over thus confusing many when Shabazz decided to let the Jazz bench hear it. That’s life in the NBA as players will almost celebrate anything and these celebrations have created new social media heroes such as Nick Young and Gerald Green, two of the most notable players when it comes to exaggerated celebrations after three pointers.

Well apparently Muhammad’s celebration was exactly what the Jazz needed late in the fourth quarter to get fired up and they would go on a 20 – 7 run to end the game and earn the victory over Minnesota. Utah star forward Derrick Favors was fired up after Muhammad taunted the Jazz.

“Yeah, we take that stuff personally,” Favors said to the Salt Lake Tribune, “When he did that, I guess guys started taking it personally and it made us come out there and play harder.”

It goes to show that it’s probably not best to poke anyone when they’re down, even a struggling Jazz team who has just 11 wins to 21 losses on the season, let alone a game your team is only winning by single digits. Neither Utah or Minnesota are exactly top-tier teams, but both squads feature loads of young talent. Perhaps a rivalry is brewing between the two young Northwest Division rivals.

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