This video of the Jazz bench will make your week
By Ian Levy
Watch the faces of the Jazz bench melt in slow motion, as Donovan Mitchell completes an epic tip-dunk.
The Jazz stole Game 2 from the Rockets, losing a 16-point lead but holding strong in the fourth quarter to finish off Houston at home. It’s an enormous win for Utah, stealing homecourt advantage and building confidence as the series heads back to Salt Lake City.
Among the many highlights from Game 2, was the reigning Slam Dunk Champion, Donovan Mitchell, following his own missed floater with a vicious dunk on the heads of Clint Capela and Trevor Ariza. Steel your nerves, because it’s a doozy:
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/991865233668038656
If that dunk along wasn’t enough to make you day, behold this slow motion shot of Mitchell’s teammates reacting on the bench.
There are so many beautiful moments in this video. Thabo Sefolosha, caught in the middle of popping a bubble with his gum. Ekpe Udoh and Jonas Jerebko so overcome with joy that they can’t maintain their balance. The injured Ricky Rubio sliding out the side of the frame, presumably looking for someone to high five or a glass of tempranillo to take the edge off. Derrick Favors trying to move through the seven stages but finding himself stuck on utter shock.
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Mitchell’s dunk was a pantheon effort that belongs in every playoff highlight reel for years to come. Ditto for this bench reaction shot. It’s the LeBron James of reaction shots, a beautiful piece of film-making and the perfect use for the NBA’s phantom camera technology. The Jazz still have a long road in front of them, and the Rockets aren’t likely to just roll over. But if the playoffs end in this round for Utah, they’ll have this highlight to keep themselves cool during the long hot summer.