The disrespect has begun even before tip-off of the second-round playoff series between the Golden State Warriors and the Utah Jazz.
According to Chris Haynes of ESPN on Monday, the Warriors were hoping that the Los Angeles Clippers would be their Round 2 opponent instead of the Jazz because of the lack of nightlife in Utah.
“No comparison. There’s no such thing, man,” Dubs forward Matt Barnes was quoted as saying. “There’s no nightlife in Utah. Obviously as players, you want to be able to have a little bit of a nightlife, but the main focus is winning games … But as far as nightlife, there’s no comparison to nightlife in Utah and L.A.”
“The problem with Utah is that you’re just sitting there and your mind is like dead, because in L.A., you still got energy for the game,” teammate Andre Iguodala added. “Because you’re in L.A., you’re like, ‘Man, this is just the vibe in L.A.’ But in Utah, it can kind of lull you to sleep … The vibe is just like, ‘Man, let’s just get out of here.'”
Games 1 and 2 of the series will be played in Oakland on Tuesday and Thursday before it shifts to Utah for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday, meaning that the Warriors will be in Salt Lake City for the entire weekend.
Of course, the nightlife in Los Angeles speaks for itself, as we have definitely seen before in the NBA. But as for the Jazz, who will be heavy underdogs in the series, they already put the Warriors in their crosshairs even before winning Game 7 against the Clippers on Sunday. Now, quotes like this coming out of the Bay Area apparently trivializing the basketball aspect of the matchup will only add more fuel to Utah’s fire as they try to pull off the upset.
