4. Utah Jazz, Aug 5
The same playoff intensity that could fuel the Thunder game will also bring two-way appeal to the preceding Jazz showdown.
Utah are just one game up on OKC, and probably one of the most anxious teams to restart the season. Perhaps easily-forgotten in the past few months’ insanity, Utah were the NBA’s patient zero for COVID-19.
Since then, that outbreak created a rift between their two best players, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. Arguably their third-best player this year, Bojan Bogdanovic, was lost to injury.
Already in the midst of a swingy season, Utah could be among the more vulnerable teams remaining. This is a prime opportunity for Memphis to score a quasi-upset win. Utah will be coming off a game vs. the Lakers, by far their toughest matchup on a cushy schedule.
This game carries additional appeal for Grizzlies fans with Mike Conley on the court. Conley, obviously a Grizzlies legend, will still be representing Memphis. At least on the back of his jersey.
Conley’s choice of “I Am a Man” for his jersey message is a nod to the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. It’s a poignant gesture of solidarity with a city he mutually rose to NBA fame with.