Dear Basketball Gods ...

I have a question for the basketball gods: what did we ever do to you? Was it wrong of Utah to dream of a championship? Was it wrong of us to try to get healthy, to fight to the top, to battle through a season that would make most champions sit down and cry for their mommies? Really? Was it wrong of us to play injured, to sit quietly while the media flat out mocked our road record, to publicly criticize ourselves for our lack of wins on the road, to try to get better and better and better? Was it wrong of us to believe in good character, honor, and hard work? Was it wrong of us to live here, in this tiny little state in this tiny little market? Was it wrong of us to have a growing international fanbase? Did we dare to challenge your chosen children of Garnett, Bryant, Howard, and Lebron?

Yes, these are the laments of a Jazz fan after the loss in Phoenix last night. A loss that was a win until the last 5 seconds of the game.

Dearest basketball gods - the team that played last night was the team we wanted to be all season. Playing hard defense, and better offense. Landing hard shots and driving to the rim and taking hard fouls and still getting up to play. We didn't waver, ever. We never gave up on the game. This is the team we should have been until injury after injury after injury after injury sidelined us in game after game after game. Basketball Gods - we didn't have our full compliment until Larry Miller's death! That was only a month ago, and even now, we play minus one vital part of the team and his seat sits empty ...

So I ask you basketball gods - What do you want of us? If we had been healthy all season, we would be in your elite. We would be more than scrambling for a spot in the playoffs. If you have a plan for us, if you want us to win in a season, or two, and you want us to sacrifice for that win, might I remind you of the past 30 years of sacrifice. Might I remind you of legends such as John Stockton and Karl Malone who retired without a championship ring? Or of the man who sits on that bench night after night after night after night, who has never, in his 21 years coaching, ever won coach of the year. Who, this year, is "high on the ballot" but it is clear he will not win.

Basketball Gods, we are a small market. We get the rookies and we train them well and then they go off to play in places that can pay them more money. We lose Mo Williams and Mickey Moore and others to higher salaries and adoration of the media. We stare, dumbfounded, at the Knicks, who, despite their loosing record year after year after year, can even entertain discussions about your chosen one, Lebron. We swallow our pride and smile when even our media lavish adoring praise on Chris Paul's skills, rather than mention how our own point guard is in a dead heat statistically save for one thing - we beat them in matchups. We grin and bear it when other teams, teams the media cares about, lament their injuries while we go out there and create the deepest bench in the NBA because even our rookies had to start this year in order to keep us playing.

I understand that as a Jazz fan, there are sacrifices I must make. But today, following a heartbreaking loss to Phoenix, one that knocks us back down to 6th place in the conference and all but seals us coming in second to Denver in the division, I simply turn my eyes heavenward and dare to ask what your plan is? Are we destined to be that great team who never wins a championship? That team who cranks out legend after legend who teaches the league how to play? Or is this our last sacrifice before a run for the record books?

Just curious. Thanks.