The Jazz and the Rockets in the opener of their playoff series was a veritable deja vu-ian experience: The Jazz carrying on their upstart cause of trying to show Houston, and the rest of the world, just how good they really are, and the Rockets, ever disrespected, at least in their own minds, attempting to toss aside the Jazz as a means of getting on to more serious business against the Warriors in the next round.
Same teams, same building, same atmosphere, same coaches, same attitudes, same goals, same stars, same results.
The Jazz dropped Game 1 a year ago to the Rockets, losing by 14 points, falling behind by a mile early and then clawing back to make it marginally more competitive.