Leapin’ Leaners on Leap Day: A Jazz History of February 29

Utah’s last Leap Day game featured Derrick Favors in a close loss at Boston. (via utahjazz.com)

It’s not the deciding game of the NBA Finals or even an earlier playoff round, but when the Jazz face the Magic on Thursday night in Orlando, the team will participate in a Game 7, of a sort.

For only the seventh time in the franchise’s fifty years of existence, the Jazz will play a game on February 29, also known as Leap Day.

You know the science: because of quirks in how our world travels around the sun, every four years we have to add an extra day to the calendar. Because that extra day was arbitrarily added to February, sometimes basketball games occur then.

Given where the team stands this week, think of this as a pleasant diversion. There will be no lamenting trades of the past, discussions of current players’ mental states, or evaluations of whether to convey assets now or later. This is simply a quirky, timely way to skip through a really limited bit of Jazz history. In fact, just consider this an extended version of Dan Clayton’s weekly Just For Fun section in the Salt City Seven.

Without further ado, a brief recap of the six Leap Day games in Jazz history as the team prepares for the seventh.

February 29, 1980

The first Leap Day game in Jazz history was played in the dog days of the franchise’s first season in Utah, with the team on a five-game skid and having won only one game in the prior eleven contests. Utah flew to Portland to face the Blazers for the second half of a back-to-back set that would have been considered a scheduled loss if anyone cared enough about the NBA to have invented that term yet. Nevertheless, the Jazz beat the odds and the Blazers on that Friday night, escaping with a four point victory over below-.500 Portland.

Jazz notes:  Adrian Dantley led the way with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, and Allen Bristow also neared a triple double with 16-8-7. Ben Poquette — I always laugh about a center nicknamed Gentle Ben — started in the middle. Ron Boone scored 14 points in his 975th consecutive game; his career would end the following January after his 1,041st consecutive game.

Blazers notes: The Blazers started two players who would later become part of the extended Jazz family: Calvin Natt, whose brother Kenny played in Utah later in the decade, and Ron Brewer, the future father of Ronnie Brewer, whom the Jazz would draft in 2006.

February 29, 1984

The Jazz were back in Leap Day action at the very next opportunity, just four years later. This Jazz team was on a different trajectory, having ridden an unexpected hot start to a 29-16 record before struggling in February. Utah, on a three-game losing streak, hosted the Philadelphia 76ers in the Salt Palace to close out the month, again playing the back end of a back-to-back after returning from Phoenix. The defending NBA champion Sixers were victorious in Salt Lake, and Utah’s skid continued into March, but the Jazz held on to capture the club’s first ever division title and playoff appearance.

Jazz notes: Dantley led the way again with 32 points, helped by fellow All-Star Rickey Green and Green’s backcourt mate, Darrell Griffith, with 22 points each. Mark Eaton anchored the defense, as usual, but strangely also led the team with 7 assists. Rich Kelley was the club’s fifth starter, but within a few games, rookie Thurl Bailey would assume the starting job for the rest of the season.

Sixers notes: While Andrew Toney and Mo Cheeks did much of the damage in the backcourt, the Philadelphia roster featured a trio of players with past, near and future Utah connections. Moses Malone, who had started his career with the ABA’s Utah Stars, returned to the Salt Palace as an NBA champion and the reigning MVP. Julius Erving might have had a Jazz connection, when owner Larry Miller famously courted him in the 1986 offseason. Finally, Marc Iavaroni would later join the Jazz and play almost half his career games in Mardi Gras colors.

February 29, 1988

Utah played its third straight Leap Day game in 1988 on the second stop of a two-game road trip, but not as part of a back-to-back. After a loss to the Lakers left the Jazz one game above .500, the team traveled to Sacramento and enjoyed two days of rest before facing the Kings in ARCO Arena. Utah defeated a pretty bad Kings squad by 5, but the win was the first in what would become a five-game win streak, helping propel the Jazz from a middling record to finish twelve games over .500 entering the playoffs.

Jazz notes: Third-year forward Karl Malone led the way with 41 points and 15 rebounds, while John Stockton added 16 points and 19 assists. There’s nothing really surprising about either of those lines. Starter Bob Hansen and Bailey, who was playing starter minutes off the bench at this point in his career, each added 21 points. Green was still with the Jazz, backing up Stockton, and Iavaroni had joined the team. Frank Layden coached his third Leap Day game; no other Jazz coach has more than one February 29 game under his belt.

Kings notes: This was not a strong team, eventually closing the season with just 24 wins. Longtime King (in both Kansas City and Sacramento) Reggie Theus was in his final season with the franchise. Fourth-year forward Otis Thorpe and rookie Kenny Smith both started, but would be traded to the Houston Rockets during the offseason, where they would face the Jazz in far more notable games over the years than they ever did in Sacramento.

February 29, 2008

Twenty years passed before the Utah Jazz played another Leap Day game, so clearly the names and faces had changed. Entering the night with a 37-21 record, this was the best Jazz squad to ever hit the court on February 29, when they faced the New Orleans Hornets at the beginning of a short road trip. Things went sideways quickly for the Jazz, who trailed by 23 at the end of the first quarter. They clawed back into the game, but ultimately lost by 12.

Jazz notes: Franchise legend Jerry Sloan, despite coaching 23 years, coached his only Leap Day game this year, which seems statistically improbable. Utah was led by Mehmet Okur with 23 points and 13 rebounds while Deron Williams chipped in 22 and dished out 10 assists. Ronnie Brewer, whose father had faced the Jazz in the first Leap Day game, scored 15 points. Quiet games from Carlos Boozer, who had played in the All-Star Game earlier in February, and Andrei Kirilenko, slowed the Jazz offense, and the bench was stymied as well.

Hornets notes: Chris Paul, who was selected one pick after Williams in the 2005 draft, didn’t quite lead his team in scoring, but he dominated the game with 24 points, 16 assists, and 5 steals in this matchup of recent draftees. David West was the top scorer with 25, while Peja Stojakovic pitched in 20 to help his squad defeat Utah.

February 29, 2012

Utah was back playing on the year’s extra day again the very next time it rolled around, four years later. This time the team was middling, searching for an identity under head coach Ty Corbin, and in between two eras. The club’s record stood at 15-18 heading into a game with the Houston Rockets, another team that lacked a real identity, although the Rockets boasted a better record than the Jazz. Despite falling behind early, the Jazz won the final three quarters, shooting past the Rockets for a 21-point victory.

Jazz notes: The Jazz were led by C.J. Miles, who scored 27 points off the bench, and starter Devin Harris, with 19. The remaining starters, veterans Al Jefferson and Josh Howard added 14 each, while second-year players Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors were fairly quiet, the latter starting in place of an injured Paul Millsap.

Rockets notes: It’s hard to understand how this roster made the playoffs. Kyle Lowry and Luis Scola were the top starters in this contest, and this was during the brief Kevin Martin era in H-town. Goran Dragic played well off the bench, Chandler Parsons was in his rookie season when we all thought he was good, but in the end Houston’s problem was scoring; the Rockets only managed 83 points in this Leap Day game.

February 29, 2016

For this final Leap Day entry, Utah was kicking off a four-game road trip in Boston, a place that’s notoriously hard to win, whether due to quality Celtics players or mythical leprechauns. Utah was again just under .500 in what would end in another lottery year, while Boston was considerably better. The Jazz jumped out to an early lead and maintained a one point advantage entering the final period, but the Celtics proved too much, winning the game by five points.

Jazz notes: In a hilarious turn of events, the Utah Jazz were led in scoring by starter Shelvin Mack and reserve Trey Lyles, each with 18 points, edging out longer tenured, more popular and better players like Hayward, Favors, Rudy Gobert, and Rodney Hood, all of whom started. Sometimes you just have to tip your hat to the talents that are Mack and Lyles. Quin Snyder coached the team.

Celtics notes: Boston was led by eventual Jazzman Jae Crowder, who scored 22 points, and backcourt mates Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas, who each added 18. The rest of the roster was pretty underwhelming, including another future Jazz player, Jonas Jerebko.

Top Leap Day Performers

The list of top statistical performers on Leap Day includes many predictable names, particularly in points and assists.

The best Utah Jazz performances on February 29, both cumulatively and in single Leap Day games.

Given that the Jazz Leap Day lineups have featured players such as Eaton (two games), Boozer and Gobert, it was a bit surprising to see Derrick Favors lead in both total and single-game rebounding.

The blocked shot leader, however, was a complete shock, again due to Eaton’s and Gobert’s appearances in games. On Tuesday night’s Jazz broadcast, Thurl Bailey said “As a shot blocker myself…” He wasn’t kidding.

The one thing that has been missing from the historical games is a great three-point shooting performance. Darrell Griffith and C.J. Miles each put up 3-for-7 efforts, but that seems like a mark that could be surpassed in 2024, particularly if a current Jazz player or two find a way to break out of slumps. Four made three pointers in Orlando would set a new Leap Day record.

Tune in Thursday night to see if any current Jazzmen etch their names in the Leap Day lore forever more.

If nothing else, the statistical chase could provide a different angle for game-watching in what has become a challenging time. Or alternatively, pretend the Jazz are tied 3-3 in the matchup against February 29, and this is Game 7. It’s as close as we’re going to get this season.