SALT LAKE CITY – The NBA has a new iron man. And probably no one cares less than Joe Ingles.
For the first time in 384 games in the regular season, the Englishman was not in line when Utah defeated the Bucks 131-118 in Milwaukee on Friday, sitting on the back of an Achilles right. This put an end to the longest consecutive games played in a row.
“He would play if he could,” said Jazz head coach Quin Snyder. “There were many times when he played through the pain and probably injuries he didn’t tell us about sometimes.”
This is not hyperbole either. Over the years, Ingles played with a sprained middle finger and a sprained left ankle. He even continued to play after learning that his son, Jacob, had been diagnosed with autism.
Because of this, it was the first time Donovan Mitchell played an NBA game without Ingles being active. And, yes, things were a little weird.
“It was weird. There are a lot of things I didn’t realize Joe was doing until he was there,” Mitchell said.
Sure, that included handling the ball, giving Jazz a certain perimeter defense and another shooter, but the things Mitchell noticed the most outside of the game.
“Before the warm-ups, I got a little handshake, intro I got a handshake, he shouting certain things in a locker room at 20 minutes per hour. There are only little things you’re missing,” Mitchell said.
Ingles had not missed a game since December 16, 2015, a series that spanned five years and a total of 418 games, if you include the playoffs. Friday’s contest in Milwaukee was just the fifth game the Englishman missed in his seven-year NBA career. He’s played every game in the last four seasons.
His column has been the longest of a jazz player since John Stockton played 442 consecutive games in the regular season from 1997 to 2003. Sacramento Kings goalkeeper Cory Joseph is now the league’s active leader with 274 matches. consecutive entries on Friday.
“As much as anything, it makes you take a break for a second,” Snyder said of the series. “And you reflect on what a series of games like this mean and what they say about Joe – his toughness, his commitment, the kind of teammate he is.… You understand why you respect him the way you do.”
English has often downplayed the significance of the series over the years – and did so again on Friday, saying ESPN“I don’t know what the big deal is, honestly.”
He was always proud to play the game as much as he could. When some teammates rested for the playoffs, he played. When some players needed a day off because of the pain, he got in there. It’s his job to play basketball; he always felt he had to do that.
“Because I’m paid to play basketball,” Ingles said in August last year, while most Utah players played games before the NBA playoffs. “Again, it’s my job, it’s what I like to do. When I was playing for lollipops as a child – that was the first thing that ever took me to a field … I’ve liked it since then. I’m not playing for statistics or for numbers or the history book … I like to play and Quin knows that. “
So expect a new series to appear as soon as Ingles is healthy enough to return, which Mitchell says will be sooner rather than later.
“It’s definitely weird not to have him there, but he’ll be back in the next game,” Mitchell said. “He’s had a really, really great streak. He’s useful because he’s done that in his career. He’s pretty wild. He’s definitely impressive.”
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