Will Hardy has been in the NBA long enough to know that sometimes life in the league can be as equally cruel as it is exhilarating.
From being oh-so-close to winning an NBA title (before eventually winning one) to being a part of one of the greatest dynasties the league has ever known, Hardy has come to experience all sorts of emotions throughout his decade-plus career in the league.
Even throughout all of the tribulations and triumphs, what he's going through in his rookie season as head coach of the Utah Jazz ranks with some of the most heartbreaking — at least, that's the best word that comes to mind when reflecting on Utah's five-game losing streak.
"The margin between winning and losing in this league is very, very thin, as we're seeing," Hardy said Tuesday night following Utah's 117-115 loss to Sacramento. "It hurts right now and it should, losing sucks. … If losing doesn't hurt, you shouldn't be here. I expect for our team, our coaching staff to hurt."
Hardy's not joking when he talks about the very thin margin between winning and losing. If there was another way to describe "very thin," I'm sure Hardy would've used those words instead — that's how close the Jazz have been to turning a five-game losing streak into a five-game winning streak.
Here's a quick breakdown of each of those games.
San Antonio | 126-122
— Utah overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to trail by three with 30 seconds left but couldn't get one final stop to have a chance at the win.
Golden State | 112-107
— The Jazz missed three free throws in the final 45 seconds, all of which would've given them a one-point lead with 24 seconds remaining. Instead, they had to play from behind and couldn't catch the Warriors.
Sacramento | 126-125
— Another missed free throw gave Utah just a two-point lead with 26 seconds left — and despite having numerous chances, couldn't grab an offensive rebound as the Kings drilled a game-winning three with nine seconds for the win.
Miami | 126-123
— Going a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final 14 seconds had the Jazz tied with the Heat with six seconds to play. But Tyler Herro's off-balance, running three-pointer at the buzzer ran Utah's losing streak to four.
Sacramento | 117-115
— Three free throws by Lauri Markkanen tied the game at 115, but De'Aaron Fox hit a layup with .4 seconds left for the win. Although Markkanen's shot at the buzzer went in, officials correctly determined it was after the buzzer — by .1 seconds. Replays showed there should've been .6 seconds on the clock, but that's the nature of the league.
For those keeping track at home, that's less than 10 plays throughout five games from Utah being 19-21 (current record) to 24-16 (projected record). That's the difference from being in 10th place in the Western Conference to being in fourth place in the standings, just 1.5 games out of first place
"When you look at a five game stretch and can put together eight plays total that if they went the other way, you're on a five-game winning streak," Hardy said. "It's on us to maintain a consistency of our approach, a consistency of our message, to not be too emotional."
Hardy is 110% correct — the Jazz can't just sit around and focus on those plays at the end of games. Many things happen in the beginning and middle of games that hold just as much stock compared to what happens in the final 60 seconds.
"It's tough," Markkanen added. "Of course everybody remembers the ending, but there were a lot of things that we did early in the game that we can fix and win this ballgame earlier. … We got to get better."
Despite the losing streak, the Jazz continue to look at things from a positive scope regarding the overall perspective.
"Continue to be amazed by our team's resolve and ability to just battle every single night," Hardy said. "There have been some different things over the past five games that have shown up, but our team continues to just to stay with it no matter how the games are going. You've got to take some of the hurt of losing and look the game in the face, figure out what each of us can do better, and move forward."
Utah understands that they're a lot closer to being really good than they are to being really bad — and that sort of belief can change this season around immediately.
"We know we are close, so that's a good thing, just fix a couple things, and we are right there," Markkanen said. "Of course it hurts to lose, especially like that. But I think we just got to look at ourselves in the mirror and use these moments to learn how to win. … They'll turn at some point."