Money as a motivator

MIAMI – Having lost Wednesday night in Atlanta, the Jazz have moved on to Miami for today’s game here against the Heat.
It was before Wednesday’s game against the Hawks that ended Utah’s 12-game win streak, though, that Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has these telling comments.
They center around one possible motivation for his club, which now seemingly is bound for a third straight trip to postseason play, to finish the regular season strong.
“Now we’ve just got to try to focus on winning as many games as we can,” he said, “and see where we finish – if for no other reason there’s more money the higher you go up the ladder.”
NBA teams indeed are rewarded with playoff-pool money that in part factors where they finish in the regular season.
Once divided among players and staff, it’s a relative pittance compared to actual players salaries.
But Sloan suggests that shouldn’t matter.
“I mean, I’ve never taken that for granted – because I like money, and I hope our players do,” he said. “As corny as that sounds, it’s always been an important part of it.
“I don’t see any thing wrong,” Sloan added, “with when you’ve got an opportunity to make a living, you want to try to do as well as you can, make as much money as you can because it’s a short life when it’s all said and done. It goes by pretty fast.”

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