SALT LAKE CITY — In the final game of the 2013-14 NBA season, the Utah Jazz won a game on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves, a game that ended in double overtime. On that night, Jazz point guard Trey Burke attempted more than 20 field goals, 21 to be exact, converting on 10 of those attempts, leading to a career high 32 points, a Jazz win, and an unhappy fan base.

It was, without a doubt, one of the worst victories in recent Jazz memory.

On Monday night, the Jazz found themselves in a familiar situation with the same Minnesota Timberwolves. The game ended in overtime, just like last time, with Trey Burke attempting more than 20 field goals, just like last time. This time, it resulted in a Jazz loss, and an unhappy fan base, just like last time.

It was, without a doubt, one of the worst losses in recent Jazz memory.

One major difference between the two nights was the success of Burke’s shooting. Tuesday’s 4-of-22 shooting performance turned in by Burke is the worst of its kind in Jazz history, with no other players hoisting so many shots, and missing so many in a Jazz uniform. In fact, on only 32 other occasions has an NBA player attempted as many, or more field goals, while converting four or fewer, making Burke’s night truly historic. In addition to his low shooting percentage, Burke missed the potential game winning 3-pointer as time expired to cap off a woeful shooting performance.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves have had their struggles this season. However, Monday may have been the pinnacle of the Timberwolves' struggles as Minnesota dressed just seven players for the game.

The Jazz were without their highest paid player and leading scorer Gordon Hayward, but even in Hayward’s absence, the Jazz have little excuse for losing to the 16-win Timberwolves.

And yet, in this loss, Jazz fans should remember how much they’ve grown in 70 short games.

Looking back on last year’s season finale, the double overtime victory was bemoaned by Jazz fans for pulling them into a tie with the Boston Celtics in the league’s final standings, leading to a split of the potential lottery balls that would later decide the NBA’s draft order. Jazz fans had suffered through a 5-win, 24-loss close to the season after the league’s annual All-Star break, and were right to question the strategy of the franchise for winning a game that so easily could have been lost, which would have increased the odds of winning the highly touted draft’s top pick.

Today, Jazz fans can bemoan an inexcusable loss to one of the league’s worst teams, and that in itself is a victory. Expecting wins and not getting them is better for a franchise than hoping for losses, regardless of whether the team can control the outcome or not.

The draft lottery is fun, and on May 19, the Jazz will once again, for the third consecutive season, send a representative to New York with the thinnest of hopes, like less than a 3 percent chance of moving up into the draft’s top three picks. Jazz fans will eagerly scout best amateur players in the world, hoping their favorites will soon don a Jazz uniform.

But the lottery excitement lasts only so long, and Jazz fans are growing tired of being the league’s punching bag.

The Jazz should eclipse last year’s 25-win total by more than 10 games before the end of the season, a win total that should placate the majority of Jazz fans. But the heartache felt after Monday night’s embarrassing loss should intrigue them even more.

Ben Anderson is the co-host of Gunther in the Afternoon with Kyle Gunther on 1320 KFAN from 3-7, Monday through Friday. Read Ben's Utah Jazz blog at 1320kfan.com, and follow him on Twitter @BenKFAN.

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