Kelly Dwyer implies the Jazz foul on purpose

This is something I'm just really, really sick of. I really wish national writers and bloggers like KD stop writing as if it's a conscious decision the Jazz are making to foul early in the quarter. It's not. One look at the faces of Jazz players after yet another ticky-tack call would tell you that.

But I don't blame the refs. It's simply a case of an intelligent Lakers team driving at slower defenders and knowing they will initiate enough contact to get the call on their home floor. Jazz defenders need to be smarter than that. On one play, Boozer was trying to body up on Odom thirty feet from the basket. Beyond the 3-point line. Of course, Odom promptly drove past him, drew contact on the slow help defense, and finished for an and-1. Stupid.

In the same vein, Jazz defenders refused to stop playing Kobe too closely in the second half, leading to drives and free throws galore. Did Kobe even take a shot from 15+ feet out in the second half? I don't remember one. I don't care how hot Kobe gets from the outside -- if I'm the Jazz, I'd rather have him taking 20-footers than free throws, every time.

The Jazz have a rep for fouling too much, and they deserve it in a lot of ways. But it isn't helping when writers like KD perpetuate the stereotype as if it's deliberate. Call it poor defense, call it stupid defense, call it overly physical, call it whatever else you want. But anyone who actually watched the game and saw the looks on the faces of the Jazz players would see that it isn't intentional.

about 1 year ago Shums Comment 13 comments 1 recs |

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Um

Where does he say that they foul on purpose?

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on May 15, 2008 10:07 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

And the fouling just won’t let up. Matt Harpring and Andrei Kirilenko seem to think that their non-shooting fouls early in quarters are fine, because nobody’s being sent to the line – which makes sense until you realize that non-drivers like Derek Fisher (7-8 from the stripe) are being given freebies later in the quarter merely because Harpring decided to put two arms into his man on a drive five minutes previous.

This isn’t the first/only time Dwyer has written in this vein. Basically, since the series with the Lakers has started, he has repeated the sentiment that the Jazz do nothing but foul on defense, and that it’s a conscious decision. Look at his “Behind the Boxscore” columns for every Jazz game and you’ll see the trend.

I’m not saying the Jazz’s rep for fouls isn’t justified. I just don’t like the implication that it’s deliberate.

I'll make it.

by Shums on May 15, 2008 10:54 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

You're misinterpreting what he's saying, I think

He’s saying they’re stupid, not that they foul on purpose.

You know you'll get devoured by Cheaney, Wallace, and Juwan Howard.

by Mike Prada on May 15, 2008 2:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm probably overreacting a little.

He’s just said the same thing every time he recaps a Jazz game. I’m a little defensive today.

I'll make it.

by Shums on May 15, 2008 2:22 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don’t think the fouls against the Jazz were unwarranted (except the call on Boozer with Odom going in for the dunk). My frustration came when the Jazz would get hammered and nothing was called. Harp got barreled over from Odom outside the restricted area and nothing was called. I understand letting them play, but that was one of the worst I’ve seen. Deron was hammered all night with not much to show for it. And Kobe had a spin and knocked over Brewer with nothing. How are those not called?

I hate complaining about refs because that’s what all the fans of the losing team does. And there’s always going to be bad calls or calls that don’t go your way. The biggest thing is that they’re not consistent. Why are things on one end a foul, but not the other. Why aren’t fouls called the same for all players?

The refs shouldn’t factor in the game at all. They just need to call what’s in the rule book. But they seem to have been given the freedom to interpret those rules as they see fit.

by Basketball John on May 15, 2008 11:28 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know that the refs lost us the game. But they certainly didn’t help. I felt like Boozer and the rest of the team (minus D.Will) played a regular season game. There was no playoff intensity on the part of the players. They need to play more intelligent and start defending without fouling.

The Jazz always get the brunt end of the stick in road games.

by CB Jack on May 15, 2008 12:11 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

couldn't agree more

They need to play more intelligent and start defending without fouling.

That’s the critical point. In an effort to be physical and tough, they’re overplaying too far from the basket, and that is what leads to cheap fouls.

I'll make it.

by Shums on May 15, 2008 12:17 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

What I can't stand

is when Harp is all up in Kobe’s grill 30 feet away from the basket only to have Kobe blow past him for a layup or foul. I know Kobe’s a dangerous shooter from the outside, but I’d rather have him hoisting up long jump shots than get his points in the paint or from the free throw line.
Bottom line is that the Jazz just play dumb, and sometimes lazy, defense (yes, I’m looking at you Booz). Put AK on Odom and let Booz cover Radmonovic or Walton. Odom’s finally discovered that he can just blow past Okur or Booz because they both have cement for feet.
And for Harp, I know you have a rep for playing hard, but you don’t need to smother Kobe 30 feet away from the basket… Sometimes it’s better to play smart… Just a thought~ GO JAZZ!

by neff on May 15, 2008 5:30 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Or

they can stop putting Harp on Kobe.
It’s not working in the least.

Brewer. AK. Maybe Miles. Maybe Korver. Hell… maybe even Almond.
No Harpring.

Not 30 feet away, not 3 feet away.

The Utah Jazz
A disillusioned Pirates fan in Utah...

by UtesFan89 on May 15, 2008 6:03 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Quick question...

In my blog post about the game, I sarcastically mentioned the absence of an actual “3-in-the-key” rule.
Are we sure it exists, or has J-Slow totally brainwashed us?

The Utah Jazz
A disillusioned Pirates fan in Utah...

by UtesFan89 on May 15, 2008 6:04 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Oops...

J-Slo

The Utah Jazz
A disillusioned Pirates fan in Utah...

by UtesFan89 on May 15, 2008 6:04 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a pretty liberal rule

http://www.nba.com/analysis/rules_i.html?nav=ArticleList
So they players can be in the lane for three seconds, then receive the ball. Then they have to make a play to the hoop. This will be my sole focus for tonight’s game.

by Basketball John on May 16, 2008 8:17 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs