Recap - New Orleans Hornets @ Utah Jazz
by Basketball John
on Jan 8, 2009 9:16 AM MST
15 comments
Well, we finally have a definitive answer to the eternal question, "Who's better in head-to-head matchups, Deron Williams or Chris Paul?"
The answer is unequivically Paul.
Paul Millsap that is.
For once the game wasn't about the PG matchup. Sure, CP got his and Deron, apparently fighting a cold or the flu, had some great crossovers against Chris. Mansap though stole the show in an otherwise great team win.
In what could be his best game of the year, Millsap flat out dominated. On the way to his 27 & 14, he made it look ridiculously easy. Going up for one-handed rebounds while the other arm was being held by a defender was the norm.
The Man has simply put together 19 straight double-doubles, much to Boler & Booner's delight. As a starter this year, he's averaging 19 & 12 and as Jerry Sloan said, he gets better with each game.
He's not going to get voted in to the All-Star game by fans obviously, but you know every coach in the league salivates over the guy and covets him. Should he continue to put up the numbers he has been for the rest of the month, and there's no reason why he shouldn't, he could get some serious consideration.
Millsap's output notwithstanding, this was another great team win with contributions from everyone. Instead of looking at the individual stats of everyone, let's compare the team totals (click for bigger):
The Jazz dominated the Hornets in nearly every statistical category. Those stats came as the team wore down the Hornets after the first quarter.
This game started out dissapointingly simliar to seemingly almost every other Jazz game this year. Utah got off to a bad start, letting NOLA build a 20-11 lead at one point in the first quarter. After a timeout, the Jazz were able to slowly narrow the gap and finshed the first quarter being down just 4, 33-29. Can Sloan just start calling a timeout on the first Jazz possession and be done with it so that we can get a good start?
In the second quarter, the Jazz simply wore out the Hornets. They beat them for every rebound, every loose ball, every cup of Gatorade (or Vitamin Water or Powerade depending on their endorsements), every towel, and groupie. Outside of CP3, nobody else for NO could hit a shot. They managed just two field goals in the second and didn't score their first until the three-minute mark. The only thing that kept it even remotely close then were free throws.
The Jazz put it away in the third, something you'd like to be able to say for every game. David West started out hot but didn't hit a field goal after the first quarter. He didn't even score in the second half. Most of the starters sat out the fourth quarter.
We'll get to do it all again next month in a weird case of deja vu. The Hornets will play at the Lakers on February 20th. They'll then make the return trip to the ESA on the 21st for another back-to-back. The only difference will be that it's not at the end of a four-game road trip. Sucks for the Hornets, good for us. We only have one game at their place this year and that's on April 5th.
The best part of the 116-90 shellacking was that the dominating performance by Millsap and the Jazz overshadowed CP3's statistically great game. It also proved some of my points in the preview that the Jazz are going to be a great, great team once Boozer comes back.
I've had a few quests as a blogger. One was to take 8>3 mainstream. That's gaining some momentum. I just got an email from Ryne at SLAM that he's going to be wearing his 8>3 shirt today at the SLAM offices. Awesome.
I've had some smaller quests, but I think my next one is going to be to somehow convince Jazz management and ownership to pay the luxury tax to keep everyone together. I'm not an expert at all on this, but I know that AK's contract only has two more years on it after this season. Couldn't the Jazz sign everyone and pay the tax for two measley years? Granted, it's millions of dollars of measley, but wouldn't it be worth it? I would think that the Jazz would have a very good chance at winning the title in that time. If they did, the windfall from a championship would cover that, wouldn't it?
I'm not sure what the salary situation would be past those two years, but there's got to be something that works. Any ideas on how to get this moving? This has to happen.
Let me know what you think.
Other blogs,
0 recs |
15 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
This game cemented it for me.
I hope Boozer walks and I don’t want to re-sign him. Mansap is a beast!
Grammar is not a time of waste
by Patrick517 on
Jan 8, 2009 11:16 AM MST
reply
actions
0 recs
Great game by the Jazz, especially Sap
Kind of weird to say, but I was watching this game on KJZZ on DirecTV. I guess League Pass is cool like that (except that it wasn’t in HD).
My highlight: That ridiculous double-clutch dunk Ronnie B had driving to the hoop in the first half.
PS: Sorry I wasn’t in the game thread again, I haven’t had my computer handy for the games the past couple of weeks.
by Vromanite on
Jan 8, 2009 11:42 AM MST
reply
actions
0 recs
No problem
That dunk by RonnieB was nasty.
by Basketball John on
Jan 8, 2009 11:49 AM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
Terriffic dunk that really gave us some momentum.
Ronnie has been quietly doing what he’s best at doing. He sort of lost his role when he was leading the team in scoring, but if you look closely, he is disruptive on defense and attacking the bucket. Love his game, even when his stats don’t jump out at you.
The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.
by clarkpojo on
Jan 8, 2009 12:59 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
that goes for AK too
it’s amazing how much he contributes and so little of it shows up in the box score
by moni on
Jan 8, 2009 5:52 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
without you around
we were missing all our DD alerts.
by moni on
Jan 8, 2009 5:52 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
So I don't know if you guys have seen it, but Hollinger thinks we will trade our Knick's pick for a player that will put us over the top.
Maybe we don’t need Boozer/Okur or whoever. I don’t know if you can see the article if you aren’t an insider, but here goes:
The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.
by clarkpojo on
Jan 8, 2009 12:57 PM MST
reply
actions
0 recs
can't see it...
can you copy and paste the pertinent part?
by moni on
Jan 8, 2009 5:53 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
You have to include the 090107 at the end
Try this one, Hollinger
He also talks about Millsap making the All-Star team
by Basketball John on
Jan 8, 2009 7:52 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
i did...
but both links (posted by clark and you) are insider links, so non-insiders (me) can’t see them…
by moni on
Jan 8, 2009 8:17 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
3. Paul Millsap will make the All-Star team … and a small fortune in the summer
For this prediction to come true, two things will need to happen in the fan voting, both of which seem fairly likely. First, Chris Paul will need to edge past Tracy McGrady at the guard position; provided anybody in China is actually watching the games, this should happen. Second, Amare Stoudemire will need to beat out Anthony at forward; with Anthony out with a broken hand, that also seems probable.
Should both of those events take place, Millsap has a good chance of filling out the end of the West roster. If you accept that the first five spots would go to starters Stoudemire, Paul, Bryant, Tim Duncan and Yao Ming, and the next five to subs Brandon Roy, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki, that leaves two spots open.
In that scenario, the Jazz would be the only one of the top nine Western teams without a representative. And Millsap’s argument is getting stronger by the day. He’s averaging 18 points and 11 rebounds as a starter, and since Nov. 24, he’s had a double-double in every game. All 18 of them. Even the Milwaukee game, when he left in the first half with a hyperextended knee and somehow came back to finish it.
In that time, he clearly has been the Jazz’s best player. In fact, he’s the main reason the Jazz are still in the playoff discussion despite having had Carlos Boozer for only 12 games and a hobbled Deron Williams for 22 of them. His PER of 20.60 is comparable to those of his probable competition for the final two spots (Jason Terry, Nene Hilario, Shaquille O’Neal and Manu Ginobili), and his per-game averages, which were dampened a bit when he spent much of November as a reserve, should be very solid by the time it comes up for a vote.
All of which sets him up for a pretty big payday this summer, when he’ll be a restricted free agent in a market that’s not exactly inundated with A-list names.
by Basketball John on
Jan 8, 2009 10:45 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
6. Utah will play its trump card
The Jazz can start celebrating this summer. No, not because they won the championship — in fact, thanks to all their injuries, the Jazz likely will barely scrape into the playoffs and might not survive more than a round once they’re there.
No, the Jazz can start celebrating because the Knicks aren’t going to have one of the eight best records in their conference. Which means, thanks to Isiah Thomas’ trade for Stephon Marbury in 2004, the Jazz are guaranteed to get New York’s first-round pick in 2010, which figures to be high. (The Jazz got the pick in a subsequent trade when the Suns dumped Tom Gugliotta’s contract on them to avoid the luxury tax.)
And since it’s an unprotected pick, it’s likely to have some serious trade value — which is big news for a team that’s positioned to win now rather than count on a high pick leading it to future glory. It seems the Jazz would be much more likely to trade this pick than use it themselves.
Fast forward to this summer, and you can see how this pick could become a huge factor — regardless of whether they keep Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Millsap (all of whom could be free agents), the Jazz will have the wherewithal to fill any holes on their roster with the pick, especially in an environment in which teams are likely to be shedding contracts left and right.
So my preseason prediction of Utah winning the West probably won’t come true this season. But it might be a case of the Jazz merely being delayed rather than denied.
by Basketball John on
Jan 8, 2009 10:46 PM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
thanks!
i think ak is also deserving of an all-star berth. his stats have faded a bit since the beginning of the season, but much of his contributions don’t show up in the box score.
i honestly thought ronnie b was going to get invited to the dunk competition. so much for that…
by moni on
Jan 9, 2009 12:02 AM MST
up
reply
actions
0 recs
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
Related FanPosts on SLC Dunk
Related FanShots on SLC Dunk
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
New FanPost
Dial The Dunk
Blogs
Certain photos copyright © 2009 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
