SLC Dunk

Deron Williams steals cars

2008-12-01T22:11:47Z

About 2:30 in,

CJ Miles: [Deron] definitely stole my car too by the way
Locke: He stole your car?
CJ: Came to my house, left his car, took my car.
Locke: Which car did he leave you?
CJ: The Maserati.

Rough life.

How's this for a starting 5?

2008-12-01T20:00:06Z

With these two coming off the bench,

How many games would that team win if that were the regular rotation? Would they win more than this squad?

These are the only players that haven't missed time due to injury. And Paul Millsap has never missed a game, ever. Of course, those that have missed time haven't been out all at once, but pretty close.

But despite all that, the Jazz are just one game back for second in the division and conference.

If COY of the year wre voted on now, Sloan would be right there considering everything. Depending on how the Jazz end up, these early months full of injuries could enough to hand him his first COY. Of course, he doesn't want your damn award anyway.

Let's take a look at the injured list

Deron Williams - Since his second comeback, Deron has been looking to dish more than shoot. That's to be expected since he's still hesitant to drive the lane and that's where most of his shots will come from. But he's still averaging nearly 12 points. But in his three games back, he's putting up over 14 assists a game. But he's been slow on the defensive end, getting beat to the basket by other PGs. This was evidenced against the Nets when Devin Harris drove by him at will. It was if Harp was guarding him. Of course, Harris went on to score 47 the next night, so maybe it wasn't all on Deron.

Carlos Boozer - Booze is still out with quad injury. He could be back this week. The way he bent his leg outwards probably would have shattered a normal person's leg.

Andrei Kirilenko - AK has a had a couple of injuries. The first came with his sprained finger. He returned only to injure an ankle in the loss to the Nets. I was at the game and didn't see him return and didn't know why. Shouldn't they announce those things at the arena? If we can get an update on TV, then the announcer should let people know too. He's day to day now.

Memo - Memo was out only after tweaking his back on a long plane ride back from Turkey to see his ailing father. He was a bit rusty in his first games back but seems to be doing fine now.

Kyle Korver - That wrist seems to be much better now. He was missing free throws and was off on three point shots. He's looked much better the last few games (though he still keeps heat/pressure on it while he's sitting).

Brevin Knight - His injuries just seem to be tweaking stuff from playing 12+ years in the league. I expect him to start missing more games just to give his legs a rest.

Jarron Collins - He's out at least a couple more months after opting out of surgery. There's no guarantee that his elbow will heal on its own. So he could still need it. Would this be his last season in the NBA if he doesn't play again this year? With Kosta's performance, Collins could be on his way out.

Matt Harpring - Whether you think he's a contributor or not, Harp's best days are long past. His per 36 the last few years have actually been pretty solid. But physically, I don't think he can take any more on his knees. I don't know of anything else that takes more of a beating in basketball except for maybe your feet. Once the knees go, you don't have much else. He's got the competitive fire, but that doesn't do much if you can't move side to side or get off the ground.

Healthly or not, December is upon us and it's not kind. We need people to get back soon lest we duplicate last year's dreadful run of 5-11.

Brownie or Boler poll

2008-12-01T19:44:02Z

If I was coaching the Nets game, I would have put AK or Brewer on Kevin Martin. He was terrific. Maybe I would have put Millsap on him. Or Gary Briggs. Anything. After all our whining about D-Will's D, he didn't do much to slow down K.M. On an unrelated note, here is a poll about the game commentators. Who is your preference, and say why in the comments. Thanks all.

Poll

Brownie or Boler? Say why in comments.

NBA Bloggers Power Rankings - Week 6

2008-12-01T15:43:13Z

With the holiday, I didn't have time to come up with my rankings for this week. However, head on over to Empty the Bench to read it up. Here's the Jazz excerpt,

8. Utah Jazz (11-7)

- 3 Shades of Blue: “Despite a string of injuries to key contributors, Jerry Sloan’s steady hand has kept Utah at the top of the West. Predictable and boring, but you cannot argue with success.”
- A Stern Warning: “5-5 in their last 10, but don’t misunderestimate how good this squad will be with a full serving of Jazzsters.”
- Lakers Nation: “Deron Williams is back, and he is passing up the rock like it’s a Ron Artest album.”

New Jersey Nets @ Utah Jazz - Game Thread - Human Highlight Reels

2008-11-30T01:13:54Z

With apologies to Dominique Wilkins (although, he almost was a Jazz man), the past two games against Memphis and Sacramento have been nothing but top ten fodder. Alley-oops, lobs off the backboards for dunks, behind the back passes, big time swats, and a plethora of steals - these past couple of games have been the birth of the Great Salt Lake Show.

And all of this has coincided with the return of Deron Williams. Will the Jazz always play the Kings and Grizzlies of the league? No. But we're still not at full strength and look what we've done. You might want to discount what the Jazz have done against lesser teams this year. But that's exactly what you're suppose to do to lesser teams when you're an elite team.

So the Jazz train continues to pick up momentum and won't be stopped any time soon - unless it's by their own undoing.

I'll be at the game tonight trying to start a new attendance winning streak. I'm currently 7-1 lifetime with the lone loss to the Rockets in the playoffs last year at home.

Precap - Sacramento Kings @ Utah Jazz -

2008-11-29T01:56:35Z

The sheriff is back

Here's my season's first pre-cap (recap and preview all in one). Due to the American holiday I've been out quite a bit and hosting quite a bit. So I've slacked a bit.

Anyway, the Jazz got a head start on Thanksgiving by carving up the Grizzlies at home on Wednesday.

The two biggest things to take from that game were number 1, the return of D-Will. While his 15 assists and sweet alley-oops got the accalades for the night, it was Deron's calming presence that was perhaps the most valuable to the team.

While the lead hovered around 12 or so for most of the game, you never felt that the Grizzlies were going to make a run with Deron on the floor. And when they did make a mini-run, Deron was quickly re-inserted and the run was squashed. Despite not being able to drive to the hoop with his normal confidence, his jump shot is falling. But I can't wait for the first time he throws down (preferably over Yao or the like).

The second thing to take from the Memphis game, and really from the entire season so far, is that our bench is going to be hard to match. We use to have to worry about squandering a lead or losing ground when the first team came out. But with the re-emergence of Kirilenko, the beastly performances that Millsap gives us, Price & Knight's left and right jabs, plus others, you have to feel pretty good about the team when the second unit on the floor.

So the team slowly, but surely, is getting back to full strength. This stretch of relatively easy games couldn't have come at a better time. The offense seems to be clicking again with a lot of layups and dunks. And when the defense is creating turnovers like it had been, the Jazz are in business.

Up tonight are the Kings from Sac Town. They haven't had a win since beating NOLA (thank you). They've had a couple of close ones but haven't been able to pull any out. So while the Jazz should beat them handily as well, they're not to be overlooked. But if the Jazz play with half the energy and hustle they had against the Grizz, this should be another W (provided Salmons doesn't go off again).

Other blogs,

Utah Jazz Basketball- A time to be grateful

2008-11-28T06:37:50Z

Most of us spent yesterday stuffing our bellies with turkey buffets and experiencing imaginary effects of tryptophan. Sorry guys, but your sleepiness is most likely attributed to pure laziness. But no doubt, we also spent a good portion of the day feeling grateful and giving thanks and pondering all of the great things in life. I for one, considered the somewhat mediocre start to the Utah Jazz season, thus far. But in hopes of continuing the great Thanksgiving spirit, I have compiled a list of 6 things Jazz fans should be grateful for.

1. We have a winning record, a share of the division lead and a top five spot in the West while missing many key starters all season. - The Jazz have essentially stayed even with anointed contenders New Orleans and Houston and although both teams have battled minor injuries, the Jazz have probably looked the strongest and have the most excuses of any of the three teams. I hate to say it, but even without the injuries we probably wouldn't be good enough to beat the Lakers for the top seed. But taking one of the top 3 seeds is essential and we are in as good a position as anyone to claim the second spot, despite injuries.

2. There are some Jazz players that are playing surprisingly well- I don't know who has been the most surprising between CJ Miles, Kosta Koufos, and Brevin Knight. Miles is playing average defense, but his confidence and ability in his offensive game has grown by leaps and bounds during this early season. Koufos has quickly become what I hoped Fesenko would be: a guy who is able to rebound and block shots and not try to do too much offensively. And Knight's veteran leadership has already made itself manifest on the second unit and has helped win games we wouldn't have won without him. Whoever you think has been the biggest surprise, they have all helped make an already deep team that much deeper.

3. No one mentions Andrei Kirilenko as one of the worst contracts in the league anymore- Andrei Kirilenko has been a bit of everything this season and it's all good. He has been the glue guy, the energy guy, the go-to guy, the clutch shooter, the lockdown defender, and 6th man of the league. He has embraced the role of coming off the bench and he looks like the player we overpaid (but not as badly now) 4 seasons ago. He is close to those epic 5 by 5 statlines every game. My fantasy team thanks him.

4. The Knicks are well on their way to being a lottery team in 2010- Jazz fans got a scare when the Knicks started off the season with some effort and wins. But although D'antoni will keep them competitive and more fun to watch, winning is secondary in New York to obtaining certain free agents in 2010. That can only bode well for the draft pick that the Jazz own.

5. Deron Williams seems to be back for good- He's not 100%, but he is healthy enough to change games in the Jazz's favor. He runs the team, he plays the best perimeter defense on the team and most importantly, he gets easy buckets for everyone else on the team. His ankle is probably going to keep him from having the MVP-type stats I imagined he would have before his injury, but I expect the Jazz to start making a run at the best record in the league and to start turning heads.

6. The Jazz have the chance to make Bill Simmons eat a bit of crow- For the record, Simmons is a believer in the Jazz as a team. His tiff with Jazz fans is pretty well documented and most notably he doesn't think Williams holds a candle to fellow 4th year player Chris Paul. That's fine. In his latest piece, Simmons lists the Jazz as one of 6 contenders in the NBA, but you will also notice that he tries to put the Williams/Paul debate to rest with crappy evidence. Utesfan89 talks about this very thing in his blog, but he also said that he wouldn't personally email Simmons and call him out on it. I couldn't make the same promise. Here is the email that I sent Bill Simmons yesterday. FYI- I like Simmons' writing and my accolades are sincere.

Bill,

I like your writing, Sports Guy. I think you are incredibly witty and you have a great mind for sports and an eye for details that often goes unacknowledged. I think it would have been a great thing for basketball if you had been named the general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks. I’m also a big Jazz fan and this is probably the first time a Jazz fan has reached out to you and said kind words. Because I like you and there is still hope, I’m here to show you the error of your ways. No I am not going to tell you why Deron Williams is better than Chris Paul. You have already made up your mind on that one and I don’t think there is anything Deron could do or that Chris could not do to change your mind. And to be honest, some of your arguments on the topic are well thought out and convincing. If any Jazz fan tries to win the argument by appealing to individual statistics alone, they are probably kidding themselves. Paul simply outplays Williams in most statistical categories. And since Jazz fans can’t win the appeal with individual numbers, that is why they revert to Williams and Paul’s head-to-head matchups. But most Jazz fans see the subjective information in deciding Williams is better. They believe, as I do, that with similar talent around them, Williams will be the first player to lead his team to the finals and/or championship. This is due to Williams' superior ability to shine in pressure situations and also his underrated defense and toughness. Paul is incredible, but you even have to admit that he is a defensive liability at times. Although he is a leader in steals, he is too small often to match up with the opposing team’s point guard. You saw this first hand last week when Paul was slotted to guard Eric Gordon, due to Baron Davis’ size, when the Hornets played the Clippers. And what happened? Eric Gordon went for a career high 25 and consistently bullied Paul down low. That would never happen with Williams. He is big enough to play tough defense and quick enough to stay in front of his man. Who is Paul going to guard if he has to play the Jazz or the Nuggets or even Portland in the playoffs? But I digress.

You wrote a really fine article on seasoned NBA teams thus far and your observations on player-coach interactions was spot on and insightful. But the problem, and you have to know where I am going with this, is this paragraph:

9. Is there a dumber argument in sports than "Chris Paul or Deron Williams"?

I argued before the season, passionately, that Paul was in a different league and earned myself a few death threats from the Salt Lake City area. (You stay classy, Utah.) Check out their 2009 stats through four weeks:

• Paul: 20.5 PPG, 12.2 APG, 2.9 steals, 52.3% FG, 85.6% FT.
• Williams: 7.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 0.0 steals, 26.7% FG, 66.7% FT.

I mean, that's a landslide! Come on! Can we all agree to stop arguing about this?

You should know better than using this sample size of games to win your argument, sports guy. This was a really low move for you and one of the only things that I have thought was really stupid writing of yours. But c’mon. Williams plays 60 total minutes in two games at about 50% with a bum ankle and that makes him inferior to Paul? Two games! I’ve got some stats for you, Bill: During the week of Thanksgiving of ’07:

Deron Williams: 24.3 pts, 10 asts, 4 rbds, 56 % FG, 50% 3pt

Chris Paul: 17 pts, 9.1 asts, 1.8 rbds, 43% FG, 36% 3 pt

How about this? In games this year where they played all 4 quarters, Williams has a winning percentage of 100% and Chris Paul only 62%.

Now that’s a landslide Bill. Clearly, Williams is a far superior point guard to Paul. No question.

And just for you, Williams put in 11 points and 15 assists in 28 minutes of game time Wednesday. Jazz fans will be glad to accept your apology in the near future when we are playing for the Larry O’Brien trophy. I’ll even buy you a watered-down beer at one of the ball games. Keep up the good writing and witty self-banter, but please stay away from statistical manipulation and small sample sizes.

Clark S.

Durham, North Carolina

Memphis Grizzlies @ Utah Jazz - Game Thread

2008-11-27T00:03:59Z

Right now, having Williams back is all that matters. It will take him a while to get up to full speed. I still don't think we see him attack the rim like he normally does, but he should be better than his last outings when he was pushing it.

His first game at home will get him a huge ovation when he's introduced. And should he be able to explode for a dunk, the crowd may blow the roof off.

Every Jazz fan has been (in)patiently waiting for his return. With Deron back, we'll be able to better gauge just how well this Jazz team will be.

Of course, that will have to wait a little longer no too. Boozer is likely out. Korver is a game-time decision. If we could get a regular rotation, it would be a miracle.

But the bench players have filled in admirably. Granted, there have been a couple of frustrating losses that we might not have had had everyone been healthy. But to be where we are in the standings while having at least 3 regulars out per game, we're okay. It might sting in the end of the season though if we lose a seeding by one or two games.

And so much for Jarron Collins' expiring contract this season. He'll be out at least 4-6 weeks and a lot more than that if he has surgery due to his elbow injury. He may be out past the trading deadline. And even if he's back before then, who's going to take his $2MM expiring deal? It could happen for someone trying to get even more cap space and doesn't care if he plays or not.

So on to tonight's game. Memphis is in town after getting beat at their place just last week. The Jazz should win this handily. We're getting some semblance of our team back. Let's hope that this thing gets decided by the third quarter so that we can rest Deron a bit.

And I failed pretty miserably for Dial the Dunk. So I'll be adding a reminder to every game thread with the number. I'll have a contest in the next game or two (one that will get more readers) for leaving a message. Here it the info,

Other blogs,

Andrei Kirilenko in Sports Illustrated today

2008-11-26T05:36:21Z

Sports Illustrated has an article on Andrei Kirilenko that will run tomorrow today both in print and online. Once I have the link, I'll get it up. in the meantime, here are some excerpts,

UPDATE: Here's the link to the full article

On his relationship with Sloan,

"It's not that I don't like Jerry," says Andrei. "He's a good person. He's just from an older generation that treats players like kids. Let's say your boss comes to you and says, 'Hey, son. Come here'. And you look at him like, What did you call me? It doesn't hurt your feelings, but it doesn't feel comfortable."

On his breakdown in the 2007 playoffs,

Rock bottom came during the first round of the playoffs. After sitting on the bench for the final 17 minutes of Utah's Game 1 loss to the Rockets, Kirilenko began sobbing as he talked to the press at practice the next day. "I have no confidence," he told reporters. "None." A horrified Masha could barely watch. The following morning she flew to Houston and found her husband alone in his hotel room, inconsolable. "The thing that you have to realize about Andrei," says Masha, "is that he is impossible to get upset. I can't do it. So when I saw him like that, I knew something was seriously wrong."

And you can tell who wears the pants,

Relaxing at the Kirilenkos' spacious, modern Salt Lake City home, Masha's eyes grow wide when told that Sloan didn't care whether his players liked him.

"Does he care whether their wives like him?" she says.

Andrei turns and mutters something to her in Russian.

"He doesn't like me to talk about that," says Masha.

A lot of it we've already heard and some of it we've heard over and over again. But there's good stuff in there. My favorite part is the last paragraph,

For now, life is a sweet dream. Really. Sure, he's a little more jaded-"It's hard to totally forget all the stuff that happened," he says-but he's usually wearing the grin that Masha fell in love with nine years ago. "I've seen Andrei happier two times," says Masha. "When he made the All-Star team and on our honeymoon. He just wants to help his team. That's the only thing that matters to him."

I'd like to ask him why his honeymoon was one of his favorite times.

Utah Jazz players Kyle Korver, left, Deron Williams and C.J. Miles, not shown, serve Thanksgiving...

2008-11-26T11:59:49Z

Utah Jazz players Kyle Korver, left, Deron Williams and C.J. Miles, not shown, serve Thanksgiving meals to the homeless on Tuesday at EnergySolutions Arena. The Deron Williams Point of Hope Foundation donated 1,500 meals. Over 3,000 were served

Recap - Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz - L 101-100 - Larry F'in Hughes

2008-11-25T18:10:05Z

"Just one of those games where the Jazz got outscored."

--Ron Boone

No wiser words could be spoken.

Derrick Rose poured a lot of salt in the wounds of Jazz fans when he helped deliver the only home-court loss for Utah with his 25 points and 10 assists. He was the hero of the game, not Larry Hughes. If we were going to lose on a last-second shot, it should have been Derrick's last attempt, not Hughes'. Rose's shot clanged off the back of the iron and should have been secured by a Jazzman for the win. Instead, it shot straight to Larry who took a driible to his left, raised for the long two with CJ Miles in his face, and drained it at the buzzer. And that was pretty much how most of the night went.

The Jazz played consecutive teams that had barely been shooting abouve 40% on the year only to see them shoot above 50%. There were some open looks for the Bulls, but a lot of them were tough shots that fell. And having Hughes, someone who must practice those awkward, fall-away, 21-foot two-point shots each day, make the game winner, it kills you. Had Rose made his shot, not only would the Jazz have had time left to get a shot off, but I could have at least lived with it. He was hot all night. This would have been akin to Jordan missing his shot in the 1998 Finals and having Scott Burrell (I know he wasn't on the court at the time. Work with me.) scoop up the ball and chuck it in. Instead of a dagger to the heart, this was more like a dull butter knife twisted slowy and erratically through your gut.

So the crappy loss nullified the amazing highlight dunks and big-time blocks from the Jazz. None of those even matter. I was going to record some, but couldn't stomach it (sorry UF89). But Ronnie B's dunk did get the dunk of the night,

But he only gets #6 on the Top Ten (with 4 dunks ahead of him?) And don't watch #1.

Still down a few hundred men, only the Jazz starters scored in double figures. AK didn't have a good offensive night, going for only 4 points and 4 turnovers. He did dish out 8 assists. Here's the rest of the Jazz stats,

UTAH JAZZ
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
C.J. Miles, SF	31	6-8	0-2	0-0	0	2	2	4	1	0	1	1	12
Paul Millsap, PF	35	8-12	0-0	5-8	4	6	10	2	2	1	2	6	21
Mehmet Okur, C	40	11-18	1-4	3-3	3	6	9	2	2	0	1	3	26
Ronnie Brewer, SG	40	8-19	1-4	1-2	2	1	3	3	3	0	3	2	18
Ronnie Price, PG	34	5-10	1-3	0-0	0	4	4	8	3	0	3	3	11

We'll have the second coming of Deron Williams Wednesday night against the Grizzlies. He stated on the telecast that he should be good to go provided he doesn't have any setbacks. I haven't heard/read anything yet, but I imagine we could have Boozer and Korver back as well.

Now that the second pre-season has ended, we can finally get things going again.

Other blogs,

NBA Bloggers Power Rankings - Week 5

2008-11-25T03:47:42Z

These are late as was the game thread. I was traveling most of the day and was sans internet. Well, that's not entirely true, but I didn't feel like typing out everything on my little cell phone. This week Bright Side of the Sun hosts the Power Rankings (if you haven't read them already). Here's mine,

Rank	Comments	Nov 24th
1	They could easily go 14-1 over their next 15 leading up to their games with the Hornets and Celtics.	Lakers
2	The only ones to stop the devil listed above?	Celtics
3	LeBronx James	Cavaliers
4	Will everyone finally be healthy this Wednesday?	Jazz
5	T-Mac is shooting 41% from the field and nearly that from behind the arc. Congrats Houston, you're paying $20MM for a three-point specialist. And there are 42 players that have a better 3-pt shooting %. I'll take AK's $15MM any day.	Rockets
6	Howard gone in a sign and trade deal in 2010?	Magic
7	Garnett and his former team delivered back-to-back beat downs.	Pistons
8	Nash throwing oops to LeBron in BY in 2010?	Suns
9	Lots of youth that hasn't quite bonded.	Blazers
10	Boy rough week. You had to play the Kings AND two games against the Thunder?	Hornets
11	Won @ SA, something the Jazz still can't do.	Nuggets
12	Ice Age 3, The Cool Down continues.	Hawks
13	Four wins in a row this week? Were they getting some insider information?	Mavericks
14	Here come the Spurs still minus their two stars.	Spurs
15	The Knicks are beating you! The Knicks are beating you!	76ers
16	Bandwagon update, no change.	Heat
17	Get out of the East if you can't take the Heat.	Raptors
18	If Derek Fisher gets booed at the ESA, what do you think will happen to you Derrick Rose?	Bulls
19	I can't believe I'm siding with Marbury. "Listen Stephon, I know I couldn't care less about you other than your expiring contract. But we forgot you have to have 8 players. Mind suiting up for us?"	Knicks
20	What's wrong with Vince? Why isn't he in full-fledged tank mode?	Nets
21	Please trade Bogut to a franchise that will appreciate him.	Bucks
22	Memphis is going to be at least one shade of blue for a long time.	Grizzlies
23	Impressive win, close losses.	Pacers
24	I	Warriors
25	vote	Kings
26	we	Wizards
27	stop	Timberwolves
28	at	Bobcats
29	#	Clippers
30	20	Thunder

Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz - Game Thread - Public Enemy #1

2008-11-25T01:56:19Z

via assets.espn.go.com

I'll be very disappointed if Derrick Rose is booed any less that Derek Fisher was when he returned to the ESA.

The Jazz have been very fortunate though while Deron has been out. They've had a relatively easy schedule that has enabled them to go 9-5 on the season. Would it have been better with an healthy D-Will and team? Probably. I'd put as at about 11-3 or 12-2 right now.

But as it stands, we're second in the Western Conference. We're about to get Deron back. And most of the other walking injured should be back then to start a run.

But first things first, taking care of the Bulls. I remember in the 90's when Jazz home games against Chicago had a huge following of Bulls fans. There's still some, but not nearly what there used to be. Bandwagoners are like that.

The usual suspects are out again, Williams, Boozer, Korver, and Collins. Regardless, we should be able to contain them at home. And if Memo keeps up his hot shooting, it's lights out.

Utah Jazz @ Memphis Grizzlies

2008-11-23T00:00:06Z

I don't expect too many people to watch this game tonight. There's a Coldplay concert going on in SLC and of course the Utah/BYU game will be dominating the airwaves (only if you have the mtn.).

I will be doing none of the above. I will be watching Twilight and will likely miss everything else.

So enjoy. Maybe we'll get some spillover from the football game with gloaters/losers.

Poll

Utes or Cougars?

Elie Sechback interviews the Jazz.

2008-11-22T14:26:05Z

Elie Sechback interviews the Jazz.

can anyone get their hands on this and scan? more on the issue

2008-11-22T12:37:33Z

can anyone get their hands on this and scan?

Recap - Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs - L 119-94 - See you next year

2008-11-22T06:04:38Z

Well, that was competitive for about 10 minutes.

The Jazz started out strong, leading 20-11 at one point in the first quarter.

The the Spurs decided that they were going to turn around a season-long offensive slump. After struggling to break 90 points for most games, they exploded for 119 points with 45 of those points coming from behind the three-point line.

From the end of the first quarter to the end of the third, the Spurs could not miss. Roger Mason, George Hill, and Michael Freakin' Finley lit up the Jazz from the outside for 66 points. Mason had 7 of the 15 three point field goals.

In that same time frame, the Jazz weren't shooting poorly. They were near the 53% mark. But SA shot 60% through the third quarter and effectively ended the game when they outscored the Jazz by 16 to push their lead to 24.

The Jazz matched the Spurs in free throws (20), steals (8), and rebounds (36). But a few more turnovers by the Jazz and a few more offensive rebounds by the Spurs gave them more shot attempts. And of course the 13 more three-pointers made didn't help any.

Ugh. This is worse than a loss. I just hate hearing about the Jazz not winning in SA. And I don't want anything to do with this team in the playoffs. And yes, they will make the playoffs. They'll need to be taken out by PHX. That's a long ways off though.

And most of all, I hate how Duncan can camp in the lane, go over the back, travel, and not get called for it. The one travel call he did get was when he shuffled his feet in the lane after he had been there for a 10 count. But when he drove across the lane and needed another step to pass the ball instead of shoot, that was no problem.

Of course, that's not what lost the game for the Jazz. It's just frustrating to watch. The Spurs shot well and deserved to win this one. But they have to stop getting breaks at home at least for one game eventually, right?

One thing I noticed that Popovich does is call a timeout when the Jazz started to get any kind of momentum going. Even when the Jazz had scored 6 straight to close the gap to 10 at one point, the bearded one called a timeout. He didn't let the Jazz get going at call. That seems to be the way to beat the Jazz. Doing anything to throw off their rhythm causes problems. And it's not just for momentum. If they're forced to take shots outside the offense, or make an extra dribble, or something along those lines, they seem to struggle. On the other side of the court, they don't seem to doing anything at times to disrupt the flow of the opponent's offense. They'll D up but still let them catch and shoot in rhythm.

We did have a few standouts...

Kosta continues to impress with 8 points on 4/7 shooting to go along with 7 boards.

C.J. Miles had another strong game with 16 points and 10 rebounds (that will make Sloan a little happy).

Memo started out hot, going 4-4 for 9 points. He cooled off afterward finishing 5/8 for 11.

AK had an off game. He didn't shoot well and had an airball on a three-point attempt.

Brewer shot the ball well, 7/13. It was good to see him getting a couple of layups/dunks in the offense. I'm glad to see his jump shot falling a little more, but he lives on the baseline.

The Jazz head up to Memphis for tomorrow night's game. This is another game that we should win despite not having Williams, Boozer, and whoever else gets held out. But because we're on the road, all bets are off.

And if you need something to do while waiting for the next opportunity to beat the Spurs in SA, you can walk this route of some NBA cities three times.

Box score via ESPN

UTAH JAZZ
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
C.J. Miles, SF	36	5-14	1-5	5-5	3	7	10	5	0	0	1	5	16
Kosta Koufos, C	23	4-7	0-0	0-0	1	6	7	1	0	1	1	2	8
Mehmet Okur, C	24	5-8	1-2	0-1	0	1	1	2	0	1	3	2	11
Ronnie Brewer, SG	37	7-13	0-1	3-5	1	3	4	4	2	1	3	0	17
Ronnie Price, PG	25	3-10	0-2	2-2	0	2	2	5	2	0	2	3	8
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Brevin Knight, PG	11	0-1	0-0	2-2	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	2
Matt Harpring, SF	9	2-3	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	1	4
Andrei Kirilenko, SF	19	1-5	0-2	7-10	1	1	2	1	2	1	0	0	9
Paul Millsap, PF	27	4-5	0-0	0-0	0	4	4	1	0	0	2	2	8
Morris Almond, SG	17	4-6	0-1	1-1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	9
Kyrylo Fesenko, C	12	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	5	5	0	0	2	1	3	2
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		36-73	2-13	20-26	7	29	36	20	8	6	15	21	94
		49.3%	15.4%	76.9%	Team TO (pts off): 15 (14)

SAN ANTONIO SPURS
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Bruce Bowen, SF	27	1-1	1-1	0-0	0	1	1	4	1	0	1	1	3
Tim Duncan, PF	27	6-10	0-0	6-6	5	2	7	4	1	0	3	0	18
Fabricio Oberto, C	23	0-1	0-0	0-0	3	2	5	3	0	0	1	2	0
Roger Mason, SG	30	10-17	7-10	2-2	0	4	4	2	0	0	3	0	29
Michael Finley, SG	27	6-10	1-2	1-2	1	2	3	1	0	0	0	2	14
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
Kurt Thomas, C	9	1-4	0-0	0-0	1	5	6	2	1	0	0	1	2
Jacque Vaughn, PG	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Matt Bonner, PF	18	5-8	2-3	0-0	1	3	4	2	0	0	1	3	12
Ime Udoka, SG	29	3-9	0-2	4-5	0	5	5	1	0	0	1	3	10
Blake Ahearn, PG	8	1-3	1-2	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3
Anthony Tolliver, C	19	2-5	1-3	0-0	1	0	1	0	2	0	0	3	5
George Hill, PG	23	7-13	2-2	7-10	0	0	0	4	3	0	1	4	23
TOTALS		FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
		42-81	15-25	20-25	12	24	36	23	8	0	11	21	119
		51.9%	60.0%	80.0%	Team TO (pts off): 11 (16)

Poll

Utes or Cougars?

Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs - Game Thread - Party like it's 1999

2008-11-21T22:48:12Z

STARTING LINEUP

I may have used that title on my old site last year. I'm too lazy to look it up though. So if I did, I apologize. If I didn't, I still apologize because it's kind of cliche.

Anyway, as you already know, the 1999 strike-shortened season was the last time the Jazz beat SA @ SA. Take a look at the lineups. This was of course the year that the Spurs went on to win their first title in the Duncan era.

Some of the things that have happened since the last time the Jazz won at SA,

Two George Bush terms (maybe the former Texas governor has had something to do with it?)
C.J. Miles celebrated his 11th birthday.
The Salt Lake Tornado
Y2K
Sloan has 400+ wins
And almost anything else that you can think of.

And if we're going to end it tonight, it's going to be without Boozer, Williams, Korver, and Collins.

SA will be without Parker & Manu.

I don't care who's playing though provided we finally win there. I'm tired of hearing about it and tired of being B slapped around down there. This could be the time it gets done with the Spurs looking like they've finally aged. And we have enough guys playing now that are so naive to the situation, maybe it won't play on their minds.

The biggest question is going to be who will be the consistent scorer tonight? Without Boozer's automatic 20+, we'll be looking to Miles, AK, Millsap, and Ronnie B to pick up the slack. They'll all have to be on their games tonight.

The Spurs finally look vulnerable and this is the only shot we'll get this year at beating them on their home court. Otherwise, it's another lame title next year.

Other blogs,

Greg Popovich's grandfather (and where he inherited his beard)?,

via farm4.static.flickr.com

T-Shirt update

2008-11-20T21:44:48Z

The t-shirt post got linked to from Ball Don't Lie which drove up the Lame votes. Notwithstanding, we got a lot of Yes Please! votes. So I sent off for a sample t-shirt of the 8>3.

I received the prototype t-shirt last night and I'm impressed. I'll have to fix the 3 on the shirt because it looks pixelated. But it looks great and isn't just a shirt with the heat transfer on it. The special ink actually gets sprayed on the shirt.

Once I have the new one up, I'll post the link for you to shop away. I'll work on some other designs with usernames as well and get those posted. And I'll be sure to have bumper stickers and the like.

Like I said in the original post, I won't be doing this to make money. I'll be giving it all to charity. I don't expect to make much really, so it might take a year before I have enough worthy to donate. But Deron's golf tourney is a little less than a year away. So maybe that's something to shoot for.

And unlike Congress, I'll keep everything transparent with some frequent updates and just how much of each t-shirt is profit, etc.

I'll get a picture up of the shirt later tonight.

Boozer update

2008-11-20T21:31:33Z

From KFAN,

1320 KFAN - MRI has confirmed that Boozer has suffered a strain of the left quad tendon. Is likely to be OUT for upcoming games vs Spurs and Memphis.

Sweet.