Daily Dunks

Quotes from around the Jazz blogosphere:

Ross Siler:

There's usually a small crowd of fans waiting for autographs at the top of the EnergySolutions Arena ramp as the Jazz players drive home after every shootaround.

    We had an unbelievable scene Thursday morning. As I walked up the ramp to get back to my car, I saw a woman spit in the face of another woman . . . who happened to be holding a small child in her arms.

    Williams had just driven by and signed, and was able to help connect the dots pregame. It turns out the woman had left her child unattended along 100 South to run back for Williams' autograph.

    So the other woman went to collect the child, then yelled at the mom for being so careless. After Williams had driven away, we had the spitting episode, followed by a screaming match. Williams missed that part, but he saw the lead-up.

There were all kinds of Kobe fans hanging out there when we walked by.  Notice I said Kobe fans, not Laker fans.

Living and Dying:

It was a dark, emotionally stormy night in the SLC. The raucous crowd was filled with despair and their hearts had plummeted into their stomachs as one of the most magnificent, spectacular [read it the way it sounds in my brain: spek-ta-koo-laar] 3rd quarter collapses in Utah Jazz history unfolded before their eyes like a car accident in slow motion. A 4-point halftime lead had turned into a 13-point Laker lead, and the Jazz were building a brick house.

And then former football player Matthew Joseph Harpring checked into the game. In six minutes spanning the end of the 3rd and start of the 4th, the Jazz’s only resident Mr. Nasty connected on five consecutive shots, including one dunk. (Contrary to popular belief, it was not his first dunk of the season. I definitely remember him having one earlier in the season (I just checked; CBS’ Dunk-o-Meter indeed has him having 1.) By the time he checked out, the Jazz had a 2-point lead. Yes people, Matty saved our butts.

Matthew Jospeh Harpring indeed.

True Blue Jazz:

Yeah, yeah... we get it. The Jazz got lucky that Kobe couldn't make a shot, and the rest of the Lakers were right with him. They got a huge performance from Booze, and only won by 2. The Jazz played horrible D when they should've put the game away, and let the Lakers get back. They just got lucky that a quartet that had Harpring & 'Sap as their "bigs" somehow made the comeback. The Jazz have no answer for Gasol & Odom. Blah blah blah... Believe me, we get all that.

Not lucky at all.  They came out and flat-out killed one of the best offensive teams in the league.  Save for the third quarter, the Jazz whooped up on the Lakers.

DesNews Blog:

When retired Jazz point guard John Stockton took a seat in the stands early in the second quarter of tonight's Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers, heads turned.

Fan shouts included, "We need you,'' "Suit up, John'' and "Get a jersey.''

There's no way that John Stockton couldn't give us 10-15 minutes a night right now.  He would play the last 3 minutes of the first, get a break, play the first 3-4 minutes of the second and not have to play again until the same sequence in the 3rd and 4th quarters.  

The Cowhide Globe:

Oh baby what a night for Carlos Boozer! Finally, the man played like a MAN! 23 points and 22 boards. Not to mention 2 clutch free throws when the rest of our Jazz men were really tight at the line. And the DUNK! Oh that left handed dunk that he so rarely throws down, but when he does, it is a sight to behold, especially when he does it in a crucial game 3 with the game tied at 84 with 17 seconds left on the clock. Good Grief!