SLC Dunk - NBA 2013-2014 Regular Season: Utah Jazz Games (October and November)Our Team Is On The Floorhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/29190/slc-redunk-fv.jpg2013-11-30T21:42:03-07:00http://www.slcdunk.com/rss/stream/48124232013-11-30T21:42:03-07:002013-11-30T21:42:03-07:00Recap: Jazz 112 at Suns 104
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<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The defense looked much better to start the game tonight. Favors was aggressive on both ends of the floor and <span>Marvin Williams</span> continued his great play. Dragic is becoming a great point guard. He was already good, and has been for quite some time, however tonight at times he was out of control. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Jazz</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a> went back and forth making mini runs on each other throughout the first two quarters. The Suns lead by 6 or 7 early and Jazz came back and took the lead by as many as 8 and then the Suns came back late in the second quarter to take a halftime lead 53-49. The Jazz started the second half on a 14-6 run, but had no answer for Dragic. Ty made some adjustments and put Gordon/Jefferson on Dragic which kept him quiet until late in the game. Marvin Williams and <span>Trey Burke</span> hit some huge shots in the fourth quarter to keep the Jazz ahead going into the final three minutes (101-97). Jazz execution was solid enough down the stretch, and the Jazz got their third win of the season. Final score Utah 112 Suns 104. Offensively, this was the most complete game of the season.</p>
<p>Three Positives</p>
<p><b>The Marvin and Kanter </b>switch appears to have helped both players. Marvin's shooting is spreading the floor for the starters and Kanter is playing better off the bench than he was as a starter. Hopefully, they both will continue to grow in these roles.</p>
<p><b>3 Point shooting</b> was very good tonight. It kept us in the game early and keep the lead late.</p>
<p><b>Young guys and Marvin finishing the game</b>. My feeling is that experience, both bad and good, is helpful for our team. As fans we understand that we are not very good, However we should relish any chance we have to learn how to be a better team. Closing out games is an experience that these guys need to have together.</p>
<p>Two Negatives</p>
<p><b>Burke 's Size against Dragic</b></p>
<p>This is not really a negative, but Burke's height was one of the weaknesses that we heard about coming out of the combine. Dragic exploited this the last two games. Trey will have to learn how to play "bigger" on defense.</p>
<p><b>Pick and Roll Defense</b></p>
<p>We have to give credit where credit is due (Dragic) but at different points in the game we were lost on the PNR. I say lost because it seems like we are making PNR decisions on a case by case basis. The negative to this is that at times the two players are making different reads. This is making us looked confused.</p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/30/5161918/recap-jazz-112-at-suns-104Spencer Campbell2013-11-30T21:41:13-07:002013-11-30T21:41:13-07:00Home and Homes are Hard
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<figcaption>Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The defense looked much better to start the game tonight. Favors was aggressive on both ends of the floor and <span>Marvin Williams</span> continued his great play. Dragic is becoming a great point guard. He was already good, and has been for quite some time, however tonight at times he was out of control. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Jazz</a> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a> went back and forth making mini runs on each other throughout the first two quarters. The Suns lead by 6 or 7 early and Jazz came back and took the lead by as many as 8 and then the Suns came back late in the second quarter to take a halftime lead 53-49. The Jazz started the second half on a 14-6 run, but had no answer for Dragic. Ty made some adjustments and put Gordon/Jefferson on Dragic which kept him quiet until late in the game. Marvin Williams and <span>Trey Burke</span> hit some huge shots in the fourth quarter to keep the Jazz ahead going into the final three minutes (101-97). Jazz execution was solid enough down the stretch, and the Jazz got their third win of the season. Final score Utah 112 Suns 104. Offensively, this was the most complete game of the season.</p>
<p>Three Positives</p>
<p><b>The Marvin and Kanter </b>switch appears to have helped both players. Marvin's shooting is spreading the floor for the starters and Kanter is playing better off the bench than he was as a starter. Hopefully, they both will continue to grow in these roles.</p>
<p><b>3 Point shooting</b> was very good tonight. It kept us in the game early and keep the lead late.</p>
<p><b>Young guys and Marvin finishing the game</b>. My feeling is that experience, both bad and good, is helpful for our team. As fans we understand that we are not very good, However we should relish any chance we have to learn how to be a better team. Closing out games is an experience that these guys need to have together.</p>
<p>Two Negatives</p>
<p><b>Burke 's Size against Dragic</b></p>
<p>This is not really a negative, but Burke's height was one of the weaknesses that we heard about coming out of the combine. Dragic exploited this the last two games. Trey will have to learn how to play "bigger" on defense.</p>
<p><b>Pick and Roll Defense</b></p>
<p>We have to give credit where credit is due (Dragic) but at different points in the game we were lost on the PNR. I say lost because it seems like we are making PNR decisions on a case by case basis. The negative to this is that at times the two players are making different reads. This is making us looked confused.</p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/30/5161698/recap-jazz-112-at-suns-104Spencer Campbell2013-11-30T19:02:45-07:002013-11-30T19:02:45-07:00Jazz at Suns Game Thread
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<figcaption>Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Comment away while this part gets filled out!</p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/30/5161486/utah-jazz-at-phoenix-suns-game-threadmoni2013-11-30T17:40:12-07:002013-11-30T17:40:12-07:00Game 18 Preview: Jazz at Suns
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<img alt="RJeff goin' to work. That's what Jazz basketball is all about." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LJoCFtBeHOfmrx_P1_NOLlKuTWk=/530x229:3030x1896/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24245413/20131122_krj_aj6_037.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>RJeff goin' to work. That's what Jazz basketball is all about. | Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p> </p>
<table style="border-color: #532f74; border-width: 0px;" border="0"></table>
<table style="border-color: #532f74; border-width: 0px;" border="0"><tbody>
<tr>
<td>Start Time</td>
<td>9:00 Easter Time (7:00 Salt Lake City Time)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Location<span> </span>
</td>
<td>Phoenix</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Television<span> </span>
</td>
<td>Root Sports</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Radio</td>
<td>1280</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
<p> </p>
<p>Here we go again.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>I hope everyone enjoyed last night's game, because we get the same thing again tonight. Except it's on the road, where the Jazz usually lose by 20 instead of by 10.</p>
<p>And I start with a plea:</p>
<p>I don't know how many of the regular or Jazz owned media read this site, but please stop treating fans like we're stupid.</p>
<p>We can all see that Jeff Hornacek is doing a very good job coaching and that Ty Corbin is struggling. And we can all see that Hornacek is doing nothing the way Ty Corbin does:</p>
<p>Hornacek has specialist assistant coaches; Ty uses the everybody coaches everything philosophy. Hornacek's P&R game plan is completely different on both offense and defense. Ty and Sid keep talking about how the team just needs to get the shots to fall. Hornacek has talked all season long about how his players need to take the right kind of shots. Ty tries to help the players score well by simplifying things as much as possible. Hornacek gets his players to score effectively by making the offense dynamic and complex. Ty relies on iso's by the top scorer to open up easier scoring opportunities for everybody else (Al the past two years, Hayward this year). Hornacek preaches an abandonment of iso's to help everyone get easier scores. Hornacek embraces analytics and what they say about effective play. Ty Corbin openly derides "numbers games."</p>
<p>Seriously, their approaches are nothing alike. Hornacek doesn't do anything the way Ty Corbin does.</p>
<p>So stop with the "Hornacek learned so much from Ty, and you can see that in his success this year." It's 100% baloney, AND WE ALL KNOW IT!</p>
<p>The more you spew this fake praise for <span>Tyrone Corbin</span>, the more the fans want to rebel. The more you say "nobody could do any better with this roster" the more we want to set ourselves on fire ... because we can see how different coaches with different approaches get very different results ... even with players who have the same expectations based on previous years' performance.</p>
<p>Here's what you can say: "Jeff's doing a terrific job in Phoenix. He's got his players believing in his plan, and it's working for them. Since he's a member of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Utah Jazz</a> family, we're all happy to see him succeeding."</p>
<p>Now about Ty: "Obviously the team's struggling right now. The game plan Ty and his staff are implementing hasn't worked very well so far. I look forward to seeing what adjustments they make to help the team get better."</p>
<p>That's it. You don't have to throw anyone under the bus. You don't have to bash the coaches. Just be honest.</p>
<p>Okay. Rant over. Back to today's game.</p>
<h3>What's Going On With the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/">Suns</a>?</h3>
<p>Phoenix is, as of right now, in 8th place in the West. This, of course, would be 3rd place in the East. In fact, this seems like a great time to bring up another point.</p>
<p>To all GM's in the NBA: If you are considering a roster move, and it is similar to what an Eastern Conference team would do ... don't do it.</p>
<p>There. Back to tonight's game again.</p>
<p>Phoenix has won four of their past five games. <span>Eric Bledsoe</span> returned from injury, and based on last night's performance looks perfectly fine. That's bad news for the Jazz, because Bledsoe has been fantastic this year. And Goran Dragic ate the Jazz PG's alive last night.</p>
<p>The Suns basically have a lot going for them, and it will be tough for the Jazz to beat them on the road.</p>
<h3>What's Going On With the Jazz?</h3>
<p>Everybody's healthy (well ... almost. Kanter has a sprained ankle, but he's still playing). Which brings up one of the most hilarious conundrums you'll ever hear: <b><i>How will the coach find time to play everyone who deserves playing time on a 2-15 team?</i></b></p>
<p>I guess this is really a thing.</p>
<p>Once upon a time, <span>Gregg Popovich</span> was asked about why he continued to play <span>Manu Ginobili</span> despite a poor shooting first half. Pop's response: "He's Manu Ginobili."</p>
<p>Well, we have a trio of potential Tyisms that could parallel this, if only our media would ask the right questions:</p>
<p>Ty: He's Richard Jefferson.</p>
<p>Ty: He's John Lucas, <b><i>the THIRD</i></b></p>
<p>Ty: He's Andris Freaking Biedrins!</p>
<p>Oh well, that's the world we Jazz fans live in.</p>
<p>On to better things: Favors has been playing really well lately. Burke is looking more and more comfortable. <span>Jeremy Evans</span> is shocking everybody by playing exactly as effective as he has the past two years. Marv is shocking everyone by playing like a legitimately good player. I was excited when Marv came to the Jazz and was thoroughly disappointed in his performance last year. It's been fun to see him play so well.</p>
<p>And let's hope that some of the good things we saw last night turn out to be more than passing moments of accidental positives: like Burks driving to the hoop, like the offense looking like one designed to, you know, put the orange ball through that hoop.</p>
<p>And let's also hope the team accidentally plays good defense tonight. Actually, I think this needs to be a recurring prayer to the Basketball Gods:</p>
<p>Please, let our guys accidentally defend well tonight. Amen.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p><i>P.S. Still, the most recent photos available for me to post are from the Dallas game more than a week ago. I will keep everyone updated as to when the NBA sees fit to send another photographer to a Jazz game.</i></p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/30/5161140/game-preview-utah-jazz-at-phoenix-sunsYucca Man2013-11-29T22:56:40-07:002013-11-29T22:56:40-07:00Jazz gnaw on carpet ... lose by less than 15!
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<img alt="I'm gonna say it: Trey looks better with a haircut." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FesQtpZsNyz19efE7g2KANzycxo=/0x383:2781x2237/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24205143/20131126_krj_aj6_339.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>I'm gonna say it: Trey looks better with a haircut. | Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>True story: the most recent photos available to us were from the Dallas game a week ago. I guess nobody wants to photograph our team these days.</p> <p>I may be the only one in the world, but I actually enjoyed tonight's game.</p>
<p>I watched it with my kids, and we had virtually no access to the Game Thread or Twitter. So we just hung out together and watched the gam.</p>
<p>It wasn't great, of course. The <a href="https://www.slcdunk.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jazz</a> lost. The final score was, again, deceivingly close. The players got outplayed. The coaches got outcoached.</p>
<p>I guess it was nice to see at least something work decently: the offense.</p>
<p>They shot 48% overall, 80% on FT's and scored over 100 points. That's something to enjoy with this team. I enjoyed how Trey played PG, both his scoring and his passing. I thought Hayward played well. Personally, I don't consider 4-10 a bad shooting night. That's one shot away from 50%, and I consider one shot from 50% within the acceptable range for a decently efficient scorer. And his passing was nice.</p>
<p>I thought Favors' scoring was terrific in his 25 minutes ... would have been nice if foul trouble hadn't kept him on the bench so much (#eyeroll).</p>
<p>Marvin continues to make me wonder what the hell was going on with him last year. Another nice performance from him. <span>Jeremy Evans</span> did Jeremy Evans things. I really liked how well Burks was able to penetrate and get inside. Now ... what he <i style="font-weight: bold;">did </i>once inside was ... um ... interesting. But hey: baby steps here. Rush got to play. Biedrins got to play (#ohwait).</p>
<p>Anyway, there was stuff to enjoy.</p>
<p>The defense? Abysmal, of course. I can't believe how horrifically confused the players look. One play really perfectly highlighted, to me, the problems. There was a high P&R and Burks ended up switched on to Dragic. Dragic tried to drive in. Burks was there. And then in came <span>Brandon Rush</span> from the corner to help. WHY?!?!?!?!? Burks had it handled. If Dragic put up a shot there, it would have been highly contested. The passing angle was already cut off. Why the freak did Rush feel compelled to help off the corner, leaving his guy wide open (nobody within 20 feet of him) for a three ... that was suddenly an easy pass for Dragic to make ... <i style="font-weight: bold;">ONLY BECAUSE RUSH LEFT HIS GUY. </i>There was no pass to him even available had the help not come. But "help" did come, leaving yet another wide open three to drain.</p>
<p>That's what I see all over. Help when help isn't needed. No help when help would be useful. Defensive rotations that contest bad shots and leave good shots wide open. It blows my mind. Are there any guiding principles to what the team is doing defensively? If so, they sure aren't manifest during the games.</p>
<p>Another thing that I don't get:</p>
<p>Biedrins checks in with 4:09 left in the game. What? The Jazz weren't making a run, but the game wasn't iced yet. Phoenix still had its starters in because they knew that a collapse was still possible. In fact, the Jazz had just stopped the <a href="https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Suns</a> on three straight possessions. The Suns had only scored via FT's for the past three minutes.The Jazz needed a little bit more offense. And Favors, as we know, had played fairly well on the offensive side this game.</p>
<p>So in comes Biedrins.</p>
<p>Seriously, you're not even going to try to win the game anymore, Coach Corbin? Throw in the towel, wave the white flag, even though the opposing coach doesn't yet feel that the win is guaranteed?</p>
<p>I don't know. Every time I feel like I have a handle on our team's coach, he finds a new way to be inexplicable.</p>
<h3>Three things that went well</h3>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><span>The offense. Again, it actually looked like a genuine NBA offense. There were cuts and stuff, drives to the paint, drawing double-teams and passing to a guy now open. That was nice to see.</span></li>
<li><span><span>Marvin Williams</span>. I don't know what it means for the team to see him play so well. Will he be in the team's future? Is he going to be a main building block? Is he just trade fodder? I honestly have no idea. But it is really nice to see him scoring so smoothly, so effectively, and just looking good out there. He's a great guy, and I'm happy to see him play well.</span></li>
<li><span><span>Derrick Favors</span>' offensive game. He's putting it together so much better right now. I haven't written his progress report yet, but keep this in mind: he's the one guy who's clearly showing progress thus far this year. It continued tonight. His moves to the hoop were strong, smart, and well-done.</span></li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<h3>Three things that weren't so awesome</h3>
<p> </p>
<ol>
<li><span>Kanter's having a hard time. He is still doing some things well, but there are a lot of mistakes and he just looks <i style="font-weight: bold;">off</i> when I watch him play.</span></li>
<li> <span>JL3 was the first off the bench and played 17 minutes. No second half minutes, which is a relief, but he played more first half minutes than <b><i>ANY OTHER PLAYER ON THE TEAM! WILL THIS EVER MAKE SENSE!?!? </i></b></span><span>At least he made a couple of shots. But cannot for the life of me figure out why he's playing. He doesn't even see wide open teammates on the P&R. I mean, isn't that Point Guard 101? </span><i style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 9px; font-weight: bold;">The Pick and Roll is an offensive move intended to draw a double team to the point guard and thus opening up a wide open look to the basket by the screen setter.</i><span> Isn't that the first bullet in the syllabus? I can't figure it out.</span> </li>
<li><span>The defense. They were just eaten alive by an efficient, well-executed offense. And it is particularly galling that this well-executing offense is made up of players almost universally scorned as ineffective scorers just a year ago. That hurts.</span></li>
</ol>
<p> </p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>Well, we get to do the same thing tomorrow night ... only in Phoenix. Our poor guys will probably be rather outmatched, but I hope we can at least see a few good things tomorrow too. I hope I can enjoy the game at least as much as I did tonight.</p>
<p>That said, if I were a betting man, I'd only wager on one more win before Christmas.</p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/29/5159296/game-17-recap-suns-112-jazz-101Yucca Man2013-11-29T14:02:04-07:002013-11-29T14:02:04-07:00Game 17 Preview: Phoenix Suns at Utah Jazz
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<img alt="I'd love more Trey fist-pumps. It would mean that good things were actually happening." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Tbvc2m6RZLrEJO6Cq5DnTJf040Q=/0x190:2520x1870/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24177675/20131126_krj_aj6_351.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>I'd love more Trey fist-pumps. It would mean that good things were actually happening. | Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>We all know there's going to be a lot of grumpiness surrounding this game. There are a few facts that make this guaranteed:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Most fans I encounter do not think Ty Corbin is a very good coach. </span></li>
<li><span>Jeff Hornacek is doing a very good job with the Suns (a team I expected to be worse than the Jazz)</span></li>
<li><span>Jeff Hornacek used to be our assistant coach ... he was our guy</span></li>
<li><span>By holding on to Ty Corbin one additional year, we lost Hornacek to the Suns</span></li>
</ul>
<p>There's no way to sugarcoat the frustration that's going to be coming out tonight. There's no way to pretend it's not on everybody's mind. There's just so much contrast:</p>
<ul>
<li><span>Phoenix recently had a four-game losing streak, losing three games by six points total :: The Jazz recently had a six-game losing streak, losing by 74 points combined (and let's be honest ... they weren't even that close).</span></li>
<li><span>Phoenix recently lost its leading scorer and best player, Eric Bledsoe. They have won three straight despite it :: The Jazz have been losing terribly with role players injured.</span></li>
<li><span>Hornacek went into the pre-season preaching offensive efficiency (eliminating the long-2's) and sound defensive play. The team has responded with top-10 offenses and defenses thus far.</span></li>
<li><span>The Jazz went into pre-season emphasizing defense and player development. Until the Jazz ran into the Bulls (who lost their star) the team was ranked 30th in defensive efficiency. And player development has been spotty at best.</span></li>
<li><span>The Suns have won 3 road games thus far (out of 8 games). The Jazz have won 2 games total thus far.</span></li>
</ul>
<p>I'll be honest ... Phoenix is where I thought the Jazz could be right now. The Jazz are where I expected the Suns to be right now. I don't mean this in terms of W/L record (Phoenix has had an easier schedule, Jazz early schedule has been brutal), but in terms of overall quality, in terms progress of young players, in terms of feeling that the team was better than many expected.</p>
<p>And now we get a back-to-back home and home with them.</p>
<h3>What's going on with the Suns</h3>
<p>They have won three of four, losing only on the road to the Heat. They ended Portland's 11-game winning streak on Wednesday. Eric Bledsoe has missed 5 games due to a bruised shin (running into a teammate), and it hasn't been improving. So he's likely out.</p>
<p>But here's some really interesting stuff from <a href="http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2013/11/29/5156862/phoenix-suns-are-hoisting-threes-at-historic-rates-taking-what-the">Bright Side of the Sun</a></p>
<p>The Suns are taking efficient shots. Here's a nice table:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Let's compare the Suns' 2012-13 shot distribution to this season:</p>
<p><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; image-rendering: optimizequality; color: #4f2582; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank" href="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/assets/3650513/Screen_Shot_2013-11-29_at_7.16.32_AM.png"><img style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; image-rendering: optimizequality; max-width: 100%;" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3650513/Screen_Shot_2013-11-29_at_7.16.32_AM_medium.png" class="photo" alt="Screen_shot_2013-11-29_at_7"></a> <br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;" id="1385734626846"></p>
<p>As you can see, last year the Suns shot fewer three-pointers (league-average 1.05 points per attempt) than long two-pointers (league average 0.7 points per attempt). Not coincidentally, the Suns had the 29th-ranked offense out of 30 teams in the entire league.</p>
<p>Conversely, this season you can see a mighty shift. This season, the Suns are shooting more than twice as many high-value three-pointers as long two-pointers. As a result, with many of the same shooters as last season (the Morrii, Dragic and Tucker anyway), the Suns are now 10th in offensive efficiency after 15 games.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The Suns have a good plan on offense, and they are carrying it through.</p>
<p>Again, from <a href="http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2013/11/25/5140296/phoenix-suns-offseason-talk-has-come-true-with-new-team-sooner-than">Bright Side</a>, here's what Hornacek explained he wanted to do with the team:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>"When you look at the good teams," Hornacek said over the summer, exclusively to Bright Side. "They either have the shot or they're creating something for somebody else. Consequently, they'll get more open looks which will help their percentages. I think that every guy that you saw on this team last year can have a better shooting percentage in the coming year" ...</p>
<p>"When we look at things now with analytics, you see that the effective field goal percentages are 51%," Hornacek said in an exclusive interview with Bright Side over the summer, in preparation for the season. "That's why a bunch of these teams are shooting a ton of threes because they get more value for their shot."</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm sorry, but I read this and want to weep. And it's not the analytics or shot selection that kills me most. It's this: "they either have the shot or they're creating something for somebody else. Consequently, they'll get more open looks." He gets how to help players work together to get good shots.</p>
<p>We're not talking about a team with LeBron James. We're talking about Eric "I couldn't shoot straight in LA" Bledsoe. Miles freaking Plumlee. The Morris Twins. Gerald "six different teams have already given up on me" Green.</p>
<p>Seriously, every bad habit we see in Alec Burks was manifest 10x stronger in Gerald Green ... and he's suddenly an effective player.</p>
<p><b><i>I cannot believe we let Jeff Hornacek go. I cannot fathom how differently the Jazz would be playing right now if they him coaching ... with his combination of understanding of how to win and ability to get ordinary NBA talent to carry the plan out.</i></b></p>
<h3>What's going on with the Jazz</h3>
<p>They recently won won the worst game of the entire NBA season thus far ... a game so ugly that several national voices (including Grantland's Zach Lowe and CBS Sport's Matt Moore) pleaded with all basketball fans, including Jazz and Bulls fans, to turn it off and save your souls.</p>
<p>Gordon Hayward got hurt seven games ago, and hasn't been the same since. Burks is a mess. Kanter was replaced in the starting lineup by a SF who has been one of the more notorious mistakes of the past 10 drafts. Favors keeps fouling. JL3 keeps playing. The front office keeps telling us that it's not fair to expect Ty Corbin to have gotten the team to perform better (way to throw the players under the bus to support the coach!).</p>
<p>Ugh.</p>
<p>In better news: Jeremy Evans has been playing well. Kanter hopes to play tonight. Brandon Rush may play tonight. Trey has been fully healthy.</p>
<p>While the Suns have a coach willing to discuss, with a "fan blog", some of the strategies he's trying to implement on offense, our coach can't even answer a national reporter's question about the Jazz's P&R defense.</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>I'm ranting and dying inside. I didn't mean this preview to turn out like this, but I can't stop.</p>
<p>I pulled this up from Grantland two years ago. Sebastian Pruiti is praising Kanter's brilliant P&R defense:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>According to Synergy Sports, when Kanter shows against pick-and-roll ball handlers, teams score just 0.622 points per possession. That puts him in the top 15 percent of pick-and-roll defenders ... and Kanter's sample size is significant — 45.6 percent of his defensive possessions include him showing against ball screens.</p>
<p>Kanter doesn't show hard against pick-and-roll plays, which is very smart because Kanter isn't that quick. Instead, the Jazz let Kanter play a zone of sorts when he shows. He tends to fall back and stay in front of the ball handler. By doing so, he has been effective at stopping dribble penetration. Kanter either forces the ball handler to pick up his dribble or he uses his size to stay in front and bother the driving player's pass attempts.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Watch the video:</p>
<p><iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/skoFJvbtX4w" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe> <br id="1385753193011"></p>
<p>If you notice, this is completely different than what Favors and Kanter are asked to do this year. Completely different. Kanter came into the NBA as a raw rookie with a good understanding of how to defend the P&R well. And after two years, he doesn't do it anymore. Is this more likely that Kanter, on his own, decided to change what he does? Or is it more likely that the coaches have requested he play differently and is trying to do what the coaches ask?</p>
<p>* * *</p>
<p>I'm sorry for the ranting. But the more I researched into what's going on with the Suns, the more frustrated I got with the Jazz.</p>
<p>What a disaster.</p>
<p>I do think the Jazz have a chance at winning tonight. The Suns, for all the success and praise, are still a just over .500 team. They are still missing their best player. And the Jazz have, no doubt, really worked the past couple days and focused every thought on winning tonight.</p>
<p>But that doesn't change that one team is over-achieving. And it doesn't change that the other team has been a mess.</p>
<p>Nor does it change that the over-achieving is directly related to the coach's decisions. Nor does it change that it's terribly unfair for anyone to suggest that Ty Corbin could have done a better job thus far.</p>
https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/29/5157628/game-17-preview-phoenix-suns-at-utah-jazzYucca Man2013-11-25T18:00:45-07:002013-11-25T18:00:45-07:00Game Thead #16: Chicago Bulls @ Utah Jazz
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GOB8r6gPzoeVOnYkd3T6EBiOrjQ=/0x267:4000x2934/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/23932785/20130208_ajl_ai4_280.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><strong>Game #16 -- November 25, 2013</strong><em>EnergySolutions </em>Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah -- 7 p.m. MT<strong>TV</strong>: NBA TV, ROOT Sports - <strong>Radio</strong>: 1280 AM / 97.5 FM</p> <h4>NBA 2013-2014 Regular Season, Game 16:</h4>
<h4> <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blogabull.com/">Chicago Bulls</a> (6-6) @<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.slcdunk.com/">Utah Jazz</a> (1-14)</h4>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph0"><u><a target="_blank" href="http://www.slcdunk.com/2013/10/30/5048382/Utah-Jazz-2013-2014-Games-October-November-Regular-Season">Game Stream</a></u> / <u><a href="http://www.blogabull.com/">Blog a Bull</a></u> (SBN) / <u><span>Bulls vs Jazz coverage</span></u></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph1"><em><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba-finals">NBA Finals</a> rematch!</em> <em>From 15 years ago!</em></p>
<p class="pgh-paragraph" id="paragraph2"><font color="white">.</font></p>
<p>Remember how this season the Chicago Bulls were going to kill it with <span>Derrick Rose</span> back? Remember how this season the Utah Jazz were supposed to lose a lot of games but be competitive? Well, the Bulls aren't killing it and Rose is hurt again. The Jazz are getting killed, but they're giving up the ghost very easily. So one out of four for the predictions isn't that great. What's not great is that the national TV audience on NBA TV is going to see these two teams are their worst tonight. The Bulls, in the middle of a ridiculous six game road trip, just lost their best player. The Jazz -- a team that has something fundamentally wrong with them -- are the league laughingstocks right now.</p>
<p>These two once-proud franchises are sadly going in the same direction right now -- and that's down.</p>
<p>Of course, the Bulls have a lot of experience playing without Derrick Rose over the last few seasons; so they will be able to get out of this tailspin in some fashion (they don't have a <span>Nate Robinson</span> this season). I think their answer is going to come on the defensive end as is their style. The Jazz ascent out of these murky depths appears much less certain and harder to correct.</p>
<p>At least Utah is getting healthier again. That's something.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"> <p><span>Enes Kanter</span> (right ankle sprain) is OUT for tonight’s game vs. Chicago. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CHIatUTA&src=hash">#CHIatUTA</a></p>— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) <a href="https://twitter.com/utahjazz/statuses/405127504270090240">November 26, 2013</a> </blockquote>
<p>We're not completely healthy . . . but hey . . . we're healthier.</p>
<p>Starting lineups:</p>
<ul> <li>Point Guard: Steve Kerr vs. John Stockton<br> </li> <li>Shooting Guard: Michael Jordan vs. Jeff Hornacek<br> </li> <li>Small Forward: <span>Scottie Pippen</span> vs. Bryon Russell<br> </li> <li>Power Forward: Dennis Rodman vs. Karl Malone<br> </li> <li>Center: Luc Longley vs. <span>Greg Ostertag</span> </li> </ul>
<p>No, I'm not over it.</p>
<p>I really don't know what type of teams we're going to see tonight. For the sake of the Bulls fans and Jazz fans I hope we see two teams trying hard during difficult periods. Both teams played last night and lost big. Both teams are having worse seasons than expected. But both teams can't win tonight -- so the team that wants it more is most likely the team that will emerge victorious.</p>
<p>If you can't get excited for a Jazz/Bulls game then you probably have gotten over systematic biases and disadvantages. I'm not over it yet, so I hope the Jazz destroy the Bulls tonight and break our losing streak to the Bulls (6 games), and break our losing streak this season (also 6 games).</p>
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<legend>Poll</legend>
<h5 class="poll-title">Who is going to win tonight?</h5>
<div id="poll_container_207411_939483812" class="poll_container">
<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">76%</div>
<div class="poll_option_result">
<h5>The Mighty Utah Jazz (1-14)</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">35</span> votes</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="poll_option clearfix">
<div class="poll_option_percentage" style="display:none">24%</div>
<div class="poll_option_result">
<h5>The Chicago Bulls (8-3)</h5>
<div class="poll_option_bar"><span class="vote_count">11</span> votes</div>
</div>
</div>
<p class="poll-total-votes"><strong>46</strong> votes
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</p>
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https://www.slcdunk.com/2013/11/25/5144074/chicago-bulls-6-6-utah-jazz-1-14-two-teams-sadly-going-in-the-sameAllThatAmar