Utah Jazz

[spongebobby]

the jazz are for real! they rallied again, this time from an 18-point halftime deficit.

[FF]

Jazz Amazing !

 

Despite shooting terribly from the outside ( 1-10 on threes ) and giving up a ton of turnovers ... the jazz rallied from 21 points down to beat Sac-town 110-101.

 

the jazz never gave up and wore down the determined kings late in the 4th quarter . Down by two at 98-99 with 1:45 to go in the game... memo swishes his only three pointer (shot 1-6 !) to put the jazz up by two. then a three point play on a dunk by boozer and another dunk by memo get the jazz up by seven to finally break the backs of the kings.

 

the jazz now stretch their win streak to seven and remain on top of the league at 11-1. ( TAKE THAT ... CHARLIE ROSEN !) :evil:

[FF]

http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6158860

 

it's a little dated (the jazz were 5-1 then), but smacks of how these "experts" think. they refuse to acknowledge that the jazz slipped by their expert eyes. at least steve kerr qualified his statements, that the jazz, barring injuries would make noise.

 

and make that a lot of noise indeed. .

 

yo dude ... something i picked up that would surely be of interest to the nba fans and jazz fanatics here at mtc ...

 

jazz gm kevin o'connor on dwill and coach sloan :

 

On second-year point guard Deron Williams:

 

"Sometimes Deron is going 100 mph when he shouldn't be and he makes mistakes, but if you look at his track record he's gotten it done every year. One of the things we try to look at is both ends of the floor. For example, John Stockton is the all-time leader in steals: He wasn't the quickest guy in the world or the biggest, but he had long arms and he played defense. If you look at the guys who have played against Deron: Steve Nash (17 points, 10 assists) had a good game but not a great game. Baron Davis was 1 for 9. Jason Kidd's numbers (15 points, 2 assists) weren't that great, and Chauncey (Billups) was 3 for 10.

 

"That's one of the things that people don't take notice of, but he's done a great job defensively.''

 

On Jerry Sloan's longevity:

 

"He's intense when he goes walking in the morning. The thing that's unbelievable about him is that he still really understands players. He may get on their ass, but he really can walk by you the next morning and that game's gone, and now it's all about how are we going to get better tomorrow? That's a unique ability, that he can let it go and play forward.''

[earl_dc]

Great performances from Boozer, Deron and Memo.

 

Hope AK comes back quickly but Millsap is filling in well.

[FF]

while on a seven game winning streak and leading the league at 11-1 ... the jazz CAN be beat.

 

while yours truly and the rest of the mtc jazz fanatics ( ilan be kami .. tatlo ? ) hope for an 81-1 season and the league championship ... we're wizened enough to know that opposing nba teams will eventually prepare and execute a game plan that will knock my beloved jazz back to reality.

 

so for the la fans , the spurs fans and the rest of those rooting against the jazz ... here's my skinny on how to beat utah ( all figures based on the latest nba stats on espn ) :

 

1) sink your freethrows .

because of the physical play of utah ... the jazz give up more free throws per game ( 35.5 FTAs) than any team in the nba. currently ... opponents are knocking in 73% of their fta's against the jazz ...racking up 26 ppg from the stripe ( again the most allowed by any team ).

 

how significant is this ? the jazz average 107.8 ppg while opponents average 100.3 ppg. do the math and factor in those nine free throws jazz opponents usually miss per game and you'll see how critical these can be. while it's admittedly impossible to shoot 100% from the stripe ... every made freebie brings precious points that can be critical in close games.

 

2) bomb away.

opposing teams have a field day against the poor perimeter defense of the jazz ... shooting almost 38 % from international waters and sinking almost seven triples a game. only two other teams allow a higher precentage from three point country.

 

3) drive the lane ...

with ak47 in the sideline ... there's no shotblocker for the jazz. okur plays decent position defense and millsap ( when he gets in the game ) has his moments but there's no real shot altering monster in the middle for the jazz.

 

4) box out

the jazz lead the league (45.8) in average rpg and also rank no. 1 in least number of rebounds allowed ( 34.1). deny the jazz the glass and you deny them additional fga's and fgm's .

 

5) sag ... pack the lane ... and dare the jazz to shot the three

the jerry sloan led jazz prefer to score their points inside the paint or close to it . out of the 30 nba teams , the jazz rank near dead last; averaging only four made triples a game at a .327 shooting percentage.

 

there you have it ... the key elements guaranteed to derail the jazz. good luck !

[spongebobby]

well said FF! what i notice though in this year's jazz is they have a bigger fighting heart. it the recent past if you're faced with a 16 or 21 point deficit in the fourth, it's lights out and the jazz just crumble. not this year, though. not since stockton's pirme have i seen this fighting heart. rallying from those huge deficits in the past three consecutive games was, until recently, out of character.

 

there are only two clubs that i'm a true fan of: the red sox and the jazz. and this is how i see the jazz right now: a bunch of unknowns, similar to the "idiots" of the 2004 red sox.

[FF]

well said FF! what i notice though in this year's jazz is they have a bigger fighting heart. it the recent past if you're faced with a 16 or 21 point deficit in the fourth, it's lights out and the jazz just crumble. not this year, though. not since stockton's pirme have i seen this fighting heart. rallying from those huge deficits in the past three consecutive games was, until recently, out of character.

 

there are only two clubs that i'm a true fan of: the red sox and the jazz. and this is how i see the jazz right now: a bunch of unknowns, similar to the "idiots" of the 2004 red sox.

 

thank you to a a true brother in blood ! i'm a red sox fanatic too ! though sometimes i sneak a peek at the celtics just to see how they're doing. ( sort of the way you check on a younger sibling who has fallen on hard times ).

 

counting you and me sponge bobby ... ilan ba tayong jazz fanatics dito ? other jazz fans sound off and be counted !

[spongebobby]

most definitely, brothers in arms we truly are!

 

there may be few jazz fans now, but when they get deep in the playoffs, there will be more.

[FF]

Jazz Unbelievable !

 

Utah rolled to its 8th straight win and went to 12-1 overall as they pounded the lakers 114-108.

 

Key stat of the game : the lakers got wiped off the glass 45-27 with the jazz posting 15 offensive boards.

 

Key play of the game : with the score tied at 107 and 1:15 remaining in the game , d will nails a three to put the jazz ahead to stay.

 

Key players : boozer (31 pts and 16 rebs ), kirilenko (5 blocks , 4 assists ), williams ( 15 pts and 10 assists ), okur (18 pts, 12 boards) .

[revi]

@FF:

 

Nice thoughts on how to defeat your team.. Greg Pop should have an assistant coach named Fellatio.Flores.. Kidding aside, those are very valid points.. The Jazz are physical inside coz they have Okur and Boozer (and Millsap), and this might post problems for those teams who have very poor FT percentages.. The do foul a lot.. and because they pound the inside, the perimeter defense suffers a little bit.. Then the opposing team should be able to shoot the rock outside.. And to add, Okur shoots a good percentage behind the arc and thus sometimes makes some of the tall players of the opposing teams follow him and leave the lane open for lay-ups and offensive rebounds, etc.

 

The Spurs suck from the line and they are on & off when it comes to their outside shooting.. not really consistent.. We live and die from the plays of Duncan inside.. This is the reason why the Jazz have had the Spurs number since they got Okur, Boozer and company.. Let us see if the Spurs would have the intensity to beat the best team in the land today.. I am not raising my hopes high though.. hehehe!!!

 

-----

 

Para hindi naman ako OT dahil Spurs ako ng Spurs.. Boozer is just sick!!! Cleveland should have not traded this guy away.. Baka natakot sila sa dreaded "Dukie curse.." hehehe!!! Just think about it.. Boozer and LBJ tearing up the league.. Might have been the next Shaq and Kobe.. Is that too much a scenario? But with the way Booze is playing nowadays, it might just be possible.. :cool:

 

Nga pala, with the way the Jazz are playing.. Can't seem to really feel the loss of a man called AK47.. Nuff said.. :cool:

[FF]

@FF:

 

Nice thoughts on how to defeat your team.. Greg Pop should have an assistant coach named Fellatio.Flores.. Kidding aside, those are very valid points.. The Jazz are physical inside coz they have Okur and Boozer (and Millsap), and this might post problems for those teams who have very poor FT percentages.. The do foul a lot.. and because they pound the inside, the perimeter defense suffers a little bit.. Then the opposing team should be able to shoot the rock outside.. And to add, Okur shoots a good percentage behind the arc and thus sometimes makes some of the tall players of the opposing teams follow him and leave the lane open for lay-ups and offensive rebounds, etc.

 

The Spurs suck from the line and they are on & off when it comes to their outside shooting.. not really consistent.. We live and die from the plays of Duncan inside.. This is the reason why the Jazz have had the Spurs number since they got Okur, Boozer and company.. Let us see if the Spurs would have the intensity to beat the best team in the land today.. I am not raising my hopes high though.. hehehe!!!

 

-----

 

Para hindi naman ako OT dahil Spurs ako ng Spurs.. Boozer is just sick!!! Cleveland should have not traded this guy away.. Baka natakot sila sa dreaded "Dukie curse.." hehehe!!! Just think about it.. Boozer and LBJ tearing up the league.. Might have been the next Shaq and Kobe.. Is that too much a scenario? But with the way Booze is playing nowadays, it might just be possible.. :cool:

 

Nga pala, with the way the Jazz are playing.. Can't seem to really feel the loss of a man called AK47.. Nuff said.. :cool:

 

 

bos revi ... am just savoring the ride. the jazz will be on the shorter end of the scoreboard sooner or later. maybe at the hands of TD , TP and the spurs. should be a great game though !

[FF]

Jazz Beaten Up by Warriors !

 

Key stat : jazz shoot a frigid 31% from two point land. topscorer is deron williams at 14 points with boozer and okur posting abysmal figures ( 4 points each) . all combined ... the starters scored a paltry 30 points.

 

also worth mentioning is that for the first time ... the jazz get outrebounded 45-50.

 

Play of the game : what play of the game? they didn't make plays ...period.

 

Player of the game ( or non- player of the game ) :why not be democratic and give it to the entire jazz TEAM ?

 

seriously ... the pressure should be off now that the jazz have finally joined the ranks of the beaten. i'm sure sloan will use this game as motivation for their next game against the new reigning beast of the east ... the orlando magic.

Edited November 26, 2006 by fellatio.flores

[FF]

From the Deseret News :

 

Utah's Deron Williams, taken No. 3 in the 2005 NBA draft, and No. 4 pick Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets will likely be compared throughout their pro careers.

 

Last year Paul had the upper hand, winning the Rookie of the Year honor in a landslide.

 

This year they have been near equals.

 

2006-07 averages (through Friday's games ): Williams — 18.0 ppg, 9.3 apg, 1.46 steals, 2.85 turnovers. Paul — 18.5 ppg, 8.8 apg, 1.62 steals, 3.0 turnovers

[FF]

interesting subplot as the jazz host the magic ... how will carlos arroyo play against his former team ?

[FF]

Jazz Continue to Hit Wrong Notes

 

The Orlando Magic asserted their might on the boards and in the paint in beating the Jazz 88-75.

 

Orlando controlled the glass and the paint.Led by Dwight Howard, the Magic outrebounded the league's top team in rebounding margin, 45-36, and outscored the Jazz in the lane, 40-32.

 

The loss is the second in a row for the jazz.