Jazz over Thunder 140-139

The Utah Jazz were lucky in their overtime victory, and yet in a way it's karma for the bogus call that let Nick Collison sink some free throws way back when the Thunder beat the Jazz in their second meeting. Now the Thunder need to get their chins up and beat the Nuggets. As a Jazz fan, I do not want to face the Thunder first. I'd rather see the Blazers or Spurs or Suns, thank you.

The Blind Side 2: The Paul Millsap Story

Maybe Angela Bassett can play Paul Millsap's mama in the movie coming soon based on his life. Then she can win the Oscar she should have won in 1993 for playign Tina Turner.

Phil Jackson complains about officiating again

No coach complains more about referees than Phil Jackson. No coach has been the beneficiary of more questionable referee calls than Phil Jackson. No coach makes more than PJ and therefore can afford the fines that come from complaining about the refs.

NBA Western Conference Playoff Picture

Current Standings
1. L.A. Lakers - 54-20
2. Dallas Mavs - 49-25
3. Utah Jazz - 49-26
4. Phoenix Suns - 48-26
5. Denver Nugs - 48-27
6. OKC Thunder - 45-28
7. Portland Blazers - 45-29
8. SA Spurs - 44-29

Only a few games left. So to see how I think the season will end.

Lakers Remaining Schedule
@Atlanta - Loss
Utah - Win
SA - Win
@Denver - Loss
@Minny - Win
Portland - Loss
Sacramento - Win
@LAClips - Win

Final record - 59-23 - 1st

Mavericks Remaining Schedule
@Memphis - Win
Orlando - Loss
OKC - Win
Memphis - Win
@Portland - Loss
@Sacramento - Win
@LAClips - Win
SA - Win

Final record - 55-27 - 3rd

Jazz Remaining Schedule
GS - Win
@LALakers - Loss
OKC - Win
@Houston - Win
@NewOrleans - Win
@GS - Win
Phoenix - Win

Final record - 55-27 - 2nd

Suns Remaining Schedule
@NJersey - Win
@Detroit - Win
@Milwaukee - Loss
SA - Win
@OKC - Loss
Houston - Win
Denver - Win
@Utah - Loss

Final record - 53-29 - 4th

Nuggets Remaining Schedule
Portland - Loss
LAClips - Win
@OKC - Loss
@LALakers - Loss
SA - Win
Memphis - Win
@Phoenix - Loss

Final record - 51-31 - 6th

Thunder Remaining Schedule
@Boston - Loss
@Dallas - Loss
Minnesota - Win
@Utah - Loss
@Denver - Win
@Phoenix - Loss
@GSW - Win
@Portland - Loss
Memphis - Win

Final record - 49-33 - 7th

Trail Blazers Remaining Schedule
New York - Win
@Denver - Win
@Sacramento - Win
@LAClips - Win
Dallas - Win
@LALakers - Win
OKC - Win
GS - Loss

Final record - 52-30 - 5th

Spurs Remaining Schedule
Houston - Win
Orlando - Loss
@LALakers - Loss
@Sacramento - Win
@Phoenix - Loss
Memphis - Win
@Denver - Loss
Minny - Win
@Dallas - Loss

Final record - 48-34 - 8th

That would pit
1-LA Lakers
8-SA Spurs

2-Utah Jazz
7-OKC Thunder

3-Dallas Mavericks
6-Denver Nuggets

4-Phoenix Suns
5-Portland Trail Blazers

Should be an interesting playoffs.

Jazz in Hollinger's PER system

According to ESPN's John Hollinger's Player Efficiency Ratings, the Jazz have the 4th best point guard, the 9th best shooting guard, the 8th best small forward, and the 7th best power forward in the NBA. And the 32nd best center.

PG - Deron Williams - 4
SG - Kyle Korver - 9
SF - Andrei Kirilenko - 8
PF - Carlos Boozer - 7
C - Mehmet Okur - 32

Rest of roster:
PG - Ronnie Price - not in top 50
PG - Sundiata Gaines - not in top 50
SG - Wesley Matthews - 46
SF - CJ Miles - 47
PF - Paul Millsap - 23
C - Kyrylo Fesenko - not in top 50
C - Kosta Koufos - not in top 50

So by this, of the Top 250 players in the NBA, the Jazz have eight. Eight times thirty is 240, so there are teams out there that have 9 or 10 or even 11.

Now going by the actual PER number, the league average is 15.00. Channing Frye ranks as a 15.00. LeBron James is 1st, at 31.85. James Posey is 250th, at 8.55.

So who are the best teams if you go just by their PER's of their top players?

1. Cavaliers. 2. Magic. 3. Lakers. 4. Suns. 5. Jazz 6. Nuggets.

NBA Trade Deadline Passes

Post NBA-Trade Deadline Analysis, ranked by where I think they'll finish the season.

The West

1. LA LAKERS - Standing pat. Which is fine. Even without Kobe, they're one of the top teams in the West.

2. DENVER NUGGETS - Standing pat. Which is fine. They're the only team that makes the Lakers nervous.

3. UTAH JAZZ - They traded away Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring for rights to a Euro who will never play in the NBA to save $12 million. Then they traded away their starting SG Ronnie Brewer for a protected first-round pick to the Grizzlies. It saves another $5 million this year, but it either says they don't believe they have a shot at the Finals this year, or that they believe that Wesley Mathews, CJ Miles, and Kyle Korver can be just as effective splitting up his 31 minutes a night.

4. DALLAS MAVERICKS - Dallas had a great start, but they'd fallen off as of late. This trade should steady the ship. Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood have been paroled from Washington to a bona-fide title contender. Now Jason Kidd and Dirk Nowitzki can get their hopes up about playing in another Finals.

5. PHOENIX SUNS - Standing pat. Not sure how beneficial that is after June, but for this season, the core knows they're together, and they can push.

6. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS - With Oden & Przybilla out, the Blazers got a deal for Marcus Camby. It also solves their PG drama between Andre Miller and Steve Blake, with Blake out. Now if they can stay healthy, Brandon Roy and company should be able to make some noise.

7. SAN ANTONIO SPURS - Well, the Richard Jefferson experiment isn't working out like they'd hoped. They're standing pat and as such, they seem doomed for a first-round exit. In fact, as Duncan ages and Manu gets hurt every year, it feels like the end of an era.

8. OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER - They got Eric Maynor to back up Russell Westbrook a while back, and now they're standing pat, which is probably good for this young team destined to make the playoffs for the first time since they were in Seattle and had a guy named Ray Allen on the roster.

9. HOUSTON ROCKETS - It's tremendous that they got Kevin Martin for T-Mac. And if they get Yao back next year, they'll have Aaron Brooks a year better... this team has promise. It's going to come down to that final week of the season whether they make the playoffs or not. Will Jordan Hill turn out to be anything?

10. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES - Their bench just got deeper by adding Ronnie Brewer. They have a chance to squeak into the playoffs if someone else falters. It also makes Rudy Gay tradeable if they want to package something this summer.

11. NEW ORLEANS HORNETS - Darren Collison's done an admirable job in Chris Paul's absense. But without CP3, this team just doesn't have the talent to compensate in the West. And for a decade now, the West is full of lottery teams that could get to the playoffs if they were in the East.

12. L.A. CLIPPERS - Chris Kaman's an All-Star now. They have Blake Griffin to look forward to next year. Steve Blake's a better backup than Sebastian Telfair for Baron Davis. So yeah. There you go.

13. SACRAMENTO KINGS - Good for them to get Carl Landry, but Kevin Martin is gone and they'll need moves this summer to not be next year's New Jersey, Tyreke Evans notwithstanding.

14. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS - Standing pat. Stephen Curry's been great. Uh, Don Nelson's not still going to be there next year, is he?

15. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES - Darko Milicic is already booking his flight in April to join Ricky Rubio in Europe.

The East

1. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS - LeBron James, Mo Williams and Shaquille O'Neal now have Antawn Jamison to share the court with. Anything less than the NBA Title will be a disappointment.

2. ORLANDO MAGIC - Standing pat. Not sure how wise that is.

3. ATLANTA HAWKS - Standing pat. The next three months will be an audition to convince Joe Johnson he wants to stay.

4. BOSTON CELTICS - Nate Robinson might be a good spark for them off the bench. I'm sure he'll toe the line for KG, PP and Ray. But this is their last year for the Big Three to get that second title.

5. TORONTO RAPTORS - Many assume Chris Bosh is going to head to greener pastures, but why couldn't Bosh try to get another big name to join him in Toronto? Especially if they get to the second round or better.

6. CHICAGO BULLS - They got rid of team-pouter Tyrus Thomas and sharpshooter John Salmons, but got back draft-bust Joe Alexander, who has two months to sink or swim, and yeoman Hakim Warrick. Derrick Rose will keep it interesting, but methinks a first-round exit will equate Vinny Del Negro's firing.

7. MIAMI HEAT - Their cupboard is bare. Other than Dwyane Wade, they couldn't come up with enough pieces to entice Utah to give them Carlos Boozer, which means they ought to be nervous about losing D-Wade this summer. Though even if D-Wade leaves, I can see Boozer showing up on Pat Riley's porch in July with a suitcase and a grin, saying, "You have max money, don't you?"

8. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS - I think Tyrus Thomas will benefit from new surroundings, and Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson are finally, FINALLY, making this a credible team for coach Larry Brown. Theo Ratliff was also a good-citizen pickup.

9. MILWAUKEE BUCKS - Primox Brezec's an interesting piece to help them push toward that coveted 8th spot in the playoffs, in addition to John Salmons. They'd much rather go there, as they haven't proven too reliable with who to pick in the lottery. (See Alexander, Joe.)

10. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS - Francisco Elson. Yeah, that'll put them over the top.

11. NEW YORK KNICKS - The Knicks aren't going to have a decent first-round pick for years to come so they're moving all-in on getting big-time free agents this summer. They finally got Jared Jeffries out of there. Will Tracy McGrady play with some desire now? All this team has is Al Harrington and David Lee. Maybe Sergio Rodriguez will up his game under Mike D'Antoni, who only has one more year, after the big hoped-for summer signings, to prove he can get this team to the playoffs.

12. INDIANA PACERS - Standing pat. Probably not a good thing. But next year, everyone will be in the last year of their contracts.

13. DETROIT PISTONS - Joe Dumars will try again to trade Rip Hamilton and/or Tayshaun Prince and/or Charlie Villenueva and/or Ben Gordon this summer. He did assemble the 2004 championship team, but for all the smarts he's supposed to possess, this is the guy that drafted Darko Milicic above Carmelo, Bosh and D-Wade, and traded away Chauncey Billups for Allen Iverson.

14. WASHINGTON WIZARDS - Too bad they can't waive Gilbert Arenas and completely start over. He and Butler and Jamison were supposed to be their Big Three, but it just didn't work. Now Al Thornton will have to see what he can do in his new home.

15. NEW JERSEY NETS - They're hoping to somehow win 10 games and then land John Wall to run with Devin Harris next year.

Jazz win seventh straight

The Jazz finished the first half of the season 23-18.
They've begun the second half 7-0.

Nothing like a win streak to catapult you from a lottery pick to home-court advantage in the first round.

What's made the difference? Oh a few things. Andrei Kirilenko moved back into the starting lineup and is playing his most inspired basketball in years. Deron Williams finally making the All-Star team. Paul Millsap playing with a chip on his shoulder when Boozer got hurt. Sundiata Gaines' feel-good story and dream three-point buzzer-beater to beat the Cavaliers.

They took 35 games or so to figure it out this year, and now their trajectory is one that can make a fan hope Jerry Sloan just might win that elusive Coach of the Year award.

Jazz are struggling

So why are the Jazz struggling so bad this year?

DERON WILLIAMS
Last year
19.4 ppg, 10.7 apg, 47.1 fg%, 31.0 3p%
This year
19.5 ppg, 9.8 apg, 49.1 fg%, 38.4 3p%

So he's improving in scoring; maybe his assists are down because other guys keep missing their shots and he feels he has to put the team on his back more in the fourth quarter.

CARLOS BOOZER
Last year
16.2 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 2.1 apg, 49.0 fg%
This year
19.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.5 apg, 53.5 fg%

He was injured last year and his numbers reflect he's better, and he's using his teammates more. Looks like one of D-Will's assists a game is comign from Boozer.

Then there's these guys...

MEHMET OKUR
Last year
17.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 44.6 3p%, 1.83 TO
This year
12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 36.6 3p%, 2.20 TO

ANDREI KIRILENKO
Last year
11.6 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg
This year
11.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 0.9 spg, 1.0 bpg

RONNIE BREWER
Last year
13.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 50.8 fg%, 70.2 ft%
This year
10.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 49.8 fg%, 61.0 ft%

CJ MILES
Last year
9.1 ppg, 1.5 apg, 45.9 fg%, 35.2 3p%
This year
8.7 ppg, 1.2 apg, 39.3 fg%, 33.3 3p%

PAUL MILLSAP
Last year
13.5 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 30.1 mpg
This year
10.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 25.6 mpg

And the Jazz were only an 8th seed in the playoffs last year.

More dead pro-wrestlers

Last month we lost Umaga, age 36, to a heart attack. He's best known for appearing in the WrestleMania Main Event of Hair vs. Hair (Vince McMahon vs. Donald Trump) where he fought for Vince and Bobby Lashley fought for Trump.

We also lost "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, age 49, to cancer. He was big in the 1980's, often in tag teams from everyone from Terry Gordy to "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase.