- I can't remember a game that the Lakers deserved to win less. 24 turnovers. Kobe Bryant goes 3-20. Lakers have a 40-22 free-throw advantage. The referees were not very good, to the point I want to remember their names and see if they're still in the league next year (#32 Eddie F. Rush, #18 Matt Boland, #79 Kevin Scott).
- No Al Jefferson, no Earl Watson, no Raja Bell. Those that needed to step up, stepped up. Paul Millsap had a brilliant grind-out game with 24 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks to lead the way. Rookies Enes Kanter and Alec Burks had new career-highs with 17 points apiece.
- The stat line might not look like it, but Millsap, Kanter and Favors did a pretty good job on Paul Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Next year we will see the Lakers transition from Bryant's team to Bynum's team.
- Josh Howard did a lot of good things on the floor and he had the best +/- stat. But he really needs to learn how to pass the ball on a fast break.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Big Al with Big Game
Quick thoughts on the Jazz 105-90 win over the Pistons.
- This is a game they should win. They were at home, and none of the East lottery teams are any good.
- Raja Bell wasn't with the team in Chicago after a "personal matter." Word came out it was Raja Bell unhappy with his minutes and his role on the team under coach Ty Corbin. Apparently they worked things out, because Raja Bell started. Not only did he start, but he played 27 minutes, fourth most on the team behind Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris. He finished with 1 point and 4 rebounds.
- Alec Burks was a DNP-CD. So the lesson to Alec is, go complain to coach.
- But hey, they won! Al Jefferson's grandmother passed away. With a heavy heart, the big man answered with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, including his first 3-point shot of his career, a hilarious buzzer-beater.
- CJ Miles is a streaky shooter, but tonight he hit his streak. He had 15 points, including 3 3-pointers. The Jazz as a teams hot 7-11.
- Gordon Hayward had 8 points but only got to play 20 minutes. Derrick Favors had 6 points in 16 minutes, Enes Kanter had 2 points in 9 minutes.
- You remember how Deron Williams would circle certain games to make sure he shut superstars down? He defends Chris Paul better than anyone in the league, for example. That's the attitude Gordon Hayward needs to have to get back in the starting lineup. And that's how I hope Devin Harris treats Steve Nash on Wednesday.
- No one could guard Rodney Stuckey. He had 29 points.
- I could have sworn Ben Wallace retired last year. Can't believe he's still playing.
- It seemed like Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko had better games than what their stat lines indicate.
- This is a game they should win. They were at home, and none of the East lottery teams are any good.
- Raja Bell wasn't with the team in Chicago after a "personal matter." Word came out it was Raja Bell unhappy with his minutes and his role on the team under coach Ty Corbin. Apparently they worked things out, because Raja Bell started. Not only did he start, but he played 27 minutes, fourth most on the team behind Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris. He finished with 1 point and 4 rebounds.
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| Paul Millsap contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) |
- Alec Burks was a DNP-CD. So the lesson to Alec is, go complain to coach.
- But hey, they won! Al Jefferson's grandmother passed away. With a heavy heart, the big man answered with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 2 blocked shots, including his first 3-point shot of his career, a hilarious buzzer-beater.
- CJ Miles is a streaky shooter, but tonight he hit his streak. He had 15 points, including 3 3-pointers. The Jazz as a teams hot 7-11.
- Gordon Hayward had 8 points but only got to play 20 minutes. Derrick Favors had 6 points in 16 minutes, Enes Kanter had 2 points in 9 minutes.
- You remember how Deron Williams would circle certain games to make sure he shut superstars down? He defends Chris Paul better than anyone in the league, for example. That's the attitude Gordon Hayward needs to have to get back in the starting lineup. And that's how I hope Devin Harris treats Steve Nash on Wednesday.
- No one could guard Rodney Stuckey. He had 29 points.
- I could have sworn Ben Wallace retired last year. Can't believe he's still playing.
- It seemed like Greg Monroe and Jonas Jerebko had better games than what their stat lines indicate.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Jazz lose to Bulls
- The Jazz aren't going to win if they go 0-3 from 3-pt land while their opponent goes 7-18.
- The Jazz can't win if Al Jefferson has 16 points off of 19 shot attempts, and 0 free-throw attempts.
- The Jazz can't win if they get outrebounded 42-31.
- There are more guys from the 2009-2010 Jazz team on the Bulls than there are on the 2011-2012 Jazz team. Heck there are more guys from the 2009-2010 Jazz team on the Nets than there are on the 2011-2012 Jazz team. If CJ Miles gets traded, that'd make Paul Millsap the last Jazzman from that team.
- Millsap always steps up his game against the Bulls and tonight was no exception, but the rest of the team couldn't help him, especially on defense.
- Devin Harris was out with stomach flu, but Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley dished 17 assists between them. That was nice.
- Kyle Korver torched Alec Burks. Rookie needs to learn how to defend the perimeter better.
- The Jazz can't win if Al Jefferson has 16 points off of 19 shot attempts, and 0 free-throw attempts.
- The Jazz can't win if they get outrebounded 42-31.
- There are more guys from the 2009-2010 Jazz team on the Bulls than there are on the 2011-2012 Jazz team. Heck there are more guys from the 2009-2010 Jazz team on the Nets than there are on the 2011-2012 Jazz team. If CJ Miles gets traded, that'd make Paul Millsap the last Jazzman from that team.
- Millsap always steps up his game against the Bulls and tonight was no exception, but the rest of the team couldn't help him, especially on defense.
- Devin Harris was out with stomach flu, but Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley dished 17 assists between them. That was nice.
- Kyle Korver torched Alec Burks. Rookie needs to learn how to defend the perimeter better.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
A Tale of Two Jazz Teams
In their 99-98 win over the Heat,
- Six guys scored in double figures and one of them was not Paul Millsap.
- Six guys had a blocked shot.
- Gordon Hayward had 12 pts, 5 rbs, 5 asts, and 1 block in 26 minutes of play.
- Devin Harris had 13 pts, 5 asts and had the game-clinching 3-point play.
- Al Jefferson shot 10-20 (50%).
- The Jazz buried the Heat in the beginning of the third quarter with their five starters.
In their 102-96 loss to the Mavericks,
- Five guys scored in double figures and Millsap had a team-high 24.
- The lone block came from Earl Watson.
- Hayward had 3 pts, 0 rbs, 0 asts, 0 blocks in 15 minutes of play.
- Harris had 7 pts, 5 asts and had some badly-missed shots.
- Jefferson shot 4-12 (33%).
- The Mavericks buried the Jazz at the end of the third quarter with a lineup of Harris, Burks, Miles, Kanter and Jefferson.
It's going to be interesting to see what coach Ty Corbin does when Raja Bell's ready to return. Does he ease Bell back in, make him come off the bench? Does he do as previously rumored and bench Hayward? Hayward's definitely had his minutes cut back, and I think a lot of it has to do with his offensive intensity. By design, just about every half-court set starts with Hayward going to whatever side on the court is farthest from the ball, but we keep wondering where that kid went that scored 34 points in the last game of last season.I think that's why CJ Miles and Alec Burks have been getting more of his minutes. Burks makes things happen whenever he enters the game. He's still wild, but he and Earl Watson were the only Jazzmen to have a positive in the +/- for both games. Miles is a streaky shooter, but he's willing to score.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Jazz All-Star Weekend, Then a Kings Loss
Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors did very well in the Rising Stars Challenge game, and they were key pieces to TeamChuck getting the win. They each scored 14 points, and they actually played some defense. Hayward had two blocks. If Hayward played with as much confidence in himself that Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith showed in him, he'll be in the Sunday All-Star game in two years.
Overall, yeah, the Slam-Dunk Contest wasn't that great, but Jeremy Evans's double-dunk would be a contender in any year of the contest.
Didn't watch the actual All-Star game. No Jazz players in it, so didn't care as much. Watched the Oscars instead.
So with most of the Jazz players getting a week's rest, would it make a difference?
The Jazz lost 103-96 to the Kings. Not a good way to start the second half.
- Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap did not attempt a single free-throw.
- The Jazz shot 11-22 free throws. Missed 11, lost by 7.
- Gordon Hayward missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
- Devin Harris played better than Earl Watson.
- There's been rumblings that Ty is thinking of removing Hayward from the starting line-up when Raja Bell gets back. I think it's be a mistake. If he wants to bench Hayward, then he should start Alec Burks. A starting line-up of Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Josh Howard, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson tells me you're going for a deep playoff run. In 2009.
- The best they can hope for at this point is the 8th seed, and if they do that they lose this summer's first-round draft pick to the T-Wolves. They'd be better off to miss the playoffs, keep the pick, then use it to package with the Warriors pick they're going to get (top-7 protected, but the Warriors are playing just good enough, the Jazz should get it), and move up in the draft to get a true star player. Or use a pick and some players to go get a point-guard upgrade or a reliable outside shooter.
Overall, yeah, the Slam-Dunk Contest wasn't that great, but Jeremy Evans's double-dunk would be a contender in any year of the contest.
Didn't watch the actual All-Star game. No Jazz players in it, so didn't care as much. Watched the Oscars instead.
So with most of the Jazz players getting a week's rest, would it make a difference?
The Jazz lost 103-96 to the Kings. Not a good way to start the second half.
- Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap did not attempt a single free-throw.
- The Jazz shot 11-22 free throws. Missed 11, lost by 7.
- Gordon Hayward missed all three of his 3-point attempts.
- Devin Harris played better than Earl Watson.
- There's been rumblings that Ty is thinking of removing Hayward from the starting line-up when Raja Bell gets back. I think it's be a mistake. If he wants to bench Hayward, then he should start Alec Burks. A starting line-up of Devin Harris, Raja Bell, Josh Howard, Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson tells me you're going for a deep playoff run. In 2009.
- The best they can hope for at this point is the 8th seed, and if they do that they lose this summer's first-round draft pick to the T-Wolves. They'd be better off to miss the playoffs, keep the pick, then use it to package with the Warriors pick they're going to get (top-7 protected, but the Warriors are playing just good enough, the Jazz should get it), and move up in the draft to get a true star player. Or use a pick and some players to go get a point-guard upgrade or a reliable outside shooter.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
The worst Jazz first half yet
The Utah Jazz were going against the thinnest roster in the NBA. The New Orleans Hornets were without four of their five best players and only had nine players total. Of those nine, three were rookies I'd never heard of. Maybe the Jazz figured they could roll out of bed and beat the depleted Hornets by 20.Look at the plus/minus of the Jazz players:
Paul Millsap -16
Devin Harris -14
Josh Howard -14
CJ Miles -14
Al Jefferson -9
Raja Bell -3
Enes Kanter +3
Earl Watson +8
Gordon Hayward +8
Derrick Favors +10
Alec Burks +11
No negative connotation can accurately capture how bad the starting lineup was. And then Miles & Howard came off the bench and weren't any better. The best line-up wound up being Earl Watson and the four lottery-pick youngsters. At one point the Jazz were down 20 and they fought all the way back to 83-80, but couldn't quite pull off the win.
- Millsap and Jefferson combined for 18 points and 17 rebounds.
- Favors and Kanter combined for 20 points and 17 rebounds.
- Chris Kaman looked like his old All-Star self.
- Devin Harris hasn't looked like his old All-Star self all year. He was outplayed by Greveis Vasquez. Vasquez, Al-Farouq Aminu and Xavier Henry are three sophomores drafted by other teams who've wound up here. This hodge-podge team was 4-23, and now they're 5-23.
- The rumor is that DeMarre Carroll was signed by the Jazz to give them flexibility for trade possibilities. I think Devin Harris is the one they want to move, and they're willing to throw in Miles and/or Bell to make something work.
- Raja Bell was 3-4 from 3-point land. He's their most reliable 3-point shooter. granted, they're the one of the worst perimeter shooting teams int he NBA.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Jazz muzzle the Grizzlies 98-88
- It was nice to see the whole team have early aggression. That had been their problem against the Thunder; they didn't attack the basket enough. The Jazz knocked the Grizzlies on their heels early, scoring the first 7 points of the game.
- The Jazz bench's struggles continued in the first half but they were more productive in the second half. It'd be nice if they could blow out a team to get more minutes, let the starters get more rest. And yet, Ty Corbin did a good job once again with the minutes. Hayward had the most with 35:22.
- The Grizzlies had 17 assists and 18 turnovers. The Jazz had 26 assists and 13 turnovers.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Jazz win, Lakers lose
My thoughts on the Jazz beating the Lakers 96-87.
- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
- Ty Corbin did a good job managing minutes tonight. No one cracked 31 minutes on the Jazz.
- Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter not only took advantage on the Lakers' thin bench, but they had pretty good D on Andrew Bynum.
- Bryant, Bynum and Gasol had 71 of the Lakers' 87 points.
- Devin Harris wasn't bad on defense, but his offense was awful tonight. 0-6 shooting, 1-2 free throws, 3 assists in 21 minutes. He was benched in the third. Earl "The Bulldog" Watson was a stud. He got everything rolling and finished with 11 assists.
- Gordon Hayward fared best defensively on Kobe Bryant, and therefore didn't seem to look much for his own shot.
- Al Jefferson had 18 and 13, and Paul Millsap had 16 and 13. They also each had 2 blocks.
- The turning point in the game was early in the fourth when LA coach Mike Brown screamed at the ref for not calling a foul when Watson stole the ball from Gasol. Brown wound up bumping the ref and got thrown out. The crowd roared to their feet and after the free throws, and it was the spark the Jazz needed.
- The Lakers had 30 free-throw attempts to the Jazz's 20.
- Alec Burks was a DNP-CD.
- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
- Ty Corbin did a good job managing minutes tonight. No one cracked 31 minutes on the Jazz.
- Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter not only took advantage on the Lakers' thin bench, but they had pretty good D on Andrew Bynum.
- Bryant, Bynum and Gasol had 71 of the Lakers' 87 points.
- Devin Harris wasn't bad on defense, but his offense was awful tonight. 0-6 shooting, 1-2 free throws, 3 assists in 21 minutes. He was benched in the third. Earl "The Bulldog" Watson was a stud. He got everything rolling and finished with 11 assists.
- Gordon Hayward fared best defensively on Kobe Bryant, and therefore didn't seem to look much for his own shot.
- Al Jefferson had 18 and 13, and Paul Millsap had 16 and 13. They also each had 2 blocks.
- The turning point in the game was early in the fourth when LA coach Mike Brown screamed at the ref for not calling a foul when Watson stole the ball from Gasol. Brown wound up bumping the ref and got thrown out. The crowd roared to their feet and after the free throws, and it was the spark the Jazz needed.
- The Lakers had 30 free-throw attempts to the Jazz's 20.
- Alec Burks was a DNP-CD.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Jazz lose heartbreakers to Clippers 107-105
Thoughts on tonight's game:
- Chris Paul and Blake Griffin make for a scary duo.
- Al Jefferson was a beast inside with his own 27-point, 12-rebound game.
- The injury to Earl Watson hurts. He tends to rise to the occasion in games like these while Devin Harris wilts. Watson was +8 in his 20 minutes before he went out with the ankle sprain. Harris finished with -7. Jamaal Tinsley, their third point guard, was -8 in his 7 minutes.
- Last time Paul Millsap outplayed Blake Griffin, but last time Blake didn't have CP3 passing him the ball.
- When Blake Griffin got his fifth foul, I was excited. I figured the Jazz could pound inside and Blake would be afraid to pick up the sixth foul. But when Millsap had the ball in the post, Blake started to fall before Millsap even bumped him to put up the shot. The ref called an offensive foul. Now Millsap made the shot, and it would have tied the game. But the refs are not about to call Blake for his sixth foul, and I don't know why they didn't do a no-call for a flop that would make Vlade Divac blush. The Jazz never recovered.
- Beyond that game-changer, the Jazz lost in other ways. They were outrebounded 50-35. They missed 10 free throws.
- Derrick Favors played inspired. He had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in 18 minutes. And he made all his free throws. He probably should have had some more of Sap's minutes tonight.
- Mo Williams had the least efficient 19 points ever.
- Josh Howard wound up dribbling down the court three possessions in a row. If he'd been a faster guard, he could have thrown some passes for easy assists, but since he's Howard, the Clippers guards caught up to him and stopped any quick scoring from happening. On the third time, the ball was stolen, Josh was benched, and he didn't come back until the second half.
- Millsap and Miles each hit a 3 in the final few seconds trying to keep the Jazz alive. It all came down to the Jazz not being able to grab the offensive board on a deliberately missed CJ free throw.
- Chris Paul and Blake Griffin make for a scary duo.
- Al Jefferson was a beast inside with his own 27-point, 12-rebound game.
- The injury to Earl Watson hurts. He tends to rise to the occasion in games like these while Devin Harris wilts. Watson was +8 in his 20 minutes before he went out with the ankle sprain. Harris finished with -7. Jamaal Tinsley, their third point guard, was -8 in his 7 minutes.
- Last time Paul Millsap outplayed Blake Griffin, but last time Blake didn't have CP3 passing him the ball.
- Beyond that game-changer, the Jazz lost in other ways. They were outrebounded 50-35. They missed 10 free throws.
- Derrick Favors played inspired. He had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocks in 18 minutes. And he made all his free throws. He probably should have had some more of Sap's minutes tonight.
- Mo Williams had the least efficient 19 points ever.
- Josh Howard wound up dribbling down the court three possessions in a row. If he'd been a faster guard, he could have thrown some passes for easy assists, but since he's Howard, the Clippers guards caught up to him and stopped any quick scoring from happening. On the third time, the ball was stolen, Josh was benched, and he didn't come back until the second half.
- Millsap and Miles each hit a 3 in the final few seconds trying to keep the Jazz alive. It all came down to the Jazz not being able to grab the offensive board on a deliberately missed CJ free throw.
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