Utah v. State: Game 1 Thoughts

By Craig Kwasniewski

Utah pulled out a nice win last night, beating red hot Golden State 116-112. Here's some quick thoughts on the game:

AK-47 is making Stephen Jackson look like Nowitzki. In the same way Jackson held "the MVP" in check with size, length and athleticism, Kirilenko had the same effect and neutralized Jackson last night. What'd he have like 237 blocks on Jackson? Stephen, you're one of the baddest/scariest ballers in the NBA and you're being shut down by Kry-ilenko? Actually, Kirilenko's defense was key for Utah last night. The Jazz will need more of the same if they hope to advance.

Boozer needs more offensive touches in the paint. 20 rebounds are very impressive, but the Jazz need to go to Carlos Boozer even more for game 2. All I know is every time he had the ball, I kept seeing random Warriors bounce off Boozer with every pivot. He's too strong for the smallish Warriors. Sloan needs to call his number more and wear down GSW.

Monta Ellis, turn in your M.I.P. award! Nowitzki's disappearing act overshadows what Ellis has done (or not done) this post season. Through 7 playoff games he's putting up 7.1 points 1.0 assists and 23.0 minutes of hiding per game. With clutchness like that, I'm laying even odds that Mitch Kupchak is texting Mullin with an offer.

Al Harrington, welcome to the playoffs. Harrington finally showed up with a nice 21 points off the bench, keeping State in the game with 12 in the first quarter. Utah opened strong, feeding on the Nuclear Waste Dump Center's emotion and opened with a huge lead until Harrington got hot from the perimeter. Despite the hot hand, why did Baron Davis pass up a wide open lay-up for a Harrington three with less than 2 minutes to go? Davis needed to take that lay-up!

As my grandfather would say, Matt Harpring is one tough S.O.B. The NBA needs to have an All-NBA Do The Little Things award and put him on it with Shane Battier, Luke Walton and Anthony Parker. The 21 points off the bench were huge, but more importantly, Harpring brought the right physical mindset last night. Unlike the Mavs, he never backed down to State's aggressive play.

Comments

[Marley]

dont forget You would have to put MATT BARNES on that do-it-all team as well

[basketbawful]

Did you notice how casually and business-like Utah makes clutch plays? Even though they were playing from behind for most of the second half, they never got rattled, they just kept plugging away, plugging away. There clutch plays were truly spectacular in how unspectacular they were...if that makes any sense.

[dave]

"There(sic)clutch plays were truly spectacular in how unspectacular they were...if that makes any sense."
sounds like another team that everyone says is "boring".
i guess the wcf (the two most defensively disciplined teams with the leagues two best coaches) will be boring.
sure, suns v. warriors would be fun to watch, like tennis or soccer, but spurs v. jazz is gonna be like a heavyweight fight.

[basketbawful]

"There" versus "their"...the bane of my existence. I'm sure my 3rd grade English teacher is rolling over in the grave I buried her alive in. Muwahahahahaha!!

The Jazz boring? Pshaw. I'm a huge Jazz fan and I've been blasting Brett and Craig all season for calling them frauds.

My point is, the Jazz make clutch plays that don't rely on one-on-one plays, isolations where four guys just stand around and watch one guy try to break down his defender, or crazy-ass fadeaways against aggressive double and triple teams. The Jazz just execute the same plays they run all game, regardless of anything that's going on in the game.

[Craig]

I think their (there, they're) calmness in the clutch has more to do with overall confidence because they know they are more talented than HOU and GS (like they EXPECT to win). I'd really like to see how calm/clutch they are against the likes of San Antonio and Phoenix, teams that are more talented.

And by the way, I may crack on San Antonio for being soooo boring, but I've been saying all year that they're the team to beat in the west.

[Craig]

Marley, I'd put Barnes on the second team because of his poor shot selection. As many great plays he's had this postseason (and there's ben a ton), he'd counter with some ill-advised three, killing momentum.

[Brett]

Basketbawful, the losing road record and blowout losses are what made me categorize the Jazz as "frauds." They gutted out a 7-game series win over a very unspectacular Rockets team, and now find themselves in a favorable matchup against a small ball team that has really no shot to match up with the likes of Boozer and AK-47 (as Craig discussed). Should the Jazz advance (which seems likely), they will be lucky to win more than one game against the Spurs.

And Dave, our loyal Spurs fan. I will be bored to tears watching both Conference Finals, because the top two remaining teams in each conference are playing each other now, in the second round.

[basketbawful]

Here's the thing, Brett. I just think your use of the word "fraud" is way off the mark. If there were any frauds in the playoffs this year, they were:

1. The Lakers, who supposedly can beat anybody as long as Kobe can score 50 or 60 points a game.

2. The Denver Nuggets, whose star power was supposed to enable them to at least challenge any team they faced.

3. The Miami Heat, who were supposed to be dark horse contenders now that Shaq, Wade, and Riley were all back together.

4. The Dallas Mavericks, who won 67 games, have an MVP, and were supposed to go to the NBA Finals as a BARE MINIMUM.

A fraud is something that everybody thinks is one thing due to deception, tricker, or false assumptions, but in truth is really something else. The general perception of the Jazz by experts and fans is that they're a team with so-so talent that lacks speed and athleticism but makes up for it by hustling, hitting the boards, and executing a precise offense. And that's exactly what they are.

Where was it said or written that the Jazz were supposed to contend for a title this year? Heck, they weren't even supposed to get out of the first round of the playoffs. You took a subtle dig at them for beating "a very unspectacular Rockets team" that just so happens to feature two players who are considered to be Top 10 talent and a group of sturdy roleplayers...and was projected to beat the Jazz and seriously challenge Dallas in the second round (and whom YOU predicted would "win in an easy six games"). So who was the fraud? The team that failed to meet expectations, or the one that exceeded them?

The Jazz won their first round series despite being underdogs, despite the fact that the Rockets had two superstars and homecourt advantage, AND they did it in Game 7 on the road...circumstances that, according to history and statistics, are supposed to be nearly impossible to overcome. Do frauds come through in circumstances like that? Historically and rationally speaking, they do not.

You also denigrate their series with Golden State by ignorning the fact that, while the Warriors don't have the size to match up with the Jazz, the Jazz don't have the team speed or athleticism to match up with the Warriors. You also overlook the fact that the Warriors were the hottest team in the NBA going into Game 1, riding a wave of emotion and momentum that could have (and did) humble a greater team than the Jazz. The Mavericks folded against that pressure. The Jazz stood up to it.

At this point, it seems like you're just *trying* to to hold on to your fraud theory. The Jazz are exactly what everybody thought they were, and they continue to play hard and surprise people...including you, presumably, since your first round prediction had them flaming out in six. I just don't see any validity in calling them frauds at this point.

[theblackmamba]

oh c'mon guys, just zip it. the Jazz is such a so-so team. im such a Boozer and Deron hater. so, its anybody's freedom to choose a team to root. whichever team emerges Champion will get all the praise, but that is absolutely gonna happen later on and not now. it's so useless to have such argument right now. the Jazz have yet to prove its worth. just give those losers their chance to prove themselves first, if they come out as winners then they deserve a good debate.

[basketbawful]

Wow, Kobe. Bitter much?

[dave]

"whichever team emerges Champion will get all the praise". . . unless it's the spurs, then the hate and critisism will be amplified.

1.the finals will have low ratings because:
a. the spurs play defense
b. the pistons play defense
c. neither the spurs or the pistons have a ball-hogging superstar that takes 30 horrible shots a game.
d. all of the above

2. the referees are biased toward the spurs because:
a. they bitch and whine about the calls they aren't getting.
b. they are all dirty europeons who flop.
c. they will get your ass fired.
d. all of the above

3. tim duncan is not exciting because:
a. he doesn't hang on the rim when he dunks.
b.he doesn't take terrible shots at the expense of his teammates
c. beat his chest and act like a goon everytime he scores.
d. he has never shot or raped anybody.

4. spurs fans are:
a. fat
b. hispanic
c. retarded
d. any other myriad of awful, insulting, racist bullshit propagated by the writers of this website.

5. the biggest choke job of the year was:
a. the mavericks
b. the lakers
c. the heat
d. the nuggets

6. who is older:
a. robert horry
b. michael finley
c. brent barry
d. dick bavetta

thanks for playing!

[Craig]

I'll play...

1-C (the NBA promotes superstars w/ personality... sorry TD)
2-A (So very true!)
3-C (It's all about self promotion, read Wednesday's Sportsguy, he spells out the TD era best)
4-E (bored, though I like the bitterness of D)
5-A (but I really want to say C because I *HATE* Miami, but I respectfully dislike the Spurs)
6-D (But Finley has the legs of a sixty year old)

So how did I score?

Don't worry Dave, your Spurs will win in 6 over the Pistons this year and I will watch every game, despite the fact that ABC will put in on tape delay over such shitty shows as Dancing with the Stars. I hate ABC!

[theblackmamba]

yeah basketbawful. too bad i can't pull it off with my uncanny skill. lol still have to teach the kids how to fish for a ring. anyway, im just gonna go lay myself on my couch, ease up my heels, sip some cool lemonade and watch on my huge sidescreen tv as the Jazz gets owned by the Warriors in their home turf. how's that for a scenario? peace y'all

[dave]

thanks for playing craig, here's how you scored!
1. +1 good answer (although some people appreciate a humble superstar with a subtle sense of humor)
2. -1 sorry, there is no bias. trick question!
3. 0 another trick question. the correct answer is: he is a fundamentally sound player who gets the job done.
4. +1 another trick question, but you got it right! this bothers me to no end when i attend games. the people in my section can't even stand up to catch a t-shirt missile.
5. +1 another correct answer. you are getting good at this.
6. -2 michael finley's 60 yr old legs was the difference maker in the nuggets series.

your score is 0. good effort!

[Craig]

The Big Goose egg... Agent Zero, part deux...

AWESOME!!! I'll just take my parting gifts of Turtle Wax and a year supply of WD-40 and be on my way.