Utah Jazz

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) Bottom line: If the Spurs stay healthy they can pose quite a threat to the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. 3) Dallas Mavericks: Reasons for hope: As I mentioned in my Dallas preview for Lindy's Pro Basketball, "The high scoring trio that led the Mavericks to the 2006 NBA Finals--Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Jason Terry--is supplemented by future Hall of Fame point guard Jason Kidd and four-time All-Star Shawn Marion." The Mavericks have the talent and depth to be a championship caliber team. 5) Utah Jazz: Reasons for hope: When healthy the Jazz can put four All-Stars on the court: Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. That nucleus led the Jazz to the Western Conference Finals in 2007.   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) According to a feature in the July 6, 2009 issue of the Sporting News called "SN's 2009-10 Power Poll," the Washington Wizards rank third in the NBA, just behind the reigning champion L.A. Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The reason given for that ranking is even more hilarious than the ranking itself: "The Wizards picked up Miller Miller and Randy Foye for a draft pick, girding them against the injuries that tore them down last season." Miller and Foye? That duo vaults the Wizards ahead of the Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs and Boston Celtics? I don't know what they are smoking/injecting over at SN, but whatever it is has very strong hallucinogenic properties. If things break right then the Wizards have a good shot at making the playoffs...   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) Out West, it is highly unlikely that the Utah Jazz would have fallen to the eighth seed--and a death match versus the powerful L.A. Lakers--if Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer had been healthier during the season; for that matter, if former All-Star Mehmet Okur had been full strength during the series with the Lakers the Jazz could have put up more resistance, though the Lakers would still certainly have been expected to prevail. In 2007, the Spurs won their fourth championship in nine seasons and last year they reached the Western Conference Finals but with Manu Ginobili sidelined and Tim Duncan not 100% the Spurs bowed out to the Mavericks in the first round, the Spurs' earliest playoff departure since 2000. The Mavericks got off to a horr...   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) Kobe Bryant scored 31 points, passed for four assists and had four steals as the L.A. Lakers defeated the Utah Jazz 107-96 to win their first round series four games to one. Bryant averaged 27.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, 5.0 rpg and 2.4 spg versus the Jazz while shooting .466 from the field, .353 from three point range and .897 from the free throw line; his field goal percentage took a hit after his 5-24 outing in game three but that was an inexplicable aberration and it seems likely that by the time the Lakers emerge as the Western Conference champions he will push his scoring average closer to 30 ppg and elevate his field goal percentage to near the .500 mark: the Lakers' loss in last year's Finals overshadowed how remarkably productive and efficient Bryant had been v...   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) The L.A. Lakers built a 62-40 halftime lead en route to a 113-100 game one victory over the Utah Jazz but L.A. Coach Phil Jackson was not impressed by his team's performance. According to Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, "15? Not like that" is what Jackson wrote on the whiteboard in the locker room after the game, referring to the number of additional wins the team needs to capture the NBA title. Utah's 46-38 rebounding advantage--including a 20-7 margin on the offensive glass--and the fact that the Jazz pulled within 72-63 less than nine minutes into the third quarter were the two main reasons for Jackson's displeasure.   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) In the Western Conference, nine teams are battling for eight playoff spots, while Golden State, Minnesota, Memphis, Oklahoma City, the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento can already book their flights to Secaucus for the Draft Lottery. Here is a look at what we have seen--and what we should expect to see--from the top nine teams in the West: 8) Utah Jazz (31-23): Two former All-Stars (Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko) plus an All-Star caliber point guard (Deron Williams) have missed substantial time due to injuries and those health problems are the main reason why the Jazz are struggling to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth. If they could get healthy and play Denver in the first round then perhaps the Jazz could advance even without home court a...   [read the full post]

By Doc319@yahoo.com (David Friedman) Michael Jordan, David Robinson and John Stockton--three members of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players List--are among 16 Finalists for induction in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They were selected in their first year of consideration, as was Utah Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan and WNBA star Cynthia Cooper; the other 11 Finalists are NBA players Dennis Johnson, Bernard King, Chris Mullin, coaches Bob Hurley, Vladimir Kondrashin, Don Nelson and C. Vivian Stringer, contributor Al Attles (who has been a player, coach and administrator), international player Pereira "Ubiratan" Maciel and Veteran's Committee selections Richie Guerin and Johnny "Red" Kerr, who already has received this year's John Bunn Award, the highest hono...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman(noreply@blogger.com) Both teams were shorthanded. Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was not at the game due to some swelling in his legs, possibly caused by an allergic reaction to medication that he is taking. It is unclear when he will return to the bench. Jazz All-Star Carlos Boozer sat out to rest a sore left hamstring and Matt Harpring did not play because he is still recovering from ankle surgery. Laker reserves Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton did not play due to minor injuries that will not likely sideline them for a significant period of time. After a sloppy second quarter contested largely by reserve players from both teams, the Lakers led 42-40 at halftime.   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Bryant was a landslide winner in the 2008 NBA MVP race because he led the Lakers to the best record in perhaps the toughest Western Conference playoff race ever and if that award needed "validation" then he provided it by carrying the Lakers to the NBA Finals, defeating the 2007 NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs and the 2007 Western Conference Finalist Utah Jazz along the way. Bryant averaged 31.9 ppg on .509 field goal shooting in the Western Conference playoffs. James had a great 2008 NBA regular season, establishing himself as the second best player in the league behind Bryant, but his inconsistent outside shot enables elite defensive teams to sag off of him, resulting in low shooting percentages and high turnover rates: James averaged 22.0...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) 5) The Utah Jazz have a dynamic young duo in Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, plus a talented supporting cast that includes two former All-Stars, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko. They certainly have to be considered a Western Conference contender. If not for Kobe Bryant's heroics against them in the Western Conference semifinals (33.2 ppg, 7.2 apg, 7.0 rpg, .491 field goal shooting) they could very well have made it to the Finals for the first time since the Stockton-Malone era. 7) Chris Paul emerged as the best point guard in the NBA, David West is probably still underrated even though he made the All-Star team and New Orleans looks like a legit Western Conference contender. The playoff experience that the Hornets gained this year should ser...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Utah made a small run to cut the lead to 56-43 but Fisher closed the quarter with six straight points: he hit a three pointer and then he sank three free throws after Williams fouled him on a three point attempt just before the halftime buzzer. Utah got no closer than 80-66 in the third quarter and a couple field goals by Bryant in the last 1:40 made the score 86-70 heading into the fourth quarter. The Jazz relentlessly chipped away at the lead in the fourth quarter, with Paul Millsap doing the bulk of the work with his inside power game; he scored 10 points in the first 5:37 of the quarter to help Utah get within 91-82. A minute later, two Harpring free throws made the score 93-86 but the last five minutes of the game belonged to Bryant. His three pointer p...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Bryant did not attempt a shot in the fourth quarter but his dribble penetration repeatedly broke down Utah's defense and directly or indirectly created open shots for his teammates. The Lakers maintained a small lead for most of the quarter but could not pull away. They were ahead 101-96 after Derek Fisher made a pair of free throws at the 2:43 mark but then reserve guard Sasha Vujacic foolishly got a technical foul (side note: the vaunted Lakers bench shot 3-17 from the field, "led" by Vujacic's 1-11--and this is with Bryant drawing multiple defenders and setting him up for wide open jumpers). The resulting Kyle Korver free throw followed by a Williams three pointer quickly made the score 101-100. The Lakers desperately needed a score and B...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Before delving fully into how the game ended, let's take things in order and examine what happened in the first three quarters. Just like in game three, Fisher picked up two quick fouls and had to sit out for most of the first quarter. Fisher cannot stop Williams but they were teammates last year and the crafty, physical Fisher is at least able to make things difficult for Williams. Without Fisher on the court, Williams is able to completely abuse Jordan Farmar, whose -19 plus/minus number in just 18:43 of playing time was nine points worse than any other player in this game. The Lakers' bench has been highly praised this season but Utah's reserves outscored them 39-16 in game four; this is another example of how regular season statistics can be...   [read the full post]

By noreply@blogger.com (David Friedman) Dirk Nowitzki seemingly received the 2007 MVP in a broom closet at an undisclosed location after his Dallas Mavericks were bounced out of the first round of the playoffs. We just saw the 2005 and 2006 MVP, Steve Nash, make Tony Parker look like the greatest point guard in the history of the NB...

By David Friedman 1) Phoenix Suns (8 points): Two MVP candidates--Steve Nash (2005 winner, 2006 winner, 2007 runner-up), Shaquille O'Neal (2005 runner-up); four All-Stars--Nash (2005-08), Amare Stoudemire (2005, 2007-08), O'Neal (2005-07), Grant Hill (2005).

By David Friedman During New Orleans' 108-96 win over Golden State, ABC ran a graphic that showed how well the top nine teams in the West have performed against each other this year. Only three of those teams have winning records overall against the group: the Utah Jazz (15-9), the New Orleans Hornets (17-10...

By David Friedman After Bynum got injured, the "experts" wrote off the Lakers for the second time this season, saying that in the tough West the Lakers would struggle to make the playoffs. Instead, Bryant shouldered more of the offensive load and the Lakers went 5-5 in the first 10 games that Bynum missed. That mark included losses to Phoenix, San Antonio, Dallas and Detroit, the latter three on the road. Bryant averaged 35.3 ppg and 8.8 rpg while shooting .558 from the field in the last six games of that stretch, during which the Lakers went 3-3, including a road win in Toronto when Bryant scored 46 points and a one point loss in Detroit when Bryant scored 39 points. Despite being without Bynum for those 10 games the Lakers still had a 30-16 record, the sixth best mark i...   [read the full post]

By David Friedman Boston is still on top of the standings but without fanfare San Antonio has moved into a virtual tie with the Celtics. LeBron James' quest to win his first scoring title--and prevent Kobe Bryant from becoming the first player to win three straight since Michael Jordan--has been briefly put on hold by a finger injury. 1) Boston Celtics, 14-2 2) San Antonio Spurs, 15-3 3) Orlando Magic, 15-4 4) Phoenix Suns, 13-4 5) Utah Jazz, 13-5 48) Kobe Bryant, LAL 6.1 rpg 1) Steve Nash, PHX 11.1 apg 2) Jason Kidd, NJN 10.7 apg 3) Chris Paul, NOH 10.1 apg 4) Deron Williams, UTA 8.7 apg 5) Baron Davis, GSW 8.6 apg 6) Jamaal Tinsley, IND 8.4 apg 7) LeBron James, CLE 8.1 apg 8) Chauncey Billups, DET 7.9 apg 9) Jose Calderon, TOR 7.8 apg 10) T.J. Ford, TOR 7.4 apg   [read the full post]