Jazz: Big Win

Last night the Utah Jazz took on the Portland Trail Blazers. The Jazz have won the Northwest Division for the last two years. Mostly because the division is weak but this year it appears to be a much stronger division. Right now the Jazz are in third place in the division. The Denver Nuggets lead the division and going into last night's game, the Blazers were in second place with a one game lead on the Jazz. So last night's game was big. It would either bring us to a second place tie with the Blazers or it would drop us to two games behind. In a close division, these games are crucial. So, with that being the stage:

The Jazz looked great nearly all game long. In the first half, Memo Okur caught fire and provided the offensive fire power for the Jazz. He had 21 points in the first half alone (ended with 27). He was hitting outside jump shots, runners in the lane, and of course the classic "money man" 3-ball. With Deron Williams dishing the ball, the offense had no problem dominating the Blazers in the first half by scoring 57.

Coming out of half time, the Blazers made some clear defensive adjustments. They focused on Okur and slowed him down. Okur had only 6 points in the second half. The Jazz only scored 40 points in the second half. It was clear Utah would have to make some adjustments of their own to win this game. The Jazz quickly turned to their defense. In my opinion, this was one of the best defensive half's that the Jazz have played all year. It was fun watching the Jazz play defense as a team. They would hurry to a double team, then when the player passed out of the double team, the rotation by the Jazz players covered the open men and stopped the Blazers from getting an easy shot. The Blazers have a much bigger team than the Jazz. It was clear that the defensive game plan for the Jazz was to force the ball to the outside and make the Blazer beat them with the jump shot. They did that to perfection and luckily, Portland had a hard time finding the bottom of the net from 3-point land. Portland was only 6-27 (22%) from the 3-point line.

With the powerful offensive first half and a strong defensive second half, the Jazz beat the Blazers 97-88 and moved into a tie for second place in the Northwest division.

Jazz: Boozer's Babies

Last night my brother Tim turned to me and asked me, "Do you think all the Jazz players are really injured and can't play or are they just being babies?" The Utah Jazz have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NBA but you wouldn't know it by their 12-8 record. The injuries have plagued the Jazz all season long. They have hit several role player along with their two stars Derron Williams and Carlos Boozer.

My brother's question really made me think about it. I hate to be the typical Jazz fan but we talked about the Stockton and Malone era. Would Malone come out of the game and sit on the side line while he let his injuries heal? Probably not. Believe me, I don't have a man crush on Stockton or Malone but those guys wouldn't let these small injuries stop them from playing. Even if they weren't at 100% they were still threats that the other teams had to cover.

So, with that mentality I look to several players who are currently sitting out for the Jazz because of injuries. Do you think they could play if they really wanted to? Yeah, I think some of them could. There have been several times when I have heard Boozer say, "When the pain stops, I will start playing again." He's basically admitted that the treatment has gone well but it's just painful for him to play. Are you kidding me? How much are you getting paid? I'm sure Karl Malone would beat the crap out of Boozer for not playing because of a little pain.

Maybe this is coming from a frustrated Jazz fan who is sick of wondering what color of suite the Jazz players will wear to the game rather than what they will be doing on the court that night. Boozer and the other babies on the bench need to step up and start playing. I understand that some injuries require down time. But I'd love to throw Stockton or Malone into some of those situations and see how often they'd sit out. My guess is they wouldn't sit out often.

Jazz: Gaining Momentum

This has been a fun week to be a Utah Jazz fan. The Jazz are still battling through injuries but they are winning! Slowly the team is getting healthy. Derron Williams is the first key piece of the puzzle that has come back. He has played in the last two games and has been amazing. I'll admit that while he was out, I thought that both Ronnie Price and Brevon Knight did a great job and at times I wondered how much of a difference Williams would make when he returned. I'll be the first to say that I was an idiot for even wondering. It is clear that Derron is the heart of this team. He has only played in two games and it is very clear that the team attitude and culture is already making a great change for the better. It is a winning attitude. It's this attitude that will help them become the championship contender that we so desperately want them to be. It is this attitude that will help them win the "easy" road games. And it is this attitude that will inspire everyone on the team to work together to accomplish team goals.

On Wednesday night, the Jazz rolled over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Grizzlies didn't put up much of a fight. The Jazz had really good first and third quarters which pushed them to the win. Tonight the Jazz went back to work against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have also been fighting through some injuries early this year and they were no match more the Jazz who again had great a good first quarter and an AWESOME third quarter. In the third quarter, the Jazz outscored the Kings 44-17. You'd think that the Jazz are just a good first and third quarter team but there's a reason the Jazz are so good in those quarters...IT'S DERRON WILLIAMS! He is always in during the first and third quarters. In each of his first two games back he dished out an incredible 15 assists.

I don't know about other Jazz fans out there but I can feel the wind changing. The Jazz are starting to look like a team that could be great. Jerry Sloan has said that this year's team is the deepest and most talented team that he has ever coached. Now, that's saying something!

It's good to be home...

I think everyone on the Utah Jazz team would agree that it's good to be home for a couple of games. The five game Eastern road trip was tough on the team as they lost 4 of 5. Not only are they not a very good road team but they have been injury plagued. There have been several players that have been out because of some type of injury. The injured player are listed below:

• Derron Williams (Sprained Ankle) - He is day to day and could play soon.
• Matt Harpring (Ankle Rehab) - He played in last night's game but was out for several road games.
• Andre Kirilinko (Jammed Finger) - He was out for a couple of games but played last night as well.
• Jerron Collins (not sure) - He was also out for several of the road games but played last night.
• Memo Okur (Out of the country / Back Spasms) - He didn't play in any of the road games because he had to go home to take care of serious family matters. He was back in the country for last nights game but didn't play because of back spasms.

The Jazz should have come off of that road trip with at least 3 wins but as a fan, I'll give them a pass because of all the injuries. It was very nice to see the Jazz come home and get back on track by beating the Phoenix Suns. The Suns have a good team this year with a new coach that is trying to get them to a championship. They are loaded with stars that have more talent than most teams in the NBA.

The Jazz took over last nights game in the 4th quarter. Everyone chipped in to get this win. However, I was mostly impressed by CJ Miles. In the first quarter, the Jazz looked flat and had little hope of keeping up with the Suns. But CJ Miles turned red hot and scored 15 points in the first quarter alone to keep the Jazz close. Miles ended up with 21 points. With CJ knocking down 15 in the first quarter, Phoenix was forced to put one of their top defenders, Raja Bell, on Miles for defensive purposes. This was great because it opened the floor up for Boozer down low and other spot shooters around the perimeter. So with out a doubt, if I were giving out the game ball, I would give it to CJ Miles who kept the Jazz in it and ultimately opened up the offense for us.

Jazz: Here we go again!

The Jazz have picked up right where they left off last year in regards to playing on the road. The Jazz were not a good road team last year. Last year they had 28 losses and 22 of them game on the road! Not good! They Jazz could have easily been the best team in the West if they just would have won another 10 games on the road. But, with last year in the past, let's focus on this year. With that in mind, all I can say is...."Here we go again!"

They Jazz have opened this season with a strong 6-2 start. With only losing 2 of the first 8 games seems to be a pretty good start but when I look at the two losses I can't help but think that they Jazz should be 8-0 right now. Both losses have come from sub par teams (Knicks and Wizards) while playing on the road.

The Jazz were handed their first loss by the New York Knicks. The knicks are a better team this year. They have a quicker offense which can score a lot of points on a defense that struggles. Utah has always struggled against a team that shoots a lot of three point shots. The Knicks average nearly 30 three-point shots a game! For those of you who don't know...THAT'S A LOT! They hit us hard and the Jazz crumbled. So, I might even be able to get past the fact that we lost to the "new and improved" Knicks. What I can't get over is the loss to Washington...

The Jazz lost to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday. Washington is NOT a good team right now. In fact statistically they are the worst team in the NBA. When Utah arrived in Washington, the Wizards were THE ONLY team that didn't have even a single win. What happened? They Jazz choked. They were playing short handed because Memo had to leave the team and go to Turkey to be with his family but that isn't an excuse for losing to this team. Washington will be a better team later in the season when they get healthy but this should have been an easy road win for the Jazz. It was a hard game to watch.

So, with those two losses, I can't help but think "Here we go again!" The Jazz are still on the road tonight against Charlotte. The Bobcats are only 5-2 this year and the Jazz should take care of business tonight. But, you won't see me counting any eggs before they're actually in the basket. We'll see if the Jazz can dominate them the way they should.

No Williams? No Problem!! Jazz Roll over Clips

That's right! The Jazz seem to be doing just fine with the star point guard sitting on the bench. To the right, the injured Deron Williams (sprained ankle) stands up and cheers for Paul Millsap who just slammed the ball home. Williams is expected to miss at least one to two more games with his sore ankle.

With Williams out, point guards Ronnie Price and Brevin Knight have been splitting point guard duties. Each have stepped up in big ways to keep this team winning. Price (out of Utah Vally University) provides a huge spark of energy and athleticism. His hustle goes a long way in the absence of Williams. Knight, a seasoned point guard, with eleven season in the league gives the experience and leadership to the young Jazz team.

The Jazz played the Los Angeles Clippers (back-to-back). The games were actually pretty similar. In the first half of each game, the Clippers played the Jazz closes and the score was even closer. Going into half time the lead was lower than 5 points each game. In the second half of both games, the Jazz took over. The Jazz out scored the Clippers 53-31 in the second half of game one and they out scored L.A. 53-38 in the second half of game two.

The Jazz will certainly welcome Deron Williams back when he is ready, but it's good to see that even if something happens to him, the Jazz can play pretty well without him. I'm just excited to see what Williams will be able to do with the team when he is fully healthy. So far, the Jazz look like they will be a top contender in the west again.

Let's Get Jazzed!!

I can't believe how fast the summer flew by but for me, Wednesday marked the beginning of fall. That's right, the NBA season kicked off on Wednesday. It seems like the NBA finals were just a few weeks ago. I'm excited for this NBA season.

Thursday the Utah Jazz opened up the season by hosting the Denver Nuggets. My wife was nice enough to buy me tickets for opening night. They were awesome seats too! Okay, the truth is, I was on THE TOP row. You couldn't get any higher in the Energy Solutions Arena if you wanted to. But hey, in my opinion it's so exciting to see a game in person. Even if you are on the top row.

The Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets in an intense game that went down to the wire. I was nervous going into this game because we'd be with out our star point guard Deron Williams. I felt some comfort knowing that the Nuggets would be with out their star Carmelo Anthony because he was suspended for the first game of the season. Ronnie Price filled in for the injured Williams and did a pretty good job. He did exactly what was needed of him to win the game.

Carlos Boozer lead the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds which is more than a solid game. I was also very impressed with Andre Kirilenko who had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. For the first time since becoming an Allstar, the Jazz brought Kirilenko off the bench. I thought it plays huge to both his advantage and to the advantage of the Jazz.

Iverson had 18 points and 8 assists to lead the Nuggets. He is the only reason the Nuggets stayed even close.

The Jazz open the season with a win. So far, so good! Williams is expected to miss a couple more games so hopefully Ronnie Price can continue to step up and contribute big.