Jazz vs Pistons: At 6'8", Weighing In At 258 Pounds, From Louisiana Tech...

Karl Malone?? Um, I mean Paul Millsap! What a game he had last night, especially in the second half, leading the Jazz to a great come-from-behind victory over the Detroit Pistons. Millsap scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half as the Jazz erased a 15-point third quarter deficit in front of their home crowd. One night after losing to a Minnesota team with the second-worst record in the league, Utah beat the team with the second-best record in the NBA!

Millsap wasn't the only contributor to the inspiring victory, however. Carlos Boozer was dominant as usual (18 points, 15 boards); Deron Williams was integral in sparking the third quarter rally (finished with 14 points and 14 assists); and Mehmet Okur had 24 points on 10 of 18 shooting, including 3 huge treys in the final 3 minutes to seal the win. I was surprised they didn't get out and guard him behind the line better than they did; Okur played alongside many current Pistons during his stay in Detroit. The team effort was refreshing for Jazz fans, considering the nightmare they went through just 24 hours earlier.

In fact, the crapfest in Minnesota must have been looming in fans minds in the first half of last night's game; the Jazz got behind by 18 in the second quarter, and after three straight turnovers, the crowd broke into a shower of boos. It's not something Utah is used to, considering they had won 14 straight games in the Energy Solutions Arena coming into the game. It must have woken the team up, however, and the crowd was rocking by the time the Jazz took the lead with 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter.

Game ball goes to Millsap. He may not be worthy of replacing the Mailman in the hearts of Jazz fans just yet, but he certainly has turned out to be a steal for the Jazz (they picked him up in the second round of the draft!). Millsap was exactly what the Jazz needed last night to turn things around and beat a very good Pistons team.

Jazz @ Timberwolves: Give It Away

The Jazz were shooting lights-out in the first half of tonight's game against Minnesota: they were sitting around 60% from the field after the first period. 15 of their first 16 field goals were assisted. Carlos Boozer had 13 points in the first quarter. The Jazz were cruising, right? WRONG. They were tripping over themselves, second-guessing their moves, and were afraid of any physical contact at all; they looked like high school sophomores on a first date! They were turning the ball over every other time down the floor! It was enough to give anybody a splitting headache. By the time the first half was over, they had turned it over 14 times (they average 15 turnovers a game this season), and they were trailing by 5. It was a tribute to the mediocrity of the T-wolves that the lead wasn't any bigger!

Utah came out with a little more fire to start the third quarter, erasing the 5 point lead and going into the fourth quarter tied up at 72. That was the end of the highlights for the Jazz tonight. Minnesota scored 39 points in the final period, and sent the Jazz packing. Utah ended up with 24 turnovers, a season high. This makes two losses in three games; two games the Jazz were supposed to win! It's hard to place the blame on any one player for this loss (everybody was very sloppy and lackadaisical), but Boozer did have a great night on the offensive end, finishing with 34 points and 8 rebounds. Overall, however, the Utah was a no-show tonight against the cellar-dwelling T-wolves.

Now is no time to lose our momentum! Houston is riding a 12-game win streak (but they did lose Yao Ming to a season-ending injury), the Spurs are starting to pick up steam, and the Lakers are just plain scary. The Jazz have a tough stretch ahead, starting tomorrow night against the Detroit Pistons. Let's hope the home crowd and light a fire underneath the team and get them going again!! Anyone have any Advil??

Jazz vs. Hawks: Clutch Korver

What a relief! After the Clippers made us look Charmin-soft the other night, I was a little concerned that the Hawks might come in here and steal a victory. But I was only a little concerned, seeing as how the Hawks have tried winning in SLC almost as many times as Ralph Nader has tried winning in Washington; and they are about equally successful. The last time Atlanta won in Salt Lake they had Dominique Wilkins leading the way. For those of you that are under the age of 65, Wilkins used to play basketball.

The game wasn't as easy as I would have expected, though. In fact, it came down to the last few plays. All I have to say is that I'm grateful for Gordan Giricek; were it not for him, we never would have known Kyle Korver (I suggest his nickname be Killer Kyle Korver, or KKK). He's the best non-Puerto Rican closer in the western hemisphere. Last night he hit 6 of 6 free throws in the the closing minute to seal the victory for the Jazz! I have as much confidence in him as I had in Jeff Hornacek at the line. On a related note, Hornacek needs some love here because of what he has done with Andrei Kirilenko's game. Kirilenko hit a huge three late in the game with the Jazz up by only three. Speaking of confidence, in the past, each time Kirilenko took a jump-shot I would throw up a little in my mouth; since Hornacek's been working with him, Andrei's been 50% from beyond the arc!

The home streak continues. We're close to breaking the franchise record of 19 in a row, set back in 1995. We've got some tough games ahead, however (Detroit, Dallas, Minnesota. Wait, is there an NBA team in Minnesota?). Keep on rollin'!

Jazz @ Clippers: Manic Depression

It's impossible to find any silver lining anytime you lose to the Clippers. You just pretend like nothing happened and you hope nobody was looking. The Jazz had a horrible game from the field (they finished the game 0 for 13 from the three-point line...) and they had no energy on defense. You can look in any number of directions trying to place the blame, but this loss has to sit squarely on the shoulders of the Jazz starters for not coming to play. Sure, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams both ended up with double-doubles once again, but the team as a whole was missing-in-action. The frustration just kept piling on throughout the game, and it resulted in some hot tempers toward the end of the game (Boozer, Paul Milsap, and Jerry Sloan each picked up a technical foul). I read post-game comment written by an irate "fan", calling tonight's officiating the worst he had EVER seen, and that he had watched his last NBA game. I can understand being a little disgruntled after a depressing loss like this, but that's probably a little rash. Then again, I was about to commit suicide in the middle of the fourth quarter until some friends came over and reminded me of all my good qualities.

The Jazz still lead the Northwest Division by a game and a half over the Nuggets, and they stay in 4th in the West. Insane stat: 17 of the 20 losses this year have come on the road! At home: 23-3 (tied with Dallas for best in NBA); our home field goal percentage, assists per game, and steals per game are all best in the league. We are untouchable in SLC! Let's just hope things get shaken up a bit before the playoffs, or else we'll be facing the Spurs in the first round. We'll find out tonight if this game was a small hiccup for the surging Jazz, or if the flames that fueled our near-perfect January have died out.

Strap 'em Down. Let's Roll!

I was thinking about all the good things in my life, and I got all the way to one: the Utah Jazz. They have been my life, my passion, and my secret affair since I was old enough to tell the difference between Jerry Sloan and Jerry Springer. I can remember back to the days with John Stockton's revealing shorts, Greg Ostertag's killer cross-over, and David Benoit's consistent bricks. I cherish the glory years with Karl Malone and Stockton creating headaches for every opposing coach in the league, leading the Jazz to two consecutive Finals runs (I still blame myself for offering a silent prayer in game 6 of the '98 Finals -- right before Jordan nailed the game-winner). Ever since that time, I vowed to separate church and sport. It's been quite the ride the past few years, and the Jazz seem to really be back in action these past two years. Stockton and Malone have returned in the form of Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer; Sloan hasn't touched a referee for awhile, and the Jazz are back at the top of the league. It's time I gave back to the Jazz more than they've given me: they've really given me nothing, so all I really need to do is write about them every now and then. I count it as a blessing to be able to follow the Jazz on their quest for that elusive title. Let it be known that as of this, the 22nd of February, 2008, I devote this blog to ranting, raving, praising, and defaming the Utah Jazz. Enjoy.