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.