I Hate Road Trips

Actually, I love road trips, but not when it's the Jazz and not when they're going to Minnesota. After a solid beating of the Clippers in SLC on Friday night, I was confident we would cruise through Minnesota without any problems. But I forgot the Timberwolves have Kirk Snyder on their team. Wait, What?

To be fair, Utah was missing Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko for the game on Sunday. Anytime you're missing two of your starters, you're bound to struggle. Unless you're missing three of your starters and you're playing the Clippers, but that's another story. The Jazz just couldn't do much of anything against the T-Wolves; they deserved to lose. I just can't understand Utah: they are virtually perfect at home all season, but as soon as they leave the state they look like BYU in the NCAA Tournament. Here's hoping we get home-court advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.

To do that, the Jazz have to get serious and dominate this last stretch of the season. They play the Wizards tonight in Salt Lake. I'm betting my first child (unborn as of print date) that the Jazz win this one. After that, it doesn't look so good. They have a rematch with Minnesota on Wednesday (just chalk up a loss; that way you won't be disappointed no matter what happens), then they play San Antonio, New Orleans, Dallas, and Denver. If Utah can take four out of the five during that stretch, they should be sitting pretty come playoff time. On a related note, Minnesota WILL NOT be in the playoffs this year. That is good news.

Taking Candy From a Baby

The Charlotte Bobcats came into town tonight. They are heading back to the airport as we speak. Somewhere in between, they played some basketball, but they didn't really need to. We're talking about the Utah Jazz playing the Charlotte Bobcats in Salt Lake City. As a side note, the Jazz won the game by 22.

Don't get me wrong, the Bobcats played tough. The kept it close for much of the first half, and cut a double-digit lead down to three with six minutes left in the game. You got the sense, however, that the Jazz were just toying with them. Suddenly Kyle Korver rips off three straight treys, Ronnie Brewer has a couple big baskets, and Jerry Sloan is high-fiving Andrei Kirilenko on the way to the bench. You can decide which of those three is a lie. If you're a Jazz fan, you didn't break much of a sweat tonight.

Game ball goes to Carlos Boozer. He had a solid night with 28 points and 13 boards. I can't believe I'm giving it to him after the obscene number of layups he missed in the first half, but he redeemed himself in the second half. He was driving to the hoop with, spinning and shooting with his right hand and his left, and crashing the boards on every play. He had a ton of help though: Deron Williams had 14 points and 15 assists, Kyle Korver had 10 points and 12 marriage offers, Mehmet Okur had 20 points, 10 rebounds, and one awkward post-game interview in a bright orange sweatshirt. In all, seven Jazzmen scored in double figures; when that many players show up in the EnergySolutions Arena, you might as well leave the bus running.

We're down to 10 games left in the regular season. If we start now, we still have a chance at the lottery. If we tank it right now, we might have a chance at a #5 pick in the NBA draft. But if not, we'll have to settle for a post-season run and hope that Michael Jordan doesn't come out of retirement.

You Thought I Died. I Tried To.

I haven't written since last Monday. Big whoop, what has there been to write about? Well, I will tell you. First of all, I have decided to change the style of my posts. I have simply been recapping Jazz games up to this point. This will not do. If you want a bread-and-butter rehashing of the games, read ESPN or the Deseret News. I think there's another newspaper in Utah, but nobody really reads it. So I will, from here on out, be giving my personal take on the Utah Jazz, its players, fans, dancers, concession prices, etc. If you don't like it, send me an email at allredj@gmail.com and I will put it in my spam folder. If you like it (or hate it), comment on it and include your name, phone number, address, and the names of all those that are dear to you. I will respect anything anybody has to say.

Which leads me to my next point: Whoever said the Jazz are unbeatable at home is an idiot. Please don't read any of my previous posts. Watching them play the Lakers last week was painful. I got more excitement out of watching this year's Oscar's than I did out of that game. And I didn't watch this year's Oscar's. Utah couldn't stop the Lakers all game long, and just when you thought the Jazz might come back in it (after Deron Williams' four-point play late in the game), Kobe Bryant got mad at the world and pulled out a gun and killed anybody that got in his way.

Luckily for Jazz fans, the Sonics were coming into town. Unluckily for Jazz fans, the Sonics almost beat them. If it wasn't for some hot shooting by Mehmet Okur (to go along with solid nights from Williams and Carlos Boozer), I would have shut down this blog and started a daily update of Ron Paul's campaign run. Luckily for American politics, the Jazz won.

Utah has a good stretch ahead of them if they can pull it together. They're only two and a half games out of first place in the West, and their upcoming calendar looks favorable. I realized, while watching the Laker debacle on Thursday, that we don't have much time to win a championship. I watched the game in HD, and it zoomed in on Jerry Sloan's face. We don't have much time. Win one for the gipper!

Jazz vs. Raptors: Feelin' the Home Love

Believe it or not, Utah is back at home and lovin' every minute of it. The Jazz kept their home streak alive with a win against the Toronto Raptors tonight; they have won 19 straight home games, tying a franchise record. Granted, they did it against a Raptors team that was missing their top scorer and rebounder in Chris Bosh, but a win is a win.

The starting five for the Jazz may not have realized they were in their own arena in the first quarter tonight; they came out shooting horribly and very lackadaisically. Luckily for Jazz fans, Toronto was just as embarrassing. Both clubs scored only 16 points in the first period, and fans starting crying for ticket refunds. When I say fans, I mean idiots -- for any true Jazz fan knew they would pull it together at home. And they did.

Utah's bench came into the game and took things over. The second quarter belonged to Ronnie Price, who led the Jazz into the half with a nine-point lead. However, it wasn't until the fourth quarter that Utah really exploded the way fans are used to seeing in Salt Lake. Led again by Price (as well as hot shooting from Kyle Korver), The Jazz outscored Toronto 31-14 in the final period and and wrapped up the game with a 96-79 victory.

Game ball goes to Ronnie Price tonight; he hit two straight treys in the first half when Utah was in a serious shooting slump, had some beautiful cuts to the basket, and finished with 13 points and 5 assists in just 13 minutes on the floor. He gave the Jazz a shot of energy just when they needed it, and helped take the Raptors out of contention. It was good to see him get some quality play out there.

Utah played without Mehmet Okur (reported having nausea), and Carlos Boozer left late in the game with a tweaked muscle in his back. The jazz have three days to rest up and prepare for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. It's a big game with Kobe and Co. coming into town, and hopefully we can get those big guys back in time!

Jazz @ Celtics: Where There's a D-Will, There's a Way

Magic was in the air tonight in Boston; with as poorly as the Jazz have played on the road against lower-echelon teams, there didn't seem to be much chance that they would prance into Boston and steal a win against the team with the best record in the NBA and winners of 10 straight. The Celtics had only lost 4 home games all year coming into tonight's game, and the road-weary Jazz didn't seem to be the best candidate to change any of that. However, in case you've forgotten already, magic was in the air tonight in Boston!

The Jazz came out with a bang in the first quarter. They finished the period with 33 points and dominated both ends of the court, holding Boston to 23 points. Carlos Boozer had a great first half; he seemed to blow past his defender and slide in for an easy layup every time he got the rock. He finished the half with 15 points, and the Jazz had a 13 point lead. You knew, however, that Boston was going to make a run -- and they did.

The Celtics limited the Jazz to 17 points in the third quarter, so heading into the fourth Utah hung onto a dangerous five-point lead. Enter Deron Williams. Sure, he played well in the first three quarters, but in the fourth he was downright nasty. He scored seven of the Jazz's 10 points during a 10-0 run to give Utah a nice cushion. On one drive to the basket, D-Will was hammered to the ground by Kendrick Perkins, resulting in a flagrant foul and two freebies for Williams. It seemed to stoke a fire in Deron: he drew a charge on the other end and then ran back on offense and punched in a huge three from the top of the key. All hope of a Celtics comeback was shattered. According to Paul Pierce, Utah was the neighborhood bully tonight and there was nothing the Celtics could do about it. All I know is I wouldn't want to be the little kid facing D-Will with no lunch money.

Game ball: Deron Williams, who else?! He made sure the Jazz didn't let this one slip out of their hands. He finished the game with 32 points and eight assists, just missing another double-double. That's all the Jazz needed to pull away from Boston on this night, however.

It was a huge win for the Jazz, and hopefully it will give them some major confidence heading into the season's homestretch. Utah has one more game on this road trip tomorrow in New Jersey, and then it's back to the royal confines of the EnergySolutions Arena for a five-game stand. Now is the time for Utah to make a final push for a top playoff seed!

Jazz @ Bucks: Jump-Start My Heart

The Jazz sneaked away from Milwaukee with a win tonight, but it wasn't a game for the faint of heart. If you have a history of heart problems, consult your doctor before reading this post. It's too bad that a game against the Bucks had to be so emotionally draining, but a win is a win.

Utah started the game on a tear, had a 16-point first quarter lead, and ended up scoring 40 points in the period! The lead quickly slipped away; Milwaukee came back with a vengeance and cut the deficit to one heading into the half. The third quarter was back and forth, and the Bucks pulled away in the fourth. Jazz fans everywhere started to get queasy as they realized the Jazz were letting another road game slip away.

But the basketball gods had other plans tonight! Down 11 late in the game, Utah used spectacular free throw shooting and a 12-2 run to come roaring back into the game. Mehmet Okur pulled down two offensive rebounds on the same possession and fed Carlos Boozer down low for a huge layup to give the Jazz the lead. Andrei Kirilenko poked the ball away from Milwaukee and hit a streaking Ronnie Brewer, who was fouled and hit one of two from the free throw line. Now down by two, the Bucks' Charlie Villanueva drove to the hoop, only to get the ball swatted away by Boozer, and the game was in the ol' refrigerator.

Game ball: Deron Williams. He had yet another double-double with 26 points and 13 assists. But this game was a balanced effort from the whole starting line-up (all five ended in double figures; Boozer, Okur, and Williams each recorded double-doubles). Great game!

It was also nice to pick up a big road win heading into the Bean-Town Showdown with the Boston Celtics on Friday. Let's hope the real Big Three show Boston's big three a good time!

Jazz @ Bulls: Sleepy in Chicago

Utah did not start out this Eastern road swing the way they wanted to last night. They had an early lead, but it quickly disappeared; the Bulls virtually dominated the last three quarters en route to a 108-96 victory in Chicago. Utah tried to make a run late in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't ever get closer than eight points before the Bulls would hit a big three or get an easy layup.

Mehmet Okur gave the Jazz another great performance (22 points and 18 boards), and Deron Williams contributed another double-double (20 points and 10 assists), but they were the only bright spots the whole evening. It was nice to see Andrei Kirilenko back though, and he played fairly well with 10 points, four rebounds, four assists, one block, and one steal.

There is no time to cry about this one; Utah makes the short trip from Chicago to Milwaukee tonight for a game against the 23-41 Bucks. If the Jazz are going to make up any ground in the West before season's end, it has to start on this road trip (especially with how hot the Houston Rockets and L.A. Lakers are currently).

Double Whammy Weekend

The Jazz had a great weekend with two huge wins: they made a late-game run against the Suns in Phoenix, then absolutely crushed the Nuggets the next night in Salt Lake City. I was sick all weekend and wasn't able to watch either game, but suffice it to say, the Jazz are better off without me. There will be much to write about this week; they head out on a 4-game-in-5-nights Eastern Conference road swing starting Tuesday night in Chicago. Utah has a lot of momentum right now (5-game win streak), and they are playing what might be the best basketball they've played all year! If they can keep this up, they could easily jump to third or second in the Western Conference race.

Jazz vs. Timberwolves: Sweet Revenge

Utah took it to Minnesota in a big way tonight in the EnergySolutions Arena. Perhaps the memory of last week's disappointing loss to the T-wolves was still lingering in their minds, because they sent the "pesky Wolves" out of the gym with their tails between their legs. It's not always a good sign when the seats are empty with several minutes left in the game, but the Jazz stuck a fork in Minnesota early in the third quarter and cruised to a 105-76 win for their 17th straight home win.

The first half was a fairly strong showing; Utah heading into the intermission with a 51-39 advantage. There wasn't a whole lot to be excited about up to this point, other than a few sky-high dunks from Ronnie Brewer. He also hit two early treys and had 12 points by halftime. It wasn't until the second half that the crowd really got into it. The Jazz came out in the third and absolutely hit the Wolves right in the mouth! They reeled off a string of 15 straight points to start the third and never looked back. Deron Williams had another great game with 21 points and 11 assists -- most of those points came on identical plays: killer cross-over and quick slash to the basket for the easy layup. Carlos Boozer was strong underneath, pulling down 14 boards to go with his 16 points. The Jazz are tough to beat when those guys are on their games.

Game ball: Ronnie Brewer. He had five or six spectacular dunks, several of those coming on alley-oops. He was slashing to the basket and making his defender look foolish all night. He ended the night with 16 points and eight rebounds and five plays worthy of SportsCenter's top 10 plays of the night. What an improvement he's made this year!

Big game Friday in Phoenix against the "Big Cactus" Shaquille O'Neal and the Suns. Utah should be able to rack up some numbers against them (Denver scored 126 on the Suns tonight). They may not have Andrei Kirilenko back for the game, but if they get a team effort like tonight, the Jazz should be sitting pretty heading into the Rocky Mountain Showdown on Saturday.

Jazz vs. Mavericks: Keep On Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', Rolling'

Wow, this one was a real roller-coaster of a ride, but the Jazz ended up on top once again from Energy Solutions Arena. Somehow they just keep pulling out big games at home, and this one was definitely a big game and an exciting one. We'll take it from the top and try not to miss any of the action:

The Jazz started out white-hot in the first quarter. Carlos Boozer hit his first 5 shots, Ronnie Brewer had a couple three-point plays, and before Jerry Sloan had let fly his first expletive, Utah was up by 21! They were shooting close to 70% in the first quarter, and the Mavericks were completely left in the dust. The Jazz did take a big blow in the first period, however, when Dirk Nowitzki clotheslined Andrei Kirilenko under the hoop, slamming AK to the ground right on the small of his back. Andrei stayed down for awhile and ended up limping to the locker room and being wheeled out to a local hospital for x-rays (the preliminary reports came up negative).

The Jazz as a team kept cruising all the way through the second quarter and took a 14-point lead into halftime. Deron Williams had -- get this -- 14 assists in the first half!! That's one short of the franchise-record set by the Assist King himself. Things were looking good at that point, but Utah came out flat in the third quarter, and Dallas trimmed the lead to 6 heading into the final stanza.

The Mavericks kept chipping away at the lead; fans started getting nervous, and the Jazz players were starting to play a little reckless. About halfway through the period, Dallas took a three-point lead and had complete momentum. For those of you that may have forgotten, though, this game was played in SLC. Utah answered with a 16-0 run, and didn't really look back from there. The game was cemented from the charity stripe, with Kyle Korver (surprise!) hitting 6 straight to seal the deal. In fact, as a team, Utah nailed all 18 free throws in the fourth quarter! It's pretty hard to lose at home with that percentage. Carlos Boozer had some huge steals when the game was on the line, and Mehmet Okur had a big three-point play to turn the tide for the Jazz.

Despite the great performance from many players, the game ball has to go -- once again -- to D-Will. He finished the game with 17 points and 20 assists! He's really proving himself as a strong leader and a smart passer. He seems to be maturing and improving every week. He will be invaluable to the team come playoff time.

Utah has a revenge game against the "pesky Timberwolves" on Wednesday, as well as a Friday night game in Phoenix against the new-look Suns, but everybody has to be anticipating the big Saturday matchup against the right-on-our-heels Nuggets in SLC. The excitement has only just begun!

Jazz @ Grizzlies: ROAD WIN!

The Jazz beat up on the reeling Memphis Grizzlies last night to the tune of 113-92. It was a sweet road victory, considering Utah hadn't won on the road since before the All-Star beak (two weeks ago). It was also relieving to see the Jazz finally beat a team that they're supposed to beat (Memphis is 27 games out of first place in the Southwest Division, and has lost 8 straight).

It wasn't as thorough of a beating as it may look, however; in fact, Utah led by only two points with eight minutes to go. That was when the Jazz really turned it on and cruised to a 21-point victory. Credit for this win goes to several people (Jerry Sloan knew when to call timeouts to stop Memphis' momentum, Kyle Korver had 17 points and was 4-7 from behind the line, Kirilenko had 16 points and 5 assists). The game ball, however, goes to Deron Williams; he played 40 minutes, had 13 points, and ended up with 19 assists! He had great vision of the court all night long, and always seemed to be able to find the man with the best chance to score. He finished the game just 2 assists short of his career high. In all, seven Jazz players scored in double figures, and the team shot 57% for the game. Great win!

And it's just what the Jazz needed heading into Monday's game with Dallas. At least we know it's possible for the Jazz to win on the road now, even if it is against the likes of Memphis. Take comfort, Jazz fans, we're headed back to SLC for this one!!

Jazz @ Hornets: Shoot Me In The Face

There's not a whole lot a man can say about last night's debacle in New Orleans. The Jazz were completely out-played in the first quarter, and were outscored 38-15. The Hornets reeled off a 23-0 run, and that's the end of the story. Sure, Utah fought back and cut the lead to four points with just over eight minutes left in the game, but everybody knew the Jazz didn't deserve the victory.

In case I'm sounding a little too negative/depressed, I'll say this: I am. But, of course, New Orleans is a good team and a legitimate contender in the West. Chris Paul was dominant last night; the Jazz had no answer for him. He could be considered an MVP candidate in my book.

We don't have much time to think about what went wrong yesterday -- the team is swinging over to Memphis for a clash with the Grizzlies tonight. I will just take some strong medication and hope that the stinging from the Hornets (excuse the pun) goes away quickly.