BLOG MOVING TO TUMBLR!!!!

This is an emergency warning for all you (3) followers of this blog. We are moving to www.utahjazz.tumblr.com. It is a much more user-friendly website, and I will be able to post more audio and video with much ease. With the season just around the corner, I want to be able to contribute a blog that will give a 360 degree view of the Utah Jazz's 2010-2011 season, and tumblr is the way to go. So go there, and follow me, and GO JAZZ!

Painful Partings

The Utah Jazz trimmed their roster down to 13 players today, in accordance with regular season roster rules. Although he said it was a difficult and painful thing to do, Jerry Sloan was forced to cut Sundiata Gaines, Othyus Jeffers, Ryan Thompson and Demetris Nichols from the roster. They all have done good things (especially Gaines and the famous buzzer-beater against the Cavs last year), but they had to go. Jeremy Evans is now the only Jazz player with an non-guaranteed contract. He has been pretty impressive and fun to watch this preseason.

The final preseason game is tomorrow night against the Sacramento Kings. The game is in Salt Lake, and it will be televised on Fox Sports Rocky Mountain, so you might as well cancel all previous engagements, get into something cozy, and watch the new-look Jazz finish off their preseason rampage. Or at least flip back and forth between the ALCS and the Jazz. Deron Williams will not play tomorrow for personal reasons, but it looks like Al Jefferson will be playing despite a minor hand injury.

We have less than a week until the regular season tips off (Wednesday night against Denver)!!

Preseason Perspective

The Utah Jazz are undefeated through six preseason games (not saying a whole lot, but it is the first time in franchise history they've done so.) From the looks of things, the team is starting to come together somewhat. Al Jefferson has been playing very well, especially in the last three games. CJ Miles has looked good, although Jerry Sloan still likes to rag on him.

I'm just excited that the Jazz beat the Lakers 99-94 Sunday night at the Staples Center. Granted, it is still preseason, but I'll take a victory over L.A. whenever I can.

I can't wait for the season to start! NBA is just around the corner, and you gotta love it baby!

Bring on the Utah Jazz!

It's almost time for the 2010 NBA Season! I hope you all had a good break, because I have a feeling we're about to go for a ride. I'm usually excited for the beginning of a new season, but for some reason I am extremely excited this year--probably because of the new faces and the new look.

For those of you who don't know (read: anybody who has been living in the Siberian tundra or who has been in a deep coma for the last few months), the Jazz picked up Al Jefferson, the talented big man from the Timberwolves. He is excited to be here, and he's as publicly humble as any professional sports player I've ever seen; he must want something. Dang, Carlos Boozer has really messed me up... Back to Jefferson. He has great moves, he can score like nobody's business, and he seems willing to work hard. Hopefully Sloan can just teach some monster defense and passing skills.

The Jazz also signed Raja Bell. I don't know if that name rings a...bell...for you, but he played for a couple years with the Jazz six or seven years ago. He's a maniac on defense. He'll help the Jazz contain Kobe, and he can knock down a triple every now and then as well. Good veteran pickup for the Jazz.

The other exciting news from the summer is the change in logo, jerseys and court design. It's a fresh rendition of the old-school look, and I like it. I'm excited to see them in action.

The preseason is rolling along, and we're just waiting for a few weeks to tip off the regular season! It may be tough to gel as a new squad, but if the players can get accustomed to each other pretty fast, I think we'll be a dang good team this year. Sloan has taken off his muck boots and put on sweatpants and a whistle; Deron Williams has emerged from the Bat Cave; Carlos Boozer has tripped out of town (and broken his hand in the process); Andrei Kirilenko has looked into the wrong fashion magazine. The 2010 Utah Jazz are ready to rock!!

I Hate L.A.

Last night was a good game in many ways; Paul Millsap played like an animal, muscling his way to the basket, drawing fouls, wrestling rebounds away from the Laker's big men. Wes Matthews shot lights out from beyond the arc and looked like someone that could succeed in Utah for years to come. Deron Williams played well, but not fantastic. Overall, it appeared that the Jazz should have beaten anybody in the league last night.

But they were going up against the Los Angeles Lakers. I remembered last night that I hate the Lakers. They dominated Utah in total rebounds, including one possession late in the game where they grabbed three offensive rebounds and milked the clock for a whole minute before Ron Artest finally made a layup. At times last night it seemed like Utah was a high school team playing against a very good college team. And the part that hurt the most: the Lakers looked disinterested and bored. The crowd was nonexistent most of the night, occasionally cheering lightly when the game got within four points. Kobe had a couple dominant minutes, but for the rest of the game he was just out there running through plays, giving his teammates a chance to be "the man." Every single Jazz fan was pulling out chunks of hair off their heads throughout the game and diving headfirst into their living room wall trying to end the agony of last night.

So the Jazz are down 0-2 in the series with the Lakers, but they're headed back to SLC for Game 3. The best we can hope for right now is to get a big win at home, get Andrei Kirilenko back, and for the L.A. plane to mysteriously nose-dive straight into the depths of the Great Salt Lake. If you hear that story in the news in the next two days, I never wrote this.

The Indomitable Will

For those of you who have been in a deep coma since Monday, The Utah Jazz beat the Denver Nuggets 114-111 in Game 2. With Andrei Kirilenko still out and Mehmet Okur done for several months, not many "experts" were giving the Jazz a chance to pull out a victory on the road in Game 2. That's what made Monday night's game so memorable.

Deron Williams played out of his mind. He finished with 33 points (including 16-18 from the free throw line) and 14 assists. Not even John Stockton ever had those numbers in a playoff road victory. Williams was the best player on the court, and he didn't let his team down. C.J. Miles and Wes Matthews did a great job against Carmelo Anthony, forcing him to shoot 9-25 from the field and foul out in the last minute of a very tight game. Everybody on the Jazz hit the big shots when it counted (including Kyle Korver's huge three-pointer to give the Jazz a two-point lead in the final minute), and everybody played tough defense against the crazy Nuggets offense. Every Jazz fan should write down their experience from this game, because we will be telling our great-grandchildren about it. And if you don't, you're not a Jazz fan.

The next game is this Friday in Salt Lake City. Hopefully everybody has enough time to rest and recover from a very draining game in Denver. Hopefully the crowd is crazy; I want to see signs with swear words and personal attacks against Carmelo. Jazz Nation ought to be infused with energy, excitement, and hope after what happened in Game 2. With Williams on our side, we always have a chance.

The Wheels are Falling Off

10 days ago, Utah was in position to take over second place in the Western Conference and head into the playoffs with a very favorable outlook. It was easy to envision them taking care of their first round opponent and having a great chance of going to the Conference finals.

Then the basketball gods stretched out their angry hands. Andrei Kirilenko is most likely done for the year. Mehmet Okur slipped on his ankle in the Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets, and he is done for the year. He might not even be able to play for Turkey this summer, as he was planning on doing. Carlos Boozer played well in the loss to the Nuggets, but he could easily wake up with a stuffy nose and be done for the year, so things are looking pretty bleak for the Jazz at this point.

Which isn't to say we've given up hope yet. C.J. Miles had a great first half in Denver until he injured a finger on his shooting hand. Deron Williams was a monster in the second half, and he's going to have to carry the load if the Jazz are going to come out of the series alive. Jerry Sloan will need to devise a few plays that include Kosta Koufos, a sledgehammer, and Carmelo Anthony's knees. Otherwise, they're going to need a miracle. Tonight is Game 2 in Denver, so we'll have a better idea of how the Jazz might fare with their back against the wall. If we're going to win the series, I say we need to steal this one tonight. Here's hoping the basketball gods aren't reading this.

Shouldn't We Be More Excited??

The season ended last night for the Utah Jazz, and they are headed to the first round of the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets--starting this Saturday. That's all of the good news we have, for now at least, because the Jazz got spanked mercilessly last night in Salt Lake City by the Phoenix Suns. It was embarrassing. I need to take a few minutes to go throw up just from thinking about it again.

And now I need to say a couple things. The Jazz played with no heart last night. This is speaking generally, because there were one or two players who looked like they were putting everything they had into the game; but for the most part, Utah didn't look like a team fighting for 2nd place in the Western Conference going into the playoffs. Passes were sloppy, defense was lazy, Phoenix was blocking every shot taken inside the paint, and Carlos Boozer was in a suit and tie behind the bench (more on that later). It was not a good night to call yourself a Jazz fan.

I have to pause to say that Mehmet Okur played very well last night, and looked like Larry Bird in a Turkish body. He was hitting everything, and kept the Jazz in the game--for the first 10 minutes. After that, I was looking for any sharp object I could find. Deron Williams was turning the ball over like Greg Ostertag, Paul Millsap's couldn't get anything past the Suns' shotblockers, and Carlos Boozer was in a suit and tie.

Which leads me to my next complaint: Carlos Boozer was in a suit and tie! He had a very mysterious "stomach muscle strain" in the previous game against the Golden State Warriors, and it was such a "sharp pain" that he felt it wise to sit out the season finale against the Suns. The season finale! With playoff seedings on the line, Boozer felt it prudent to sit and watch his team trip over themselves and then get run over by a herd of stampeding wildebeasts. I was falling in love with Boozer this season (in a purely platonic way) until he pulled that stunt. I'm pretty sure Stockton and Malone would have played with half of their intestines hanging out of their stomachs, much less a "sharp pain" coming from their rib sections.

Anyway, I was disappointed with the performance last night, but I'm as excited as ever to watch the playoffs. It's going to be tough without homecourt advantage, but I think we can stick it to the Nuggets if we can man up and play with a little heart.

Who Wants to Play the Jazz?

The Utah Jazz have been playing pretty dang well. On Monday, they beat the Boston Celtics, who have been one of the hottest teams in the league as of late. They did it with some great shooting from beyond the arc, as well as hard-nosed defense that would make Jerry Sloan slobber on himself. Which, thanks to HD, I notice that he does every game actually.

Utah took care of the Toronto Raptors pretty easily tonight, cruising to a 113-87 victory on the road. Seven different players scored in double figures, and seldom-used players (e.g. Kosta Koufos, Kyrylo Fesenko, Sundiata Gaines, and Othyus Jeffers) got a chance to finish up the last part of the game. Deron Williams owned the court; he finished with 18 points and 16 assists. He had great vision and took very good care of the ball tonight. I think he's at the height of his career right now, which is great news for any Jazz fan. With the win tonight, the Jazz have secured their 23rd winning record out of the last 24 seasons, which can be attributed to Jerry Sloan. And John Stockton, Karl Malone, Williams, Carlos Boozer, etc. But mostly just Sloan. We're lucky to have that old ornery cuss, and we're going to miss him when he finally has a massive coronary while chasing Dick Bavetta out of the arena.

I'm excited to see what happens with the rest of the season, because the Jazz are hot and the Western Conference playoff race is as tight as ever. As of right now, Utah is tied with Denver for 4th place, with Dallas only 1/2 game ahead. And, once the truth comes out about Pau Gasol being a woman on steroids, the Lakers will be disqualified, and the Jazz can take over as the best in the west.

4th Quarter Magic

What a game last night! The Jazz beat the Suns 116-108, but that doesn't tell you anything about how good of a game it was to watch. It was a late-night TNT game, so I took a nice, hot shower, settled into my blanket, grabbed the milk and Oreos, strapped on my adult diaper, and I was ready to roll.

The Suns were leading most of the game; in fact, the Jazz didn't have the lead at all in the first three quarters. They weren't playing that bad, it was just some hot shooting by the Suns and lazy defense by the Jazz. We might as well fast-forward to the fourth quarter, because that was when my diaper finally came in handy.

Utah was still down by 11 going into the final period. Every true Jazz fan knew, however, that they would do something magical by the end. The magic, this time, came from beyond the three-point line. The Jazz hit 7 of 11 three-pointers in the fourth quarter alone! Tell me the last time a Jerry Sloan team has done that. Don't tell me, actually; it would be a waste of your time. Deron Williams hit a couple threes, Mehmet Okur made two huge ones, C.J. Miles drained one (and had a three-point play the old fashioned way), and the Jazz came back, took the lead, and took all the joy out of the lives of every Suns fan in the world. It was a sweet victory.

Good show overall on national television for the Utah Jazz. I'm beginning to see very good potential going into the homestretch of the season, and if the Jazz can play at the top of their game, they will get the home-court advantage and hopefully make a good run in the playoffs.

Clipped!

Well, the Jazz fell to the Clippers last night in Los Angeles. It is never good for the ol' self-esteem to drop a game against the Clippers, and last night was no different. It felt like a red-hot steak knife being jabbed into my chest, and that's not being dramatic. I was actually able to watch the whole game, live and in beautiful HD (high definition, if you have been living in a rock for the past 10 years, or if you are older than 65 years of age). I was ready for a nice thumping of the Clippers as I have become accustomed to over the past 789 years, but it was not so last night. The Clippers actually really deserved to win; they played hard, they shot very well--especially in the first half, and the Jazz were cold for much of the game. Utah actually never led the entire game!

That's not to say it wasn't exciting, because it was. Utah caught back up and was only down by two points with 40 seconds to play. The Clippers had the ball, but Carlos Boozer stole it and lofted it downcourt for Deron Williams. Williams drove to the basket, hung in the air, and was fouled. He had two free throws, giving the Jazz the chance to tie it up with less than 30 seconds to play. As a Jazz fan, you can't ask for anything better: your star guard on the free throw line with a chance to tie the game and possibly send it into overtime! However, much to my dismay: clank, clank, and the game was over. And I had to go purge in the bathroom sink.

March is going to be a tough month for the Jazz, with several road games against good teams. They are going to have to play better than last night if they expect to remain at the top of the Western Conference heading into the homestretch of the season. Let's hope they cinch up their diapers and get to work!

Boozin', Buh-Buh-Buh Boozin'

Carlos Boozer has been playing like there are millions of dollars on the line. Oh, wait, there are. Regardless of how much money he's making (and how much he wants to make next year by testing the free agent waters), he has been playing extremely well the past few weeks. Last night, against the Charlotte Bobcats, he had 33 points and pulled down 16 rebounds. In the last five games, he is averaging 23 points, 16 rebounds, and more than 4 assists per game. As much as some Jazz fans (see: Mark Call) hate him, he has been the best power forward in the NBA these past couple of weeks. As a side note, the Jazz won the game last night, 102-93.

But it shouldn't be a side note, because it was a great game for a couple of Jazz players. Besides Boozer, Kyle Korver had a great game, finishing with 18 points, including 5-6 from the three-point line. He hit four three-pointers in a row in the fourth quarter, which cemented the game for the Utah Jazz. I'm glad he had a good game, because he hadn't been much of a factor recently until last night. Deron Williams had 20 points and 12 assists, and the Jazz needed all three of these guys to stage a second half comeback and put the game away in the fourth.

It will be nice to have Andrei Kirilenko back for tomorrow's game in Sacramento; he's a valuable asset to the team, even though I don't think he doesn't understand anything that Jerry Sloan says, and vice versa. As long as Carlos Boozer suits up tomorrow night against the Kings (and even if it's only Boozer that suits up), the Jazz will win the game.

House of the Rising Jazz

The Utah Jazz stayed hot last night with a 98-90 victory over the New Orleans Hornets. They are finding ways to win close games, even when they are as sloppy with the ball as they were last night (Utah finished with 22 turnovers). As ugly as some parts of the game were, they got a road victory against Western Conference playoff team. I think ESPN said it best last night: "Nobody wants to play the Utah Jazz right now, they are rolling."

Boozer and Williams got their double-doubles last night, but it was Paul Millsap that stole the spotlight for much of the game. He finished with 24 points on 11-13 shooting, had 8 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocked shots. He acknowledged that he had played timidly for much of the season, and he is making an effort to become more aggressive on offense. It was good to see both Millsap and Boozer have good games on the same night.

The Jazz have now won 15 of their last 17 games! It's a great time to be a Jazz fan. My confidence is up, I'm eating well, and I'm having positive conversations with those people around me, thanks to the current win streak. Assuming no last-minute trades happen today, we will be riding with the current Jazz lineup for the rest of the season--and that is a good thing. Next up: at Golden State on Friday. Get the house cleaned, invite friends over, pop some popcorn and start marinating the lil' smokies--it's going to be a good one.

Rocket, Yeah!

The Utah Jazz got back to their winning ways last night with a 104-95 victory over the Houston Rockets. It was nice to see the Jazz get a win on the road against a decent Western Conference team. I was waiting to see how Utah would come out of the All-Star break, and it seems like they still have the magic!

I didn't watch the game until the final minute, so I don't have a lot to say; but I'm glad Kyle Korver was in there at the end. He hadn't been playing much as of late, so it was nice to see him finish with 10 points, including a big shot to give the Jazz the lead with a couple minutes left, and a couple free throws to seal the deal in the final seconds. Hopefully Jerry Sloan liked what he saw from Korver and he gives him more playing time now.

Deron Williams played another great game, finishing with 17 points and 15 assists (including 10 assists in the first half). He has been playing with passion lately, and I think it has done him some good to finally join the ranks of the All-Stars. If you have a little free time, I would suggest reading this Deseret News article about his High School and college days--pretty interesting stuff.

We don't have much time to bust out the fine beverages and enjoy this win; the team has already flown over to New Orleans for a game against the Hornets tonight. The Jazz will be wearing their lucky green retro jerseys in honor of their New Orleans days. Utah is 6-1 in the greens this season, so here's hoping that luck continues tonight! Chris Paul (New Orleans' star point guard) is injured, so Williams should be the main man again tonight. Utah is going for their fifth straight road victory, which would be the longest road streak in two years. Make it happen, boys.

D-Will in Dallas!

Deron Williams had a good weekend in Dallas for the All-Star festivities. He finished runner-up to Steve Nash in the Skills Challenge, and he played well in the actual All-Star game. He came in during the second quarter, and he was all over the place. He had 5 assists in the quarter, as well as a huge dunk where he came flying in from the sideline. He also threw an alley-oop and caught one of his own and slammed it down like a real man. He put on a great performance in front of his homeslices (that's gangster for family and friends, since he is from Dallas and since he is probably a gangster). He finished with 14 points and 6 assists, and did his country, state, and team proud. Good work Williams.

Now it's back to business for the Utah Jazz. They have a game in Houston tomorrow night, then New Orleans on Wednesday, followed by a Friday night game at Golden State. If the Jazz are going to trade Carlos Boozer, it has to be fast, since the trade deadline is this Friday. It will be interesting to see if Utah makes a move, but I would be surprised if they do. They have been so hot lately, it might not be a good idea to shake up a good thing--we shall see. I'm ready to get back to real basketball; this week break feels more like a month!

I'm going to go hang the life-size poster of Deron Williams above my bed right now.

All-Stars and Nice Cars

We're into All-Star Weekend, with its challenges and shootouts and glamor and showboating. Sure, it's a lot of fun to watch the best basketball players in the world show off their talents for a couple of days. However, it reminds me of a little problem in professional basketball: these players are filthy rich. Not only that, but they seem to be greedy as well. Currently, there is conversation going on between the "Player's Association" and the team owners. The Player's Association is a group of NBA players designated as representatives for the league regarding salary, benefits, contracts, etc. These two sides have been debating over salaries, and they are at a standoff right now. The group of team owners has just ripped up the Player's Association's new offer, and neither side is willing to budge at this point. This means a lockout (where nobody plays) could be in the near future. It would be the first NBA lockout since 1998-1999, when the regular season didn't start until February 5.

Let's take a step back and look at this. The average NBA player's salary is over $5 million! That is more than I am planning on making in my lifetime (unless the secret inventions I'm working on actually come to fruition). The highest-paid player this year, Tracy McGrady, will make $22.9 million (and he has only played 6 games this season due to injury). Sure, they are extremely good at playing basketball, but they are playing basketball. With the way the economy is hurting right now, and with major businesses and programs struggling to stay out of bankruptcy, it makes me a little sick to see all this money going to NBA players.

There's nothing I can do about it, and to be honest, I hope the players and owners come to an agreement soon, because I LOVE watching the NBA. I will probably sit in front of the TV tonight and watch Nate Robinson throw down some impressive dunks, and I will be very pleased. But in my sleep tonight, some small part of me will be squirming, knowing that I support and love some of the most overpaid people in the world. But it will only be in my sleep.

And the Smile Slowly Fades.....

You think there was any chance that this shot went in? No. You think the Jazz had a shot to win against the Lakers, even without Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum. Nope. Utah wasn't really in the game after the Lakers went on a 12-0 run to end the first quarter. Say goodbye to the 9-game win streak, and now we have a week to think about this game.

I'll admit, I recorded the game so I could watch it after a "previous engagement" tonight, but when I came into my apartment, the game was on and the Jazz were down by 19. So, I don't really know why Utah lost this game; however, a quick look at the box score and you will see that Pau Gasol had 22 points and 19 rebounds, and Lamar Odom had 25 and 11. Nobody could match up against those guys to keep them out of the paint.

Andrei Kirilenko had 17 points, and Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams each had double-doubles, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Best in the West. Let's all just pretend this game never happened, and enjoy the All-Star break. Congrats to D-Will on finally making the cut; let's hope he makes us proud!

The Coma has Ended! And the Jazz are Rolling!

I have a lot of apologies to all my loyal readers that have visited my blog multiple times a day for the last year, because I haven't posted anything. I have recently come out of a long coma, so I'm ready to start feeding you all once again. Thanks for not giving up on me; the only thing that has kept me alive through this ordeal is the knowledge that you have been checking this blog, waiting for new material. It's time we saddle up and ride!

Oh, by the way, the Jazz are in the middle of a 9-game win streak.

I won't even try to catch up on what has happened this season, but it would do you all good to review in your minds the roller-coaster ride that we as Jazz fans have been on since late October 2009. Or, on second thought, just go back to mid-January (you will feel better about it that way). The Jazz have now won 13 of their last 14 games, including wins over the cream of the crop in the NBA.

Speaking of cream of the crop, the Los Angeles Clippers (cough) were the latest victim to the surging Jazz. Last night, the Jazz overcame a late-game deficit to beat the Clippers 109-99. Besides Deron Williams' 13 points and 11 assists, the Jazz got a huge game from Carlos Boozer, who finished with 34 points and 14 rebounds. He even admitted to having a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed by David Stern, who chose Chris Kaman as an All-Star reserve instead of Boozer. This apparently motivated Boozer; he was driving strong to the hoop, crashing the boards like a madman, and actually playing tough defense most of the night.

The best thing about last night, however, had nothing to do with Boozer, Williams, or even the recently-resurrected Andrei Kirilenko. The heroes of the night were Ronnie Price, C.J. Miles, and Wes Matthews. Price finished with 11 points on 4-4 from the field (including 3-3 from beyond the arc), and he was the leader of a 10-1 run in the fourth quarter that put the Jazz up for good. C.J. Miles had 9 points, as well as some nice assists late in the game. He played tough defense that shut down the Clippers and prevented a comeback. Matthews had 8 points, including a huge three-point play late in the game that sealed the deal. These three backups were crucial down the stretch for this victory.

Tonight is a huge night for the Utah Jazz. They host the Western Conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers in the EnergySolutions Arena at 7 PM. The Lakers may be playing without Kobe Bryant (he's a game-time decision), and they are definitely going to be without Andrew Bynum. If the Jazz can pull out a big win tonight, they will head into the All-Star break on a 10-game win streak and they will be able to rest and relax for the next 5 days. If Williams and Boozer are on top of their game tonight, I like our chances. Everybody clear their schedules -- cancel any homework, hot dates, or geneological library appointments. The Lakers are in town and we're going to give them the ol' how-do-you-do!!!!