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.