Sweet music & sour notes -- Pacers vs Jazz

Thursday, March 08, 2007

The Jazz are rolling, having won 5 straight games with tonight's 94-72 win over the Pacers. It wasn't exactly a pretty game (in terms of high scorers, execution or consistent play by the Jazz), but a win is a win. Let's get into the notes ...

NBA.com coverage: recap box score highlights

SWEET MUSIC

* Deron Williams played well (16 pts, 6 ast, 3 reb), but also had 5 turnovers and banged knees with a Pacers' player and sat out some of the 3rd quarter. It was quite a scare, but Williams came back and played well in the 4th quarter with some nice assists to Harpring and a couple good shots.

* Carlos Boozer was horrid from the field (5-16 FG), but still managed a double-double (14 pts, 16 reb). He has 37 double-doubles this season and has been one of the biggest reasons the Jazz have already clinched a winning record. Where would the Jazz be without him? Probably aspiring to reach 40+ wins and squeak into the playoffs. With him, the Jazz are a possible 50-plus-win team and could squeak into the Western Conference Finals if they get the right breaks.

* What has gotten into Matt Harpring lately? The guy had 14 points tonight (which is about the usual for him), but the team seems to get an extra boost of energy when he and Paul Millsap check into the game. He has 14 or more points in 8 of his last 9 games.

* The Jazz's execution during this little win streak (and pretty much since the All-Star break) has been nearly flawless. Tonight's game was the exception as the Jazz settled for outside jumpers with the clock running down, but unlike earlier in the year, the Jazz aren't getting rattled when teams come back. This look like a veteran Jerry Sloan team; they run their sets, cut to the hoop, get back in transition and just keep working. There were a few sequences tonight when Jazz players were diving on the floor for loose balls and contesting inbounds passes. This is the behaviour of a high school team or an NBA team fighting to make the postseason, not one assured of a spot.

SOUR NOTES

* I would complain about Andrei Kirilenko's line here (9 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), as I've done most of the year, but it's finally dawned on me. AK-47 is just having a bad year. It's not going to end soon, so he's just going to have to suck it up and do what he can to contribute to a playoff team heading for the stretch run. I think he can do that.

* Was this just a bad game for Gordan Giricek (8 points, 1-8 shooting) or is he regressing into the Gira-suck of old? It was hard to tell tonight. He tries to play good defense and stay on his man, but he gets too physical, too often and gets himself in foul trouble. I don't have a problem with him bumping T-Mac, Kobe or even Jason Richardson, but is it really that hard to stay with Mike Dunleavy without getting in foul trouble? Dunleavy doesn't have a ton of moves.

* Darrell Armstrong looked like he found a time machine tonight. He had 12 points, 3 assists and a steal and flustered the Jazz's guards at times with his pressure defense. Might be a tactic some teams might try against the Jazz as the season wears on.

Posted by Jeff at 1:14 AM  

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