Sweet notes & sour music -- Celtics vs Jazz

Saturday, February 24, 2007

The Jazz are getting hot again, after tonight's 105-87 win over the Celtics. Utah has won 8 of its last 9 games and followed up last night's big win over Denver with a drubbing of Boston at Energy Solutions Arena. Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

Boozer working his way back (16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists in 23 minutes): Boozer played just 12 minutes last night, finishing with 10 points. Tonight he played mostly in the 1st and 4th quarters and doesn't seem to show any signs of rust around the basket. His jumper looked a little off (particularly when he was open), so he mostly banged his way to his points tonight.

Fisher picks up the slack (21 points on 8-11 shooting): Deron Williams had 2 points on 1-10 FGs, so Fisher took it upon himself to take some shots ... and make them. He played more minutes than Williams tonight (31 minutes for Fisher to Williams' 27 minutes) and looked solid. He moved the ball, played defense (2 steals) and was teamed with Gordan Giricek to keep most of Boston's backcourt playing defense on a night when I'm sure they didn't think they'd have to.

Millsap keeps hustlin' (10 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks): He got 14 shots tonight (which is like 30 for Boozer/Okur/Williams) and although he only made 5 of them, he kept playing defense, running the floor and not playing outside his role. As Boozer starts to work his way back to his normal 28-32 minutes a night, Millsap will resume his role as the energy guy off the bench. But there's gotta be some thought in Jerry Sloan's mind that Millsap deserves to play crunch time minutes if Andrei Kirilenko can't get it together by late March.

SOUR NOTES

What's up with Okur/Kirilenko? All we know is that these guys missed the game (Okur for his back; Kirilenko for his knee). But how serious is Okur's injury? Will he be back in the lineup soon or will this soon balloon into an injury of Boozer-like proportions? AK-47 is always hurt, but he had knee problems two years ago and has had flare-ups with the injury since then. Maybe this injury will help Millsap and Ronnie Brewer get some more minutes, but the Jazz need to get AK-47 back and get his confidence back up. They won't make a long playoff run if he's not a factor.

Game preview -- Celtics vs Jazz

The second and final game of this year's series against the Celtics. Here's a quick preview ...

What happened last time: Jazz win, 107-100, at TD Banknorth Garden. The Jazz mostly pulled away in the second and third quarters and were led by Deron Williams (26 pts, 14 ast), Carlos Boozer (24 pts, 14 reb, 4 ast) and Mehmet Okur (23 pts, 4-5 on 3-pointers). The Celtics' Paul Pierce went for 30 points and Wally Szczerbiak chipped in with 14 while Delonte West, Ryan Gomes, Kedrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo all had 10-11 points apiece.

What to expect this time: For one thing, Celtics PF Al Jefferson has gone from an afterthought in the offense (behind Pierce/Szczerbiak/Green/et al) to likely their No. 2 option on offense (behind Pierce). Jefferson is averaging 15.4 ppg and 11.6 rpg this month and has developed into a solid big man in what has been a wasted season for the Celtics. Utah likely won't have Okur tonight (and possibly Andrei Kirilenko), so that might factor into the offense. However, Deron Williams has stepped up this month (21.3 ppg) and Boozer should get more than the 12 minutes he played yesterday in Denver. If the Jazz can stick with Pierce on defense, Jefferson and the rest of the Celtics shouldn't be a problem. Keep an eye on tonight's matchup between Paul Millsap and Jefferson; it could be a preview of two young, talented big men.

Prediction: Jazz win, 105-92.

Posted by Jeff at 3:18 PM 0 comments  

Notes from the other side -- Celtics vs Jazz

Utah won the last meeting between these teams, 107-100, earlier this season. Boston was 1-4 at that point and Utah was 5-1, and since then, things have pretty much stayed the same for both teams. Here's a look at what the Boston media has to say:

* Wally Szczerbiak definitely won't play tonight, something that coach Doc Rivers expected.

* The Celtics took a beating last night at the hands of the Lakers and neither Rivers nor Paul Pierce were pleased with the effort.

* Rumor is people won't be surprised if Pierce asks for a trade in the offseason if the Celtics don't make a major trade.

Posted by Jeff at 3:09 PM 0 comments  

Notes from the other side -- Jazz vs Nuggets

Friday, February 23, 2007

* The Nuggets acknowledge the Jazz are the division leaders, but aren't ready to concede anything yet.

* Nuggets coach George Karl compares the Jazz's road trip to a "pit stop" in this article.

* Jazz vs Nuggets preview courtesy of The Nugg Doctor.

* The Nugg Doctor attended yesterday's practice. Very cool insights from inside an NBA practice.

Posted by Jeff at 11:55 AM 1 comments  

Jazz get Henderson, but he won't be around long

Thursday, February 22, 2007

The Jazz were one of three teams to actually make a trade today, but the move was mostly to move up in the second round of this year's draft.

The Sixers sent Alan Henderson and their second round pick to the Jazz for Utah's second round pick and some cash. The Deseret Morning News says the Jazz will waive Henderson, which shows the only reason the Jazz made the deal was to get another pick in the 2nd round. Given Utah's history of developing second-rounders, this should work out well for the Jazz. Throw in that the Sixers are going to be a lottery team, this should turn out to be a high 2nd-round pick and thus, a player that might help the Jazz next year.

Additionally, the Jazz might parlay the 2nd-round pick and a player like Gordan Giricek into a shooting guard that better fits the Jazz's system. We'll see how it goes ...

Out-of-tune: Andrei Kirilenko

JazzFan4Life provides its monthly look at a Jazz player who's been struggling (and what I would do to fix it).

The player: Andrei Kirilenko

The numbers: 9.0 ppg, 45.1 FG pct, 5.2 rpg, 3.3 apg, 2.1 bpg.

Biggest problem(s): Offensive inconsistency, defensive trouble on pick-and-rolls and lack of confidence.

Getting back in tune: A typical Kirilenko season (based on career numbers) looks something like this: 13.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 bpg and 46.2 FG pct. As you can tell from the numbers above, Kirilenko has struggled all season and there doesn't seem to be an end in sight.

First, the issue of offensive inconsistency. In seasons past (namely the last two), the Jazz often used Kirilenko as their starting power forward (a spot currently owned by Carlos Boozer). In that role, Kirilenko flourished as he was able to use his wingspan to get blocks on the defensive end and was quick enough to take most opposing power forwards out on the wing and beat them off the dribble. This season, AK-47 is the starting small forward and given Boozer's relative health, he has not had the same advantages against the small forwards of the Western Conference. Often, Kirilenko's role in the offense is relegated to passing the ball around the wings or making post-entry passes to Boozer and Mehmet Okur.

Part of how the Jazz can fix his offensive problems is two-fold. First, post him up more. Kirilenko has a height advantage over just about any small forward in the league and although he's not super strong, AK-47's wiry frame and wingspan allows him to contort and get off a shot when he might be out of position. Second, Kirilenko needs to hustle more. His offensive rebounding is at an all-time low (1.4 off rpg) and he doesn't crash the boards as he has the last 3-4 seasons. If he hasn't figured it out yet, Kirilenko is not the focus of a Jerry Sloan offense and he has to get the ball himself (off the boards) if he wants a shot.

Defensively, Kirilenko is not fundamentally sound one-on-one away from the basket. He's an excellent post defender, but with players such as Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady and Carmelo Anthony in the West, he's often taken out of the post and forced to play his man off the dribble. Kirilenko has been reaching for steals all season and has been burned more often than he's gotten steals. Additionally, on point guard/small forward pick-and-rolls, AK-47 is often crushed by the pick (leaving him unable to help on the guard) or he doesn't recover quick enough if he gets through the pick to cover his man.

Finally, Kirilenko has not looked confident this year. From the first game of the year, Kirilenko has looked like he wasn't sure what his role was. As Boozer, Okur and Deron Williams have improved or maintained their level of play this season, AK-47 has fallen off dramatically and seems to be the forgotten man for the Jazz. When he's got his game together, AK-47 is easily one of the most enjoyable players to watch in the NBA. But between complaining about his role in the offense and playing poorly, it has been no fun to watch AK-47 this year.

Posted by Jeff at 11:09 AM 0 comments  

Notes from the other side -- Jazz vs Nuggets

* Nuggets G Allen Iverson is trying to get healthy and he better hurry. He could be the starting point guard as soon as Friday's game.

* SI.com NBA Players poll lists Iverson as the second-fastest player in the NBA (behind T.J. Ford). LeBron James and Shawn Marion are the only non-guards to make the list. Also surprising: Yao Ming is considered the NBA's slowest player.

* TheNugg Doctor laments the loss of J.R. Smith for the next 3-6 weeks as he recovers from knee surgery. Smith's injury is a huge loss for Denver and likely puts them in the race for the 6-8 seeds instead of challenging the Jazz for the Northwest Division title.

* Mavs might try to re-acquire Eduardo Najera today.

Posted by Jeff at 10:55 AM 0 comments  

Sweet music & sour notes -- Jazz vs Blazers

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Well, so much for that six-game win streak. Jazz fall in Portland, 103-100, to a hard-working Blazers team. The Jazz had a chance to win this one, but my prediction was a little off. Let's get into it ...

SWEET MUSIC

Another solid, Harping-type night from Harpring (13 pts, 3-7 FG, 12 reb):
He only played 29 minutes (almost as many as Gordan Giricek) and looked as involved as he usually does in the offense. This seemed like the kind of game where a few more shots for Harpring might have done some good to loosen up the middle, but Derek Fisher was too busy thinking it was 2000 and he still had game. More on that later.

Millsap keeps getting it done (18 pts, 8-12 FG, 6 reb): Let's get this straight: midway through the second quarter, it looks like he got his hand broken by Zach Randolph. He seems to have tears in his eyes and plants himself on the bench and immediately I'm thinking he's out for 2-4 weeks with a busted finger. Then the second half starts and he's out there by the start of the fourth quarter. He had his usual hustle buckets and the Jazz almost came back on the Blazers thanks to his play.

Okur picks up where he left off (25 pts, 9-20 FG, 8 reb): He only had 4 points in the NBA All-Star game, but Okur showed he fits in best in Jerry Sloan's offense. He had a variety of Blazers in his face most of the night (including Randolph, LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw) and did a good job of making his shots despite that. He turned it on a little too late and he didn't take any 3-pointers until the second half.

SOUR NOTES

Kirilenko/Giricek are struggling again (combined for 14 points, 5-14 FG, 8 reb and 3 TO)
: I just read that again ... that used to be an average night for Kirilenko on his own the last 2-3 seasons. Giricek spent most of the night as the whipping boy for Blazers rookie PG Brandon Roy and when he wasn't busy doing that, he was invisible in general on the floor. Kirilenko had scored 10+ pts in 3 of his last 5 games, but looked like the AK-47 of the 2006-07 season tonight: tentative, awful on his jump shot and a step slow on defense. Both these guys complained, complained and complained when they weren't getting shots early in the year. Now that Boozer is out, they have their shot to play more (and shoot more) and they stink it up. I expect it from Giricek, but not from Kirilenko.

Fisher looks for his own number (20 pts, 10 ast, 3 stls): Sure he lead the team in assists tonight and did fill in for injured PG Deron Williams. But there were countless times that he and Okur ran the high pick-and-roll, Okur went to his spot on the 3-point line and Fisher drove to the basket (where he usually missed or charged into someone). For as valuable as Okur's clutch play has been this year, Williams' steady hand at the point guard spot has been key for the Jazz all season.

Awful perimeter defense returns (allowed 7-17 3-point FG): The Jazz allowed the Blazers to shoot over 40 percent from the outside, mostly do to laziness on the defensive rotations. Portland probably should have made 10 or 11 3-pointers tonight given the sorry perimeter defense. The Jazz can't keep sluffing off on the outside because that's what has killed them this season.

Notes from the other side -- Jazz vs Blazers

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Some headlines from the Portland area about tonight's Jazz vs. Blazers game:

* Blazers C Jamaal Magloire missed practice Monday, but not because he was traded. He is expected to be punished, meaning he might not play tonight.

* Blazers GM Steve Patterson says he's seen 'marked improvement' by the team and that no deals are likely.

* Jazz/Blazers preview from Associated Press.

* A little old, but FoxSports.com's Mike Kahn on how the Blazers should try to unload Magloire, Juan Dixon and maybe Raef Lafrentz to shore up their future.

Posted by Jeff at 12:07 PM 0 comments  

The weekly trio -- Feb. 19, 2007

Monday, February 19, 2007

A look at the top 3 non-Jazz games this week in the NBA:

Tuesday, Feb. 19 -- Nuggets at Spurs: A rematch of a playoff series from two years ago, the Nuggets should have Allen Iverson ready to go in this one. The Spurs have struggled of late (lost four of their last seven games) despite having won their last two games. Denver fancies itself as a title contender, but a likely packed house at the SBC Center as well as the Spurs' composed style of play should provide a good test of Denver's playoff readiness.

Wednesday, Feb. 20 -- Cleveland at Toronto: The Cavs were a sexy preseason pick to make the NBA Finals, but the team has looked sketchy this season. Too much of their offense is guys standing around watching LeBron James and the younger players (Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejo) and older guys (Donyell Marshall, Damon Jones, Zydrunas Ilgauskas) have not played as well with James this year. The Raptors have two guys who are legit NBA All-Rookie first teamers (Jorge Garbajosa, Andrea Bargnani) and might find themselves in the East Finals come May. Should be a good one ...

Friday, Feb. 22 -- Detroit at Orlando: Ahhh, memories ... was it really just four years ago that the Magic choked away a 3-1 playoff series lead to the Pistons? If the playoffs started this week, the Magic would have a good chance of repeating their history (at least in terms of a first round playoff series). Orlando is a young team on the rise, Detroit boasts the veterans and the Magic lost the last meeting (87-83). This game kicks off a rough stretch for the Magic and could be a telling sign of the team's playoff hopes.

Posted by Jeff at 1:50 PM 0 comments  

Game preview -- Jazz vs Blazers

Game 2 of this year's four-game set against the Blazers is Tuesday. A quick preview ...

What happened last time: Jazz win, 96-86, at Energy Solutions Arena. Mehmet Okur (20 pts, 7 reb), Carlos Boozer (19 pts, 10 reb) and Paul Millsap (11 pts, 6 reb off the bench) led the way for the Jazz. The Blazers Zach Randolph went crazy last time, going for 34 points and 13 rebounds while serving as the only reason the Blazers were in the game.

What to expect this time: Utah has rallied together since Boozer's injury, as they've won 6 straight games. More exciting that that is that the Jazz have only had one blowout win in that span and have played better in close games. Randolph is going to be the big concern in this game as he's going to try to light up Okur (who got an All-Star spot over him). Aside from that, without Boozer, the Jazz don't have anyone that can keep up with Randolph in the post. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Jazz let Randolph score his 25-30 points and try to keep Roy/Jarret Jack/Juan Dixon in check.

Prediction: Jazz win, 95-92.

Posted by Jeff at 1:40 PM 0 comments  

Notes from the other side -- Jazz vs Blazers

Some headlines from the Portland area about tomorrow night's Jazz vs. Blazers game:

* Cool feature about the 1977 Portland TrailBlazers championship team. This team, along with the 1975 Warriors, 1979 Sonics and 2004 Pistons were probably the biggest underdogs to win an NBA title.

* Blazers G Brandon Roy doesn't wear a headband for the Blazers, but he tried on on during the rookie/sophomore game.

* BlazersEdge predicts Portland (22-32) probably won't win as much in the second half of the season, given the team's inconsistent play. Additionally, they wouldn't be surprised to see Juan Dixon get shipped off to free up time for rookie sensation Sergio Garcia.

* Great story from the Portland Tribune on something I didn't know: The City of Roses has never hosted an NBA All-Star game.

* Imagine how Portland would be this season if the Knicks had pulled the trigger and sent F David Lee there last season? Newsday says that deal almost happened.

Posted by Jeff at 12:14 PM 0 comments