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Timberwolves giving Jazz nightmares
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GO COUGARS!
One big difference from the Stockton-Malone era and the DWill-Boozer era, is that Stock and Karl would not let the Jazz lose important games like this. Yet for this Jazz team these losses have become all to familiar. Sloan can only do so much motivating from the sideline, and it is up to this teams leaders to ensure these losses don't happen on the floor.
While Jimmy realizes this team has as good as a record against the West's other top 8, Jimmy sees this team shooting itself in the foot if it cannot at least get 1st round home court advantage.
Right now Jimmy is hoping San Antonio and LA keep winning but don't overtake New Orleans and that Houston can hold on to the 5th place seed. That would give the Jazz 1st and 2nd round matchups against the Rockets and Hornets (although both road series), which Jimmy thinks is their best route back to the Western Conference finals.
Granted they should have won this game. but the following factors have to play a part in this loss
1) They where missing two starters, without either one I think they are ok but without both it causes a problem.
2) Practically the whole team has had the flu, and...
3) they have had alot of days off. I think that when you combine this with the fact that alot of guys have been not practicing becasue of illness or injury what you get is a team that is a step slow and a little out of sync. I think that is what they showed yesterday.
This team is still an enigma. I am exited for the playoffs, it's going to be a wild ride.
Jerry has done nothing for Milsap, the guy can't even play 30 minutes without fouling out because he fouls his man 30 feet from the basket 4 times. Jerry needs to teach these guys some basic skills to improve their game, but he really doesn't know how, which is sad.
Just being the coach for a really long time, is not an accomplishment, but since Sloan has none, they market to the fans about his longevity. Our players do not get better unders Sloan, most of the time they get traded or get worse.
The jazz lost 4 first round series on their home court with a higher seed during his carreer. Jerry has no accountability, he never gets blamed for anything, even if Boozer blames him for every player in the league seeing jerry calling out the plays from the sidelines. Jerry sloan is the most overrated, most foul mouthed underachiever in the league.
I agree that this team is awful on defense, but what are we paying jerry to do??? Defense is more than just effort, it takes scouting and preperation and gameplans, schemes, of which jerry provides nothing. By his own admission, he doesn't watch gamefilm, he doesn't motiviate his players and he isn't going to change. Jerry has admitted to all of these things. Nice attitude!! The fans and players deserve better!
Do your research; NO team ever plays "3 roadies" against the same team. The Jazz only play MInnesota 4 times. Do you pay attention to the structure of the schedule or just get on here to run your mouth? Let me spell it out to you: since they are in the same division the Jazz and T-wolves play exactly 4 times each season 2 in SLC and 2 in Minnisota. The Jazz won their home game against the wolves and lost the TWO roadies. They play one more time in SLC.
Other than that you are right; the Jazz have lost to really bad teams on the road; NO EXCUSE FOR THAT.
However, the jazz going 1-7 when five games are at home yeah right! they only lost 4 games at the ESA but you are right they are going to blow 4 of the last five. GOOD LOGIC.
If all he did was play defense half as well as Karl Malone did we wouldn't lose these games. In every game where the Jazz have lost to a sub 500 team Boozer's guy has killed us. He never helps on D when someone gets beat. For his salary he needs to step it up instead of always being worried about his numbers. Pathetic!
Don't forget that the are 2 1/2 games ahead of Dallas, GS, and Denver and if they end up better than any one of those teams they are in.
Conversely, In order for the Jazz to miss the playoffs all three of those teams will have to make up 2 1/2 games on the Jazz. So, even if the Jazz do finnish 2-6, all three of those teams would have to finnish 5-4 or better in order for the Jazz to be out.
I think the Jazz will hold on to 4th but they will not have homecourt in the first round.
One major problem this Jazz team has is the absence of an Eaton-Ostertag type of stopper to stop all the cheap 2s. Have the Jazz got any blocks this year from anyone but Millsap and perhaps AK at times? The Jazz can outscore anyone but if you attack them defensively and also offensively going to the rack they tend to fold. Minnesota pressured on both ends of the court and the Jazz couldn't take it.
The Jazz (Boozer in particular) need to attack the rim more often, instead of settling for fade away jump shots. But chances are their shot will be blocked anyways, since they have had more shots blocked than they have blocked. The only player who's shot is blocked more than Boozer was Brian Grant!!!
I keep hearing this accusation you are making about the Jazz defence, and I'm pretty sure it is totaly bogus.
To the Statistics!!!!
Jazz opponents shoot 35.7% from the three point line, they are 12th in the league in this category, Boston is first with 31.4%.
Jazz opponents shoot 46.2% on two pointers, they are 21st in this category, again Boston is first with 41.9%.
...thats kind of the opposite of what you just said.
I think that you are so fixated on Sloan and so dtermined to blame him for this problem that you have made up this idea.
You are absolutely right about the absence of a defensive stopper in the middle though. Having a person that just stand in the middle and indimitate anybody who comes in the paint instantly makes the whole defense better.
Lee
Get a life.
The Jazz defense is not that bad, it's not great, but it's not that bad. According to Holligers efficiency ratings (espn) they are 14th in the league in defensive efficiency. For not having a single guy on the team who you could consider a "defensive stopper" I'd say that's actually pretty darn good.
...but since we are blaming things on Sloan and calling the Jazz soft, did you know that the Jazz are 6th in the league in rebounding differential, 6th in the league in Turnover differential, and 2nd in the league in Assist differential?
So Jerry Sloans teams rebound well, take care of the ball, force turnovers, and play as a team by passing the ball but for some reason he just doesn't know how to get a team to play defense even though in the 90's the Jazz were always among the best in the league defensively...I'm not buying it.
I bet sloan lovers are were also ron mcbride fans, just buy whatever is being sold, then one day you make a change and find yourself in a BCS game- the same would happen for the jazz if they got rid of sloan.
Longevity is is not an acheivment. As soon as the jazz either miss the playoffs, or get bounced in the 1st round, jerry should do the honorable thing and retire. Please give the players and fans this gift.
Go back to coaching your kids Jr. Jazz team.
Re: Coaching
If you are a "self respecting fan" then I want no part of it. You say he hasn't won anything, but in reality the only thing he hasn't won is a championship. You say he wasted 15 years of two of the greates players of all time, I say he made two of the greatest players of all time who they are, and they were lucky to have him.
I've got numbers, records, statistics and the words of people alot smarter than you or I to back up my claims... what have you got?
...20 years and no championship?
ya, that's what I thought you were going to say.
LOOK OUT BSC.....HERE COMES BRONCO AND HIS BOYS IN 2008!
Jerry's first season the jazz are #2 seed, they get swept by the 7th seed. Can you believe this, it has never occured in the history of the NBA, except for Sloan.
Jerry is the only coach in league history to be up 2-0 in a best of 5 and lose both.
Never even once coached in an all star game or head coach of a team USA, because the committe knew no players would show up and "wanted a different style than what jerry offers" exact quote from Stu Jackson in 2001.
Only coach to be suspended for more than 2 games (jerry got 7) for hitting a ref and embarressed the franchise and never apologized.
Drops "F" bombs on wired up in the locker room and never apologized.
3 times in the history of the NBA an 8 seed beat the 1 seed, jerry benefitted on 2 of the 3 and was up 3-0 on Denver and then got pushed to 7 games.
Missed the playoffs 3 straight years.
Eliminated by a lower seed 4 times on the jazz homecourt.
The most distliked coach in the league.
When you write jerry's induction speech, don't forget to mention how stupid all the fans are for not wanting a new coach, and don't forget to blame all the players for not listening, or the refs for not liking jerry.
When someone says, jerry hasn't won anything, they are saying he hasn't won an NBA title or a gold medal of any kind, he hasn't won coach of the year or any other awards, he has never won an all star game for the western conference- ya know like he hasn't won anything, get it.
John and Karl gave everything they had to this team and community, they played through incrediable pain and put in more time off the court than most of us can imagine. They were totally committed to doing everything they could to win.
For you to disrespect their dedication in the name of heaping praise upon Coach Sloan is just plan wrong and you should recind your comments. Sometimes it is better to remain quiet than to make such truley ludicris and inaccurate comments.
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