Comments about ‘Utah Jazz: Team hoping big win is new norm’

"..He pushed the pace, and it paid big-time dividends.

"You know, we're supposed to play like that – pushing the basketball, getting up and down the court," Millsap said. "We limit ourselves when we don't get out and run, and I think he (Williams) realized that."

"We needed to get out and run, run through to our spots," Williams said. "It just sets everything up, opens things up. We got some easy baskets in transition, which we didn't get the first two games, and that always helps."

Well..this is exactly what I have been saying since the regular season began. Now Millsap confirms it and even Deron admits it.

Deron doesn't run/push the pace and we lose.

Like I said before, not rocket science.

Just a little in defense of Deron though, when they talk about pushing the pace it is on D-Will to do that but it is also on the rest of the team to run the floor to get to their spots. It doesn't do D-Will any good to run up the floor if the others are not getting to their spots. That's what D-Will was yelling at Hayward about in the first place against Phoenix. So everyone on the team needs to run the floor, stick to the play and get in the right spots. If they do their jobs then it allows Deron to push the ball.

Another player I feel is key for us who finally had a good shooting night was Raja. Maybe he's shaken off the rust from the long injuries layoff. I wondered why he didn't play more in the second half - I hope it wasn't because of his shoulder. Has anyone seen a report/comment on why he didn't play more?

Eh, it was just Oklahoma.

I dont think Bell played much because CJ was doing pretty good. This will always be the case when Jazz are leading big.

Raja Bell allegedly has a bursitis problem in his shoulder(s). This does not bode well for the Jazz as the season unfolds. Obviously teams are not forthcoming with their players' injuries for a variety of reasons. As I have commented before, the Jazz are not a legitimate threat to take a championship until they actually win one. Two championship series and no cigar does not make them a contender in my book. Even with a healthy Okur the road will be long and tough this year, let alone with the Raja injury issue. Williams, Kirilenko, Millsap and possibly Jefferson (if he catches the Boozer injury disease) will be key to a descent season. Losing as they did coming out of the shute at (Colorado-Denver) and at the at home debacle with (Arizona-Phoenix) were alarming losses (blowouts). Let's just settle down and hope the Jazz get some consistency going before we all go crazy about this season.

Re Anonymous Inf: Your logic, that because the Jazz haven't won a championship they aren't contenders would mean only the Lakers and Spurs are legit contenders for a title. That doesn't make much sense at all.
The road will long and hard no matter what team gets to the championship game but other than the Lakers the Jazz have just as good a chance as anyone.
With all the new players on this roster it will take time to really jell but talent wise the Jazz can compete with anyone in the west, even the Lakers. I like how Big Al competed and challenged Gasol in the preseason and that with Fes & Elson (& Okur)gives us the size we need to challenge LA.
Injuries are always a concern but the Jazz have shown they have pretty good depth.
Most polls have OKC finishing 2nd and the Jazz just thumped them on their home court, that doesn't mean the Jazz will finish 2nd or even in the top 4 but to me it means we can compete with any of the top teams in the west.
This team just needs to come out with intensity&energy.

It's easy to see that the Jazz are not going to shoot the ball as badly as they did the first two games. Nor are they going to play as good as they did the last game.

Against Toronto they need to just bring it. If they make their shots, so be it. If they miss them, keep on playing.

CJ has to play more than 20 minutes and score double digits for the Jazz to win. Dwill needs to score more. Go to the hole more.

Jefferson needs to learn to pass out of the double team.

AK needs to learn when to shoot and when to pass.

Raja will be fine.

And by the way, Oklahoma is one of the best teams in the West.

When the Jazz play hard and nasty defense, play with intensity on every possession, than we have a chance to beat any team in the league. Keep the momentum rolling!

LETS GO JAZZ!!

Don't by all the hype! It seems ridiculous to me that the NBA is hyping OKC as the best team in the West before the season even started (based on what). It's the same thing they did with CP3 and New Orleans a couple of years back. Jump on a rising star (like Kevin Durrant) and hype them to death. It's stupid. OKC had a nice showing in the playoffs last year. Big deal, so did a lot of teams.

Anyway, it was a good win for the Jazz but I think I would have rather seen a win over Denver (or even Phoenix, it was our home court)!

@anonymous: you have had too much sugar.. Did you get into the kids candy bags from the weekend??

hey deron your only 25 and not 50 so use those young legs of yours and push the ball faster and it'll do wonders for you. also DERON it helps when you guys literally jump all over your opponent to BEGIN WITH so that they get to play catchup the rest of the game and make it easier for you to win.

Hey CJ @ 1035: The Jazz have to do FAR more than "just bring it" against Toronto.

Utah needs to DESTROY the cellar dwellers of the league; they have been the thorn in the side of the Jazz for WAY too many years. The Jazz feel like they can just bring it to too many games against opponents that, when it comes to April, cause Utah to be seeded 5-8 instead of 1-4.

Utah needs to take teams like Toronto by the throat and choke them until they are dead. If they're up by 50 going into the fourth, then they can ride it out, but too often the Jazz fall to these far lesser teams and then it KILLS their playoff hopes.

Toronto is a great athletic team. In this league it is easy to say that the Jazz should beat the lower end teams but that is easier said than done. To CJ, Miles doesn't need to play 20 min. He has poor defense and gets lazy on offense. AK is far better than most of the Jazz fans give him credit for. He creates so much energy with his game. Milsap is going to be key for the Jazz until Al figures out what he is doing out there.