Nice win by the Lakers.

[WayOutWest]

If the Hornets or Spurs were watching the game they know how to kill the Lakers.  BOARDS!  Terrific offense by the Lakers, they schooled the Jazz but the Jazz fought back with toughness and hustle.  The Lakers really need to do something about the boards, not sure what the can do though.

I don't think the Hornets can beat up the Lakers like the Spurs can with TD and Kurt.  It will be an interesting matchup whoever comes out of the Hornets/Spurs series.

[Reality]

I can picture you Laker posters from I-10 and 110 to the outskirts of Salt Lake City tightening up you spincters so badly that an ER visit was forthcoming had the Jazz hit that final shot.

Glad you are all okay.

[Skandery]

Congrats Laker fans. 

The better team took the series. 

[westkoast]

I know the disappointment the Jazz fans are feeling so I don't want to come off as rubbing anything in, so if it does I don't mean it to be that way.  Everyone had to have been wondering the same thing while watching the game last night....What Utah squad was that and did anyone remind them that they were down 3-2?  They came out REALLY flat and the body language in even the first quarter looked like they had already lost in their minds.  Not what I expected.  I had to pinch myself while watching the game to make sure that this wasn't a dream that the Lakers actually came out strong on the road in Utah.

Props to the Jazz and our resident fans though.  Thought it was a very entertaining series and one I won't ever forget as it is the first time I was able to go to a playoff basketball game (not to mention I got to see 2 of the 4 wins live and in person).  Hopefully the Lakers play physical and tough like they did against this team in the next round. 

[msc]

Congrats Laker fans. 

The better team took the series. 

Thanks Skander, you are a class act. 

Although the Lakers were able to squeek by in the series, these teams are very evenly matched and will no doubt be facing each other again over the next several seasons.  Deron Williams is a special player who is only going to get better.  As impressed as I was with this kids game, watching him in the post game press conference last night was even more impressive.  After a heart wrenching loss, he conducted himself with poise, maturity and class.  A great sign for such a young player and the kind of guy I'd want leading my team.  You guys are lucky to have him.  I'm not sure about Boozer.  He's a great guy too, but he's got to get to that next level where he brings it every night.  Paul Millsap seems to have more fire and heart than Boozer.  Had Boozer been more consistent, I think the Jazz win the series. 

[Ted]

Congrats Laker fans. I took my boys camping so I missed the game (glad I did), but I would just like to give a shout out to Chris Wallace and tell him that I hate his guts. I really, truly do.

Seriously though, DWill has what it takes to lead a team to a championship. And after this playoff season, there can be no doubt that the two-headed leadership of Deron and Boozer is gone. Deron is now the leader of this team.

MSC, I have major concerns about Boozer. The guy is so skilled in the paint. He can use either hand any time he wants; he's stronger than average; and he can be a tenacious rebounder. But he turns it on and off in no time flat. Quite often you'll see him try to pull down a rebound in traffic without even jumping, or will just completely forget to box out or rotate on D. And then he'll be unstoppable. Oh how I wish we could Matt Harpring in that body.

Anyway, part of me felt that this was our best chance to beat the Lakers for the next few. I hope that was just a dumb thought on my part. But if Bynum gets back and improves his game . . . man, that Chris Wallace really is a steaming pile of shit.

Ted OUT.

[Skandery]

msc and Ted really hit the nail on the head with Boozer.  I mentioned in another thread that he is a regular season player and he sadly kept proving it to me game after game.  4th quarter of Game 4 being the only time in the series he elevated his play.  The question is I just don't know what Utah should do with Boozer.  On the one hand you have a productive PF that rounds out your starting 5, but on the other you have player taking valuable minutes and development from Paul Millsap who might always cave in when it comes time to win.  Do you try and trade him while his value is high for a really good Center or a lights out shooting guard.  Can Boozer stick around and keep his ego in check should Sloan do the smart thing and figure Millsap more prominently.  Tough question.

Deron Williams was and is great, I just wish the entire team took a cue from Millsap and Brewer more and played with that manic intensity.  Calm is one thing but when that type of non-chalance leads to the lack of competitivness Utah displayed at times or lack of focus (all the TOs), it becomes problematic.  One thing is for sure Utah will have LA to contend with for a long time to come and I hope they realize that as an organization. 

[Reality]

^^ what did you think of AK-47s playoff performance?  I thought he rocked.  The late treys and block of Kome would have been legendary had the Jazz pulled it off.

Anywho, are Sloan and his differences put behind and is AK on the Jazz roster for years to come?

[Ted]

Well, I don't think AK is the problem anymore. I don't know. I'm a little bugged that he had to miss practice between games 5 and 6 to get his French visa figured out so he can go there this summer. But then again his effort in Game 6 was not the problem.

I am still a fan of AK; and when he's really into the game mentally, he's as big a game-changer as there is.

I'd be really interested to see what the Jazz could get from a Boozer trade. But I'm also not sure it's time to write off Boozer. He was really good in last years playoffs, and this time around it may have been more about who they played. Luis Scola was a tough Mofe, and Pau Gasol, Odom, and Turiaf seemed to play him really well. This may have just been a bad couple of series.

Next season, with Korver all year long, the Jazz MUST win 60 games and secure some home court advantage in the playoffs. A higher seed and HCA could be the difference.

[WayOutWest]

It's a really tough call to write off Boozer at this point.  He is amoung the elite, not quite 1st tier PF but he's almost there.  The only guy I can think of that would fit in well would be Brand and nobody is too sure about his recovery.

[westkoast]

I know the visa thing isn't a huge deal but one has to wonder why AK had to go and someone else from his family could not?  Wasn't it visa's for the whole family?   Also..it's hard to ignore after Deron's comments last year saying he felt some players were more focused in on vacation then the series at hand.  While AK did have a good game 6 he is just as guilty as the rest of the squad of not playing with a sense of urgency for most of that game.

Here is a question that I wanted to pose to get the Jazz fans take.  How much blame does Jerry Sloan have to shoulder for Boozer's lack of...playoff intensity (I guess that's the phrase I'm looking for) ?

You do have to cut him some slack, like you mentioned, for the players he went up against.  Luis Scola is no slouch and he had an excellent season.  The way Lamar Odom is playing right now he is pretty much unguardable by most of the players at the 3 or 4.  Aside from KG I don't know anyone who has the size and speed to match up with him.  Pau Gasol is a different type of big man and not one you can just adjust to right away when you happened to be put on him for a few plays. 

In my opinion you stick with him because Williams/Boozer is a young duo and can play some quality basketball.  IMO it is up to the coaching staff to get him going in the right direction as far as that intensity and focus goes.  The problem here (again IMO) seems to be that Jerry Sloan is an old school, no bs type of guy.  I don't think he believes you should have to motivate players (and I agree) but in this day and age that is part of the head coaching game.  Players have all the talent in the world, all the money in the world, all the fame in the world, and sometimes those things overshadow the game of basketball.

[Ted]

I think Sloan plays the game a little more than he's given credit for. But he also disowns players at a relatively speedy clip. Chris Morris, Jeff Malone, Jay Humphries, Greg Ostertag, Carlos Arroyo, and Gordan Giricek are just a few examples of players who have butted heads with Jerry. You'll notice that there are no real talents there, except for Malone maybe who was a skilled offensive player.

Jerry has always had VERY good relationships with his stars and his work horses. Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, Williams, Boozer, Okur . . . they all seem to get along well. And bruisers like Carr, Mike Brown, Eaton, Harpring, Brewer, and Millsap get a lot of love from him. If you're a low-effort mid-range talent, you have a short shelf life in Utah.

Hopefully Sloan can teach THIS power forward how to show up in crunch time. That's about all we were lacking against the Lakeshow.

[SPURSX3]

Nice win by LA.  Good luck in the WCF! 

[jn]

Congrats to the Laker fans here.   I think Ted hit the nail on the head in that the difference was Boozer not being able to really step up the way Williams did.

BTW, a while back Skandery asked us which songs described the downfall of the Suns.  Well, that got me to thinking about what song describes a Laker victory.  The obvious choice is The Flaming Lips song  "Evil Will Prevail". 

[Skandery]

I say Coolio "Gangsta's Paradise" with the Jazz roster in chorus singing


"Been spendin' most our lives sendin' Lakers to the Free throw line
Been spendin' most our lives sendin' Lakers to the Free throw line

Tell me whhhyyyyyy do weeeeee, foul that darn Kobeeeeeeeee
When the ones who lose are youuuuuu and meeeeeee"