Here come the Jazz!

[rickortreat]

Utah is now my favorite Western team, as both San Antonio and Phoenix have disappointed me.  Actually, the disapointment has been growing for a while, and my fondness for the Jazz has increased as the steadiness of Sloan and the quality of the play and the payers has been very impressive. 

I was thinking that the Jazz might emerge as the top contenders to the Lakers for the WC finals, and the only thing that has kept them from that, IMO, was the injury to Boozer.  That was something of a blessing, since it helped the Jazz to develop Milsap, and now that Boozer is back they are a very deep and very disciplined team, with one of the best pg's playing the game today.

What prompted this post was the fact that the Jazz have won 10 in a row, making them the hottest team in the league right now.  They are in a virtual tie for 3rd place along with with a few other teams, and San Antonio is only 2 games ahead in 2nd place.  LA is waay ahead and probably won't be caught and home-court advantage will be theirs. But the Jazz are now looking like the team to challenge them, and I think they will be monsters in the playoffs.

[WayOutWest]

Utah is now my favorite Western team, as both San Antonio and Phoenix have disappointed me.  Actually, the disapointment has been growing for a while, and my fondness for the Jazz has increased as the steadiness of Sloan and the quality of the play and the payers has been very impressive. 

I was thinking that the Jazz might emerge as the top contenders to the Lakers for the WC finals, and the only thing that has kept them from that, IMO, was the injury to Boozer.  That was something of a blessing, since it helped the Jazz to develop Milsap, and now that Boozer is back they are a very deep and very disciplined team, with one of the best pg's playing the game today.

What prompted this post was the fact that the Jazz have won 10 in a row, making them the hottest team in the league right now.  They are in a virtual tie for 3rd place along with with a few other teams, and San Antonio is only 2 games ahead in 2nd place.  LA is waay ahead and probably won't be caught and home-court advantage will be theirs. But the Jazz are now looking like the team to challenge them, and I think they will be monsters in the playoffs.

The Jazz where at full strength last year and still got owned in the playoffs by the Lakers.  The Spurs on the other hand did not really have Manu for most of the series and still made the Lakers sweat in their series.  IMO the Spurs are the biggest threat to the Lakers, not that the Jazz are not but if anyone is going to knock the Lakers off my money would be on the Spurs moreso than the Jazz.  That's what strange about those two teams, I've said it before that IMO the Jazz have more talented b-ball team than the Lakers.  The Lakers have clearly far superior talent at a couple of positions but the Jazz are better and deeper from 1 to 5 than any team in the league yet the Spurs who are very good at only 3 positions seem to pose a bigger threat.

Have you finally enbraced the horror that is the Sixer Charlie Brown?  How many times are they going to trick you?  I told you the Sixers were "fools gold" but you don't listen.  For some reason you seem to have a good view of the NBA EXCEPT when it comes to the Sixers and Lakers.  IMO you're too much of a homer to realize how crappy the Sixers are and it's also your Sixers homerism that blinds you to how good the Lakers have been because they owned the Sixers in the Finals when they met.

[SPURSX3]

Utah is now my favorite Western team, as both San Antonio and Phoenix have disappointed me.  Actually, the disapointment has been growing for a while, and my fondness for the Jazz has increased as the steadiness of Sloan and the quality of the play and the payers has been very impressive. 

I was thinking that the Jazz might emerge as the top contenders to the Lakers for the WC finals, and the only thing that has kept them from that, IMO, was the injury to Boozer.  That was something of a blessing, since it helped the Jazz to develop Milsap, and now that Boozer is back they are a very deep and very disciplined team, with one of the best pg's playing the game today.

What prompted this post was the fact that the Jazz have won 10 in a row, making them the hottest team in the league right now.  They are in a virtual tie for 3rd place along with with a few other teams, and San Antonio is only 2 games ahead in 2nd place.  LA is waay ahead and probably won't be caught and home-court advantage will be theirs. But the Jazz are now looking like the team to challenge them, and I think they will be monsters in the playoffs.

Join the stat bandwagon...see how far it gets you come playoff time.   

[Joe Vancil]

Hate to throw a bucket of cold water on everyone when they're bragging about my team, but...

...the Jazz have a very road-heavy schedule from here out.  And the Jazz have not shown themselves to be consistent on the road - especially since they're exceptionally foul-prone.

As for WayOut's comments about the Jazz's depth, I do agree, they're deep, but the problem is that the depth doesn't cover all areas.  They are noticeably exposed in some skills - namely 3-point shooting among their guards and shot-blocking.  What this means is that if you can put them down early, you can keep them down.

The Jazz are a dangerous team, but I don't see them making the WCF.  I see them as a victim of the semis.

[rickortreat]

Utah is now my favorite Western team, as both San Antonio and Phoenix have disappointed me.  Actually, the disapointment has been growing for a while, and my fondness for the Jazz has increased as the steadiness of Sloan and the quality of the play and the payers has been very impressive. 

I was thinking that the Jazz might emerge as the top contenders to the Lakers for the WC finals, and the only thing that has kept them from that, IMO, was the injury to Boozer.  That was something of a blessing, since it helped the Jazz to develop Milsap, and now that Boozer is back they are a very deep and very disciplined team, with one of the best pg's playing the game today.

What prompted this post was the fact that the Jazz have won 10 in a row, making them the hottest team in the league right now.  They are in a virtual tie for 3rd place along with with a few other teams, and San Antonio is only 2 games ahead in 2nd place.  LA is waay ahead and probably won't be caught and home-court advantage will be theirs. But the Jazz are now looking like the team to challenge them, and I think they will be monsters in the playoffs.

The Jazz where at full strength last year and still got owned in the playoffs by the Lakers.  The Spurs on the other hand did not really have Manu for most of the series and still made the Lakers sweat in their series.  IMO the Spurs are the biggest threat to the Lakers, not that the Jazz are not but if anyone is going to knock the Lakers off my money would be on the Spurs moreso than the Jazz.  That's what strange about those two teams, I've said it before that IMO the Jazz have more talented b-ball team than the Lakers.  The Lakers have clearly far superior talent at a couple of positions but the Jazz are better and deeper from 1 to 5 than any team in the league yet the Spurs who are very good at only 3 positions seem to pose a bigger threat.

Have you finally enbraced the horror that is the Sixer Charlie Brown?  How many times are they going to trick you?  I told you the Sixers were "fools gold" but you don't listen.  For some reason you seem to have a good view of the NBA EXCEPT when it comes to the Sixers and Lakers.  IMO you're too much of a homer to realize how crappy the Sixers are and it's also your Sixers homerism that blinds you to how good the Lakers have been because they owned the Sixers in the Finals when they met.

Since I've already stated that the Lakers are the best team in the West now, I'm not sure what your problem is.  The Jazz just beat the Lakers so it's not unreasonable to suggest they could challenge them.  Besides the Lakers sucked since Shaq left until last season, so much so that Kobme wanted to be traded.  Now they're in good shape thanks to a collusionist trade that brought them Gasol, but that's another story.

All teams have flaws, and the Jazz have weaknesses as well, but whether other teams can exploit them or not is the issue. Over the past 11 games the Jazz have kicked things up another notch-beating times by the leagues largest margin during that stretch, well-above their regular season average.  This is the time of the season when the good teams start to shine and teams that aren't that good like the Sixers get exposed.  For the Jazz to be performing like this now bodes well for their future.

I agree that they need to show more, like an ability to win on the road, but I'm not big on three-pojnt shooting and I'm more concerned with eliminating 2nd-chance shots than blocking them.  The Jazz are fine with their interior defense for the most part, and have a very efficient well-run offense.  Deron Williams is a real asset, and the best point guard in the NBA.  Neither San Antonio or LA have anyone to slow him down, and that's their edge.

I'm not saying San Antonio or LA are bad teams. They're not. But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO, and the Lakers lost Bynum.  They aren't as good as they were with him, and I'm not convinced either team can stay with Boston or Cleveland. Or for that matter Utah, who I think is on their way to becoming an elite team now that Boozer is back.

[Lurker]

But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO,

And what talent did the Spurs lose that wasn't replaced?

[rickortreat]

But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO,

And what talent did the Spurs lose that wasn't replaced?

The loss of Horry, the decline of ability in Finley and the decline in Bowen's ability to play defense.  The Spurs have the challenge of maintaining a team at a high level, not rebuilding, but removing and adding players to keep them capable of winning a championship. They are still a very good team, so it's hard to see the decline in the regular season, except when they play the best teams.  In the playoffs, I think the weaknesses they now have will prevent them from advancing. 

Parker, Ginobli and Duncan are fine, but the supporting cast has serious cracks. 

Duncan doesn't have enough rebounding help up front, and the Spurs as a whole seem to have lost some of the toughness they used to have. Kurt Thomas used to be tough and intimidating, now he's just old.  Bonner, Mahini, and Oberto aren't strong enough supporting players.

The key to the Spurs winning has always been lock-down defense, but I don't think they can do it as well as they used to. They can bring on other players that will put them back on top with the free agent market this summer, but Gooden isn't enough help put the Spurs back on top this season.

[Lurker]

But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO,

And what talent did the Spurs lose that wasn't replaced?

The loss of Horry, the decline of ability in Finley and the decline in Bowen's ability to play defense.  The Spurs have the challenge of maintaining a team at a high level, not rebuilding, but removing and adding players to keep them capable of winning a championship. They are still a very good team, so it's hard to see the decline in the regular season, except when they play the best teams.  In the playoffs, I think the weaknesses they now have will prevent them from advancing. 

Parker, Ginobli and Duncan are fine, but the supporting cast has serious cracks. 

Duncan doesn't have enough rebounding help up front, and the Spurs as a whole seem to have lost some of the toughness they used to have. Kurt Thomas used to be tough and intimidating, now he's just old.  Bonner, Mahini, and Oberto aren't strong enough supporting players.

The key to the Spurs winning has always been lock-down defense, but I don't think they can do it as well as they used to. They can bring on other players that will put them back on top with the free agent market this summer, but Gooden isn't enough help put the Spurs back on top this season.

Truly spoken like someone who hasn't watched the Spurs.

Finley is actually putting up better numbers across the board this year compared to last year...not sure why you think he is declining.  And Mason...you know the Spurs off season pickup...is younger and is shooting as well as Finley.

Horry was living off his rep LAST season.  In the playoffs he shot UNDER .200 from the floor and pulled down a whopping 9 boards per 48 minutes.  Bonner contributes more than Horry did offensively and Thomas is a better interior defender.

So the Spurs lost Horry & Barry from last year and replaced them with Mason & Hill.  And Mason alone gives the Spurs more than Horry & Barry COMBINED did last year.

[westkoast]

But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO,

And what talent did the Spurs lose that wasn't replaced?

The loss of Horry, the decline of ability in Finley and the decline in Bowen's ability to play defense.  The Spurs have the challenge of maintaining a team at a high level, not rebuilding, but removing and adding players to keep them capable of winning a championship. They are still a very good team, so it's hard to see the decline in the regular season, except when they play the best teams.  In the playoffs, I think the weaknesses they now have will prevent them from advancing. 

Parker, Ginobli and Duncan are fine, but the supporting cast has serious cracks. 

Duncan doesn't have enough rebounding help up front, and the Spurs as a whole seem to have lost some of the toughness they used to have. Kurt Thomas used to be tough and intimidating, now he's just old.  Bonner, Mahini, and Oberto aren't strong enough supporting players.

The key to the Spurs winning has always been lock-down defense, but I don't think they can do it as well as they used to. They can bring on other players that will put them back on top with the free agent market this summer, but Gooden isn't enough help put the Spurs back on top this season.

Truly spoken like someone who hasn't watched the Spurs.

Finley is actually putting up better numbers across the board this year compared to last year...not sure why you think he is declining.  And Mason...you know the Spurs off season pickup...is younger and is shooting as well as Finley.

Horry was living off his rep LAST season.  In the playoffs he shot UNDER .200 from the floor and pulled down a whopping 9 boards per 48 minutes.  Bonner contributes more than Horry did offensively and Thomas is a better interior defender.

So the Spurs lost Horry & Barry from last year and replaced them with Mason & Hill.  And Mason alone gives the Spurs more than Horry & Barry COMBINED did last year.

Bowen has lost a step and in turn his true lock down ability.  I'll have to give Rick that one.  Though I think we all expected this to happen.  Bowen continues to get younger and the new talent on the perimeter seems to stay the same age.

Mason hit more game winners this year than Horry/Barry did in the previous 2.....plus he's younger.....

And thank you for bringing up Finley.  I don't bring him up very much anymore because sometimes I feel it comes off as rubbing Reality's nose in a spot he pee'd on, on the carpet.  He has been very solid this year.  For a guy who use to really so much on his athletic ability in Dallas he has really done a good job in this system thanks to the coaching staff.  He plays smarter and has continued to be effective even though his age is getting up there as well.

Utah is stacked but at the PF position Carlos Boozer cannot handle Tim Duncan or Pau Gasol.  Neither can Paul Millsap.  Hustle and strength is great but it doesn't get it done against talents like the two I mentioned. 

[ziggy]

Hate to throw a bucket of cold water on everyone when they're bragging about my team, but...

...the Jazz have a very road-heavy schedule from here out.  And the Jazz have not shown themselves to be consistent on the road - especially since they're exceptionally foul-prone.

As for WayOut's comments about the Jazz's depth, I do agree, they're deep, but the problem is that the depth doesn't cover all areas.  They are noticeably exposed in some skills - namely 3-point shooting among their guards and shot-blocking.  What this means is that if you can put them down early, you can keep them down.

The Jazz are a dangerous team, but I don't see them making the WCF.  I see them as a victim of the semis.

I have to agree with Joe a bit here.  The Jazz are a very good team, but the fact that they have won their last 11 isn't all that you would think it is.  I have been watching the basketball_reference.com playoff probability reports pretty much daily for about 3-1/2 weeks (that is what happens when you haven't made the playoffs in a long time and that is what you are desperately hoping for).  In the last 3-5 weeks the projected record for the Jazz hasn't improved all that much even though they have won 11 straight, and 14 of 15.  They are still projected to finish 7th in the West, and are projected to win 51, as opposed to 49 or 50.  The reality is that the projection was that they would have won 12/13 of 15, and 10 of their last 11.  So they pretty much did what they were expected to do.  The big challenge is ahead.  They have 19 left and are projected to go 11-8.  If they go 14-5, then you have to look at them differently.

[WayOutWest]

Since I've already stated that the Lakers are the best team in the West now, I'm not sure what your problem is.  The Jazz just beat the Lakers so it's not unreasonable to suggest they could challenge them.  Besides the Lakers sucked since Shaq left until last season, so much so that Kobme wanted to be traded.  Now they're in good shape thanks to a collusionist trade that brought them Gasol, but that's another story.

This is what I mean about you holding a grudge against the Lakers all because they punked the Sixers in the Finals.  The Lakers sucked for one year after losing Shaq and they missed the playoffs.  The following year they nearly took out the #1 seed in the playoffs, the year after that they were at the top of heap before losing 3 starters to injury.  The year after that they were AGAIN at the top of the heap before losing Bynum.  The Lakers where good before Gasol and they have been great since.  I don't know how you can confuse "suck" with "good", as a Sixers fan you should be an expert a team that sucks and you should know the difference.

All teams have flaws, and the Jazz have weaknesses as well, but whether other teams can exploit them or not is the issue. Over the past 11 games the Jazz have kicked things up another notch-beating times by the leagues largest margin during that stretch, well-above their regular season average.  This is the time of the season when the good teams start to shine and teams that aren't that good like the Sixers get exposed.  For the Jazz to be performing like this now bodes well for their future.

I agree that they need to show more, like an ability to win on the road, but I'm not big on three-pojnt shooting and I'm more concerned with eliminating 2nd-chance shots than blocking them.  The Jazz are fine with their interior defense for the most part, and have a very efficient well-run offense.  Deron Williams is a real asset, and the best point guard in the NBA.  Neither San Antonio or LA have anyone to slow him down, and that's their edge.

So how as that any different than last year?  Did you notice what happened last year in the playoffs?

I'm not saying San Antonio or LA are bad teams. They're not. But the Spurs have lost talent to age and haven't replaced enough of it, IMO, and the Lakers lost Bynum.  They aren't as good as they were with him, and I'm not convinced either team can stay with Boston or Cleveland. Or for that matter Utah, who I think is on their way to becoming an elite team now that Boozer is back.

The Lakers did not have Bynum last year either, what is your point Rick?

IMO the biggest threat to the Lakers is still the Spurs.  As a Lakers fan nothing makes me more nervous than TD, TP, and Manu on the other side of the court.  You add into the mix upgrades in Mason, Hill, and now Gooden and all of a sudden they Spurs look much stronger than last years squad who gave the Lakers all they could handle with the Manu playing on one ankle.  While the Jazz are indeed capable of taking out the Lakers I see nothing new about the Jazz while at the same time I see an upgraded Spurs roster.