Upper Bowl Jazz Fan

Keys to winning Game 4 against the Nuggets

// April 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // 2010 Playoffs

Carlos Boozer can’t come out and miss 12 of his 18 shots.  His midrange jumper was on during Game 2 and that same jumper couldn’t find the basket during Game 3.  I truly hope he realized that too.  He needs to take the ball to the basket a lot more and mix up his shots in order to keep Martin, Nene, and Birdman guessing.

Deron Williams needs to keep being aggressive.  The Jazz played so well in Game 2 when Williams took over every play.  He was either assisting or making the shots.  I’m not advocating that he do this all the time; it wouldn’t be congruent with the flex offense the Jazz run.  However, sometimes you need your star to do his thing.

Wesley Matthews/CJ Miles both need to keep doing what they’re doing on Carmelo Anthony.  Keeping him in foul trouble and playing good defense has been a winning solution for the past 2 games.  Both of them need to get confidence-building shots early in the game, most likely driving layups or short range shots.

Millsap needs to be that spark off the bench like he was in Game 3.  He needs to be smarter than Birdman or Martin and avoiding their shot-blocking.

Fesenko needs to keep up his good defense on Nene.  He has a tendency to foul uncontrollably but during Game 3 especially did a great job playing good defense w/out fouling.  He only had 3 fouls in 23 minutes of play.  What is also important were his 9 points.  He barely was noticeable on offense during Games 1 & 2.

The Jazz just need to keep playing with a chip on their shoulder and punish the Nuggets the way they’ve done for the past 2 games.  We were only favored by 2 points for Game 3.  When we were up by 20 points with 4 minutes left we showed that we have heart.  Let’s play with even more heart in Game 4 and we’ll take the series.

Jazz take the lead in the series 2-1 against the Denver Nuggets

// April 24th, 2010 // No Comments » // 2010 Playoffs, Game Summary

Game 3 is probably one of the easier games for the home team.  I don’t have stats or something on that but it makes sense.  When the Jazz lost to the Spurs and Lakers in 5 games the past 2 seasons the only games the Jazz won was Game 3.

Thankfully, the Jazz didn’t disappoint…except for the 1st quarter.  A slow start had every Jazz fan fearing dropping one at home which would have been devastating.

Carlos Boozer had a rough night missing his first 5 shots and finished making only 6 of his 18 shots.  He also only grabbed 8 boards which is pretty crappy especially for an above average rebounder like Boozer.  He settled for a lot of outside shots and while they fell for him in Game 2, the tide turned the other way in Game 3.  This is exactly why Booze needs to go inside a LOT more inside of relying on his jumper.

Paul Millsap got the Memo and found himself open and often during the 2nd quarter and throughout the game.  Millsap made 8 of 8 shots in the 2nd and finished making 11 of his 14 shots scoring 22 points and pulling down 19 boards.  Both are career highs for him.  It was a treat to watch him.  We have Millsap to thank, in part, for the Jazz play in the 2nd and their lead going into the half.

I’ve been most pleased with CJ Miles’ play in this series.  Despite getting very lucky in Game 2 by not being called out of bounds just moments before Carmelo Anthony committed his 6th foul, Miles has played well.  He has contributed in getting Melo in foul trouble in both of the last 2 games.  While he hasn’t been stellar on offense he has been solid on both ends of the floor.  TrueHoop reported on a number of players who had performed admirably up until this point in the season and Deron Williams and CJ Miles were both mentioned.  You can read that article here.

I cannot stress how important Game 4 is.  The Jazz have an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead.  In the history of the 7 game series only 8 teams have recovered from being down 1-3 to win the series.  Basically, it means the series win is in the bag.

The Nuggets know this too so they’ll be playing with probably more heart than the Jazz will.  They know it’s a must win because if they can take the game, they’ll have regained their homecourt advantage.

After 2 games the Jazz and Nuggets are tied at 1-1

// April 21st, 2010 // 1 Comment » // 2010 Playoffs

You know what?  I couldn’t be happier about that.  I would have been happy about it had Memo’s injury never happened.  Knowing now that he’s out and that the Jazz won a game in Denver, way to freaking go Jazz!

While Denver dominated the Jazz this year, I always felt like they weren’t necessarily better than us.  It seemed like they just knew how to exploit the matchup and the Jazz were slow to react.  I hope that stays the case and that the Jazz have learned a lasting lesson because Game 3 is only a couple days away.

The difference in the game wasn’t that the Jazz were missing Mehmet Okur or Fesenko as a starter, rather it was the defensive effort on Carmelo Anthony and Deron Williams doing what he does best….kicking ass and taking names.

Reportedly, Matt Harpring advised the Jazz on how to defend Melo better and it involved being a lot more physical with him.  In Game 1, Melo had his way with everyone tasked to guard him.  They gave him too much space when he caught the ball and he punished the Jazz for it.

In Game 2, he rarely saw those same looks.  He attempted 25 shots in each game, making 18 in the first game and only 9 in the second.  The more physical defense is nowhere more evident than at the foul line.  In Game 2, Melo went to the line 15 times, sinking 14 of them.  In Game 1, he was 4 for 4.

Interestingly, the box score for the Jazz in Game 1 and Game 2 was almost identical.

Game 1                                                               Game 2

• 55% FG                                                           53% FG
• 41% 3P                                                            46% 3P
• 75% FT                                                           77% FT
• 31 Rebounds                                                32 Rebounds
• 26 Assists                                                      26 Assists
• 10 Turnovers                                               18 Turnovers
• 4 Steals                                                            7 Steals
• 6 Blocks                                                           4 Blocks
• 25 Fouls                                                          30 Fouls
• 113 Points                                                       114 Points

The difference was defense (like the NBA commercial says) and getting outrebounded by 10 boards in Game 1.

Our boy, Wesley Matthews, is going through a hard stretch in his playoff debut.  Only shooting 25% from the field and looking noticeably nervous.  Hopefully getting back to Salt Lake City will make a difference for his confidence.  His defense on Carmelo Anthony needs recognition though because despite playing very well Matthews is doing a solid job against a superstar.

CJ Miles was having a playoff breakout in Game 1 but after a collision with Chauncey Billups towards the end of the 1st half, Miles was sort of a non-factor.  In both games he tallied 17 points but was a better contributor in Game 2.  Playing better defense on Melo made a difference as well as drawing Melo’s 6th foul 60 feet away from the basket with only :25 left in the game.

What needs to happen going forward is Boozer being more aggressive.  In the first 2 games he has been settling for a lot of outside jumpers and while they fell for him he needs to stop being a wussy.  Booze only went to the free throw line twice in each game which means he’s avoiding contact.  Nene and Birdman are great shot blockers but if the Jazz want a chance to win the series they can’t rely on Boozer’s outside jumpshots.

The Jazz are not going to be able to rely on being at home for these next 2 games.  Denver proved how little that mattered by beating us at home without Billups and Melo this season.  They also proved it again by losing the the Jazz in the hostile Pepsi Center.  Energy Solutions can be a difficult place for opponents but the Jazz seem to sometimes be lulled into a false sense of security there after posting our 37-4 home record there 2 seasons ago.

The Jazz have to expect that Melo will adapt to the new defense he saw in Game 2 and adapt accordingly.  That seems to be one of the Achilles’ heel of the Jazz: adaptation.  It feels like too little too late when the Jazz do make adjustments.

Melo is too good to not be adjusting always and he’ll be certain to try and draw even more fouls against the Jazz knowing that they are going to be physical with him.

If the Jazz can win the the next 2 games at home, they’ll have a good chance at being able to upset the Nuggets and steal the series.  Come on baby