NBA: Jazz Theory - A blog on the Utah Jazz

2008-11-26T11:53:00.001-07:00

Still no word on whether or not Deron Williams will return to play against the Grizzlies tonight, and we probably won't know till right before game time. The suspense is killing me, and this is the only word about it on the Jazz website!

2008-10-30T07:51:00.001-06:00

Make sure you get to the polls next Tuesday, November 4th, and vote!

2008-10-16T13:10:00.005-06:00

My 12 year old cousin thought our mascot was a wookie. I think he looks more like Teen Wolf...
Take a look!

Random Utah Video

2008-07-12T12:21:00.002-06:00

This is pretty random, but a friend sent me the link recently. Pretty funny. Sticks in your head, though.

Playoff Recaps

2008-06-27T12:12:00.003-06:00

If you're like me, and you enjoy having a good cry once in a while (watching a sad movie over and over, for instance), you can re-visit the 2008 playoffs at NBA.com anytime you want. SO close. (sniff)

Sad Souvenir

2008-05-16T12:16:00.000-06:00

I took a chance and bought NBA playoffs tickets for the first time in my life. They were a deal because the game wasn't necessarily going to happen. Game 7. And it almost did happen! But alas, now I've just got a sad souvenir in my dresser drawer.

Jazz lose to Lakers

2007-11-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

Did anyone else spend Sunday night crying? I mean, how could we go into the 4th quarter with a lead and still lose? At least the team isn't making any excuses. Coach Nolan said, "Our defense was terrible." Ok, since we learned as children that knowing is half the battle, let's get that defense in shape so that we have a shot at the playoffs. We're currently #2 in the Northwest Division, so it could happen. Think positive!

Love those short summers!

2007-06-11T14:13:00.000-06:00

A nice wrap-up to a good season... I like this particular summary from the Salt-Lake Tribune:

"The Jazz won 60 games including the regular season and playoffs, reached the conference finals for the first time since the end of the Stockton-to-Malone era, nearly played into June as a result and left [us] with the shortest summer in recent franchise history."

Short summers are a good thing... no time to miss the NBA drama before we get plunged right back into draft time.

No more blues

2007-03-23T07:18:00.000-06:00

Utah

Jazz

We need another win! Common Sloan pull these guys together. Great come back agains the Warriors but spare us the drama and let's have a decisive win against the Clippers.

Utah

Jazz

2007-01-16T11:23:00.000-07:00

Gordan Giricek didn't even get to set foot on the court last Friday, and now he's not even in Utah Jazz's starting line-up!

Jazz Continue Domination

2006-12-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz continued their domination of the Northwest division with a win over the Indiana Pacers Sunday night. This was the Jazz's first win over the Pacers in four years and 7 meetings. The Jazz held the Pacers to only 36.5 percent shooting with center Andrei Kirilenko clogging up the lane, forcing the Pacers to shoot from the perimeter. Carlos Boozer had yet another double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds which surprisingly is below his averages of 22.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. Tonight the Jazz travel to New York and face the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. Looks like another one for the 'W' column.

Get to Energy Solutions Arena Tonight

2006-12-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz are hosting the Dallas Maveicks tonight, and you heard it here first, that game is going to be good. The Jazz have lost 3 of 4, and the Mavericks have lost 2 of 4, but both of these teams have shown that they know how to get things done this season. Both of these teams are good reasons why the Western Conference is going to be absolutely amazing to watch this season.

Losing in Impressive Fashion

2006-12-01T14:01:00.000-07:00

When you score over a 100 points and still lose by 30 you can safely assume that your defense was non-existent. Which is exactly what happened to the Utah Jazz last night, losing to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers 132-102. Bryant showed that he was back in full form from his offseason knee surgery scoring 52 points. It seems that the Jazz are coming down from their early season high, losing 3 of their last 4.

Seven of eight

2006-11-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

So I haven't posted in a while, but in this case it seems no news is REALLY good news! I'm completely pumped this season. This is only the third time since 1999 the Utah Jazz has won seven of its first eight games. Seven of eight! Keep it up, keep it up...

Keep it clean, guys...

2006-10-28T10:33:00.000-06:00

Oh man...

"Portland sex crimes detectives responded to a report of a hysterical woman at a downtown hotel early Monday morning and questioned several Utah Jazz players as part of their investigation, a Portland police spokesman said this morning."

Is there any team in the NBA that doesn't deal with this stuff? I hope they get to the bottom of it soon, because things like this hanging over a team can't be good for ticket sales. :(

Not so much to say...

2006-10-22T22:14:00.000-06:00

Well, there's some actual Utah Jazz game news to report on today, but considering it was a pre-season loss to the Sacramento Kings, I think I'd rather go back to my slow news days.

Ho hum...

No way to tell

2006-10-19T23:20:00.000-06:00

I was talking to my brother yesterday, also a Utah Jazz fan, about Andrei Kirilenko. He seems to think he's the best thing since sliced bread (why do people still use that phrase, I wonder? I don't think sliced bread's all that cool). But I can't figure out what he's basing this on, considering the guy's spent more time nursing his back than actually playing. I'll stick with the guys who actually... you know... play sometimes?

Slow News Day

2006-10-16T23:26:00.000-06:00

Is it just me, or is it a slow news day when the first article I read on the Utah Jazz is a story about Paul Milsap's brother Abraham getting used to living in Utah after his family was moved there by the NBA?

Included in this gripping diatribe are gems like, "Paul and Abe have an excellent relationship," and "Abe, who has been gradually adjusting to his new surroundings, said, 'The students have been really great.'"

Stop the presses!

But then again, I'm reporting on this particular news gem myself, so... never mind. Congrats on the 3.8 GPA, Abe.

Jumping to conclusions

2006-10-13T08:23:00.000-06:00

So I'm reading in the Salt Lake Tribune about Tuesday's loss (boo), and they're going on about how the Jazz didn't take any chances, how they screwed up by putting Gordan Giricek in the shooting guard position as opposed to using the four-forwards technique they ended up in last year, etc. Geez, give the team a chance to find its feet before you start messing around with stuff, would ya? What was working last year may not work the same way this year, and Jerry Sloan himself said there'll be times to use that lineup later once he gets familiar with how the team fits this year.

Personally, I'm going to watch and see what Sloan comes up with after this not-so-good start. He's shown himself to be adaptable in the past (okay Jerry, pressure's on you!)...

Nuskin Jazz dancers!

2006-10-05T08:52:00.000-06:00

I was checking out the official Utah Jazz website and instead of seeing the usual pictures of sweaty men and stats I realize there is a link to the Utah Jazz Dancers. So of course I clicked it. Well I gotta tell you…I think I just bought myself a one way ticket to the poor house. I mean all the money I’m gonna have to spend in plastic surgery just to get one of these girls to notice me at the next game I go to….sheesh! I wonder if I told my doctor I wanted to look like George Clooney if he’d throw in the Caesar haircut for free??

training camp

2006-10-02T11:43:00.000-06:00

VP of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor is optimistic about the upcoming season even before training camp. O'Connor was pleased to find that in the week or two before the Jazz head to Boise, some players were already back in Salt Lake and had made good on commitments to physical improvement over the summer. Regardless of what the team looks like this season, I have respect for their follow-through in the offseason. I guess being a pro athlete always sounds like fun and games, but it is hard work. Not many people can do what they do.

Jazz exercise option on Whaley

2006-06-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

The Utah Jazz just acquired center Rafael Araujo from the Toronto Raptors. We gave up center Robert Whaley and forward Kris Humphries in the deal. I hear we also got some cash in the deal. Man I am in the wrong business. Go Jazz!

On the Playoffs:

I am glad at least that the Detroit Pistons did not advance to the NBA Finals. I can’t decide whom I want to win, the Dallas Mavericks or the Miami Heat. They both have some great players but I think the Mavericks have an edge that the Heat don’t seem to have. Whether that edge is Dirk Nowitzki or Jason Terry is yet to be seen but I am really certain we are going to see some great games in this series. What do you think?

Jazz fan likes Cavs in the Playoffs

2006-05-08T18:05:00.000-06:00

The Cleveland Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the Playoffs winning their series against the Washington Wizards. I am hoping they have the stuff to beat out the Detroit Pistons but after last night it doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy. LeBron James is going to step up and fight for sure on Tuesday.

Come on! Get jazzed up!

2006-04-16T21:05:00.000-06:00

The Jazz were doing so well with five wins in a row and I thought we were going to go out with a bang. But it appears the Utah Jazz are tired because they are almost 20 points down in the fourth quarter. I hate to watch games like these because I know the Jazz are better than this.

What are our chances now?

2006-03-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Memphis skunked us today in a 90-84 Utah Jazz loss. Andrei Kirlenko made an admirable last effort to save the game sinking a three-pointer with 17 seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately there was enough time for the Grizzlies to make up the difference and beat us by 6 at the buzzer. Things are looking bleak for the playoffs with so many winning records in our conference.

Why can’t we beat the Lakers?

2006-02-14T10:55:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz couldn’t come back from an 18 point half-time deficit and lost their game against the Los Angeles Lakers. I was surprised to learn that we actually brought down more rebounds than the Lakers, but turnovers like Kobe Bryant’s seven steals killed us. We lost because we couldn’t hold on to the ball.

Jazz Stink In Dallas

2006-01-30T18:49:00.000-07:00

The Utah Jazz lost to the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday but that’s not all that’s happening in the NBA. Have you heard that Chris Andersen of the New Orleans Hornets has been banned from the NBA for violating their drug policy? I hope they were some good drugs.

Whaley Making an Impression

2005-10-29T12:25:00.000-06:00

When you’re a rookie just hoping to get a spot on an NBA team, what better way to ensure your position on the team than trying to punch an opposing player and getting suspended for 2 games, that is if you make the team. Well that’s exactly what second round draft pick Robert Whaley did in the fourth quarter of the exhibition game against the Los Angeles Lakers. I understand about being in the game and having your emotions run free, but Whaley needed to realize that he’s living day to day in this league and doing something like that just shows the team that they can’t count on him. Hopefully this won’t be it for young Whaley, but if I may offer a piece of advice, keep your emotions in check.

The Jazz are Tuning Up

2005-10-17T13:06:00.000-06:00

Well the preseason has officially begun, and the Jazz have come out 1-1. They won their first game against the Toronto Raptors in overtime, 102-101, but then lost to the Indiana Pacers, 99-92, in Ron Artest’s first game in Indiana since his season long suspension in November of last season. Rookie C.J. Miles looked really good against the Raptors with a team high 14 points, including the 3 pointer with 2.4 seconds left sending the game into overtime. There’s still a lot of sorting out to do, and a lot of players needing to get back into game shape, but the Jazz look like they can make a stir in the Northwest division.

From Russia With Love

2005-10-02T13:40:00.000-06:00

As a Jazz fan it’s been hard to find stuff to be really happy about and look forward to. But the steady improvement of Andrei Kirilenko has really gotten me excited about this upcoming season. He got a little off track last season due to injuries that didn’t allow him to play up to his caliber. But look for Kirilenko this season to make a definite impact, not only on his team but also across the league. This young player definitely has his best years in front of him which is making the upcoming season very exciting for me.

Taking a Page from MLB

2005-09-22T08:35:00.000-06:00

The NBA has started up a new program with the NBA Development League. Players that are in their first or second season in the NBA can be sent down to the minors. There are some differences between the NBA and MLB (Major League Baseball) minor programs, in the NBA no more than 2 players affiliated with one team can be in the minors, and they can only be sent down three times. But in the case of rookie C.J. Miles, 18-year-old high school graduate picked by the Jazz, this could be a blessing in disguise. It was not seen that Miles would be getting much playing time this season with Devin Brown and Gordan Giricek ahead of him in the depth chart. So if Miles goes down to the minors he can get valuable playing time in, instead of sitting on the bench.

Adding Another Piece to the Puzzle

2005-09-14T21:03:00.000-06:00

The Jazz have added the shooting guard that they have needed, and it really looks like they are going to have a promising upcoming season. Devin Brown was signed on Wednesday. Brown has spent the last two seasons playing for the Spurs, which will help bring a winning attitude to this rebuilding team. Adding a player that knows how hard to work to win will teach the other young players what they need to do to get back to the playoffs. This will be Brown’s chance to shine, he’s always been a bench player, but he’s been told that he has a chance to start this season for the Jazz. The Jazz are definitely a team to look at this season to see how these young players progress.

Around the Corner

2005-06-06T12:07:00.000-06:00

The Utah Jazz has a lot of work cut out for them. The Jazz have five draft picks in this years NBA Draft, and believe me when I say that they will use every one to address needs.

After all, the Jazz were one of the bottom cellar dwellers this past season. So expect the players picked this year to be quality and not quantity.

Who is Better?

2005-05-30T11:24:00.000-06:00

A new debate has aroused my thoughts, a debate that will probably continue for ages to come. The question being; who is better Shaquille O’Neal or Wilt Chamberlin? Now before anyone decides to answer this question, one should take time to think about it. To think about all the factors that comes into play. For one I am not a big fan of Shaq but the man is very good at what he does and will some day join Wilt in the Basketball Hall of Fame. But consider it was two different eras and two different styles. It is almost like comparing Joe Montana to Brett Favre, both great players but two different eras. So what do you all think?

Draft Time

2005-05-26T13:19:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon the draft lottery took place, and the Jazz were able to get as low as the number six pick over all. Not to bad considering they had an 11.9 percent chance of winning the number 1 spot. The Utah Jazz however collected 5 picks over all in the 2005 NBA draft which will take place the 28th of June.

Till Next Year

2005-05-23T11:00:00.000-06:00

The Jazz gave fans a couple of very solid reasons to come back next year. First, they played a repeat performance of their Spurs upset with a 93-91 rehashing on April 13. Finally, they beat the playoff bound Kings on April 18. The Jazz finished the season with a 26-56 record.

Sloan is Staying

2005-05-15T16:27:00.000-06:00

an excerpt from NBA.com

The Utah Jazz announced today the decision by Jerry Sloan to return as head coach next season for his 18th season at the helm of the Jazz. The team has also agreed to a contract extension through the 2007-2008 season.

Sloan has been Utahs head coach since assuming the reigns from former head coach Frank Layden on December 9, 1988. Sloan is the franchises winningest coach (943-617) and has the longest active tenure with one team in professional sports as head coach.

The coaching achievements for the 63-year-old native of McLeansboro, Illinois, speak for themselves with the eighth best winning percentage (.620%), sixth most wins all time (943-617), two NBA Finals appearances (1997 & 1998), and five Midwest Division titles. He also guided the club to 15 consecutive winning seasons, 15 straight trips to the NBA Playoffs (1989-2003) and ten 50-win seasons.

Stockton Takes Permanent Position

2005-05-09T11:32:00.000-06:00

from the official site of the Utah Jazz

In the first 12 years of Jazz basketball at the Delta Center, John Stockton led the team on the court nearly every night, missing only twelve games (at the Delta Center). Jazz fans knew when they got a ticket they were going to not only see him on the floor, they were going to see him play his tail off, as if he wanted to give everyone their money’s worth.

Which is why it seemed perfectly fitting to erect a statue of the man to be displayed permanently on the south side of the Delta Center plaza. Jazz owner Larry H. Miller commissioned sculptor Brian Challis for the project in 2003. Nearly two years later, the 8 foot, 800 pound monument took its’ place in a ceremony with Stockton, his friends, family and still loyal fans.

As a wall of balloons were cut off by Stockton and his family, the large bronze statue was revealed to be the point guard looking as if he is working off a pick-and-roll, looking for Karl Malone heading toward the hoop. He wears the classic Jazz jersey; complete with the short shorts he kept fashionable well into the 90s.

A crowd of over 300 people was there for the ceremony, including Stockton’s wife Nada, his children and even his parents. Also present were Jazz owner Larry H. Miller and sculptor Brian Challis.

“It is an unbelievable honor,” the point guard said after the unveiling. But one thing felt very wrong to him: the absence of his longtime teammate Karl Malone, who is set to join Stockton next year with a Challis statue of his own.

“I think about when Karl Malone and I, one of us would be in the weight room early in the morning and the other one wasn’t there. And the first comment to the other person would be “Mighty lonely in here today.” That’s really my first impression; its mighty lonely up here and it’ll be nice to see the big fella up here in short order.”

Challis, when speaking of his inspiration for the statue said “I’ve worked on this project almost a year and a half, throughout it has been my goal to imbue this sculpture with not only the likeness, but with something of the spirit of John Stockton. When those in the future look into his eyes I hope they see the focus and determination that we saw each time he stepped on the court. When they bend to compare their hand to the size of his hand, I hope they sense the greatness of his heart. I truly hope that the spirit of this site will stir within future hearts a sense of profound love and respect for those who erected this monument, and for the very real man it honors.”

With the team struggling so bad this year, Miller summed up a lot of Jazz fans sentiments when he wished there were another Stockton, or at least that the original would still play. “I’m pretty sure there’s only one of you, I wish we could get you back,” he said.

Miller continued with a revealing story about Stock. “I just want to give you a little glimpse of what John’s about. I had a conversation with him about six or eight months ago… I said, “well what do you do to occupy your time all these days?” I think I’m speaking accurately although Nada may correct me, he said, “Well, I’m coaching five or six teams.” And I said “wow. Whose?” He said “my kids.””

I said, “What do you coach?” He said “football, basketball, baseball and soccer.” I said, “What do you know about soccer?” And he said something that I felt was very revealing. He said, “I don’t know … I don’t know hardly anything about soccer, but if I can teach them how to compete, then I’ve taught them something worthwhile.” And I think that simple statement speaks volumes about that man and what was his greatness.”

It is only fitting that the man who may have done as much as anyone to build the Delta Center and the Utah Jazz will now forever greet the fans who come to see future versions of the team play.

And those short shorts?

“They’ll come back around,” he said. “Everything comes back around.”

jazzing you

2005-04-26T15:46:00.000-06:00

The 2004-05 version of the Utah Jazz could probably best be summed up as “Team Jekyll and Team Hyde.” At the end of it all,utahjazz.com takes a look back at the ups and downs of the 2004-05 campaign – and why fans are already excited about next year.

Okur's putback with 2.4 left lifts Utah

2005-04-14T19:04:00.000-06:00

by (AP), from ESPN.com

A healthy Tim Duncan is worth more to San Antonio than home-court advantage in the playoffs.

Duncan returned after missing 12 games with a sprained ankle and scored 17 points, but played just 3 minutes of the fourth quarter in the Utah Jazz's 93-91 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night.

The loss dropped the Spurs 1½ games behind Phoenix for the top record in the Western Conference. Phoenix has four games remaining to San Antonio's three, but the Spurs will happily settle for the No. 2 seed if they know Duncan is healthy.

"I don't want to fall for fool's gold now and put him in a position where that ankle's too weak and have something happen to him," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "Sure we wanted to put him in, but I don't think that would have been wise."

The Spurs could have used Duncan in the final minute. Utah won it on Mehmet Okur's layup with 2.4 seconds remaining. San Antonio had a final chance, but Manu Ginobili missed a baseline jumper just before the horn.

Okur finished with 25 points and 16 rebounds and beat the Spurs for the second time this season. Okur also scored on an offensive rebound at the buzzer in January, snapping Utah's 18-game losing streak to San Antonio.

"That's my job. I try to grab every rebound," Okur said. "I was underneath. I just grabbed the ball and made the basket."

Duncan, who had seven rebounds, said the ankle felt "pretty good," but he was not on the court for the frenzied finish despite his best lobbying efforts.

"I was pushing for a little more time. Pop's the intelligent one and luckily he's the coach and I'm not," Duncan said. "I'm going to take my time and really get back into our rhythm and make sure that I'm not pushing it too hard and hurting myself."

Matt Harpring scored 17 points, including two critical free throws with 14 seconds left. Harpring put Utah up 91-88 and it looked like the Jazz had all but clinched it, until Ginobili went 1-for-2 from the line and Nazr Mohammed grabbed the rebound and dunked it to tie the game with 7.5 seconds to play.

Okur felt Mohammed knocked him down to get to the ball and remained on the floor for several moments, looking to the officials for a call he didn't get. He made sure it wouldn't matter at the other end.

Gordan Giricek, who scored 15 points, took the inbounds pass from Harpring and drove for a layup which was blocked by Robert Horry. Okur grabbed the loose ball and banked it in and Utah beat San Antonio for just the second time in 20 games.

"That was a fun game," Harpring said. "It's frustrating because you wonder why we can't play like this all the time."

Duncan played 20 minutes, 4 more than the Spurs wanted him to after his 3½-week layoff. But after San Antonio committed 10 fouls in the opening quarter and fell behind by 15 points early in the second, the Spurs needed the two-time MVP to help with the comeback.

"It was great just to get back on the floor and run up and down, even just for a little bit," Duncan said.

San Antonio got Utah's lead down to four twice before finally overtaking the Jazz early in the fourth quarter. Tony Parker, who had 17 points and five assists, converted a three-point play and Ginobili hit a 3-pointer just before the horn to get the Spurs to 68-65 at the end of the third.

Duncan made it a one-point game with a layup, then after Jarron Collins missed an open layup for Utah, Beno Udrih drove for a layup to give San Antonio its first lead since the opening quarter. Udrih quickly added another layup after a turnover, but Utah responded before San Antonio could pull away.

Okur converted a three-point play to tie it at 73 with 7:47 remaining, then spun under the basket for a reverse layup to regain the lead for Utah and get the small crowd back into the game. Howard Eisley added another layup and Giricek hit a short jumper to make it a 9-0 run.

Okur finally put Utah up for good at 89-88 with a 20-foot jumper with about a minute to play.

Lack Luster

2005-04-09T10:59:00.000-06:00

Wednesday night the Utah Jazz dropped their eighth strait game on the road which blossoms (sarcasm) their road record for the season to a harmful 7–28. The loss was given by KG and the Timberwolves 111-86.

It is even more heartbreaking for head Coach Jerry Sloan. Sloan has three of his top scorers out, leaving him to turn to vet. Howard Eisley. Then some where along the lines in the first quarter Sloan thought it would be best to leave the game so he was ejected. (Sarcasm again)

The one bright spot for the Jazz was that Gordan Giricek and Matt Harpring both scored 14 points for the lack luster (23-51) Utah Jazz.

Rockets 99, Jazz 85

2005-03-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Doug Alden / Associated Press, from Foxsports.com

Utah tried just about everything to stop Houston's Tracy McGrady.

From switching defenders to changing defenses, nothing came even close to working in the Rockets' 99-85 win Monday night. McGrady scored 44 points, hitting shot after shot through the first three quarters and nearly buried the Jazz by himself.

Some of McGrady's shots were wide-open looks, but others he had to shoot over a hand in his face and the result was almost always the same.

"It just comes with being really confident. No matter what type of defense you throw, how many guys you put on me, if my jumper is falling, you know there's really nothing you can do," said McGrady, who also had five steals. "It was great defense on their part. But it was just better offense."

By the time McGrady started missing in the fourth quarter, Houston was already comfortably ahead with a 12-point lead. McGrady made 14 of his first 17 shots and finished 15-for-21.

Houston, which lost at San Antonio 83-70 the night before, improved to 2-1 on a four-game road trip and won for just the second time in the last 17 meetings at Utah.

"We're going for bigger things. Those guys are playing for pride. They know they're not making the playoffs. They're a well coached team. They do a great job of executing," McGrady said. "We're looking at the bigger picture."

Mike James scored 14 of his 16 in the second half, Yao Ming finished with 15 points and David Wesley scored 11 for Houston. The Rockets had to survive a couple of scares from the Jazz in the third quarter before running away with it.

"We take time and possessions off trying to take shortcuts," coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "Then we got back to trying to do what we needed to do to win."

Mehmet Okur scored 25, Matt Harpring had 18 points and nine rebounds and Keith McLeod finished with nine assists for Utah.

McGrady remained in until the end of the game, but couldn't reach his season-high of 48 points. He didn't need to.

Houston is 19-2 when McGrady scores 30 or more. He had that by halftime after scoring the last 11 points of first half. Houston led by 15 in the early quarter before having to hold off a couple of surges by the Jazz.

Utah got back into the game with an 8-0 run early in the third, capped by Okur's steal and short jumper that brought the Jazz within 66-58. McGrady hit a 19-footer, then Utah scored the next eight points again, including an odd sequence with 3:24 left.

Kirk Snyder, who scored 12 points, ended up with a loose ball that three other players couldn't hang on to. Instead of kicking it back out, Snyder dribbled around and spun his way through the defense for a layup while being fouled.

Houston coach Jeff Van Gundy was livid Snyder was awarded the basket. It didn't help when the Jazz rookie did a little taunting in front of the bench. Van Gundy got a technical, which led to a free throw by Okur.

Snyder hit his free throw to complete the three-point play that cut Houston's margin to 68-66. Utah coach Jerry Sloan immediately took Snyder out of the game and had a chat with him.

"He makes a terrific move then he goes and stands in front of their bench," Sloan said. "That's a no-no in this league. We're lucky that something crazy didn't happen because those are the kinds of things that can turn into something serious."

It seemed to revive the Rockets. Dikembe Mutombo and James each hit a free throw to start an 8-2 run that put Houston up 76-68 at the end of the third quarter. throws, was ejected late in the third quarter. He received a standing ovation and several high-fives on his way up the stairs. ... Sloan turned 63 Monday. ... Houston's road trip wraps up Wednesday in Portland.

Jazz Stopped in NO

2005-03-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

from the official site of the Utah Jazz

Raja Bell was good for 19 points Friday, but the Jazz were handcuffed by a fiesty Hornet's defense, falling 92-85. Andrei Kirilenko chipped in 15 points for Utah, which will look to rebound when it travels to San Antonio on Sunday.

Mavs 101 - Jazz 83

2005-02-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Doug Alden / Associated Press

After blowing one big lead, the Dallas Mavericks made sure their next one was never in jeopardy.

The Mavericks overcame being called for 34 fouls with strong shooting and even stronger defense, winning their fifth straight 101-83 over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Dallas scored the first eight points of the game and led by as much as 15 in the first quarter, but Utah gradually came back and took a few slim leads before the Mavericks finally shut down the Jazz in the second half.

"I thought in the first half they really kept in the game by getting to the foul line," said Dirk Nowitzki, who scored 16 of his 29 points in the second half to lead Dallas. "They really attacked the offensive glass and I thought in the second half we just took those things away. We tried to keep them in front of us in the penetration. We tried to keep them off the line. Don't do all those ticky-tack fouls. That really worked for us."

Josh Howard added 18 points and nine rebounds and Michael Finley scored 24 for the Mavericks, who outscored Utah 26-14 in the fourth quarter.

Dallas committed 13 more fouls than Utah in a chippy game that included four technical fouls, two flagrants and several others that could have been called for more than just a personal foul.

"We can be physical or we can back down," Dallas guard Jason Terry said. "We chose to be physical and get to the free-throw line."

Utah had its worst shooting night of the season, going 23-for-75 from the floor but stayed in it by making 36 of 39 free throws.

Raja Bell led Utah with 16 points and Howard Eisley and Andrei Kirilenko each scored 12.

The week off for the All-Star break didn't help the Jazz, who have lost five six.

"We got confused on what we were doing defensively a couple of times as we came down the stretch," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. "We also got confused as to what we were trying to do offensively."

The Jazz had nothing left down the stretch and could not stop Nowitzki and the Mavericks, who had just four turnovers in the second half after committing 12 in the first.

Tempers flared several times in the game and although there were no fights, there were plenty of times it looked close to happening as the fouls kept getting harder.

The frustration seemed to effect the Jazz, who were without leading scorer and rebounder Carlos Boozer, who is out with a foot injury.

"Utah always plays physical," Finley said. "They play with that type of tenacity. That's what kind of player Coach Sloan was when he was in the league and it's carried over to this team."

Referee Steve Javie warned both coaches late in the third quarter to knock off the complaining after every call. Javie called Sloan for a technical a few minutes later, after Mehmet Okur knocked over Darrell Armstrong while running through a screen. Sloan felt Armstrong wasn't set and let official Michael Smith know it.

Finley made the technical free throw for Dallas' fifth straight point and Armstrong made both his free throws to give the Mavericks a 75-69 lead entering the final period.

Howard gave the Mavericks a 79-73 early in the fourth when he hit a wide-open baseline jumper, starting a 7-0 run that Finley capped with a 3-pointer and Dallas pulled away from there. basket and received a straight-arm to the chin. Nowitzki stayed on the floor for a few minutes, then got up and hit both free throws. ... The Jazz placed point guard Raul Lopez (knee) on the injured list Wednesday and replaced him with Keith McLeod, who started against the Mavericks but had just five points and two assists.

Knicks 102, Jazz 99, OT

2005-02-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

"I am pretty happy for the guys. They just fight back and didn't drop their heads. Still, I don't think I did a good job at the end of the game."

I am sure Kirilenko wasn’t the only one on his team that felt like that.

The Utah Jazz actually took the lead 99-98 in overtime, but Marbury was just too much for Utah. The Jazz lost to the Knicks ends a pretty pathetic six game road trip, and leaves the Jazz with only one win out of there last five games.

A high note is the Raja Bell and Kirk Snyder combined for 29 points for our team.

Downward Spiral

2005-02-01T16:02:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday the Jazz dropped another game, this time to the Nets. Of course the Nets have Carter and Kidd, who decided to play together for once.

The said thing about the whole game for the Jazz was that only one player made it into double digits and the man was Raja Bell, and I think Bell summed up perfectly what is wrong with the Jazz this year.

"It's not about making shots or missing shots or who's an All-Star and who's not an All-Star," Bell said. "It's just about fighting and we don't fight. It's frustrating because we have enough talent to do it and we just don't use it."

Foul Trouble

2005-01-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Last night in Utah the Jazz fell to the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The odd thing is that Utah did not trail once through the first three quarters. So your probably wondering what happened?

Well I am sure head coach Jerry Sloan can tell you...

"We ended up committing enough fouls for two or three games and they were basically soft fouls. If you're going to commit soft fouls and play soft, you're going to get more scared and put yourself in a tough situation."

The Jazz committed 33 fouls which lead to 27 points off free throws by Cleveland. I am sure Cleveland or LeBron didn't mind.

Game Notes:
Matt Harpring had 10 rebounds and nine points
Gordan Giricek had 12 points
Mehmet Okur also scored 12

Jazzed dropped by Houston

2005-01-03T08:55:00.000-07:00

Apparently it took a season high 22 fast-break points by the Rockets; along side a 25 point effort by Tracy McGrady to stop the Jazz.

"That's the kind of basketball I like to play, to get out and run on transition and forget about plays," McGrady said. "We're a faster team now. We're not so much walking the ball up the floor. We're pushing the ball.

The final score was Houston 99, Jazz 80.

Sonics beat Jazz, end Utah slump

2004-12-28T13:36:00.000-07:00

By Associated Press, from Foxsports.com

Rashard Lewis and the Seattle SuperSonics are having a lot of fun this season playing with their up-tempo offense.

Lewis scored 22 points, Ray Allen added 19 and the Seattle SuperSonics picked up the pace in the fourth quarter to end an eight-game losing streak at Utah with a 98-88 victory over the Jazz on Monday night.

"I thought we were playing slow. We were playing at their tempo and we allowed it to become a half-court game," Seattle coach Nate McMillan said. "But we eventually turned it around."

A study in contrasts, the Sonics are usually best when they are able to freelance while the Jazz run a set play on nearly every possession and rely on precise execution. But Utah's offense repeatedly sputtered down the stretch as it shot 6-of-23 in the final period and stretched its streak of sub-.500 shooting games to 11.

Clinging to a 73-72 lead going into the fourth period, the Sonics went on a 14-5 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic.

"We don't make the same mistakes now. Everybody knows their job and they just go out and do it," said Lewis, whose job seemed to be spotting up for 3-pointers and beating the Jazz down the court.

While the Sonics scored from long range, the Jazz forced up shots to beat the clock or gave the ball away. The Jazz had a season-high 25 turnovers which Seattle turned into 23 points.

"Some of the turnovers, we just almost handed them the basketball without any kind of pressure on us," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said.

The Sonics went 13-of-14 from the line in the fourth quarter to clinch the win, which came after losing 11 of 12 at Utah. Seattle last beat the Jazz in Utah on Feb. 1, 2000, a 104-96 victory.

"To beat them here at home, mentally it is a challenge," McMillan said. "I thought our guys kept their composure and played through the aggressive play. In the second half, I thought we got stronger."

Luke Ridnour scored 11 points, while Ronald Murray and Danny Fortson each had 10 for Seattle.

Matt Harpring scored 22 points and Carlos Boozer had 16 points for the Jazz. Boozer had 14 rebounds but committed eight turnovers for the Jazz, who lost four of five games on their pre-Christmas road trip and are 6-7 at home this season.

"We just didn't take care of the ball - those are mental errors and they cost you ballgames," said Raja Bell, who had 16 points for Utah.

After the game was tied at 52 at halftime, Boozer's dunk punctuated a 12-1 run that gave Utah a 66-58 lead.

The Sonics came right back and reclaimed the lead by scoring 13 straight points, including Ridnour's 3-pointer that made it 71-66 with three minutes left in the third quarter.

"Whenever we had things going our way, I thought we fell apart," Sloan said. "We couldn't sustain any energy."

The Sonics, who started a stretch of four games in five nights, haven't run out of energy all season when it counted. Seattle is 10-1 in back-to-back games after going 17-27 last season.

"Four games in five nights sounds tough and it is tough on the body, but we take one game at a time," Allen said. "By doing that, we've done some big things this season."

Johnson, Second-Half Burst Propels Suns

2004-12-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

from NBA.com

The Phoenix Suns may have gotten off to a slow start in the first quarter, but the Utah Jazz couldn't contain the NBA's best transition game any longer than that.

Joe Johnson sank 5-of-5 3-pointers and scored a season-high 30 points to lead the Suns to a 108-86 victory over the Utah Jazz.

In the first quarter, the Jazz did not look like a team that had played at home a day earlier and traveled to Phoenix.

Led by Matt Harpring's 10 points, Utah jumped out to a 26-19 lead before Phoenix's high-octane offense produced a season-high 41 points while shooting 69 percent (11-of-16) from the field in the second quarter.

"We wore them down a bit," Suns Coach Mike D'Antoni said. "They played last night and we kept running them. We had spurts, from everybody."

Starting with a dunk by Shawn Marion, Phoenix went on a 16-5 run over the first three-plus minutes of the second quarter to take a 35-31 lead. Leandro Barbosa, who scored 10 points, hit a 3-pointer to put the Suns ahead for good and Amare Stoudemire capped the spurt with a three-point play.

Stoudemire scored 11 of his 19 points during the second quarter and Nash - who had 11 assists - added nine of his 13 over that stretch, including a baseline jumper with two-tenths of a second left to give the Suns a 60-49 lead at intermission.

Johnson had two 3-pointers and scored 12 points in the third quarter as Phoenix extended its lead to 89-72 after 36 minutes.

"We have a talented ballclub and I think the sky is the limit," Johnson said. "I think the first quarter, they came out with a lot of energy and that caught us off guard but like good teams, we found a will and a way to win."

Marion produced his 16th double-double of the season, posting 16 points and 13 rebounds, including six and three in the second period.

"In the second quarter, it just happened, we had everything going," Marion said. "We were stopping them and creating easy baskets for us. When we do that, we play our best."

Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 11 rebounds and Mehmet Okur added 11 and 11 for Utah, which surrendered a season-worst 60 points in the first half.

"We did some good things in the first quarter, then we stopped doing what we were doing," said Harpring, who scored all of his 15 points in the first half. "We weren't executing, we were doing more 1-on-1 stuff. When we got bad shots, they got rebounds and then they're off to the races."

The Suns outscored the Jazz, 14-10, on the fast break and entered Wednesday's game leading the league with 19.4 fast-break points per game.

Utah point guard Carlos Arroyo was benched in the first half following a vocal argument with coach Jerry Sloan in the third quarter of Tuesday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Raul Lopez started in place of Arroyo and dished out eight assists. He was held to just two points before leaving with a strained right abductor.

The Suns have won six straight games, averaging 116 points during that span with an average margin of victory of 15.5 points. Their 19-3 record is the best start to a season since current Suns point guard Steve Nash led the 2002-03 Dallas Mavericks to a 21-3 beginning.

"This team destroys you and destroys your will to win," Sloan said. "They play as efficient as any team I've seen in a long time. They do everything you want a team to do, and they seem to like each other."

Jazz Update

2004-12-07T14:05:00.001-07:00

The Jazz are a little below .500 with a loss to Miami. Now at 8-10 and last place in the North West division. Which statically makes them 7 games behind Seattle, who have a 15-3 record.

During the game Shaq reached a milestone in his career when he surpassed 10,000 rebounds. Got to give him props for that, even though I am not a big fan.

Raja Bell from the Jazz and the coach for Miami Stan Van Gundy had a few words in the first half. What was that about? It was brief as Bell laughed and turned around to end the conversation.

...And the Jazz host the Magic tomorrow and I believe the game starts at 9 pm eastern time.

Spurs Sack Jazz

2004-11-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

from NBA.com

The San Antonio Spurs are using quick starts to finish off their foes.

Bruce Bowen fueled another early surge as the Spurs jumped to a big lead and coasted to their third straight win, a 109-76 victory over the Utah Jazz.

On Friday, the Spurs raced to a 23-6 lead in an 89-75 win at Denver. In this one, they jumped out to a demoralizing 28-10 advantage after one quarter and continued to pour it on, turning the entire second half into garbage time.

"Last night and tonight, everybody came out with focus and aggressive and ready to play," said Bowen, who scored all 11 of his points in the first half. "If we can apply the pressure, especially early, we can be a very good team."

"They started out just like I thought they would," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose club has lost 18 straight meetings with the Spurs. "They came out and they tried to destroy us just like they have in the past couple of years."

Friday's quick start was powered by superstar Tim Duncan, who was almost an afterthought in this one. San Antonio was carried by its role players, including Bowen, who is better known for his defense.

The swingman had a 3-pointer and jumper on consecutive possessions to make it 11-4 just over three minutes into the contest. Two baskets by Manu Ginobili helped push the lead to 20-6 midway through the period.

"Tonight the ball was distributed," Bowen said. "They were good shots and not just one person was doing it. Our offense is predicated on everybody sharing the ball and we did that early tonight and last night."

Tony Parker also scored 11 points and Ginobili added nine in a dominant first half that ended with the Spurs holding a 54-28 lead. San Antonio shot 59 percent (20-of-34) from the field while holding Utah to 30 percent (13-of-43) and two assists. The Spurs enjoyed a 9-0 advantage in fast-break points.

"That's what they're paid to do, bring their best every game," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We have to be consistent on defense, but it doesn't always work out that way. It did this time."

Both teams went through the motions in the second half, when the lead stayed between 23 and 37 points. The Spurs sat their starters for virtually the entire fourth quarter.

"(Popovich) was kind in not playing their front line players, or they would have had 200 points tonight," Sloan said.

Reserve Malik Rose scored 16 points and Ginobili added 15 for San Antonio, which shot 59 percent (36-of-61), scored 20 fast-break points and had six players in double figures. Parker and Devin Brown scored 14 points each and Duncan added 12 and 13 rebounds.

Matt Harpring scored 15 points and Gordan Giricek added 14 for the Jazz, who had injury added to insult. All-Star forward Andrei Kirilenko suffered a sprained right knee early in the second quarter and did not return. There was no update on his condition.

No Spurs starter played more than 27 minutes. The bench played 118 minutes and scored 55 points.

Carlos Boozer scored just six points before fouling out for the Jazz, who have not beaten the Spurs since February 6, 2000.

Kirilenko Keeps Jazz Perfect

2004-11-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

from NBA.com

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 8 (Ticker) -- Andrei Kirilenko had another complete effort, scoring 24 points and keying a critical second-quarter run, as the Utah Jazz posted a 102-91 triumph over the Denver Nuggets.

Kirilenko, who made 8-of-12 shots, grabbed six rebounds, had five blocks, four steals and four assists. The Russian forward has had a quick start to his fourth season and displayed his versatility in a 19-4 burst that gave the Jazz a 49-36 advantage midway through the second quarter.

Denver led 32-30 just 39 seconds into the second quarter when Kirilenko spearheaded the game's key run. He had seven points, two steals and two blocks in the seven-minute stretch in which Utah scored 19 of the game's next 23 points.

"I like blocking shots, but the main goal is to win the game. That's more important for us," Kirilenko said. "Right now, I feel great with this team."

"We did very well in the second quarter," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "When we moved well and handled the ball well, we got decent shots."

Utah's Raja Bell added 17 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, when the Nuggets climbed within 10 points.

"If we can continue to capitalize on our style of play and get up there in the 100s, that's cool, but if we're in the 80s and our opponent is in the 70s, that's just as good," Bell said.

Gordan Giricek had 14 points and Jarron Collins and Mehmet Okur added 12 apiece for the Jazz, who are off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

Okur, who has been hampered by an eye injury, had his best performance in a Jazz uniform, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds in 20 minutes.

Carmelo Anthony led the Nuggets with 17 points and eight rebounds. Denver was hammered 106-82 by Utah on Saturday.

"We came out and used the blueprint we used in that first game," said Bell. "We just executed, played hard and tried to help each other when they were trying to isolate us."

Anthony, who was plagued by early foul trouble, shot just 5-of-14 and had six turnovers.

"It's hard to get in the game mentally when you pick up three quick fouls and can't play much in the first half," Anthony said. "(Utah's run) happened kind of in the blink of an eye. I was on the bench, I don't even know how they got such a big lead. I tried to pick it up in the second half, but by that time it was a little too late."

Down 80-61 at the end of the third, Denver scored 10 of the first 12 points of the fourth, but Bell answered with a huge 3-pointer to push the lead to 14. When the Nuggets cut the deficit to 86-76, Bell hit another jumper and added a 3-pointer one minute later to give the Jazz a comfortable 93-78 lead.

Kirilenko Say Extension is Close

2004-10-25T11:39:00.000-06:00

From ESPN.com, by the Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY -- Andrei Kirilenko feels he is close to a contract extension with the Utah Jazz and hopes to have it completed within the next few days.

The Jazz and Kirilenko have until Oct. 31 to agree on an extension for Kirilenko, who is in the fourth-year option of his original contract. If no deal is reached, the All-Star forward will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season -- something both sides are trying to avoid.

"I think we're almost done. I think [in the] next few more days, everything will be done," Kirilenko said Friday before the Jazz's preseason game against Sacramento. "I want to be part of this organization forever -- for my career."

Kirilenko is hoping for the maximum 6-year, $86 million deal, but would not discuss details in the contract or what the holdup has been. He said he and the Jazz are more than 90 percent finished with the negotiations.

Kirilenko's agent, Marc Fleischer, said Friday night that negotiations were still going.

"We're not done. That's all I can tell you," Fleischer said. "There's only nine days left so I'm hopeful we can get it done in time."

Kevin O'Connor, Utah's vice president for basketball operations, said no deal has been reached.

"We've talked and the thing's gone back and forth, but we have no deal," O'Connor said. "Obviously time is becoming a little bit short now."

Thanks for stopping by!

2004-09-06T16:16:00.000-06:00

I'll be posting soon on the 2004-2005 season, so bookmark me (Ctrl + D) and come back!