Time to Stop Underselling the Jazz

by Josh Tucker on Apr 24, 2009 3:54 PM PDT

It would be an understatement to say that the Utah Jazz did not finish the regular season well. Going into the Playoffs, none expected Utah to have any hope in a series with Los Angeles, many considered them a fairly easy opponent, and quite a few actually thought them to be LA's easiest possible matchup.

Prior to the start of the series, Laker fans were looking for their team to come out strong and absolutely crush the Jazz, thinking that a couple of strong wins would absolutely destroy the Jazz, and that they would cave in mentally.

After two tougher-than-expected wins in Los Angeles and a disappointing 2-point Game 3 loss in Utah, perhaps it's time to stop talking about this team as though it is a mentally fragile, competitively laughable, sorry excuse for a playoff team — and start recognizing them for what they are: A tough team that, prior to a late-season slump, was on pace for 53 wins (despite a huge rash of injuries throughout the season) and was once considered a championship contender.

In short, this Jazz team is not last year's Denver Nuggets, and it's time we stop thinking of them that way.

Throughout the regular season, I tend to take an attitude similar to Kobe's toward Laker losses (though certainly much less intense) — I hate it. Every single one of the Lakers' 17 regular season losses put me in a sour mood for the rest of the night. (During basketball season, my wife is a saint for putting up with me. Good thing for her the Lakers were so good this year!)

Last night was different. Last night I felt okay. I wasn't in a bad mood at all, and I wasn't that disappointed by the loss. It took me a while to figure out why that was — especially since the close ones, that come down to buzzer beaters won by the other team, are usually the toughest. How could I be so frustrated and upset by a 10-point win in Game 2, but seemingly unbothered by a should-be heart-wrenching loss in Game 3?

Even more puzzling: How could Kobe say in a post-game interview last night that he thought they played pretty well, giving themselves an opportunity to win it down the stretch? Was he kidding? They played terribly!

After pondering these questions for a while, I realized the answer to them both: Sometime between the end of Game 2 and the end of Game 3, I had a reality check and adjusted my expectations.

In the first couple games of the series, most of us have been acting as though it should be a cakewalk. It's true that the Lakers have shown less than one hundred percent effort, but at the same time, we seem to have been disappointed by beating Utah by "only" 13 and ten points, respectively, in the first two games. But the fact is that the Jazz are actually quite good.

After all, what do you consider to be more significant, as an indicator of the quality of this Jazz team: the 11 losses in their last 18 games of the season (nine in the last 11), or the 41 wins in the 64 games prior to that? Personally, I think a 64-game sample speaks much more loudly than an 18-game slump.

Then, consider that this Jazz team was on pace for 53 wins — just four fewer than the Lakers' total last year — despite a combined 74 games missed by Carlos Boozer (only 37 games played), Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur (still out), and Andrei Kirilenko.

Now, consider that three of those four players are back, with Okur day-to-day, and it shouldn't be that surprising to us that the Jazz team that we've seen in the first three games of the playoffs is the one that won 41 of its first 64 games, rather than the one that lost nine of its last 11.

Are they as talented as the Lakers? Not by a long shot. As was mentioned in last night's GameThread, the Lakers have too play poorly to keep things close, whereas the Jazz have to play well to do the same. Are they expected to beat the Lakers? There is literally no chance of that.

But it's time to stop thinking of these Jazz as though they're the Detroit Pistons, squeaking into the playoffs with a sub-.500 record in a weaker conference and playing as though they already expect to lose. And it's time to stop expecting them to self-destruct and implode at the slightest hint of adversity, like last year's Nuggets.

This is, after all, a Jerry Sloan team. They are tough, they are strong, and when they're healthy, they're a very good team. The Lakers will win this series, but it's time we wake up and stop expecting 40-point blowouts.

Kobe Bryant has said more than once in the last couple of days that the Utah Jazz are a very good, tough team. Last night, by expressing relative satisfaction with the Lakers' performance, he reinforced the notion that he considers the Jazz to be a good team, and doesn't expect to simply waltz in and blow them away. To Kobe, a win is a win, hard fought, closely contested games are to be expected, and a Jazz win in Utah shouldn't come as a surprise.

As Gils_Keloids said a few days ago:

As long as the Lakers players don't think of the Jazz like this, it's ok for Lakers fans to think of the Jazz like this:

Perhaps it's time Lakers fans also stop thinking of the Jazz like that, and recognize that a win is a win, hard fought, closely contested games are to be expected, and a Jazz win in Utah shouldn't come as a surprise.

Tweet Comment 11 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

My comments come back to haunt me!

But really, it doesn’t matter what we fans think, as far as how it will affect the outcome of the series, it’s the players that do the playing.

Regardless, I never thought of the Jazz as a patsy, and very few people were predicting a sweep, given the Jazz’s formidable home court. This Jazz team would have been a much higher seed in the East. Still, Lakers in 5 or 6 doesn’t seem very disrespectful at all.

Someone over at SLC dunk pointed out that Carlos Boozer had a 20 plus points and 20 plus rebounds game in Game 3 against the Lakers last season, too, so these things aren’t unheard of.

So again, I’m not panicking, but I don’t think it would hurt the Lakers to have a little more urgency about the whole thing than I do!

by Gils_Keloids on Apr 24, 2009 4:18 PM PDT reply actions

Agreed

And for what it’s worth, I was totally with you on that comment when you made it. That said, I’ve decided they’re at least a really large pothole, capable of hurting your car.

Strength & Honor

by Josh Tucker on Apr 24, 2009 4:21 PM PDT up reply actions

Agree 100%

Well said Josh

by Sideout11 on Apr 24, 2009 5:23 PM PDT reply actions

Look, the Jazz were 2-9 down the stretch... TWO wins and NINE losses, with the pressure on and them scrambling to avoid the dreaded 8 seed...

Don’t pretend that this was an elite Western Conference opponent. At the end of the season, they were not. They were psyched out of winning on the road and they were utterly unconvinced of their ability to win at home either, after dropping two critical games to weak opponents down the stretch. Their fans had more or less bagged it in for the year. Hell, the FIRST HOME GAME OF THE PLAYOFFS wasn’t even a sellout! In Salt Lake City! Imagine that!

But the Lakers failed to deliver the kill shot when they had the change. They piddlefarted around in two game in LA and choked away a 13 point second half lead in game three… And the Jazz STILL don’t have confidence they can beat the Lakers in this series. And they won’t. Because they are not an elite Western Conference team, plain and simple. They have no Center. Their key scorer in the paint is a future free agent. They are the New Orleans Hornets with a more muscular point guard…

I’m tellin’ ya, if the Lakers are going to make the Finals, they need to fix what is wrong with them. And that is: too many jumpshots and a front line that is getting pushed around by smaller guys using superior technique. Kobe need to stop shooting idiot fadeaways and to take the ball to the hole. Ariza and Brown need to come to play.

We’ll see. The jury is still out on this crew… But they are not looking like world champions at the moment, or even a team with a legitimate chance to play for a world championship…

Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...

by timbo on Apr 24, 2009 5:57 PM PDT reply actions

It's called a slump

Just because Derek Fisher has a string of games where he can’t buy a 3-pointer doesn’t all the sudden make him a poor 3-point shooter.

If you want to look at streaks, why stop with the last 11 games of the season? Go back a little further, and you see a 12-game winning streak — with wins against the Lakers, Celtics, Hornets, Hawks, Rockets, and Nuggets. Not exactly an easy streak. Oh, and by the way, that’s a longer streak than any the Lakers had all year, by 5 games.

No one’s arguing the fact that the Lakers haven’t played their best game. We know good and well they need to improve. But acting like the ship is sinking, simply because we haven’t sent the Jazz crying home to mommy, is pretty ridiculous. Championship contenders they are not, but they’re not a walk in the park, either, and to start doubting the Lakers because they haven’t treated them like they’re the Clippers is pretty ridiculous.

Strength & Honor

by Josh Tucker on Apr 24, 2009 7:34 PM PDT up reply actions

The title says it all

GO BRONCOS IN 2009 AND BEYOND!!

Lakers lead Utah 2-1

by weazel on Apr 24, 2009 6:01 PM PDT reply actions

I understand

and I agree, Utah is a very good team who fought hard to be in the playoffs and they just aren’t gonna go away but to me as a player and someone who wants to coach I just don’t like how the Lakers play offense and defense, it just looks pathetic, you look at them sometimes and wonder what some of the players are playing for? You start to question the Lakers heart and purpose because they do not play like it. Even Charles Barkley made the same assessment after the Lakers lose. I think if the Lakers played with more of an intensity or purpose, every night I wouldn’t be mad when they lose and win because I just know that they gave it their all and at times you can really question the Lakers and thats the only problem I see with the Lakers and they shouldn’t have it.

by BrittneyM on Apr 24, 2009 6:35 PM PDT reply actions

i’m not one of the lakers fans who thought the jazz would be a weak opponent. the lakers need to wake up and start playing motivated and consistent basketball. gasol was sleepwalking for some portions of game 3. he got punked around by a bigger, stronger, boozer. he needs to get jacked up and come out firing in game 4. bynum needs to relax and stop putting so much pressure on himself. sasha needs to step up and start making those jumpers. game 3 showed the world that we lack a deadly shooter. sasha needs to be that guy. look at cleveland take care of business on their side. that’s not to say i am comparing the jazz to the pistons or cavs and lakers. what im saying is a number 1 seed needs to handle their business swiftly and efficiently. we need to make our presence inside felt. we need to contest the middle and disallow so many drives to the hole by the jazz, particularly williams. we need to rotate defensive match ups much faster. and we need to do a better job on selecting when and who to double team. kobe needs to step up and be more consistent. if he makes a comment on the paper about loving it when jazz fans heckle him, then prove it. put up better numbers and win. we’ve lost 8 out of 11 in utah, so maybe kobe needs to check for more accurate statements. final word: lakers win the next two and get some rest before facing houston.

by chaucer on Apr 24, 2009 7:49 PM PDT reply actions

I have a similar attitude

Throughout the regular season, I tend to take an attitude similar to Kobe’s toward Laker losses (though certainly much less intense) — I hate it. Every single one of the Lakers’ 17 regular season losses put me in a sour mood for the rest of the night. (During basketball season, my wife is a saint for putting up with me. Good thing for her the Lakers were so good this year!)

But I am completely pissed off when they lose til they get a solid win against at least a decent team. Those close losses especially I like replay the last 5 minutes in my head and try to figure out how they could have won. I think I have a disorder. LOS Laker Obsession Syndrome

2 wins down.... 14 more to go

by black mamba on Apr 24, 2009 8:34 PM PDT reply actions

I didn't get LOS over that third Utah game, but I definitely have BOS over the Blazers' horrible first half for their game in Houston tonight...

Pontiff of the Pryz for Prez Posse...

by timbo on Apr 24, 2009 11:16 PM PDT up reply actions

now that the lakers now that the jazz won't just roll over

it’s time to turn up the heat. i don’t know about you guys but during the past 3 games, the lakers have not been trying their best. it’s like they are doing just enough to get by. we need to bring everything we have out for game 4 because i would hate to see this series go 6 or 7 games

by Adamas on Apr 25, 2009 3:50 AM PDT reply actions