The Utah Jazz | as seen by Basketball John

Some will discount this win as PHX didn’t have Nash, Marion, or Hill. I was surprised that we didn’t hear more from the TNT crew about them being out. But this is how you’re suppose to win when you’re playing an undermanned opponent. Had they not blown them out, it still would have been a win, but you would have had more of an argument.

But a win is a win is a win. The Suns hung around through about 3 minutes left in the second before the Jazz pulled away to end the half up by ten. Then they pretty much put it away in the third with a 28-12 quarter.

Memo returned to early 2006 season Memo with 22 points and a very unMemo-like 17 rebounds. We better start getting that every freaking game. Boozer had 18 points but only 1 rebound. That could be more amazing than Memo’s 17. Bojerjack and Booner wouldn’t have known what to talk about if Booz didn’t have his double-double. And Brewer rose up and added 21 points on national TV.

Complete Box Score

So would this game have been closer with PHX’s three? Probably. But the Jazz only lost the game in PHX by five points. But the Suns don’t have an answer on the inside for the Jazz. And if KK can get hot, they’re not going to be able to go to that zone that kills the Jazz. The D was great tonight. The Suns only shot 33% from the field including only 7-23 from three. Sloan had great lineups tonight to match what the Suns threw out there. There was a point when the Suns were going on a run and Sloan got Williams and Okur back out there. He was able to go a bit smaller because of the Sun’s roster depletion. And it showed how vulnerable the Suns are on the bench. Their three that were missing tonight do a lot for them and it showed tonight.

For the Jazz to get back into the playoffs and to go deep in the playoffs again, we have to have Memo be Memo. I’ve stated that a few times. It has to come in his offense and anything you get on D is bonus. The TNT guys stated that he’s been off a bit this year. My boy learning to pee in the toilet standing up is a bit off. Memo’s hitting the shower curtain. But it looks like he might finally be coming around.

Up next is Orlando. This has the makings of a letdown game. But I think the Jazz take care of business at home. They look like they’ve been playing with a little more urgency on defense and Memo is coming around. We could also have AK back. It will be interesting to see how Memo goes up against Howard.

Other blog notes:

• MyUtahJazz
• David Locke
• Biased Fan
• PhoenixSunsRising
• Suns Official Blog

Other game notes:

• TNT halftime update, Boozer post-game, and Kenny and Charles
• Banks can shoot the three? 3-11 is better than Hart’s 1-7.
• One of the first rules of officiating (and I took a ref class at college, so I’m an expert), when the ball goes up after a swipe, it’s a foul. The player hit the offensive player’s arm. If the ball goes down, it was clean. Boozer got hacked. There, that was worth it, right?
• From the TNT announcers, “Ten points is three possessions.”
• Darryl Strawberry’s boy DJ also got the call up from D-League
• Strawberry fouls Almond on the shot. The most delicious foul ever.
• Hmmm, a couple of airballs by Banks. Maybe he can’t shoot.
• The Suns end up with only 8 fastbreak points. Maybe the Jazz did get back on D.
• So does Nash sit out a few games when he starts sliding in the MVP talk? It’s worked before. But the “he’s MVP because the team’s terrible without him” talk is ridiculous. Barkley spoke about this in the recap.
• Hart’s shot is downright nasty. Seriously, how do you get in the NBA with a shot like that? The only thing I’ve seen worse is a ball player at SUU who actually put a sideways spin on the ball. His went in though.
• Boozer’s fam is back in town. I would think January would be the worst time to bring your boy to SLC. It’s a month-long inversion. I would be depressed going from Miami to SL in the winter. But I’m sure it’s worth it to them. That’s probably one of the worst things about being in professional sports. Your family time takes a huge hit.
• We can thank Sloan for putting the kibosh on letting cameras in locker rooms.
• And finally, it looks like Harpring has a little girl. 6 lbs. 9 oz. Hope she didn’t get dad’s knees.