Preview - Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz - 1010101 - 3 March 2008
Weekends are killing me lately. Not only do I not get to watch the games, I don’t have time to post anything on them. That should be changing now. So let’s see how it goes.
A quick recap on the Hornets and Grizzlies games. First, the Jazz had no business winning the Hornets game. The first quarter was the worst of the year by far. I expected a bad outcome to the game since it was in NO and Paul was going to play better. But after “watching” the game on my phone, it made me sick. I had it recorded and was going to go back and watch it, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. That said, after checking back in later on the score and to see them within four, I had new hope. Then I saw “Peja for three” and I figured it was over then. But what you can’t see on the phone was the non kick-ball called that killed any mo the Jazz had. Like I said, the Jazz shouldn’t have been that close. But when they do come back and it ends like that, it gives you another stomach punch. And forget reading any news about it or watching highlights. You knew how it would go.
I did watch most of the Grizz game and to me it seemed like the Jazz were still reeling from the previous night’s game. The first three and a half quarters looked like they were in practice and just trying to get the game over against the second team. It had all the intensity of the first three and a half quarters of the All-Star game. It was just up and down the court with no organization at all. Thankfully the Jazz were able to pull that one out.
I have some links, but they’re old as well as I haven’t posted. But if you haven’t read Ross Siler’s daily blog about being a beat reporter, check it out (they don’t use tags, so link is to Google search).
So now it’s the third game in four nights for the Jazz. We sit 2 1/2 games ahead of Denver for first in the division (and playoff spot). Dallas comes in having been beat up in LA in OT last night. So that certainly favors the Jazz. What the Jazz can’t afford is to get off to a poor start again and count on having to catch back up.
And that starts with turnovers. The Jazz had 9 in the first quarter against the Hornets and that put the game pretty much out of reach. Let’s see how Deron and Boozer (the two biggest offenders) can play tonight.
We’ll get to see the Jason Kidd tour as he plays in Utah for the first time since being traded back to the Mavs. Did you know that he was Deron’s childhood idol? Yeah, and I just learned that Jerome Bettis is from Detroit (crossed over into football for that one). Crazy, huh? I was at the last Mavs game here of course and we won that one. I won’t be attendance tonight so the Jazz are on their own.
Let’s hope this puts the Jazz at 10101011 after the All-Star break.
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