Recap - Minnesota Timberwolves @ Utah Jazz - 117-100 W - 2 April 2008 - The calm before the storm
Now if we can keep Memo away from anyone that is sick for the rest of the year, we’ll be in good shape. In fact, he should be made to wear a mask from now until the end of June at all times.
We need the Memo that goes 4-7 from downtown for 22 points. We need the Memo that can nail back-to-back three pointers that put the Jazz on a run to pull away from teams. He was open for most of the second half with the now patented “Deron beating his man off the dribble and when Memo’s man comes over to help, Memo slides behind the line and drains an open three” play. And whatever it is, Memo likes the rims at the ESA. He shoots 44% at home but just 31% on the road. He has improved since the All-Star break however.
He wasn’t the only one nailing the three. After making 15 against Washington (compared to only 14 made free-throws), the Jazz followed that up making 12 against Minny. Korver was 3-3 again, Williams & Price both had two (I like that backcourt a lot), and AK made his only attempt.
But more impressive was that they actually put some D on the Wolves in the second half. In their previous two games at Minny and for the first half, they couldn’t stop the TWolves. Minnesota shot almost 60% in the first half. But they finished the game shooting just 47%. Boozer even came away with a huge block.
The Jazz had seven players again in double figures. Memo had the aforementioned 22, Deron had 19 & another 14 (including one of the best oops to CJ of the year), the Price for Booze was 12-pack, AK scored 13, and Harp and Korver were in double-figures. And with those last two, I think the Jazz are now 15-0 when they both score 10+.
The season series against the Timberwolves has been the Jazz season to a tee. Lose on the the road to crappy teams, and blow them out at home. The Wolves only have 7 wins against teams with a winning record. 28% of those wins are against the Jazz. But on the flipside, the Jazz do weird stuff like going into Boston and blowing them out by 18.
So now the gauntlet begins. Friday the Spurs come to town. Then it’s three-days rest before heading to NO. This is going to be one of my most anticipated games of the year. If they avoid another first quarter mess like last time, I think we come away with the win. Then it’s at Dallas. That’s another game we could win. Then it’s home to host Houston and Denver. A win v. Denver would probably clinch the division by then. And then what will certainly have home-court implications, we finish the season @ SA.
With as crazy and Jekyl/Hyde (is there another term to use for this?) as the Jazz have been, it’s crazy enough that they could just go 6-0 and blow everyone’s minds. The three home games are all winnable. The lone loss at home earlier this season from those teams was against Houston. But we’ve beaten them @ HOU. We’ve lost at Dallas, but that was pre-Kidd. The NO game I think we see another Deron statement game.
That leaves the SA game. It has to end sometime, right? I think we’ve been saying that for a while now. But to say the Jazz haven’t won @ SA since last century is crazy. And what a bigger statement game to make then to go into SA, lay down the law, steal home-court, and ride off on their horses back to Utah.
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Other blogs,
- My Utah Jazz
- Biased Fan (nothing yet, but expect to hear some cussing about CJ)
- Ross Siler
