I wrote a week ago that not all wins are equal. The same goes for losses. There's getting blown out by the Wizards (let us all pray we don't have to suffer through that), and then there's an overtime loss to the Lakers thanks to Pau Gasol's corner three.
More after the jump
It was the kind of game in which everything was hard. That was a bad thing if you like the Jazz and would like them to score. Unless someone named "Paul" or "Josh" was putting on a move, the Jazz offense was as smooth as an old man's toenail. Those two went 20-38 (53%) and scored 47 combined points. The rest of the team contributed 40 points while shooting 15-42 (36%)
However, everything being hard was a good thing if you don't like the Lakers and would rather they not get easy shots. Everything was contested, every play had Jazzmen fighting for position, through screens, and for the ball. The Lakers took ten shots in the paint in the first quarter. Seven in the 2nd. Five in the 3rd. Four in the 4th. Two in OT. Their 7' monsters up front combined for 10-27 shooting. Even Kobe had to work like a garbage man for his points — unless you include getting to the line and hitting FT's. Those two things came easily for him.
But for everything else for either team, it was all hard. The game had the aesthetic of a bulldog.
And for Jazz fans, this is a good thing. The team is really committed to defense and playing their guts out. A wonderful feeling reminiscent of 2004. Hopefully, one day, when we have a super team again, they can continue to play this hard all the time. Because defensive effort is something you can count on. Shots fall or don't according to the mysteries of the universe, but you can always fight like Raja on Kobe.
Subtract one crazy three from freaking Pau Gasol, and the Jazz probably win.
Paul Millsap, Josh Howard, and Raja Bell.
It wasn't just the scoring. Sap also gave the team 9 rebounds, an assist, and three steals. Josh gave another 4 rebounds. Howard contributed 4 rebounds, two assists, and a steal. These two guys have become the most consistently good players on the team. Every game, they contribute everything you could hope for.
As for Bell, his line isn't staggering. But he played like the guy we hoped for last year. Offensively and defensively. He did everything any Jazz can could hope for from him.
Defense and effort. It wasn't pretty, it wasn't always brilliant, but it was consistent and it was admirable. We thought the change was forcing guys baseline. No, the real change is having five guys battling to make life miserable for the bad guys every chance they get. Some guys could get singled out here, but I think that misses the point. It's the team's defense that is doing it's thing. Everyone is a part, everyone is buying in, and everyone is contributing.
As for individual performances:
Favors had a moment. Earl and Josh thankfully know how to make free throws.
Al Jefferson, Gordon Hayward, Devin Harris.
Remember, D was already praised, so the other contributions are discussed here.
Al shot 5-17 and killed the Jazz with some real clankers. We're all waiting for him that big game against big-time competition. It didn't happen last night.
Hayward, sadly, seems more passive with his scoring every game. His shot isn't falling, he forced a couple transition shots that weren't there. He made some nice passes, but he's got the talent to do so much more ...
And Devin Harris. How bad is it when your starting PG plays 11 more minutes than our SF—a guy fighting confidence issues and getting zero scoring plays run for him—and that starting PG musters virtually the exact same line? 3 points (1-7 shooting), 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover, 1 foul.
Based on how he did last year when he came over, I wasn't all that high on Devin this year. But I didn't expect the garbage he's contributing game after game after game. Thus far he's been Keith McLeod. Not even a rich man's Keith McLeod. Just Keith McLeod.
* * *
The good news is the Nets are coming next. The bad news is Deron will be playing with vengeance on his mind. The good news is the rest of the team is the Nets.
28 comments
Ugh that Dagger
I turned to my wife and said “What can you do?” Seriously the Jazz did virtually everything right on defense, and I know that Pau has range, but that was ridiculous. The guy has a career average of .1 three pointers per game. To take tlhat out of percentage points he on average shoots 1 3 for every ten games he plays! On top of that, for his career he makes less than a quarter of them.
But to look at just this season, it was the fourth three he has taken this year, and the first one that he’s made. UGH.
Great game Jazz, it’s like literally what can you do when Pau Gasol hits a three pointer? We started out overtime like gang busters, but you could see the writting on the wall when Pau Gasol hits a three. Before that he was 4-13…. sigh.
Kfunk - January 12, 2012
So that 3-pointer was a 1-in-40 occurance. Of all the times for him to hit it too!
thatdoolinkid - January 12, 2012 via mobile
How long until Jazz fans start calling for Harris’ head? I’m almost ready to call Watson the starter and trade Harris…
TurboJazz224 - January 12, 2012
Nets game
I am sure glad they don’t play today. I think the Jazz need a day or two to regroup and focus on the next team. We left the Cavs in the game because we were to focused on the Lickers. I’m glad they can refocus and play better on Saturday.
neds - January 12, 2012
The offense seems to run better with Earl
At least that is what I always notice myself when I watch the games.
Draft a PG, and trade Harris…
Trade Big Al too for some quality defenders with decent scoring!
Develop the young ones!
Keep millsap and CJ! (and evans).
Drop tinsley….
Bryan Chang - January 12, 2012
They keep 3 pg's, its something they have done for a while
Drop tinsley
EcERyda69 - January 12, 2012
draft a pg, drop tinsley, let burks play some pg?
maybe like that? shrug
Bryan Chang - January 12, 2012
Oh...You already looking towards next season
EcERyda69 - January 12, 2012
At the end of last year, I had hopes that Hayward had the moxy and skills to be able to take over a game, now I'm beginning to doubt that he does.
When Hayward was drafted by the Jazz last year, my first impression was that the Jazz had wasted the pick on Hayward just because he had a good run through the NCAA tournament, and that he was sure to be a bust.
By the end of the season, after seeing Hayward’s last two performances against the LA Lakers and Denver, I was at the other extreme, believing that Hayward not only had great basketball IQ, great athleticism and great skills, but also had that mental toughness and desire to be great, which would allow him to be the type of special player that could take over and dominate a game, much like Kobe, Michael Jordan, Dwayne Wade, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird.
After Hayward’s disappointing start this year, it appears that maybe I was much too optimistic about his potential to be a special player. I am especially discouraged by Hayward’s reluctance to take almost any kind of shot the last few games.
There are many very good NBA players who can score a lot of points and be fairly productive for most of the game (such as LeBron James). However, there are only a very few, special NBA players who want the ball in their hands at the end of the game, and want to be the guy who gets to decide if their team wins or loses the game, based on whether they can make that last second shot, or make a play in crunch time—and who can take over a game and will a win for their team.
Kobe showed that mentality early on in his career, as a rookie, when LA and the Jazz were in a playoff series, and no one else on the team was willing to take a three point shot in crunch time. Kobe took three consecutive three point shots at the end of the game, even though he air balled all of them. However, because he had that all-star mentality, he shook it his failure and worked hard to become “Mr. Clutch” for his team for the past 15 years.
After Hayward took over that last game against the Lakers last year, frustrating Kobe in a game the Lakers wanted to win, I thought he might have the potential to have that same ability and mentality. However, this year he has shown none of that. Several times in the last few games he has driven past his man into the key, and then instead of having the “cajones” to take a shot, he has desperately passed the ball off to just about anyone, to avoid having to take responsibility for a shot.
Last night, I was encouraged when Hayward looked like he was going to step up and win the game for the Jazz in the last 10 seconds of overtime, with the Jazz down by one point, when he got the ball and without hesitation drove past his man to the basket. However, instead of going up hard for a jam over everyone (which at worst would have caused the Laker big men to foul him and put him on the foul line to win the game), he passed off to Jefferson at the last minute, right when Hayward was at the rim. Jefferson was lucky to even catch the ball at that close range, and then had the impossible task of trying to shoot over about three Lakers who were ready and waiting to block his shot. Hayward was so deep into the key at the time he made his pass, that any contact would have been a foul on the Lakers, but instead of going right at them and making them make a play or foul him, he abdicated all responsibility for winning or losing the game by passing off the Jefferson.
It’s hard for me to express just how disappointing Hayward’s cowardly attitude has been to me and probably a whole lot of other Jazz fans.
Someone on the coaching staff needs to take Hayward aside and tell him to “man up” and take on some leadership for this team, or he is going to turn out to be just another mediocre player who doesn’t live up to his full ability, perhaps like Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Fesenko for President - January 12, 2012
All young players go through growing pains
But I agree he should have finished that game at the foul line and made Kobe take another shot. Instead he passed it off, he probably thought that he was going to confound the D and Al would have an open 3 footer.
I do think Hayward has all the intangibles to be a great player, he just needs to put it together. Everybody is showing confidence in him except him, and I think that is going to payoff. Lets just be patient.
Kfunk - January 12, 2012
..."PATIENCE"...
EcERyda69 - January 12, 2012
And to add on to what I said
I do believe that Hayward is the kind of player who makes those around him better, and that has value.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, he reminds me of Manu
Kfunk - January 12, 2012
I think him and Hornecek need to work together a lot
Hayward can shoot and handle the ball like Jeff, but is taller and faster. There is no reason he can’t become lile him or even better. Maybe Jeff can somehow teach him that clutch mentality that he had when he played for us and help him realize when he has the best of the 5 guys on the floor.
thatdoolinkid - January 12, 2012 via mobile
if he can drive baseline and dunk on someone
he “should” have more confidence taking it in….
with that said, he does take it in a # of times with confidence every game, but he DOESN’T FINISH and instead looks to pass. Maybe he is bad at taking contact?…..if that is the case, he SHOULDN’T be scared of contact.
He needs to either 1) learn from stockton and become and amazing distributor and facilitator for the jazz
or
2) start becoming a better scorer because his passing game will always be there; it’s like engrained in him
Bryan Chang - January 12, 2012
Agree
He’s in a tough spot because
1) He has the size of a small forward (and everyone tells him he’s a small forward) but…
2) He has the length and handles of a shooting guard (but no one lets him play at that spot) and
3) He thinks like a point guard
Now that I think about it, he needs to talk with the coaching staff and decide what his role is because he can’t do all 3.
thatdoolinkid - January 12, 2012 via mobile
He is still young we need to be patient
We should also realize that he was put in an extremely difficult situation for any player but especially a rookie last night by the coaches. He was yanked after a few bad shots and a bad layup and didn’t see the floor again for 3 quarters. After that his confidence had to be at an all time low then he is expected to come up big in the last seconds of the game is asking a lot of a young player.
He’ll get better over time, but I also think he is one of the better closers on our teem and has shown promise at the end of games. We can’t expect to come in cold off the bench then close out the game for us.
Daniel Smith - January 12, 2012
The potential is still there, just needs to tap into it and play with confidence.
Hestari - January 12, 2012
I think that you're forgetting
That at the beginning of the season (first 4 games or so) he and Millsap were the only consistent players on the team.
He is going through serious confidence issues with his scoring ability right now. But it’s only been a couple games since GS.
Calling him cowardly is a little over-the-top, I think.
Yucca Man - January 12, 2012
I suspect Hayward is going to be a solid all around player with occational flashes of greatness.
This might be a stretch, but he reminds me a lot of AK without the insane shot blocking ability. He has struggles shooting the ball so far this year, but he still seems to fill up the score card every game with assists steals blocks etc. Every few games he will erupt for 15-20, but we need to see more confidence in his shot before I will really count on that. Seems to mirror AK’s game a lot…
TurboJazz224 - January 12, 2012
I was kind of thinking the same thing after I made my post up above--he is beginning to remind me a lot of AK.
AK also had the ability to take over a game early in his career—and later in his career when he was playing for the Russian national team. But, for some reason, he lost his confidence in being “the man” at crunch time, and never seemed to get that back when he was playing for the Jazz. I am hoping that same thing doesn’t happen to Hayward. Hayward showed in college that he could be “the man” and take over a game. And, at the end of last season he seemed to show that he could make the transition and do the same thing in the NBA. However, in the off season he seemed to have lost his confidence, and no longer seems to have that attitude that will make him a star. I’m hoping he can find his “mojo” and get that “dominator” attitude back.
Fesenko for President - January 12, 2012
See the 76'ers and GS wins
He stepped up then.
Yucca Man - January 12, 2012
For a while at least, I like to see Hayward come off the bench with Earl, Favors, Kanter et. al.
I think this would get him going. Plus he doesn’t seem to play well with Jefferson or Harris. I still like Hayward on the floor to close games. His aggressiveness goes way up. He almost won the game for us last night if not for a great play by Bynum.
socaljazzfan - January 12, 2012
Now that you mention it, it was when Hayward was playing with Favors at the end of the season last year, that he did his best work.
Fesenko for President - January 12, 2012
There appears to be a "Hayward to Favors" connection.
Fesenko for President - January 12, 2012
I hate to put the blame on anyone.
But I really feel that Watson’s injury + Harris play killed us more than anything in the closing minutes and overtime
Harris is playing against freakin an 80 year old Derek Fisher. I mean Steve Blake wasn’t even available at the point with an injury.
Harris should have killed Fisher in every facet of the game and he didn’t. That’s just frustrating.
Overall it was a team loss but Harris had the matchup he should have won and didn’t.
ForTheLove - January 12, 2012
I have been hugely underwhelmed with him all season.
He was getting a pass for the last half of last year. But so far it seems like he has regressed from even that.
hamfist - January 12, 2012
Don't know if its by design
Or coach not allowing Harris to drive in. Harris always seems to pass out as soon as he crosses the half line. He has the capability to break down defenses and create shots for his teammates but he rarely uses his talent to do so. He can get to the line with success as well. He’s shown us that he could. He’s been shying away from attacking, kinda just stands out by the 3 point line and looks only for those shots.
softdrinks - January 12, 2012
Hayward has the pass first mentality
deferring scoring duties to others and tries hard, sometime forcing bad passes, to create shots for others. That’s all good and nice but as the SF/SG he needs to take that burden on him and attack. He shouldn’t worry about missing. He needs to trust his bigs that they’ll get his back with rebounds if he misses and just shoot. That’s the only way he’ll get in any rhythm. He’s not doing that, so his shots wont fall. He has to understand that by being selfish, he’s helping his teammates especially his bigs. It’s his initiative but he’s being too nice. Maybe a sophomore slump, maybe he’s trying to be too perfect. I think he’s smart enough to get through and be successful.
softdrinks - January 12, 2012
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