[National Media] Predictions for Houston vs. Utah

I went on a search to see in any national media predicted us to win the series. This is what I've found so far. I'm sure more papers will will have their picks out in tomorrow's editions as that is when the playoffs start.

yahoo.com Kenny Smith

Rockets vs. Jazz Smith's Take
Backcourt CP3 looking over shoulder at D-Will edge: Jazz
Frontcourt Boozer/Okur/AK-47 too much for Yao-less Rockets edge: Jazz
Bench Jazz can pick player off street and he would fit system edge: Jazz
Coaching Sloan keeps team focused better than anyone edge: Jazz
Intangibles No Yao Ming leaves big hole edge: Jazz
Pick to win series: Jazz Bottom Line: Could be best overall team in West

John Hollinger ESPN

Long article, but our boy John (who picked us to win it all at the beginning of the year is picking the Jazz.

Very good detailed breakdown of the series from ESPN

David Thorpe: The Rockets play terrific team basketball, so losing their starting point guard will be tough to overcome. I love their rookies, who bring energy, talent, shot-making ability and even experience to an older group of guys. But Utah is too strong on offense and is the best team in the NBA when playing at home. And I think the Jazz are good enough to find a way to get a road win.
Prediction: Utah 4, Houston 2

Mike Moreau: These teams are so evenly matched I have to look at home-court advantage. And it seems improbable that a team could lose back-to-back Game 7s at home.
Prediction: Houston 4, Utah 3 Yes! Someone picked us!

ESPN series page

Ouch!!!

Expert picks:

Adande (Jazz In 6)
Broussard (Jazz In 7)
Ford (Jazz In 6)
Hollinger (Jazz In 6)
Stein (Jazz In 6)
Thorpe (Jazz In 6)

No link but I was watching the ESPN NBA Playoff preview show and both Steven A. Smith and Jalen Rose picked the Jazz in 6.

cnnsi.com

From a Western Conference advance scout: He agrees that the Celtics, Lakers, Pistons and Jazz will win the first round easily. Of the Jazz-Rockets series, he said: "Houston's done a great job getting into the playoffs, but in a seven-game series they're overmatched against any opponent in the West. They have a nice system in place, they're pretty consistent in what they're doing every game, but with Yao [Ming] gone they're the least talented team in the playoffs -- even with [Tracy] McGrady. After him, they've been getting maximum effort out of those other guys.''

cnnsi.com Marty Burns

The Skinny: It's a rematch of last year's entertaining first-round series, claimed by Utah in seven games. Like a year ago, the Jazz come in as the higher seed but won't have home-court advantage because of their worse record. Utah once again will rely on its potent inside-outside punch of point guard Deron Williams and power forward Carlos Boozer. They helped make the Jazz one of the NBA's top offenses. However, Utah's firepower will be tested by a Houston defense that ranked fourth in points allowed and second in opponents' field-goal percentage. Meanwhile, the Rockets' Tracy McGrady has never made it past the first round in his six playoff trips, and will be fired up. He showed he can carry Houston during its 22-game winning streak earlier this season. But without Yao Ming in the middle, McGrady might not have enough help to get past a scrappy Utah team that knows how to make plays at crunch time.

Key Matchup: Andrei Kirilenko vs. Tracy McGrady. Kirilenko might no longer be a main offensive threat for the Jazz, but the 6-9 pogo stick is still a defensive force. His ability to slow McGrady (right) will be critical for Utah, which has shown a somewhat soft defensive underbelly this season. On offense, Kirilenko must hit outside shots to keep T-Mac (and Shane Battier) honest and prevent them from cheating too much on Williams' penetration.

X-Factor for Jazz: Mehmet Okur. The sweet-shooting big man was an unsung hero in last year's series win over the Rockets, forcing Houston to use its power forward to cover him, which left Boozer (left) free to abuse Yao inside. If Okur's hitting shots, the Rockets will have to go small or put Dikembe Mutombo on Boozer this time.

X-Factor for Rockets: Bobby Jackson. The veteran combo guard, acquired in a midseason trade with the Hornets, is a spark plug off the bench. With starting point guard Rafer Alston expected to miss at least the first two games with a hamstring injury, Jackson's ability to step in and run the show will be huge for Houston.

The Pick: Jazz in six.

cnnsi.com Chris Mannix

No. 4 Jazz vs. No. 5 Rockets: Consider the letdown factor: Houston has to view it as an accomplishment just to make the postseason without Yao Ming. Utah looks at it as a step toward a greater goal. The Jazz carry the league's best home record (37-4) into the playoffs, and with Rockets point guard Rafer Alston (strained hamstring) sidelined for at least the first two games (both in Houston), Utah should be able to take a game on the road.
Prediction: Jazz in six.

to be continued

 

sportingnews.com Steve Greenberg

Tracy McGrady's streak is safe. It's sad but true. The Yao-less Rockets, fiercely together to a man, are the league's most inspirational team story since the eighth-seeded Knicks made it to the Finals in 1999. But they will go down hard against the Jazz in Round 1, making McGrady 0-for-7 in playoff series.

sportingnews.com Stan McNeal

How they match up:
The Jazz are the league's most physical team while the Rockets are playing like the best-coached. In other words, expect a long, well-played series with plenty of bruises. The Rockets were one of only four opponents to win in Salt Lake City (Lakers, Celtics, Blazers) this season but the victory came way back in the Jazz's home opener. The Jazz won the second two meetings, including a 105-96 victory in their final home game of the regular season on Monday. The Rockets did not have Yao Ming (foot) in either of the losses and, of course, they will be without him the entire playoffs, too.

Best player:
No player in the league has more weight on his shoulders than the Rockets' Tracy McGrady, who will be trying (again) to get out of the first round, and without his sidekick Yao. McGrady scored 47 points in the teams' first meeting but he enters the playoffs with a sore shoulder, chronic back woes and tender knees. He also is in a shooting slump, having made only 14 of 50 shots in the past three games. He needs to drive to the basket to be effective, but that could take its toll against the Jazz.

Key matchup:
Jazz's shooting vs. Rockets' defense. Something has to give. The Jazz were the league's second-best shooting team (49.7 percent) while the Rockets were second-best in field-goal percentage allowed (43.3). Defensively anyway, the Rockets did not lose much when Yao went out because his replacement, the ancient Dikembe Mutombo, filled in admirably if only on a limited-minutes-per-game basis. Mutombo probably will not see much time against the Jazz because their center, Mehmet Okur, likes to venture out to the 3-point line. That is not an area of comfort for Mutombo. The Jazz's top two players, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, both shot over 50 percent for the season. Okur shot 48 percent after the All-Star break after making only 42.2 percent in the first half.

Biggest mismatch:
Williams over the Rockets' point guards. Rockets starter Rafer Alston is expected to miss at least the first two games because of a hamstring injury, leaving the duties of defending Williams to Bobby Jackson, rookie Aaron Brooks and perhaps Luther Head. Williams (6-3, 190) has a decisive physical advantage over all three.

Scout's take:
"Houston has some injuries, which is not good against a team that plays like a football squad on a basketball court. For one thing, the Jazz set good wide screens and, as Jerry Sloan says, will put the meat on defenders. The Rockets play hard, too, but they don't have enough firepower. Houston is hurting at the point but that doesn't mean that much, at least on offense. All they need is someone to initiate the offense. The ball will be in Tracy's hands much of the time. ... McGrady causes all kinds of matchup problems but the Jazz have a number of guys they can try on him--Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer, Paul Millsap. In the end, the Jazz will wear down the Rockets. Jazz in seven games."

Did you know?
The Jazz led the league in personal fouls but did not commit a flagrant foul until the last game of the season.

Prediction:
Though the Jazz have struggled on the road, they proved earlier this week they can win at Houston. The Rockets' storybook run through the second half ends in the first round (again), but the series will be tight. Jazz in seven.

cbssportsline.com

Utah Jazz (4) vs. Houston Rockets (5)

Season series: Jazz, 2-1.

Why the Jazz will win: It's going to be tough for an offensively challenged Houston team, with only one legitimate scorer, to beat a team as well-rounded offensively and defensively as the Jazz.

The Rockets don't seem to have an answer for Deron Williams or Carlos Boozer, and Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer and Matt Harpring figure to pester Tracy McGrady for the full 48.

Of all the first-round matchups in the Western Conference, this one is the most imbalanced with respect to talent level. If the Rockets win this series, make no mistake: It's an upset.

How the Rockets could win: The only way Houston can win this series is if McGrady has one of the greatest individual series in playoff history. Simply put, McGrady's supporting cast is not good enough to get it done against the Jazz. Unless ...

If the Rockets muddy up the game at the defensive end, slow things to a crawl and force Utah into the low 40-percent range from the field, McGrady will have his chance on offense.

But McGrady will still need a handful of players -- not just one or two -- to come along on the ride with him.

Prediction: Jazz in five.

cbssportsline.com

OUCH again!

No. 4 Utah Jazz vs. No. 5 Houston Rockets
Greg Bromberg Jazz in 7 games
Lyle Crouse Jazz in 6 games
Sergio Gonzalez Jazz in 6 games
Jamey Eisenberg Jazz in 5 games
Aaron Weisberg Jazz in 5 games

chron.com

Even our own Jonathon Feigen is picking the Jazz in 6.

usatoday.com

HOUSTON ROCKETS (4) vs. UTAH JAZZ (5)

Rockets starters: PG Bobby Jackson, SG Tracy McGrady, SF Shane Battier, PF Luis Scola, C Dikembe Mutombo.

Jazz starters: PG Deron Williams, SG Ronnie Brewer, SF Andrei Kirilenko, PF Carlos Boozer, C Mehmet Okur.

Season series: Jazz, 2-1.

Last time in playoffs: Rockets, 2007 (lost to Utah in first round); Jazz, 2007 (lost to San Antonio Spurs in conference semifinals).

Matchup to watch: Williams vs. Jackson or Rafer Alston. Jackson is undersized, with sore knees, going up against Williams, a powerful, talented point guard who will try to penetrate and dish to Boozer down low. Alston is quicker but still too small to handle Williams, who could be slowed by a hard fall on his buttocks this week.

Rockets will win if: McGrady gets hot at the right time and puts the team on his shoulders and Mutombo's 40-year-old body holds up in a tough series.

Jazz will win if: Boozer is able to dominate down low and Williams recovers enough from his injury to regain his explosiveness.

X factor: Okur could face a possible suspension when the NBA reviews his flagrant foul against Fabricio Oberto in Wednesday's finale at San Antonio. … McGrady has never made it out of the first round in six tries.

Injury factor: Rockets All-Star center Yao Ming is out with a stress fracture in his right foot; point guard Alston (hamstring) is expected to miss at least the first two games. For the Jazz, Williams has a bruised backside.

The numbers game: The Rockets have gone an NBA-best 40-11 since Jan. 1; the Jazz averaged 106.22 points during the season, nearly 10 points better than the Rockets.

Quotable: "I think home court is kind of overrated. You can't rely on home court to win any series, as last year proved."— Houston's Shane Battier.

And the winner is: Jazz in seven. Despite not having home court (Houston had the better record), the Jazz are nearly unbeatable at home and should steal one in Houston.

Danny Sheridan's series odds: Utah, 2:1.

to be continued...

 

So in conclusion, so far, out 27 experts 26 picked the Jazz to win the series. I guess its time for the Rockets to shock the world!