We lost game 1 because we didn't hit our shots. And we didn't have our PG running the offense. There is nothing more to it than that. But, all the other theories are entertaining to read - especially the ones that basically compare Tmac to a graceful ballerina. lol. Let me know the next time a soft ballerina yams one down over Shawn Bradley on the road during a tough playoff series.
Portland and Sacramento were clearly the better teams when Adelman beat Sloan. They had the better record, the more talent and most importantly home-court advantage. The only series Utah has had home-court against Adelman was in the 1999 first round series, where the Jazz won. The fact is, the 90s Jazz had little talent outside of Stockton and Malone. That's why Utah never won it all with those two players, because the role players were trash. Hell, even Bryon Russell and Shandon Anderson, two players who were supposedly up and coming after the '97 and '98 Finals, did nothing once they left Utah. Look at the Jazz' roster from 1997: Shandon Anderson - Rockets should be familiar with him, how'd that work out? Antoine Carr - He was a tough player, but not very talented. Howard Eisley - After Utah, he bounced around a lot, but didn't become anything. Greg Foster - Uhm, yeah. Jeff Hornacek - The missing link. He was the reason Utah went from contending for a Finals spot to actually making the NBA Finals. Unfortunately, he was a huge liability on defense because of his legs. Stephen Howard - haha Adam Keefe - Adam Freaking Keefe, guys! Karl Malone - I love Malone, but how many times did he choke away big games? Chris Morris - A hothead who flopped once he left Salt Lake. Ruben Nembhard - Ok. Greg Ostertag - Ostertag! Crap on crap with a little crap on the side. Bryon Russell - He was probably the most athletic Jazzman outside of Anderson, but was a streaky shooter who couldn't do squat once he left Utah. John Stockton - If only Stockton shot more, maybe Utah would have two rings. Brooks Thompson - Yes? Jamie Watson - Riiiight. The person who said Sloan's system beats teams it's supported to beat, beats evenly matched teams and loses to more talented teams is spot on. It wasn't until 1997 that the Jazz eventually became the best team in the Western Conference and then they had to run into the greatest player to ever play the game. It sucks, you can bag on Sloan all you want for it, but no one was going to come between Michael and a championship, at least not the Jazz, who outside of Stockton and Malone had nothing on their roster. Utah's problem always was that they had their best teams in the Jordan era. Had Jordan stayed retired, the Jazz would have a championship or two right now and this would all be a moot point. But it didn't happen and now Sloan has the stigma of not having a championship. But this Jazz team is good and they're going to be good for a while. I think they have a far better chance of winning it all (not this year, but in the future) than Stockton and Malone's teams ever did. And it's because there is a bigger supporting cast here, something Stock and Malone never had.
i agree, but to be successful, you've got to hit the point, and i just don't see rafer, brooks, or even BJ muscling up to DW. one idea would be to move to the big-small lineup, move shane over to guard DW, let T-mac chase corver, and put Carl on okur.
There is one team conspicuosly missing - because the Jazz have only had HCA once in the playoffs since 2000 - last year against G. State. 2008 (4th seed - really 5th) 2007 (5th seed) 2006 (lotto) 2005 (lotto) 2004 (lotto) 2003 (7th seed) 2002 (8th seed) 2001 (5th seed) 2000 (2nd seed -- 3rd best record after Portland who beat them) 1999 (1st seed -- upset by Portland (2nd seed, 3rd best record) in second round) Kind of hard to blow HCA or be upset by an underdog - when you are almost never good enough to be a prohibitive favorite or even get HCA in the first instance. Mountains and molehills. You're extrapolating a hell of a lot of generalities out of a couple of 4-5 matchups.
kinda feel you've got it backwards. sloan wants his system and style, and he goes out and picks the pieces he likes. not the other way around. sloan struggled in in deciding whom to pick in the draft that year - deron williams or chris paul. in the end it was williams. similar skills but williams is a lot more physical though not as fast as paul. i wasn't surprised when i saw the jazz picked up williams.
the jazz are a good team but sam is right, its more about the players. how about now, boozer, okur, williams. you have two of the best players at their positions, and a role player in AK who people thought would be a superstar. if anything they probably should have won more games. you guys should look at jazz scouting and drafting more than sloan.
it's always about the players. when you have clearly better player you win more often than not. duh. but sloan's style sure is unique. can't find a second team with a same or similar style since the days of the pistons bad boys.
it's clear that we have a lot to do to win this series, and hitting shots and playing defense/grabbing a rebound are a must...Sloan's system does work as they have talent, but more importantly experience from last years playoffs...
That's why I think Artest is perfect for this team. He's not going to allow anyone to foul yao or tracy hard. I think maybe yao's deal is cultural or just his nature. I think tracy is the same. U put Artest on this team and the entire mindset changes.
I mean, I guess there are things you can say about Yao to accuse him of being a "girl". But they are mostly related to the way he plays the game. I have seen the guy yell and complain at officials PLENTY of times. ... His game went really soft last year, though, when the Jazz got physical. He relegated himself to a fadeaway jumpshooter, and became a 44%-shooting CENTER. (To be fair, though, I attribute a lot of that to the fact that he hadn't yet regained his post-leg-injury conditioning... just look at his numbers pre-and post-injury.)
Artest on this team will have a KG like effect with Boston. Not that guys will have his persona, but that "don't alow s***" mentality. Opposing defenders will be scared to give Yao a hard foul, resulting in a lot more "and 1's" for him. We would have a guy to knock someone on their ass. Someone to deliver the type of clean, yet hard foul that sends a message.
To Run the Sloan tactics. You have to learn to hit and flop at the same time. In every cut they push off or set an illegally/moving screen extending elbows and shoulders, but when they get the contact then they flop a little, leaving the Refs with the doubt if it was an offensive or defensive fouls. When the opposition try to retaliate, because they don't know and they are not use to, they get caught for a foul. A lot of their fouls are away from the ball, Refs don't see, and when you push back then they flop and the Refs are force to call it, but they only saw the second part. San Antonio is a great match up vs Utah, thats why they can't win over there. They have players like Manu that knows how to flop, Parker knows how to sell the foul, Bowen a guy that have mastered the art of the Dirty game, Duncan get all the calls, Refs always protect him. Now they got Oberto and Thomas two great floppers that can play dirty at the same time. Combined all that with talent, a great coach and experience and is the perfect combination for playoff success and vs teams like Utah.
i know you've advocated this for long. logical idea i should say. otoh, i look around, i don't see the then bulls, pacers and the now kings as hard-nosed teams.
I probably should have said since Sloan has been there. Looks like the only ones would be Houston in 95 and Portland in 99. Speaks volumes to the not losing to equal or inferior teams.
Will, good points... The thing about playoff games in general can be stated in one word ADJUSTMENT... The Rockets have to adjust to not only the style of their opponnet; but also to the style of the ref's. If the ref's are letting you play then you have to tighten up your jock strap and play. This is for every sport football. baseball, etc... At this point and time the Rockets have to adapt and overcome.... T_Man
Well, the good news is if the officiating is this bad in Houston, it cant get much worse in Salt Lake so the games should be more consistent.
Not when you almost never play them. Almost no teams seeded 3rd or higher lose to teams ranked 6 or lower over the last 15-20 years - there are only a handful of instances. You are taking the fact that th Jazz have done this once (in only 4-5 instances of being in a positoin to even do so) and blowing it up into somthing we can draw conclusions from. But the problem is that we can say the same for lots of other teams. And also your classification of teams as "equal better worse" is highly arbitrary and after the fact.
Right, thats why I included all rounds. It doesnt help that recent history the Jazz havent done as well, saving last year. But even losing with HCA twice in Sloan's tenure of 20 years is pretty good evidence. HCA means you are probably the better team, or close enough and won the tie breaker. I know they werent the better team in 95 because that Rocket team wasn't as bad as a 47-35 record would indicate. But its well within reason for you to say my sample size is too small. I got no quarrel with that. Thats why I tried to expand it to all series.
