Jazz Last 6 Games - Apr 9 at Golden State Apr 11 vs Denver Apr 13 at Dallas Apr 14 vs Phoenix Apr 16 vs Portland Apr 18 vs Houston Rox Last 5 Games - Apr 9 at Seattle Apr 11 at Portland Apr 14 vs New Orl/OKC Apr 16 vs Phoenix Apr 18 at Utah For the Jazz, I think it's losses to DAL and PHX. GS is only a game out for the 8th seed and I think they have a shot in beating the Jazz. Denver has been on a tear and is preparing for the playoffs. But if the Jazz ends up beating GSW and DEN, we have to beat them so we can gain HCA. Now for us, this is the time to prove we don't have the NO jinx - WE HAVE TO STOP WEST AND PAUL. Seattle and Portland should be wins. Phoenix, we still haven't figured them out to beat them. And the final game should be Game 1 of the playoffs. If we don't win 3 out of the next 5, we're onto Karl Malone/John Stockton country for Game 1. BBS experts, am I right w/ the scenarios?
Doesn't the Jazz always have the Suns' number? I just hope we don't go to the playoffs with a 3 game losing streak
What's ironic is if we get home court advantage by beating them on THEIR court and didn't gain HCA when we played on our HOME court. so the question is, if we beat them in UTAH for the HCA, are we even a better home team? or does our team respond better on the road with no distractions?
The Jazz will win the game vs Mavs, 'cause the mavs will rest all of their starters. There is nothing there for them to play for. I looks like it will come down to the last game, and we don't deserve the 4th seed if we cannot beat the Jazz at their home court.
IMO Jazz 48-28 Apr 9 at Golden State Apr 11 vs Denver Apr 13 at Dallas - L Apr 14 vs Phoenix - L Apr 16 vs Portland Apr 18 vs Houston Rockets 48-29 Apr 9 at Seattle Apr 11 at Portland Apr 14 vs New Orl/OKC Apr 16 vs Phoenix - L Apr 18 at Utah Bold are fairly safe predictions. I'd say Portland will be a win for both clubs - the locker room almost has to rout the Blazers out of JVG fear. Seattle will happily lay down and die, especially if Yao comes out strong. I'm going to say NOK nips us one last time - they're playing for their season and give us fits. Golden St, like NOK is going full tilt in the 3-team chase for the #8. Denver is a complete wild card - Utah doesn't handle guys like Melo too well. I'll say they split those two games. So.....We enter the final day at 50-31 and Utah also at 50-31. April 18th is for Homecourt. I say we take it with a statement game. Evan
The only real question is whether or not the Rox have figured they way out of whatever funk they've been in for the last half-dozen games or so. If they haven't, it won't matter because they will get swept by the Jazz, home-court or not. Last night against the Sacks, in the second half, it started to look like they remembered how to fight and play some defense. We'll see tonight if it carries over. But to the scenarios: Utah is in as bad a funk as we have been in. The race is to to see who gets out of it first. Seattle has nothing left to fight for. GS does. So that's in our favor. Let's use wishful thinking and start off by saying that we have come out of our funk (yes, I know, very wishful), we win tonight, and the Jazz lose at GS. We would then be .5 up. Next game would be the 11th for both of us. We are @ Portland, while Utah is @ Denver. The Denver game will be over before the Rox game is, so sometime in the 2nd half, the team will be well aware that Utah won against the Nugz. We put on a burst at the end to win against the Blazers, and remain .5 up. Jazz have a back-to-back on the 13th and 14th, @ Dallas and then at home against the Suns. Very likely the Jazz lose on the 13th, putting us up one whole game heading into the 14th, the night when we have the Hornets at home, and the Jazz have the Suns at home. This time, our game will be over before theirs, so, whether we win or lose, all the pressure will be on the Jazz that night. I believe this will be the night we break through with a win against NOK, putting extreme pressure on the Jazz just to keep pace. Sloan is a good coach, they are a good team, but it's the 2nd night of a b2b, after a travel night too, they will be under enormous pressure, but they have been slumping too.. It depends mostly on whether or not the Suns actually want to expend any real effort in this game. I suspect that they do, seeing as how the Jazz have inexplicably owned them this year, and, heading into the playoffs, they want to make some kind of statement that they can actually beat the Jazz. It's a close call, but I pick the Suns here. We end the night up 2. On the 16th, with the Jazz desperate and having the Blazers at home, they win. This is the same night we have the Suns at home. Again, it depends on whether or not the Suns want to put forth any real effort. This is the kind of game that D'Antoni may be calling off the dogs, to let guys rest and possibly help prevent injury. But maybe not. Just depends. We have not competed well against them this year. We definitely have more to play for than they do, however, and, most importantly, a win against the Suns will guarantee home court against the Jazz. Put it this way: The Rox will know after the previous game the position they will be in - win against the Suns, and they have home-court. Lose, and then they have a make-or-break game IN Utah, winner will get home court (assuming Utah beats Portland, which one must assume they will). My gut tells me that, under those circumstances, and those combined factors, we will be amped and ready, we beat the Suns for the first time this night, and clinch home-court. Up 2 with one to play. This renders the last game of the season moot, and JVG can use that game as a chance to get the bench some heavy minutes, and rest TMac's and Yao's sore backs. They can win, it won't matter. This is all assuming, of course, that the Rox have pulled themselves out of whatever hole they have crawled into the last week. What do you guys think?
I think you guys counting on the Suns to be playing to win at that point in the season is wishful thinking. They will be locked in, as will Dallas and have nothing to play for. The only realistic chance at HCA is tonight....if GS wins and Houston wins, the Rockets control their own destiny. Otherwise I think it is a crap shoot. DD
If we go into Utah and take the last game for home court, that will be so demoralizing i could see a sweep. Also dont expect Phoenix to rest its stars much against Utah, that should be the game that clinches the 2 seed for them if they win out and the Spurs lose to the Mavs on the 15th. Having home court against the spurs is very important to the Suns. So if we get lucky they could play hard against Utah and rest against us.
They will still be going full on I believe because that will be a the night they can seal HC over the Spurs in the second round....Spurs showed the Suns they can stop them this past week and you bet Pho is gonna want that HC against them....Pho and Spurs are jockeying for position too...and nobody wants to blow a few games down the stretch only to lose HC... if anything...as pointed out...if Spurs lose that night to Dallas...HC would be secure and it will be us who gets the benefit of a coasting Suns...and if we by chance get that game... well for me it goes as follows- I believe we beat the Sonics resoundingly while the Jazz lose to GSW in a close game...we then get our revenge on Portland (again...first time being when we lost by 2 early this season and in the second game blasted them) as Utah loses to a streaking Nuggets (I fully believe this will be the result unless Jazz snap out of it)...that would put us one and a half up...I think they can beat the Mavs if the Mavs sit their starters but will lose to the Suns as we beat NOK for the first time (we better w/o 3/5 of their starting line up...we can't expect to be better than a team that can beat us handicap) putting us up 2... than we beat Pho for the first time because I believe HC will be sealed up for them by this game and they will rest their starters (like how the Jazz will get their victory at the hands of a resting Mavs team)...and the Jazz beat Portland... we will both play a lot of bench in the final game but I kinda want to win it...their late season chokehold will negate any kind of mental edge they thought they had gotten with that victory in Houston... we win in 5 hard fought games... -V
I agree with the theme. Predictions like this are almost impossible. 1st it primarily depends on both how the Jazz and Rockets are playing, and both have been very mixed at best of late. On top of that you never know who is motivated to be the spoiler and win (or save their jobs), and which teams have given up or ordered to tank. We also don't know if Dallas would just throw their last home game away, I really doubt it, they have team records they are breaking and I don't think want to leave that taste to a potential 2nd round opponent. Now they won't kill themselves for a win, but I bet we see at least an 85% effort. So all the games left for both teams are losable, or winnable. Just depends which teams show up. Remember in the 90s when the Rockets lost to a putrid Mavs teams and I think lost playoff position? Assume none are sure wins, and that all games are winnable.
Am I the only one that's not counting New Orleans as an automatic win? You know...the team that we always lose to?
Looks like the Jazz fans have calculated their homecourt odds: http://jazzfanz.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=21679&start=0&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=
I wouldn't write the Mavs off, their bench can beat the Jazz. I agree that tonight is critical. The Rockets are playing hard, but they are still not playing with urgency. And I don't understand why. If they fumble this game tonight, they are going to lose more than homecourt, they will lose tons of momentum. They should make short work of the Sonics, and need to.
