The Utah Jazz had one slip away Saturday night as they went into the 4th quarter in a 2 point struggle with their arch-rival nemesis Denver Nuggets. It was Adrian Dantley's first career playoff game as a head coach and it was Jerry Sloan's 193rd playoff game. That in itself indicates that Sloan has better coaching experience, and that the Jazz have more than an edge in the coaching department. But despite all that the Jazz had going for them with Deron Williams and the fact that he's a better PG than Chauncey Billups, the Jazz didn't account for Carmello Anthony having 42 points, and J.R. Smith going off like a mad-man too take over the game, and seal the deal for AD's first career post-season victory. Other events came into play that also effected the outcome of the game. Mehemet Okur was injured after being one of 3 jazzmen to slip in the same right spot on the court under their basket. CJ Miles got the wind knocked out of him, and Carlos Boozer's Oblique injury seemed to slow him down to just 20 points (haha, just kidding on that one). The biggets problem in the game was that Deron Williams had a weak first half, and there was no interior defense to stop the nuggets from having a layup-fest. If Williams is off, and there is no defense, it's a miracle they were even in the game going into the 4th quarter, and they really let one slip away in the 4th quarter.
But moving on to game 2 without Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko, the Jazz find themselves needing to make adjustments on the defensive side of the ball and the offensive side of the ball. On the defensive side, the Jazz need to stop Denver from getting to the foul line, and getting easy shot opportunities. In the NBA, AND-1 defense doesn't work, and the only guys on the Jazz who plays any defense is AK-47, who is injured, Paul Millsap, and Deron Williams who doesn't play the interior well because he isn't tall enough. The rest of Jazz need to step up their Defense, and their is one guy in particular that I want to see more out of. That would be Kyrylo Fesenko, the 7 Foot 1 inch, 300 lb Ukrainian who could be the new Mark Eaton for the Jazz. He has the potential to shut down the middle and keep the Nuggets out of the paint, which has been the Achilles Heal for the Jazz all season long. In addition to shutting down the middle and keeping Denver off the charity stripe, the Jazz need to find away to control the damage done by Carmello Anthony, and preventing anybody else from making a run (i.e. J.R. Smith). If the Denver Nuggets have 'Melo and somebody else going hot, then they will win the game. If the Nuggets struggle to get anybody else going besides Carmello, then Utah can win, and if Utah can stop Carmello, they will win. That simple.
Now, on the offensive side of the ball, the Jazz have to pack the ball into the paint, and only occasionally kick the ball out for 3's. The Jazz have one of the best shooting teams in the NBA with Kyle Korver, Deron Williams, CJ Miles, and Mehemt Okur (who is done for the season). When these guys get hot, they can do a lot of damage. If they shoot 3's like a spice, they can be lethal, if they shoot 3's like a main course meal, the team suffers. Missed 3 pointers lead to long rebounds which favors Denver in the transition game. Utah can't beat Denver in the transition game, but they can in a half-court setting by dumping the ball into Boozer , and getting to the Foul line. If the Jazz attack the hoop with reckless abandon, and get foul shots, then they are playing their style of basketball, but if they don't play in the paint, they are not gonna win. Jerry Sloan Basketball in and inside-out offense in order of priority. They always win games when they out score their opponents in the paint, grab boards and get to the foul line.
The Keys to the game in short for Utah are: 1. Stop Denver from getting hot, and getting on streaks.
2. Keep Denver out of the paint, make them hit tought shots: NO LAYUPS!!!
3. Keep Denver off the foul line, and get to the line yourselves.
4.Shoot 3's sparingly, and pack the ball in.
5. You can't stop Carmello Anthony, but at least slow him down!
6. Win the Turnover battle, and get back on defense.
7. This is perhaps the biggest of all: Stay out of foul trouble, and get Denver in foul trouble.
