The Utah Jazz got their first win of the 2010-2011 NBA season on October 31 2010 against the Oklahoma City Thunder by the score of 120-99. While most of the sporting world was rightfully eye-balling the World Series, the Jazz soundly stomped the Oklahoma City Thunder on the Road to get their first win of the season. Paul Millsap put up 30 points and 16 Rebounds, Al Jefferson had 23 points and 10 rebounds, Andrei Kirilenko scored 19 points, Deron Williams had 16 points and 15 assists, and as if that isn't enough, CJ Miles put in 21 points of his own. What makes this significant is that the Jazz had all the right things going, and pressed all the right buttons and did all the right things to get this win. They passed the ball effectively, they scored from the inside out, Millsap and Jefferson seemed to have no problem co-existing on the floor, and Kirilenko played some of his best basketball that we'd seen him play in quite a while. Not only that, but they did that on the road against a team that is supposed to be the best team not only in the Northwest Division, but also the Western Conference (except for the Lakers).
The Jazz have had a lot of new faces join the team this year. Al Jefferson from Minnesota, Earl Watson from Indiana, and Raja Bell from Phoenix (who used to be a member of the Jazz a few years back). Despite these new faces, the Jazz gelled like they had been teammates for 5 years not 5 weeks. I know it's October, and everybody is more interested in the World Series, Trick or Treating, and even NFL football. Everybody figures that the NBA isn't worth tuning into until March at the earliest. Why should anybody care about the NBA in October? And more specifically, why is a win in October so important? The reason is because the Jazz answered several key questions and concerns not even a week into the season!
First off, everybody has been wondering about Utah "How can they play without Carlos Boozer?" Utah answered that question tonight. Millsap and Jefferson both matched Boozer's production and combined for better numbers than Boozer and Okur combined. They showed tonight that they don't need Boozer to beat quality Western Conference opponents on the road. Millsap showed that he is ready to take his game up a notch and cary more weight on his shoulders. Al Jefferson showed why bringing him to the team in exchange for Boozer was a plus. He gets boards, scores in the paint, and plays defense as well as Boozer if not better. The Numbers don't lie, Jefferson and Millsap both had a night that matched Boozer's production.
The second key question that they answered was "How can the Jazz play well without Wes Matthews starting and Kyle Korver coming off the bench?" the Jazz answered that question by having CJ Miles score 21 off the bench and Raja Bell put in 7 points as the starting 2 guard. While Raja was quiet tonight, he showed tonight that his ability to shoot will come in handy. He shot 3 of 3 from the field hitting every shot he took including a 3 pointer. As for CJ Miles, he had a banner night, hitting 3 three pointers and shooting 8 of 13 from the field. Losing Korver and Matthews was a bummer, but CJ Miles, Raja Bell, and in time Gordon Hayward should match the production of those two guys. All 3 of those guys have shown that they are more than capable of doing that.
The Third key question that the Jazz answered was "Can the Jazz win on the road?" The answer is yes they can, and even more importantly they can win on the road in hostile environments. None will come more hostile than OKC for Utah this season. The Thunder have one of the best home courts in the NBA and one of the youngest/talented teams in the league. The Thunder are picked by many to have a breakthrough year and challenge the Lakers for the Western Conference title. The Jazz, are at best picked to be a playoff team that escapes the first round before getting swallowed up by the Lakers. Neither prediction is irrational, but the Jazz showed that perhaps they are the better than we think they are, and that maybe the Thunder aren't as good as we think they are. Remember, the Thunder only have one playoff series under their belts, and that was in a series that they got ousted in by the Lakers. The Jazz have years of playoff experience including several wins in the playoffs. Don't forget that the Jazz were in the Western Conference Finals in 2007. The Jazz are a very experienced cast of guys, being lead by Deron Williams, Andrei Kirilenko, Paul Millsap, and Mehmet Okur who have all been together for a few years now and were all present in Utah's run to the conference Finals. For some reason, everybody is more exited about a team with one first round exit under its belt than a team in Utah that has multiple key post-season victories and playoff runs.
Finally, the Jazz showed that they can bounce back from tough losses. They looked dreadful @ Denver on Wednesday the 27th and against Phoenix at home on Thursday the 28th. The fact that they bounced back after those games in a hostile road environment is huge. The Jazz showed toughness and grit tonight. They also showed that the new players are starting to get a grip on the system.
All in All, Jazz fans should feel good right now. This new cast of characters that has been built around D-Will, AK-47, and Millsap stepped up tonight and got a huge win on the road against one of the elite NBA teams. The Jazz should feel really good about how they played and should continue to get better. Their next game is Wednesday, where they will face a struggling Toronto team in Salt Lake City. The Jazz should have no problem there, and cruise to an easy win.
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