My Take: Jazz vs Rockets Game 2

Posted by David Locke on April 21, 2008

‘Rising Up’ (Stephen Dunn -NBAE/Getty Images)

FINAL SCORE — JAZZ 90 ROCKETS 84
With the score 85-82 the Jazz ran a pick and roll and nothing developed.  Korver was forced to go 1 on 1 with Battier he threw up a terrible shot that hit the side of the glass, but AK grabbed the rebound and tapped it to Korver who flicked it up from 9 feet out with the horn sounding on the shot clock to give the Jazz the lead and the game.

1:51 4th Quarter — Jazz 85 Rockets 80
McGrady played great but in the 4th he is 0 for 3 from the field and 1 of 2 from the line with 1 turnover. 
D-Will has been great.  He has 9 of the Jazz 16 points and 9 of the last 11 points, he hockey assited the other field goal.
Memo has been big on the glass.
Korver had two big rebounds in the opening part of the quarter.  In a game this close nothing can be forgotten every play has mattered. 
COME BRING IT HOME THIS WOULD BE HUGE. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

5:06 4th Quarter — Jazz 81 Rockets 76
D-Will time.  He has 5 points in the last 3 possessions.
Great play D-will to memo to Booz
AK strips McGrady with great defense

8:28 in 4th Quarter — Rockets 74 Jazz 73
Every possession is going to be tough. 
Aaron Brooks is having a nice night for the Rockets.

End of 3rd Quarter Stats
Pace:  64 trips
Jazz Offensive Efficiency: 115 in Quarter 108 for the game
Jazz Defensive Efficiency:  134 in Quarter (awful) 102 in the game. 
End of 3rd Quarter — Jazz 69 Rockets 67
Ronnie Price hit a three at the buzzer to answer back to back Battier three’s that gave the Rockets the lead.
Matt Harpring has struggled tonight getting too caught up in the physical battle.
Jazz scored on 5 straight possessions the first stretch of its sort.
Jazz lead by 5 when Battier kept the Rockets in the game.

5:27 3rd Quarter — Jazz 57 Rockets 57
Rockets have made an adjustment and they are isolating McGrady and he has it rolling.
Jazz have switched AK onto McGrady
Jazz are really struggling to run their offense.  The Rockets have it down
Bobby Jackson hit two big three’s. 
D-Will is making plays out of nothing.  The offense is just not producing points.

Halftime Stats
Pace:  45 trips (right on league average)
Jazz Offensive Efficiency:  89 in 2nd Quarter, 106 in the half (115 season average)
Jazz Defensive Efficiency:  92 in 2nd Quarter 88 in the half (that is great defense)
Jazz are pulling 30% of the available offensive rebounds

Halftime — Jazz 47 Rockets 41
Wow – what a half.  It is a blood bath out there.
The Jazz are winning the three point battle – 6 to zero.
Memo just hit two big three’s one with :35 seconds and the next with :02
It looks like the floor has been shrunk.  There is no room to move.  Players are getting bumped on every route.  Players are falling to the ground.  It is nuts.
The Rockets missed 10 lay-ups in the 2nd Quarter.
Rockets bench held there own.  Rockets were just -1 with Brooks on the floor.
McGrady has 16 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocked shots, 2 steals.

5:49 2nd Quarter — Jazz 35 Rockets 32
This is a battle.  Both teams are playing very hard.  It feels like both side threw their haymakers and now we are into the game.
AK did a great job cooling down McGrady.   McGrady just checked out for the first time he has 14 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Deron doesn’t have an assist.  The Jazz offense is struggling.

8:40 2nd Quarter  — Jazz 30 Rockets 25
McGrady is playing like a man possessed.  He is blocking shots, grabbing rebounds and delivering on the offensive side.  He is the best player on the floor right now.  He is unreal.
Jazz have lost a little focus. 
Deron just went from the top of the key to the rack for a huge hoop. 

First Quarter Stats
Jazz Offensive Efficiency = 125  (amazing – season avg was 115)
Jazz Defensive Efficiency = 83
Rockets turned it over on 20% of the possessions
Jazz got 36% of the potential offensive rebounds
End of the 1st Quarter — Jazz 26 Rockets 17
This was a fantastic quarter by the Jazz — the Rockets came out a ball of fire and took it to the Jazz and they handled it.
Deron kept the Jazz in the game with three amazing three’s and the boys followed his lead.
Hapring had an awesome punch in the gut steal from McGrady and went coast to coast for a dunk.
Price then did the same to Brooks and got another dunk,.
The Jazz are 0 for 4 on “non paint twos” .  The key there is only 4 shots of non paint two

5:47 1st Quarter-  Jazz 15 Rockets 11
Carlos Boozer has 2 fouls and is out of the game
Rockets are playing harder than the Jazz right now but Deron has been amazing hitting three three’s.  Twice with the shot clock under 3. 
Memo is 0 for his first 2.
McGrady is very active

1 Comment

JMoney on April 22, 2008 said:

Jazz seem poised to make a deep run if motivation stays high.

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