‘Star Power’ (Andrew Bernstein - NBAE/Getty Images)

Are you still fired up from yesterday’s win?  We are all tied up and heading back to LA.  I have wondered this entire series how LA will deal with adversity.  They are newly formed and have never been hit with any bumps in the road.  The win yesterday gave us a chance to give them some adversity.

Franchise Win

Yesterday was probably in the top 10 playoff wins in franchise history.  As a life long Jazz fan, I am certain I haven’t been more excited.  I truly believe it was another growth win.

The Lakers were unreal in their comeback.  They scored on 8 straight possessions and nailed 4 threes.  It wasn’t so much that the Jazz lost the lead, it was the fact the Lakers were remarkable in their comeback.  Remember the other guys are good too.

For the Jazz to come into overtime with composure, and re-gain control of the game, was a huge growth step.  Memo hit two big shots, and AK played fantastic defense on Kobe to tilt the overtime our direction.

We have a really young team.  Deron and Ronnie Brewer combined equal 5 years experience, while Fisher and Kobe combined equal 25 years experience.  Yesterdays game is another step that had to be taken on our way to becoming a championship team.  It doesn’t happen overnight.

Deron Williams

The NBA playoffs are about making plays.  It would be nice if every play worked, but once you are playing a team for the 4th straight time, the chances of that happening are nill.  Think about this, the Jazz have brought the ball up the court against the Lakers nearly 400 times in this series.  There can’t be many secrets left.

Therefore, individuals have to make plays.  Deron made a ton yesterday.  The pass to AK in overtime on the baseline was terrific.  So was the busted play with 1:30 left where he tight roped the mid court line, and then turned it into two points.  Any of the threes Deron hit had me screaming in my sons ear, “Give me D-Will for three!”It is about making plays and we have one of the best.

Clutch

In a game where the margin for error was zero, the Jazz hit 16 straight free throws to end the game.  For the final 14:04 the Jazz didn’t miss a single free throw.  That is big under that kind of pressure.

To put that in perspective, the chances of a team that shoots 75% from the line, hitting 16 straight free throws is .007%.  James Bond would be proud.

The Lakers have a wart

Bench play has been vital for both teams in their wins.  It’s no surprise the benches have played much better when they are playing at home.  Matt Harpring was terrific in games 3 and 4 after a struggle at the Staples Center.  The Lakers, on the other hand, have a wart.  Jordan Farmar is not playing well, and seems to be out of his game.  This has been amplified by Derek Fisher getting into foul trouble.  In the four games when Farmar has been on the floor, the Lakers have been outscored by 35 points.  That happened in only 55 minutes.In contrast, when Fisher has been on the floor, the Lakers have outscored the Jazz by 33.

It will be interesting to see if the Lakers can afford to play Farmar as Fisher’s back-up.

Hope you are enjoying the win.  I will be re-watching the game tonight and have the breakdown for you tomorrow.