ANNND OOOONE!!!

Posted by Brian McCann on February 25, 2009

Aaaaggghhh! The Booz Hound is Back!!! Yes, I am excited, I am stoked, I am euphoric, I’m in love (ok too far). This is the team that we have been waiting all year to see. We have been through injury after injury after injury, and through a whole lot of disappointment, and now with 1/3 of the season to go, we get to resume our familiar role as underdog, as we make a push for the division title. Ok, so maybe I am getting a little ahead of myself here, but I haven’t been this excited since I drove up to Salt Lake before the season started to watch the Jazz scrimmage at ESA. They looked good. Everything was clicking. And then, a little over two weeks later, Deron Williams fell to the ground like the first domino in a chain of injuries that would go down one after another until mid-January. But now, hopefully, we are past that. And I’m stoked, and excited, and kind-of in love (in a weird way).

Atlanta is a good team this year. The Eastern Conference, while still not as good as the West, has made huge strides this year, with three of the four best teams (record wise) coming from teams that reside on the right side of the Mississippi (unless your in Canada). Atlanta has made a name for themselves as a team on the up-and-up. They have a very respectable record this year, and if the playoffs started today, they would have home court advantage in the first round. But the Jazz have been on fire lately, and there was no chance they were going to let this one go. Right from the start, you could just feel it. The Jazz are back.

Everyone was on Monday night, except for Booz, but his presence arguably made the biggest difference. Although he only went 1—5 in 21 minutes (the one shot he got credit for was a goal-tending call), you could tell by the aura the team conveyed, the intensity on both ends of the court, and their all around swagger, that they know they are healthy, and that they realize they need to make up ground now. A lot of people have counted them out as one of the west’s elite teams, but don’t forget, that with the exceptions of San Antonio and LA, Utah has had arguably the most success of any team in post season play in the Western Conference over the last two years. They know what it feels like to win on the big stage.

Deron played like a load had been taken off his back, as his teammates really stepped things up. While still posting 15 and 10, Williams played only 27 minutes. The Jazz simply didn’t need him. Ronnie Brewer went 9-13 from the field for 19, Man-sap put in his regular double-double, KK went ballistic from deep, nailing 4-5 from the parking lot, and Matty showed once again why this team needs him. The man is a work horse, and while he may not look spectacular at times, he always comes to play.

Yeah, I’m pretty excited right now. While I know that we need to take it one game at a time, and that we still have an uphill battle that gets significantly steeper in March and April with all of the road games, it’s hard not to set high expectations for the remainder of the season. The Blazers and Nuggets are only three games ahead of us in the loss column, and there is still a lot of ball to be played. We are healthy, young, and fired up.

On a side note, this weekend was a bit emotional I think for all of us that have followed the Jazz throughout our lives. A lot of our readers and writers have posted comments and stories about Larry Miller that have touched my heart, and caused me to reflect on my own memories of Larry. He brought intensity and leadership to the Jazz organization that will be difficult to replace. Whether it was arguing with opposing fans, giving pep talks in the locker room, or handing out high-fives to the people around him after a big play, his passion for the game was second-to-none. Like a lot of you, I’ve never met him, but I am thankful for the example he has set for all of us. Thanks Larry, I’ll miss seeing you in the front row.

7 Comments

CB Jack on February 25, 2009 said:

The Agreement. Please email me. We need to talk.
CB Jack
myutahjazz@gmail.com

jessielou on February 25, 2009 said:

Great game. I just couldn’t stop smiling!

Trent on February 25, 2009 said:

Definitely fun to watch. Joe Johnson probably should have been ejected along with Smith, sneaking in a cheap shot on Matt the play before. Man, Matt is tough!

Pelon on February 25, 2009 said:

“The Jazz simply didn’t need him.”
Don’t agree with that statement (in regard to D-Will) at ALL!

Brian McCann on February 25, 2009 said:

Pelon- You have to take the comment in context of the situation. Of course they need D-Will-ALWAYS. But in this situation, with all cylinders firing, the Jazz had the luxury of pulling their best player to minimize risk of injury. With the lead they had, and the way everyone was playing, they didn’t need D-Will in the game to win it, thus, they sat him. If Jerry felt like he needed his best player in the game to pull out the victory, Deron would have played a lot more than 27 minutes. Obviously, he didn’t feel he needed to do that.

mesaak47 on February 25, 2009 said:

the jazz have a really good chance to catch up to Denver and i think they will do it! we have a home game against Denver coming soon in Utah so this will be big. the jazz will be 4th in the west if not third

Clay on February 27, 2009 said:

I could care less about Boozer coming back…. The jazz have played great with out him. I used to be the biggest boozer fan out there and this off season along with his mouth and injuries all season have left me wishing they would trade his big mouth and give his money to Milsap…. He can go to Miami if he wants… He does not care about anything but money… Good luck Carlos i hope you prove me wrong….

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