It’s a Series!!!

Posted by Alex Jeppson on April 24, 2009

YEEEESSSSS!!!!!

Phew, sorry, I just had to let that out! What an amazing game and an even more amazing victory from a Jazz team that everyone is counting out. It was a must win game and they played with more heart than I have seen all season long.

Even amidst this wave of euphoria that has capsized my attempts to remain unbiased, I still recognize that this game was at home. It is so amazing the difference in the intensity level, especially on defense, in the friendly confines of the ESA as opposed to on the road. After digging themselves an early hole in LA, giving up an unfathomable 41 points in the first quarter of game two, the Jazz played hard nose, dare I say “nasty” defense the entire 48 minutes.

Even though most pundits will simply mark this as an aberration, produced by the home court advantage, there are a few things moving in the Jazz’s favor that give them a definite chance of giving the vaunted Lakers a run for their money. For all the flak he has taken this year, with me admittedly firing many of the shots, Boozer played his best game of the season and his had a strong series thus far. He hit multiple big shots down the stretch, including a man dunk in the post to give the Jazz a lead with under a minute to go, and his efforts on the boards were epic. If he continues to play with that type of intensity, the Jazz can even the series up and have a real shot at winning it.

The other facet working in the Jazz’s favor is that we have yet to see their best play, even in tonight’s victory. D-Will had an off night and we were out of sync offensively at times, but his beautiful shot fading to the right injected new life into this team. I love the image at the end, with Brevin Knight forehead to forehead with Williams, chanting what were almost certainly words of praise and encouragement. Also, the Jazz’s second leading score and recognized “money man” has yet to play in this series. Give the Jazz credit for making this a competitive series without Memo, and give them even more hope if he is able to find his way onto the basketball court.

Yes, it is a tall order, and any hope with the Jazz still rests on their ability to maintain defensive intensity, especially on the road. Kobe may be disrespecting Brewer by standing in the paint and goading him to take jump shots, but even Mr. Arrogant himself has to respect the defense Ronnie has played on him. A team doesn’t have an immense advantage in a series until they win a game on the road, and neither team has done that yet. Let’s not forget that the Jazz actually outplayed the Lakers in the second half of the first two games and would’ve had a chance to win down the stretch if not for the hole they dug for themselves at the game’s beginning. If the Jazz can somehow carry the momentum from this game, build upon it with another victory at home on Saturday, and cling to it as the hit the road, they have a shot! And as we saw with D-Will tonight, sometimes a shot is all it takes. Go Jazz!

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Kait on April 24, 2009 said:

Wow. I was there as well, and I gotta say, what an exciting game! I second everything you said. Boozer I think, can make or break the Jazz’s chances. And boy did he play well in that game. I agree, I have always been a big critic of him, but he seems to really want this bad and he played with some major intensity. I saw a spark last night. That spark is such a tease cause it comes and goes with the Jazz. But I know that it’s possible. They could certainly carry that spark and win their other two home games. I too thought that last shot of Knight and Williams was really nice. I think we’d all like to express the same sentiment Knight seemed to Express. D-Will man, we couldn’t do it without you. He’s the heart and soul of this team, in my humble opinion. Even when he’s having a less than perfect night like last night, he’s making critical plays.

I only wish I could be there for the other two playoff games, cause last night’s was epic. I’m still horse from screaming. We’re the X factor!

Boondock Saint on April 24, 2009 said:

My friend called me while I was watching the game and said “Where has this guy been?” Of course, he was referring to Boozer. My thoughts were simply this: If he could just play with this kind of heart and passion night in and night out he would be a fan favorite, a leader, and a premire player. All those things he wants he could get if he just showed his heart like this every night. He played D, he hustled, he took over the game, he took it right at them and that is what fans want to see. HEART! So Booz, I’ve heard players read this and if you do, GREAT GAME and play with that heart that causes you to scream out after a great play or missed freethrow (I love that you do that). I loved to see the fight in the Jazz and I think you were a key part of that toughness in that game. Keep it up.

Betty on April 24, 2009 said:

I was at the game last night and man oh man. WHAT A GAME! The crowd was crazy!!
They finally stepped up their defense! Carlos played a great game. Ronnie was a beast on the defensive end and even though Deron had a rough night he came through for us HUGE. This is the team we all know and love. I want to see them play with this much intensity for the rest of the series.

justonechampionship on April 24, 2009 said:

I wasn’t at the game, (I was watching it on TNT)but when D-will hit the fadaway 15 footer, I don’t know about you, but I went NUTS! I thought that deron left too much time on the clock though. I thought that maybe we could’ve waited a little longer to get the LAST shot. But Brewer proved me wrong by perfectly contesting Kobe’s prayer. What a game!

J R Stewart on April 24, 2009 said:

It’s a 7 game series, without a road win.

Hold serve Jazz!!!

Jazzaholic

JayD on April 24, 2009 said:

Oh man oh man , I wish that I could have been at that game last night . That was an incredible game . I am so proud of how they played . This is the team that we have all been waiting to see , minus Okur . I was very impressed with Boozer .
It was kinda funny that the TNT boys were saying before the game that Boozer said that they were not going to lose this game . They all thought that it was a brash comment for hi to say . But Boozer definately played like he was not going to let them lose . I couldnt beleive that he was getting all those rebounds . He even played some good “d” .
If these guys can play like this the rest of the way , then they will have a real good chance to upset the vaunted Lakers .
Heres to them , Lets keep it going Jazz .!!!!!!
I still beleive !!

cheesemaninspandex on April 25, 2009 said:

go jazz!!!!! we are going all the way to the finals

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