A Small Taste of Revenge

Posted by D. Chris Estey on October 22, 2009

March 31^st, 2009. 13 days removed from a demoralizing last minute debacle against the Miami Heat and waste deep into what would turn out to be one of the most devastating meltdowns in recent Utah Jazz history. Our boys are in Portland and the situation is growing more and more desperate with each passing contest.

I watched this game from my sofa, on my enormous HD TV which I purchased, by the way, as a second best to season tickets. Unfortunately, my UTA bus riding, living at home with Mom and Dad hind-end doesn’t quite fit into that demographic, yet. With time and hard work, I’m sure my day will come. Anyway, back to March 31^st. Portland BROUGHT IT. The Jazz brought their luggage. This game was like a 48 minute long posterization/dunk clinic held by the budding superstars that comprise the team we know as the Portland Trailblazers. I thought I was going to have an aneurism or blow a vein in my forehead watching this game. The arena was so out of control that evening that the fans in the crowd were practically falling out on the court! Screaming and cheering for their beloved Trailblazers. My dreams that night were shrouded and enveloped in BLACK and RED streaks and splashes! It took me a week to recover. My stats at work dropped. My family hated me for days! Ok, so I think you get the point. It was a pretty … ugly … game.

Fast forward 204 days. Carlos Boozer is surprisingly still on the roster, he’s healthy. Every player on this team has come back in as good or better physical condition that they were last season. I don’t remember any time that that has ever happened in Utah Jazz history (Much attributed to Greg Ostertag’s historic propensity to show up at the beginning of every season out of shape with a silly toothless grin on his face). AK has packed on 25 pounds of muscle. Despite the injury, CJ is in the best shape he has ever been in and has shown great promise thus far in the preseason. Anyone who has been able to watch Deron play in the preseason can see that he is obviously very motivated not only to prove the naysayers wrong but to compensate for the team’s debacle last season. And by all heavens if he doesn’t make the All-Star team this year I am writing highly unprofessional letters to every coach in the league. They won’t be nice.

October 20^th, 2009. I don’t subscribe to NBA TV so I was not fortunate enough to be able to watch this game. It wasn’t until the next morning that, via FM Radio, I learned of the systematic destruction and virtual basketball clinic that Deron Williams and the Jazz put on the Portland Trailblazers. In Portland. D-Will shined scoring 27 points on 8 of 12 shooting in only 29 minutes on the floor. And by the way his FT% is like 96% so far this preseason! I screamed so loud that every passenger in the car nearly jumped out of their seatbelts. It’s a small taste of revenge for a team that badly needed it. The next time we play in Portland will be Wednesday, January 27^th. I’m hoping that this game proves to be a little added confidence on the road for the Jazz. A lot has been said at this point and now it is time for our boys to answer back with their fists. Perhaps this preseason dismantling that the Jazz provided will prove to be a little added motivation for the Blazers. I hope it does. My confidence in this team’s ability and potential is growing by the day. So Portland, after the back and forth trade of complete and total embarassments we’ve each put on each other on your home floor I have only one thing to say. We’re not taking turns this time. So BRING IT.

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5 Comments

J R Stewart on October 22, 2009 said:

DWil didn’t do much play making as he put on an offensive show. The Portland fans we were sitting next to were quite impressed with him and Boozer.

Jazzaholic

Penni Roberts on October 22, 2009 said:

I’ve been here silently from your inception as a JazzBots writer.. from you telling me how you tried out and got turned down, to how ecstatic you were on the phone when you were offered a spot after writing a comment that got you noticed. I have read every article you have ever posted. This is by far my favorite. All I can say is wow because you truly do have a gift!

Joey Parker on October 23, 2009 said:

Besides playoff losses, that Miami game was the most painful Jazz loss I’ve even seen. And this Portland game just made me sick. We looked like we didn’t even know how to play basketball. I really think that Miami game messed up our players for the rest of last season. It’s like the whole team was never the same after that disaster. That is why I don’t put much emphasis on the very end of last year, when trying to predict what they will do this year.

tman11 on October 23, 2009 said:

I don’t see how you can get revenge on a team in a preseason game. There is nothing to play for in it no reason to win or loose, it’s just a time to get you vets back in the swing of thing and, give some poor soul that didn’t get drafted a chance to make the team. That’s all preseason for it’s great they went up there and, won but, I would say thats reavenge by any means

SHAN on October 26, 2009 said:

great take on the game, I was so excited listening to it on the radio as well…and even though it was an utterly meaningless game from the preseason, Im sure it still left an imprint on the Portland fans and the players, letting them know that we can blow them out in their arena in the future if need be…I remember when we lost that game in Portland last year, it was a hard one to watch, I opted for watching BJ Penn get womped by GSP that night, If I remember right and I never change the game!!!

Nice article!!

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