2017 Playoff bound!!!

[Xiao Yao You]

Clippers were already favored.

If Favors can play like that maybe they can still give them a series. Glad Exum didn't play but with Mack struggling(not to mention Hood) why not Alec?

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=43889089&nid...-buzzer-beater

Jamal Crawford is one of the 10 worst defenders in the NBA. Second, Joe Ingles recognized this, and wanted to get a switch so that Crawford was the one guarding Johnson, the ball-handler and Utah's best scorer Saturday night.

I asked Ingles what he was thinking on that play.

"Obviously, with Blake on him, it's not as easy to back down, or get to the spot he wants to get to. I knew Jamal was on me, and thought if I can, I'd try to make them switch," Ingles said. "They'd been switching a lot one through four, and so I set a half-decent screen. They switched it, and we got him with eight seconds to go with an iso."

Think about how smart this is! The Jazz didn't really have a play call here that they were planning on. It was just the players involved, especially Ingles, noting the situation in three seconds and sprinting over to set a screen to give Johnson enough time to take advantage. It's incredible.

Again, credit should also go to Snyder for believing in his players to get a good shot. Timeouts generally hurt the offensive team there, not help them. Snyder's actually one of the best coaches in the league at drawing plays after a timeout, he was fourth last year at 0.95 points per possession.

That's certainly well short of the value of a no-timeout, semi-transition possession that the Jazz got. Even after a made basket with no timeout this year, the Jazz are at 1.05 points per possession.

"Getting the ball in at that point is difficult," Ingles said, when I asked him about going with no timeout. "There's holding, it's for the game. We feel like we've got smart enough players to get a good shot off without calling one. On that one, coach trusted us to get a good shot off, and we got a layup."

Ingles is their coach on the floor!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/04/16...k-favors-ever/

Before Favors had to deal with nagging knee injuries this season, he was a beast. He was once considered an elite interior defender, able to protect the rim at a high level and hold his own when switching onto smaller guards on the pick and roll. He was also once a big-time finisher when rolling to the rim, and would often times out-muscle opponents in the low post for devastating dunks.

I know this has been said all season long, but if the Jazz can get that version of Derrick Favors back for the playoffs, it could be the missing link in the Jazz morphing from a good NBA team to a great one that can contend for a title.

They're not getting that guy though. If they can get the guy from yesterday they ought to ecstatic!

[Xiao Yao You]

http://basketball.realgm.com/analysi...Series-Preview

The Jazz could also get creative and try to force switches by having their wings screen for each other either on or off the ball, and then dump the ball in the post if Crawford winds up on Joe Johnson or Gordon Hayward.

they called it!

[Xiao Yao You]

Aaron Falk: Joe Johnson: we can’t be overconfident. Game 2 is going to be a lot tougher than Game 1 – via Twitter tribjazz

Jody Genessy: Joe Johnson: “It’s great to see Rudy walking around. He looks normal. Hopefully we’ll get him back.” – via Twitter DJJazzyJody

They stole one. Next one should be a lot tougher.

The question is how effective can Rudy be even if he does return. No need to rush him back if he can't help them. Looking for Bolomboy to maybe get a shot while he's out though!

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]Doc Rivers unloads on reporter asking about late-game strategy:

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]David Locke: Doc Rivers

[Xiao Yao You]

[QUOTE]ESPN Stats & Info‏: Joe Johnson has now made an NBA-best 8 game-winning buzzer-beaters (reg season and playoffs) in the last 10 seasons.

[WayOfWad3]

Clippers were already favored.

If Favors can play like that maybe they can still give them a series. Glad Exum didn't play but with Mack struggling(not to mention Hood) why not Alec?

True. And they aren't going to give Alec (or Trey Lyles) a run because they have been beyond horrible for the better part of two months. Alec in particular cannot hit a layup to save his life, or make a three point shot. He's less than average at mid range and so it's better to have an injured Hood out there. At least George Hill looked pretty good in Game 1

[WayOfWad3]

http://purpleandblues.com/2017/04/16...k-favors-ever/



They're not getting that guy though. If they can get the guy from yesterday they ought to ecstatic!

The writers are fools for even considering a healthy Derrick Favors. What we saw yesterday was a blessing and we'll be lucky to get it again. If anything we should be hoping Withey can do a good job in the time he's going to be getting

[WayOfWad3]

http://basketball.realgm.com/analysi...Series-Preview



they called it!

It would have to be Johnson. Something the Clippers (and most teams in general do for some reason) is double Hayward whenever he's in the post even though he's far from the Jazz's greatest post threat. They let Johnson do what he wants though

[Xiao Yao You]

True. And they aren't going to give Alec (or Trey Lyles) a run because they have been beyond horrible for the better part of two months. Alec in particular cannot hit a layup to save his life, or make a three point shot. He's less than average at mid range and so it's better to have an injured Hood out there. At least George Hill looked pretty good in Game 1

Burks couldn't get a call. I think he can help them still if they let him play his game like they do with Hood and Joe Johnson. They've got him thinking too much. He was scoring and rebounding when they played him.

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.slcdunk.com/the-downbeat/...rt-joe-johnson


[QUOTE]Yeah, the Boston Celtics didn

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.slcdunk.com/2017/4/16/136...aw-george-hill


Rudy doesn't appear to be walking with a limp to me! Might play tomorrow?


[QUOTE]Rodney Hood shot only 2/7 in this game. But he

[Xiao Yao You]

http://www.sltrib.com/sports/5183881...atus-uncertain

Can Utah push on and win without Gobert long-term? That is now the dominant question as the series moves on to Tuesday night's Game 2.

Can't see it unless Hayward and Hood step up and they are firing on all cylinders and even then I'm not sure they have enough especially if the Clippers are getting Rivers back for game 3. I wonder how much Favors will even have left after the last one.

Assuming Gobert is out on Tuesday, a lot of responsibility will fall on Favors, who played one of his best games in months Saturday night.

Might have been his best game all season. He was done by the end of it though so it will be interesting to see how he responds on 3 days rest

I didn't have any pain in my knee, no discomfort. I was just a little fatigued."

great news if true.

The Jazz have survived a major injury this season to most of their main players not named Gordon Hayward.

Hayward's was major it just happened in pre-season luckily so he didn't miss many games