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  1. #1
    NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Xiao Yao You's Avatar
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    Default 2014-2015 regular season!

    let's go!

  2. #2
    NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Xiao Yao You's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    [QUOTE]Snyder said defending Howard is a struggle.


  3. #3
    NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Xiao Yao You's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    Silver spent Tuesday in San Antonio, awarding the Spurs their 2014 championship rings. So, naturally, he visited the NBA’s next dynasty in the making. "I see a lot of similarity, frankly," Silver said in a pregame news conference.
    minus the stars maybe

    I’m not sure anybody else would have made that association as the game unfolded, with the Jazz’s usual mixed performance.

    The discouraging: Gordon Hayward’s outside shooting, Enes Kanter’s interior defense and the Jazz’s 3-point defense.
    I'm pretty sure Howard did most of his damage against Favors but let's put it all on Enes not to mention the traditionally horrid perimeter D.

    The encouraging: Alec Burks’ work vs. James Harden, Trevor Booker’s bench contribution and Dante Exum’s 3-pointer — well, only two other Jazzmen made any of them.

    Of the stuff Snyder preaches, transition defense was the most glaring issue, playing into the Rockets’ 14-of-27 effort from 3-point range.
    Damn you Enes!

    "We can’t give up wide-open threes, that’s for sure," Hayward said. "It’s just one of those things where we’ve got to shore up the initial part of our defense."

    Derrick Favors took the microphone before tip-off and told the crowd, "Hope y’all have a great time."

    If you were looking for a symbol of a fresh start, though, nothing that happened Wednesday resembled the 2005-06 opener. That’s when the Jazz were coming off a 26-56 season, and rookie Deron Williams banked in a 61-foot shot during a victory over Dallas.

    That team improved to 41-41, barely missing the playoffs. This team? A long way away, obviously.

    That point was driven home in the last minute of the first half, when the Jazz gave up two 3-pointers, and again in the fourth quarter.

    This offense can function well. The wide spacing enabled Hayward to drive and dunk in a half-court set, and other good signs included Exum’s pass for a Rudy Gobert dunk and Burke’s feed to Booker for a layup. But too many times, that extra pass went to nobody — or worse, the other guys.

    Much work remains, and Snyder knows it. "It’s hard to describe a loss as a step forward," he said.

    kkragthorpe@sltrib.com

    Twitter: @tribkurt

  4. #4
    NBA Legend and Hall of Famer Xiao Yao You's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    “I don’t think we were overthinking too much,” Hayward said afterward. “We got some good looks, just didn’t knock them down. You’ll have days like that. I didn’t shoot the ball well tonight, and those days will happen. So for the most part don’t think we should overreact.”
    At least G didn't keep shooting and missing like Trey and did some other things.

    It’s true there are 81 games left.

    No reason to worry yet … is there?

    “The last thing I want him to do is think about his shooting percent or anything like that,” coach Quin Snyder said. “I think that’s counterproductive. I watched him shoot the ball in practice and in preseason. We’ve just got to keep encouraging it. I think his numbers will be there.”

    That’s good for him, but for those who were in Utah for the Andrei Kirilenko era, it’s a scary thought. He too was a statistical freak show, and at times the team’s highest-paid player. There was always an argument for what he did right.

    But he never became more than good.
    He did actually but that was at his peak before they paid him.

    The Jazz need Hayward to be great.
    They need it but you shouldn't expect it. They overpaid him. He's a streaky shooter at best. He's not a go to guy. He's a more refined version of AK. I wouldn't expect more just because they paid him. That's on the Jazz not G.

    Until Dante Exum grows up, or Derrick Favors changes into an offensive machine, or Trey Burke gets tall, Hayward is their hope.
    So Exum is their great hope since Alec and Enes suck.

    [QUOTE]They’ve hinted at that before. They’ve also pointed out he does more than score. True enough. He had eight rebounds and seven assists on Wednesday. But he also had three field goals in 11 tries, the last one not coming until 4

  5. #5
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    The Rockets also shot like crazy from outside, going 14 for 27 from deep compared to a woeful 3-for-18 3-point night by the Jazz.
    Rockets have shooters. The Jazz don't.

    [QUOTE]The usual suspects

  6. #6
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    [QUOTE]The Jazz shot 3 for 18 from 3-point range. They surrendered 14 threes to the Rockets in 27 attempts.

    Really, that

  7. #7
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    [QUOTE]3-18 isn

  8. #8
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    The Rockets were 7 of 8 on corner 3’s – the Jazz last year were the worst team in the NBA defending the corner 3.
    ****in' Ty!

    You could see the offensive movement and the ability to get good looks. The Jazz shot 60% in the first half.

    The 3 point shooting edge was considerable. The Rockets hit 14 of 27 from 3 and the Jazz were just 3 of 18 . Last year, the Jazz missed a ton of uncontested jumpers. It will be interesting to see those numbers tonight. Felt like the Jazz got some looks but couldn’t knock them down.

    The Jazz are very balanced offensively. Trey Burke took 16 shots, Kanter took 12, Hawyard and Burks had 11 FGA and Favors and Booker 10. At some point the Jazz may have to prioritize these possessions.
    Got to go to the hot hand though. They couldn't stop Kanter around the basket or Burks or Favors anywhere but Trey was throwing up bricks instead.

    Trey Burke lead the Jazz on a nice run at the end of the third quarter with a 10-0 surge. This cut the game down to 3 at the end of 3, but the Rockets burst out to open the 4th quarter to take control of the game.

    The game opened as a post battle. Howard scored 10 of the first 12 points of the game for the Rockets and Favors had 8 of the first 10 for the Jazz. The Jazz were single teaming Howard but Favors picked up a foul early so the Jazz used Kanter more on Howard and Howard had his way.
    He had his way with Favors.

    The Rockets Kostas Papanikolaou is nice player. He shots the heck out of the ball and he has a little dribble game.

    Cool story that Dante Exum and his childhood favorite player Joe Ingles make their NBA debut on the same team on the same night.

    Jazz starting 5 was really good on offense. They hit 10 of 16 and scored 26 points in 11 minutes
    and the Rockets starting 5 was better. This is a game where a bench could have made a big difference because the Rockets don't appear to have a lot of weapons around Ariza and their stars.

    Can the Jazz play offense was Rudy Gobert is on the floor? Tonight the Jazz were 12 for 36 shooting with Gobert on the floor. The rest of the game the Jazz were 26 of 45. It is not all Rudy but the different between 33% and 58% is considerable and worth keeping an eye on. Rudy is an amazing force defensively the Jazz have to figure out how to score with him.
    Who was on the floor with Rudy? Mostly the bench and Burks. Play him with Enes, Burks, G and Burke and see how the offense looks.

    I believe Dwight Howard only had 2 of his 22 when being guarded by Gobert.

    The jazz went small with Hayward at the 4 in those 3 minutes the Jazz were -7
    Could be a good line-up. Eventually Hood in that role too. Maybe Ingles it sounds like.

    Jazz pace of play was 91 possessions that is not quick.

    Talk to you from Dallas

    Posted in Emptying the Noggin
    See how the pick and roll D is tonight.

  9. #9
    Where Eagles Dare El Kabong's Avatar
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    Didn't get to watch the game last night (bloody women!), but will have to catch up with that and todays game against the Mavs when I get home. Bought the League Pass this year to make sure I get to see more games since it's hard to catch the live stream a lot of times.

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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    Just started watching the Houston game. First quarter done. Favors looks really good on offense so far. Kanter is getting destroyed by Howard along the baseline and Burke seems to be forcing it a bit too much. Cant help but think they could have done with a big shooter like Pat Patterson or Hawes instead of Booker, although Booker has played well.

  11. #11
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    Booker might be that shooter yet! They need help elsewhere. The rookies aren't ready. Ingles looked like he might be able to help though. Not sure if he's even had a practice with the team?

  12. #12
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    Perhaps the best indication that Snyder was experimenting was the lineup that closed the first half: Burke, Exum, Hood, Novak and Rudy Gobert. Clearly tinkering.
    That's ugly! Evans was the only one not to play. I assume Hamilton will be replacing him on the active roster. Might as well trade him.

    [QUOTE]It

  13. #13
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    The Jazz open the season playing the 4th best offense from last season (Houston), the 3rd best (Dallas), 7th best (Phoenix), 1st (Clippers), Cleveland (Miami was 2nd) and Dallas (7th). How about we evaluate the defense starting sometime in late November or December. This is a brutal stretch.
    Yeah let's make more excuses for tanking!

    Derrick Favors has played two very good basketball games. If this is an indicator of what is coming Derrick is about to have a mammoth season. The first two games have been against two of the best centers in the Western Conference, Tyson Chandler and Dwight Howard.

    Favors is shooting 64% in 2 games. The Jazz are playing him from the top rather than from the block and he is so much more effective. The best way I can put it he is a mini Amare not a mini Malone.
    We'll see. If they can keep him moving he can be effective. Posting him up is usually ugly though.

    The Jazz offense struggled the minute Rudy Gobert got on the floor again. I tried to watch it the best I could when I was calling the game and it was hard to see anything that was causing it but sure enough they went 5 minutes without scoring from the moment he checked in and scored 2 poi nts in 6 mintues. This is a big issue because Rudy can be a big time force in this league if the Jazz can figure out how to play offense with him on the floor. This takes time.
    Same thing with playing D with Enes on the court.

    I could see what the Jazz like in Joe Ingles
    certainly!

    Alec Burks used 12 possessions tonight. He shot 5 three pointers. That is 41% of his possessions. It might be a little high but I love the direction that is going. He needs to be able to shoot the long ball as a shooting guard in the NBA and then his drive game will become even better.
    I always thought he'd be able to shoot he's just never had to do it.

    [QUOTE]Hayward 16 pts, 4 rebs and 6 assists. Few players fill the box score like he does. He is still the focus of the defenses. He is not getting any air space. I would like to believe he will shot a higher percentage then he did a year ago, but I don

  14. #14
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    [QUOTE]Snyder then said he

  15. #15
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    Default Re: 2014-2015 regular season!

    "We just got to get that focus on the defensive end," said Jazz forward Derrick Favors, who led the way for Utah with 17 points and 11 rebounds on the night. "We did a good job with it in the preseason. I think that got to our heads a little bit. We thought we were a good defensive team and now reality set in. We need to start from scratch and get that focus."
    Yeah I thought it was funny that they kept comparing pre-season numbers with last season like it was comparable. Looks like the same old Jazz with the problems I expected them to have going in with the roster that they have. Quinn was the wildcard but stars win more than coaches do.

    Certainly, these are two teams in very different places.

    The Mavericks have re-tooled around Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis, hoping to contend for a championship. They’ve added a dynamic forward in Chandler Parsons, and brought back center Tyson Chandler and guard J.J. Barea, two key members of the team’s last title run.

    The Jazz, meanwhile, are rebuilding and relearning. The lessons have been hard ones early on.

    Nowitzki, who matched Parsons for a game high 21 points, opened the night by draining a 17-foot jumpshot and the Mavs never trailed from there. Ellis sliced to the rim en route to 14 points. Chandler, meanwhile, caught lobs and dunked seemingly at will over the Jazz defense.

    Former Jazz man Devin Harris made the lead 20 with a free throw early in the second quarter. Then it was Harris again, this time with a 3-pointer, that gave the Mavs a 65-35 lead late in the second quarter.

    "The way we came out … there just wasn’t enough resistance," Snyder said. "The way we started the game, you’re just not going to be able to overcome that kind of effort."

    The coach called an early timeout to try to rally his troops, who were on the wrong end of a back-to-back. His message: "Wake up."

    "There were a lot of timeouts like that," Snyder said.

    It took until the third quarter before that happened for the Jazz.

    "We can get better, especially defensively," said forward Trevor Booker, who finished with nine points and five rebounds off the bench. "Tonight we showed we could hang with Dallas in the second half. It was just the first half that pretty much killed us."

    In the third quarter, Utah managed to trim the lead down to 14 twice behind a 15-point night from guard Alec Burks and a franchise record 35 attempts from 3 as a team.
    They are going to shoot 3's. How well they do it remains to be seen.

    Gordon Hayward and Trey Burke added 16 points apiece, as all five Jazz starters hit double-figures on the night.

    But the comeback soon dissolved.

    Again, Snyder pointed to defense as the issue.

    "When your defense doesn’t generate anything for you, it makes the game harder," he said. "And when you’re fragmented on defense, there’s an inclination for individual guys to get it back. That may work for a minute, it may work for a possession or two, but you’re not going to be able to sustain offense over a period of time unless we play more collectively."

    afalk@sltrib.com

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