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SBN: These are the Jazz we’ve been waiting for

https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2016/1...res-jazz-good-schedule-results-gordon-hayward

This is the Utah Jazz team we’ve been waiting for. After crushing the Thunder on Wednesday, a decisive 109-89 win, the Jazz have won nine of their last 11 games. And while they’re sitting at 16-10 this season, the truth is they could be even better right now.

The Warriors, the Raptors, the Clippers and then the Jazz. Those teams boast the four best net ratings this season, meaning they win big (plus-14.5) and lose much smaller (minus-8.7). Utah has the sixth-best offense and the third-best defense, and Wednesday was more of the same — they held the Thunder to 37-percent shooting while hitting 58 percent themselves.

Utah is always a terror when they’re healthy, and even more so this year. The arrival of George Hill has completely unlocked this offense, turning a squad with talented players and a lack of direction into a razor-focused machine. Gordon Hayward is playing the best basketball of his career, averaging more than 23 points while maintaining his career efficiency and even reducing his turnovers. Both have missed time, but when Hill is healthy, the team is 8-3. With Hayward, they’re 13-6 and combined, a perfect 5-0.

As you can see, they’ve both missed time. So has Dante Exum, Boris Diaw, Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors, plus another game lost here or there for the others. Injuries wrecked the Jazz last year, which we all thought might be their coming out party. They couldn’t survive the early season loss of Rudy Gobert and spent the rest of the season playing catch up. But last year’s fatal flaw that left them just a game out of the playoffs looking in has been conquered, even. They’re winning without those people, and they basically haven’t lost with a full roster intact.

The Gobert-anchored defense is as scary as ever, but a Hill and Hayward led attack is proving to be one of the league’s most potent combinations, too. That they can get by missing one or two of them is encouraging that Utah can withstand just about anything.

We’ve been waiting a few years for this. Now the Jazz really are here.
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Easy win tomorrow too.
 
Love this article and yet it misses something. Just like everyone does.

Even when Hill gets back and he and Hayward pair up again to continue stretching their combined 5-0 record the Jazz will not be fully healthy.

Enter Alec Burks. He averaged 13ppg last season and is the best slasher on the team. He's going to love Diaw.

Jazz can be deadly to any team in the league.
 
Some of us will have to be forgiven for thinking of Burks as more of a mythological creature than an actual NBA player. Until he returns, he has essentially slipped into the ethereal realm.
 
I love this team. I feel we can make it to the Finals if we get everyone back for the post season. We're so underrated and under appreciated.
 
A really well knowledged basketball expert from Turkey said that if we asked the teams in the NBA today which team they would like to play the least, they would immediately say: the Jazz. And this was said while the Jazz were losing.


Sent from my iPhone using JazzFanz
 
Stoked said:
Love this article and yet it misses something. Just like everyone does.

Even when Hill gets back and he and Hayward pair up again to continue stretching their combined 5-0 record the Jazz will not be fully healthy.

Enter Alec Burks. He averaged 13ppg last season and is the best slasher on the team. He's going to love Diaw.

Jazz can be deadly to any team in the league.
Click to expand...

I haven't seen burks play live a lot, so I can't remember if he's a good off ball cutter. We throw the term 'slasher' around here a lot, which I always thought meant driving with the ball.

Overall, just unsure of how well diaw and burks mesh. If burks is an amazing offball cutter that I just missed, I gladly concede my argument haha.


Sent from my iPhone using JazzFanz
 
Where is that picture of LoGrad's logs when you need it? Paging NColorado... Paging Colorado? Hullo?

DRINK THE PUNCH LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. DRINK IT UP!
 
Stoked said:
Love this article and yet it misses something. Just like everyone does.

Even when Hill gets back and he and Hayward pair up again to continue stretching their combined 5-0 record the Jazz will not be fully healthy.

Enter Alec Burks. He averaged 13ppg last season and is the best slasher on the team. He's going to love Diaw.

Jazz can be deadly to any team in the league.
Click to expand...

Ahh yes. I didnt think about that. With all Burks back cutting, and movement to the rim. Diaw will pepper his hands with some sweet passes.
 
Shocked that [MENTION=501]ncoloradojazz[/MENTION] hasn't posted in a while. Maybe cause the Jazz have won 9 of their last 11 games.
 
fishonjazz said:
Shocked that [MENTION=501]ncoloradojazz[/MENTION] hasn't posted in a while. Maybe cause the Jazz have won 9 of their last 11 games.
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Bro, he's got a big package and it's Christmas and he's in demand, okay? He doesn't have time to waste on a team winning easy games at home against bad teams.
 
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