Game Thread May 12, 2021 07:30PM MT: Jazz vs Blazers

[MT Steve]

Have you considered strength of schedule? how does it compare to earlier in the season?

The opponents were:

Suns (6th best defense)
Raptors (16th best defense)
Spurs x2 (13th best defense)
Nuggets (11th best defense)
Rockets (27th best defense)
Warriors (5th best defense)

Overall, it was against opponents with above average defense.

And in any case, even if its below of what it was, it shows the effort the team is putting in, but can't expect the same results against really good teams.

LMAO. Portland has the 29th ranked defense. Are you seriously not aware of this?

Being the second team all season to fail to score 100 against the 29th ranked defense in a big game is a major yikes. There is no other way to spin this.

 

[fishonjazz]

We literally have the 3rd best offensive rating in the entire NBA over the last two weeks. Saying we don't have firepower is just being deliberately obtuse.

Tonight we didn't. Off nights do happen.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[homeytennis]

Moral victory guys. The Jazz won the first and fourth quarters. With the exception of the first quarter and the last couple of minutes of garbage time, the Jazz offense was really awful. I would really like to know Quin's rationale for not giving the rookies and Brantley some run when we look this bad. Heck NWG or Shaq would not have stunk this bad.

 

[fishonjazz]

Mark it down they will lose to okc and kings mentally weak

Mark it down, when they beat both of those teams you won't be in the gamethread posting.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[Hekate]

Our shots didn't fall and them sagging off Forrest made sure we weren't getting as many good looks.

We looked exhausted. Ingles was passing to Niang with 5 seconds left so he could create. We never got going as a team, someone was always behind the play or couldn't make the shot.

Our defensive matchups got shifted. We would have looked tons better if Conley was on Lillard so Royce and Gobert would be more effective in the blitz and help. Royce would have helped limit some of the good looks inside and offensive rebounds for Portland.

This game was far more important to Blazers than to us. I would have liked to get Lakers to 6th but I am not going to beat myself over it.

Gimme the playoffs.

 

[latin jazz]

Without the SAC game it is 116.7. Only 3 teams in the league have higher.

So we are 4th and you still complain about the team.

My point is that you gotta keep your expectations realistic at this point in the season: we are overachieving now. That 4th offensive rating, is waaaay below of what it was when we were a freaking machine destroying the whole league. The team is still fighting (and looking tired) but it's obvious we are going to struggle against good teams. Can't wait to finish the season, get everyone healthy and watch meaningful games.

 

[MT Steve]

So we are 4th and you still complain about the team.

My point
-
-
-
-
Your head

 

[bopahull]

OK, this was a WTF kind of game, the Jazz need to go home, get to bed and forget this one.
Get up and go back to work tomorrow

 

[latin jazz]

One comment I want to make about this.

It seems to me that when any random defender swipes down at any random ball handler or any random defender reaches in against any random ball handler that there is often a foul called. Whether a foul actually happened or not it gets called a high percentage of the time.

Except with bojan. Defenders are always swiping down at the ball or reaching at the ball when he is driving and they almost never call a foul. It's like he is treated differently than ever other player in the NBA in that particular scenario.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

Tonight I was thinking that swiping down at the ball (or wrist) on a Bogie drive must be on top of the opposing team's scouting report.

 

[MT Steve]

Tonight we didn't. Off nights do happen.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

Off nights do happen. Calling this an off night is generous.

A team, (any team), failing to score 100 against the 29th ranked defense is a thing that only happens twice in an entire season.

Like, we can be optimistic going forward, but let's not sugar coat this. The team performed miserably, beyond miserably, in a huge game.

I just hope this doesn't result in the Lakers getting the 8th seed. I used to be optimistic about that matchup, but with Mitchell/Conley still out, and with AD suddenly looking like he did last season, I do not think that's a series we would escape. And quite frankly, I just don't trust this team to stay composed in big moments.

 

[fishonjazz]

Off nights do happen. Calling this an off night is generous.

A team, (any team), failing to score 100 against the 29th ranked defense is a thing that only happens twice in an entire season.

Like, we can be optimistic going forward, but let's not sugar coat this. The team performed miserably, beyond miserably, in a huge game.

I just hope this doesn't result in the Lakers getting the 8th seed. I used to be optimistic about that matchup, but with Mitchell/Conley still out, and with AD suddenly looking like he did last season, I do not think that's a series we would escape. And quite frankly, I just don't trust this team to stay composed in big moments.

I don't think this was a huge game. If it was then I think Conley and Mitchell would have played.
I think the jazz think they can win the next two and get the #1 seed and I think they are probably even ok with getting the 2 seed.

It was definitely an off night. I mean unless someone thinks it was an on night?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[MT Steve]

I don't think this was a huge game.

It could easily be the difference between a 1st round exit and a WCF appearance. Had we won, there was a fantastic chance the Lakers finished 6th. Now they're practically guaranteed to be in the play-in.

We're one hot Curry night away from playing LeBron/AD in the 1st round.

 

[fishonjazz]

It could easily be the difference between a 1st round exit and a WCF appearance. Had we won, there was a fantastic chance the Lakers finished 6th. Now they're practically guaranteed to be in the play-in.

We're one hot Curry night away from playing LeBron/AD in the 1st round.

I see that you think it was a big game. Im not going to argue that. I believe you.
I don't think the jazz saw it as a big game. You typically don't play an undrafted rookie pg who can't shoot big minutes in a big game.

That mattered way more to the blazers than the jazz.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[MT Steve]

I see that you think it was a big game. Im not going to argue that. I believe you.
I don't think the jazz saw at as a big game. You thought don't play an undrafted rookie pg who can't shoot big minutes in a big game.

That mattered way more to the blazers than the jazz.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

If the Jazz saw it as a big game they would've brought back Conley at minimum.

The truth is, I don't think the 1 seed is super at stake. I think we'll win comfortably at OKC and, if necessary, at Sacramento.

The terrifying thing to me is that the Jazz have already decided they're going to use the 1st round to get Conley and Mitchell up to speed, and against the Lakers, such a strategy probably means the end of our season.

 

[fishonjazz]

If the Jazz saw it as a big game they would've brought back Conley at minimum.

The truth is, I don't think the 1 seed is super at stake. I think we'll win comfortably at OKC and, if necessary, at Sacramento.

The terrifying thing to me is that the Jazz have already decided they're going to use the 1st round to get Conley and Mitchell up to speed, and against the Lakers, such a strategy probably means the end of our season.

Your first 2 comments: Yep that's what i have been saying. We are in agreement.

On your second comment I disagree. I don't think they will use the first round to get Conley and mitchell up to speed. I think they will use the week of practice for that and they will be up to speed in game 1 of the first round.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using JazzFanz mobile app

 

[Hekate]

It could easily be the difference between a 1st round exit and a WCF appearance. Had we won, there was a fantastic chance the Lakers finished 6th. Now they're practically guaranteed to be in the play-in.

We're one hot Curry night away from playing LeBron/AD in the 1st round.

They aren't exactly destroying the Rockets right now. This may have been the case even with a Jazz win.

 

[latin jazz]

The opponents were:

Suns (6th best defense)
Raptors (16th best defense)
Spurs x2 (13th best defense)
Nuggets (11th best defense)
Rockets (27th best defense)
Warriors (5th best defense)

Overall, it was against opponents with above average defense.


LMAO. Portland has the 29th ranked defense. Are you seriously not aware of this?

Being the second team all season to fail to score 100 against the 29th ranked defense in a big game is a major yikes. There is no other way to spin this.

Portland has improved a lot during the last couple of weeks and playing hard to avoid the play-in. It's not the same team we destroyed earlier in the season. And, we are not the same team either. We are not healthy, we are tired, we are playing guys who shouldn't be getting minutes. But hey, according to you, that is choking! Maybe they are better, healthier and less tired at this juncture?

Again, not having enough firepower means we don't have enough weapons (or ways) to score. You remove one of those Bogie or JC dynamite games, and we probably lose. Our margin of error is thin. In the past, we could escape a poor shooting game like tonight by getting to the basket, scoring in transition. Also, unlike earlier in the season, we are playing guys that can't score and good teams are prepared for it. Give credit to Portland, they actually disrupted our play and we couldn't exploit Kanter or Melo (a different history with Donovan or Mike instead or Forrest or Oni).

 

[MT Steve]

Portland has improved a lot during the last couple of weeks and playing hard to avoid the play-in. It's not the same team we destroyed earlier in the season. And, we are not the same team either. We are not healthy, we are tired, we are playing guys who shouldn't be getting minutes. But hey, according to you, that is choking! Maybe they are better, healthier and less tired at this juncture?

Houston put up 130 on them earlier this week with a significantly more injured team.

Can we at least keep the discussion based in reality?

 

[MT Steve]

They aren't exactly destroying the Rockets right now. This may have been the case even with a Jazz win.

They don't have LeBron or AD tonight and are still going to win.

They would have had both in their last two games. I say "would have", because now that we've basically guaranteed they can't pass Portland, they might opt to rest them.

 

[latin jazz]

Houston put up 130 on them earlier this week with a significantly more injured team.

Can we at least keep the discussion based in reality?

Why are the Rockets relevant to Jazz games? Because they scored 129 points against Portland? How is that relevant? Houston also scored 143 and 136 against the Bucks in the last few days. That means Milwaukee's defense sucks?. Or if we play the Bucks, we must score 180?

We are talking about the Jazz struggling and the reasons for it. Reality? For you it's all about choking, not having the mental fortitude. Maybe you want to take into account the context? who is getting minutes and who shouldn't?. But oh wait, let's talk about the Rockets scoring 129 on a losing effort. Because if they scored that much, that means we must do the same...if not, it's choking. That's how basketball works I guess...