Archives For Spencer Hall

Jazz steal a wild one from the Nuggets, remain undefeated at home

Spencer Hall —  November 27, 2012 — 1 Comment

Jazz 105 – Nuggets 103
ESPN Recap | Box Score

Where to begin on one of the strangest Jazz home games in recent memory? To paraphrase Stefon, this game had everything: World-class matador defense giving up 65 points in the first half, a home crowd booing their team (and deservedly so) until midway through the third quarter, a star player (Denver’s Iguodala) getting ejected for talking to a referee disguised as Al Jefferson. Coach Ty Corbin getting a technical and being faux-restrained by owner Greg Miller (as seen in the clip above). The Manimal running wild on both ends of the floor. Jamaal Tinsley (15 points, 3-6 on 3s, 35 minutes) playing like it’s 2003. A terrible final play by the Nuggets that had Ty Lawson getting Randy Foye in the air and then inexplicably passing the ball out and running out of time without even getting a shot off. Standing ovations and a wild playoff atmosphere in the fourth quarter. Also, is that Robert Whaley in the crowd?

In the end, Al Jefferson somehow willed the Jazz to the inexplicable win. Jefferson’s team play and unselfishness is wildly underrated. Check out the clip below showing Al Jefferson taking himself out of the final play to give Derrick Favors a chance to defend:

It’s time Jefferson gets more credit for putting the success of the team ahead of his own interests. It’s a rare thing to see a guy in a contract year who goes out of his way to mentor the two guys (Favors and Enes Kanter) who are in position to take his job. In this game specifically, if not for a stellar Jefferson performance (28 points on 10-15 shooting), the Jazz might have been behind by 30 at some point.

The game was also notable for being the second straight game that Paul Millsap didn’t see the floor in the fourth quarter. It pains me to say it, but on this night it was the right choice. Millsap got abused all night long by the Manimal and finished with just 5 points and 5 rebounds. After the Jazz gave up roughly 7,000 points in the paint in the first half (actually 46, but still a ridiculous parade of dunks and layups), something had to change.

Speaking of change, what’s happened to Gordon Hayward? I make a lot of jokes about his performance always being directly tied to school breaks at Butler, so I’ll give him a few more post-Thanksgiving games before ringing the alarm on his disappearing act. 4 points in 28 minutes isn’t getting it done.

Derrick Favors, on the other hand, was a beast. His 19 points and 7 rebounds off the bench were a beautiful thing to watch, as was his battle with the aforementioned Manimal.

Also great to see a vintage performance by Jamaal Tinsley. The best part about watching an old man like Tinsley be successful is the way he plays to his strengths. The flaws in his game are obvious to anyone paying attention, but he’s disciplined enough to stick to the things he does well (limiting turnovers, getting guys easy baskets in transition, working hard to improve his outside shot, making a strong effort on defense even if he’s overmatched).

A great result despite the emotional roller coaster. All that matters is the W and somehow the Jazz are 8-7 and still undefeated at home. Up next this week: At New Orleans on Wednesday, at OKC on Friday, and at Houston on Saturday.

In NBA, Utah Jazz
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Jazz 102 – Rockets 91: Player Grades

Spencer Hall —  November 19, 2012 — 2 Comments
Houston Rockets 91 Final

Recap | Box Score

 102 Utah Jazz
Paul Millsap, PF 26 MIN | 4-9 FG | 2-2 FT | 8 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | -1A solid/decent game from Paul, despite the slow start. Luckily, Omer Asik provided lots of room for the Jazz bigs to move around.
Derrick Favors, PF 23 MIN | 2-7 FG | 4-4 FT | 8 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +10Favors- Not a great offensive play and needs to stay out of foul trouble early, but his defense was great; He blocked shots but there were many more contested shots that forced misses. A-
Al Jefferson, C 27 MIN | 4-12 FG | 6-7 FT | 16 REB | 2 AST | 14 PTS | 0Monstar [intended Space Jam spelling] game on the boards, which made up for an unimpressive offensive game.
Randy Foye, PG 24 MIN | 4-11 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 14 PTS | -5Foye has impeccable timing with is 3s and always keeps the team and the fans happy. The calls for Burks are quieting with every solid performance by Foye.
Mo Williams, PG 27 MIN | 4-11 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 7 AST | 8 PTS | -3Mo Williams is really fast.
Marvin Williams, PF 25 MIN | 4-9 FG | 1-2 FT | 4 REB | 1 AST | 12 PTS | +18Marvin gets an “A” for admitting to the media that he was in the bathroom at tip-off and was caught off guard when he had to replace Favors, who picked up two quick fouls in the first minute of the game.
Jeremy Evans, SF 5 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-1 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
DeMarre Carroll, SF 13 MIN | 4-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 3 AST | 8 PTS | +11Another game where he is the highlight of the second team. His hustle D created turnovers and great fast breaks.
Enes Kanter, C 21 MIN | 3-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 8 REB | 3 AST | 6 PTS | +11Kanter deserves credit for an amazingly athletic alley-oop finish and it doesn’t matter what he did the rest of the game. Also gets points for being the best turk on the floor.
Jamaal Tinsley, PG 21 MIN | 1-4 FG | 0-0 FT | 5 REB | 11 AST | 3 PTS | +14The “Jamaal Tinsley hasn’t scored since…” meme was pretty funny, but I’m on board for the passing and stay for the playground handle. He’s not a shooter, but it’s a pleasure to watch a true pass-first point guard do his thing. It’s worth every turnover.
Alec Burks, PG 5 MIN | 0-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 0 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
Kevin Murphy, SG 4 MIN | 1-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -8“A” for getting in the game.
Gordon Hayward, SG 19 MIN | 5-12 FG | 4-5 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 15 PTS | +24Let history remember this as the night Gordon Hayward threw down a spicy behind-the-head dunk. Some nice moments from G-Time leading the second unit after the first unit again came out flat.
In Utah Jazz ,
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On James Harden and hypothetical team building

Spencer Hall —  November 16, 2012 — 4 Comments

By Matt Pacenza, special to Salt City Hoops

Something exceedingly rare happened a few weeks ago: an NBA team voluntarily traded a young star on the cusp of greatness.

The impact of the momentous trade of shooting guard James Harden to the Houston Rockets has only grown since Oct. 28. In his first eight games, the 23-year-old Bearded One surprised everyone–everyone not named Daryl Morey, apparently–as he smoothly stepped into his new role as Houston’s number one option. He’s averaging nearly 27-5-5, putting up vintage Dwyane Wadian statistics, and is in a virtual tie with Kobe Bryant to lead the league in points per game–easily exceeding the numbers he put up as the Oklahoma City Thunder’s third banana.

Of course, all the small sample-size caveats apply – it’s only been eight games! – but the trade and subsequent five-year contract extension looks like a franchise-invigorating move for the Rockets. Even if Harden tails off, he’ll likely be an indisputable All Star and one of the 15 best players in the league.

Now, here’s the question for Jazz fans: Could the Jazz brain trust – GMs Kevin O’Connor and Dennis Lindsey and CFO/Capologist Bob Hyde – have put together an even better offer for Harden?

Yes.

The Harden trade could go down as a huge missed opportunity, a rare chance for a small market team to take advantage of the constraints of the NBA’s new economic system to land a superstar.

Continue Reading…

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Jazz drop close one in Boston, Hayward silences KG

Spencer Hall —  November 15, 2012 — Leave a comment

The Jazz missed a perfect chance to steal a win in Boston last night, but failed to take advantage after Rajon Rondo left with an injury. Also, someday I’d like to replay the final few minutes and maybe not have Mo Williams take every shot, but that’s how it went.

There were still several things to like, however. My favorite this was the play featured in the accompanying video clips. Gordon Hayward stepped up after some lame taunting from Kevin Garnett (and Jason Terry, pitching in from the bench) and hit a big shot over the top. David Locke had a great call on the radio–dropping a little Ludacris for emphasis. On the TV side, Matt Harpring was clearly offended in proxy by Garnett’s antics and emphatically approved of Hayward’s response.

Now it’s on to Philadelphia for a Friday matchup with the Sixers. The Jazz are at 4-5, so after the Sixers game we’ll look back at the first 10 games and check in with our oddsmaker Geoff Beckstrom for a prognosis for the next 10.

In Utah Jazz , , ,
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Some highlights from Jazz-Mavs

Spencer Hall —  November 2, 2012 — 1 Comment
2012-13-DALatUTA01

Photo by matthewryan

2012-13-fisheye-view-of-arena-pyrotechnics

It’s a little late, but I wanted to preserve a few things for posterity. The third quarter of this game was a thing of beauty–may all teams coming into Salt Lake be on the second night of a back-to-back. Regardless of a worn-out opponent, there were a lot of things to like. I’ve included a few of them below:

It was a night for the newcomers: Marvin and Mo Williams each scored 21 points and hit two 3s, Randy Foye hit two of his own, and rookie Kevin Murphy scored his first NBA points. Jerry Sloan was in the crowd and all seemed right with the world on a warm Halloween night.

Dallas Mavericks 94 Final

Recap | Box Score

 113 Utah Jazz
Marvin Williams, PF 30 MIN | 7-13 FG | 5-5 FT | 3 REB | 1 AST | 21 PTS | +9
Paul Millsap, PF 33 MIN | 5-12 FG | 3-4 FT | 15 REB | 3 AST | 13 PTS | +18
Gordon Hayward, SF 24 MIN | 4-10 FG | 3-5 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 11 PTS | +1
Al Jefferson, C 29 MIN | 4-11 FG | 4-4 FT | 14 REB | 2 AST | 12 PTS | +8
Mo Williams, PG 30 MIN | 7-16 FG | 5-5 FT | 2 REB | 6 AST | 21 PTS | +19
Kevin Murphy, SG 2 MIN | 1-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 0 AST | 2 PTS | -1

It was very cool to hear Kevin Murphy describe how it felt to score his first points in a real NBA game: “I’ve been dreaming about this day since I was six.”
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2012-13 Jazz Season Predictions

Spencer Hall —  October 31, 2012 — 8 Comments

With the first game of the 2012-13 season only a few hours away, it’s time to go on record with predictions. This season we’ll be using a clever breakdown by Geoff Beckstrom (@vegasstats) that shows what games are must-win for the Jazz to finish with a certain number of wins. We’ll check in with Geoff every ten games for a progress update and a preview of the next ten.

Here’s how it works:

The Jazz play every team in the Eastern Conference twice–once at home and once on the road. They play every team in the Western Conference four times, except the Lakers, San Antonio, Dallas, and Golden State, which they only play three times (indicated by black boxes in the chart below). The chart shows the games the Jazz must win in order to finish the season with at least 45 wins (indicated in yellow). Historically, the 8th seed in the West must win at least 46 games to qualify for the playoffs. Geoff breaks down which games the Jazz will have to win to stay on pace to beat that mark.

Screen Shot 2012-10-31 at 4.49.37 PM

Continue Reading…

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Fan interview with Jazz president Randy Rigby

Spencer Hall —  October 29, 2012 — 2 Comments
randy-rigby-collage

All images copyright NBAE (Photos by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

By Alan Zaugg
Special to Salt City Hoops

[Editor's note: Alan Zaugg is a life-long Jazz fan and a friend of Jazz president Randy Rigby. Zaugg got the chance to sit down with Rigby in his office and talk about the Jazz. The following is the transcript from the interview. You can follow @jedizaugg on twitter.]

—

Training Camp And Preseason:

Alan Zaugg: What are your thoughts on training camp, especially now that Ty [Corbin] gets his first full camp and preseason? And what has been his approach?

Randy Rigby: I’ve been very happy with our training camp. We’ve had a full, almost month to be able to really work as a team and come together. I was extremely happy as well with the work that was done even before training camp with our work and players out at P3 in Santa Barbara. It brought them in in better shape and better conditioning and Ty has really been organized and the coaching staff has really maximized the time with our training camp. We’ve worked really hard defensively and that’s been an area we want to improve on. We felt we needed to have a good training camp because we have brought in a lot of new players into our system so we needed some time to really come together as a team.

AZ: There are a lot of players who have come into camp in really good shape. Players seem to be in much better shape. Quicker, more athletic. Al Jefferson and Enes Kanter to name a few.

RR: Kanter’s improved. Millsap’s improved. Every one of our players who has utilized P3 we’ve seen improvement in their skill sets and their abilities and that’s something we hope to build on. It’s very important for us and very important for them and their careers. It’s a win/win.

Continue Reading…

In Utah Jazz
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Stockton and Malone enter the Utah Sports Hall of Fame

Spencer Hall —  October 24, 2012 — 1 Comment

via KSL / @jjsportsbeat

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Preseason Game 5: Clippers 96 – Jazz 94

Spencer Hall —  October 18, 2012 — 2 Comments

No grades from this game, even though I was thoroughly entertained. The only thing that needs to be remembered for posterity is the Jeremy Evans Block/Dunk/Steal end-to-end-to-end play shown above.

The boxscore shows that the Jazz missed a lot of free throws (20-31) and missed a lot of open shots (33-81) and probably only stayed in the game due to hitting eight threes (shoutout to John Hollinger). Randy Foye lead the team in scoring with with 17 in his return to Staples, and Enes Kanter again lead the team in rebounds with nine. Check the nice writeup by Kevin Arnovitz.

Even though the Clippers were fresh off a big trip to China, it looked like the Jazz were the jet-lagged team. Lots of fumbled catches, poor passes, silly turnovers, and defensive lapses. In other words, it was a very preseasony preseason game from an execution standpoint. What I liked, however, was the chippy vibe. It may have been a meaningless exhibition, but I liked the way Blake Griffin and Paul Millsap were going at each other like it was a playoff game. I’ve been saying for a minute that the Clippers are more unlikable than the Lakers, and Wednesday’s game seemed to show that the Jazz players feel similarly. With all the Griffin faces and complaining and whining, it’s remarkable that no one just walks up and slaps him, just to tell him to snap out of it.

That’s not to say I don’t enjoy watching Griffin and Chris Paul do their thing–I just don’t think anyone wants to watch Griffin transform his on-court persona into a horrible amalgamation of the worst parts of Tim Duncan’s incredulous stare, Kevin Garnett’s intimidation tactics and bullying, and Chris Paul’s victim playing and flopping. Come on, Blake. You’re better than this.

The only upside to his nonsense is the budding rivalry between the two teams. Luckily for us, the two teams meet again on Saturday in Salt Lake. Can’t wait.

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Preseason Game 4: Jazz 114 – Lakers 80

Spencer Hall —  October 17, 2012 — 1 Comment

I loved everything about this game. I don’t even care that it’s the preseason. Anytime the Jazz can win by 34 points and the home fans still get to watch a vintage Kobe performance, everybody wins. It was a great night to have Karl Malone visiting the NBA TV studio, too.

These grades are admittedly ridiculous, but with 11 players scoring at least 8 points, it was a rare exhibition of near perfection for the last three quarters from the Jazz. The new up-tempo style looks like it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch, if this game is any indication. With such a deep bench, the fast speed might be the key to getting more players involved. The Jazz may not have a superstar, but they have a ton of players waiting to get some run. I’m hoping for some breakneck speed and five-man line changes.

Utah Jazz 114 Final
Recap | Box Score		 80 Los Angeles Lakers
Marvin Williams, F 22 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 10 PTS | +17

Beautiful
Paul Millsap, F 22 MIN | 3-8 FG | 2-2 FT | 7 REB | 1 AST | 8 PTS | +11

Amazing
Gordon Hayward, F 19 MIN | 4-8 FG | 3-3 FT | 1 REB | 3 AST | 13 PTS | +10

Brilliant
Al Jefferson, C 22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 6-6 FT | 7 REB | 2 AST | 12 PTS | +14

Spectacular
Jamaal Tinsley, G 22 MIN | 3-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 2 AST | 8 PTS | +14

Awesome
Derrick Favors, F 22 MIN | 3-3 FG | 4-5 FT | 5 REB | 4 AST | 10 PTS | +24

Fantastic
DeMarre Carroll, F 17 MIN | 4-8 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 4 AST | 8 PTS | +21

Beautiful
Enes Kanter, C 19 MIN | 4-5 FG | 2-3 FT | 6 REB | 1 AST | 10 PTS | +25

Beautiful
Alec Burks, G 23 MIN | 4-4 FG | 3-6 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 12 PTS | +20

Genius
Kevin Murphy, G 12 MIN | 3-4 FG | 2-2 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 8 PTS | +1

Awesome
Randy Foye, G 18 MIN | 4-9 FG | 0-0 FT | 3 REB | 3 AST | 10 PTS | +25

Awesome
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