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This is what Gr8ness looks like.

According to Craig Bolerjack, last night was a home opener do-over for the Jazz, and he’s dead on. The Jazz were in control of this game from beginning to end. Only 3:45 minutes into the game the Jazz had built a 15-2 lead over Toronto and the rest of the game was like one long layup drill. The Jazz had 25 layups, tip-ins, and dunks for the game. That’s 50 points alone in the paint (not including and-1s). To say the Jazz were executing their offense last night would be an understatement.

Miles after he hits a huge 3. (Ravell Call, Deseret News)

The Jazz looked like a team making a statement & atoning for their 20 point loss at home. This was their mea culpa. There were some phenomenal plays: the outlet pass to Kirilenko that was tipped to Ronnie Price for a dunk that ended the 1st half… or the 3 pointer that CJ banked in while floating to his left to end the 3rd quarter (granted, this shot was made possible thanks to DeRozan stepping out of bounds in an attempt to put up a 3/4 quarter court shot. Which leads me to ask: when you have the entire court to find spacing for a full court heave, how do you step out of bounds?).

Williams stood at the helm of the Jazz machine. He was amazing. Falling two rebounds short of a triple double, he finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 14 assists, and 2 steals.

There was a scare during the game with Millsap going down on his ankle and limping off the court. He was immediately attended to and took a quick trip to the locker room, but ultimately returned to finish the game because, well, that is what Millsap does (I dare say that not even a big bag hiding in a dark room could stop Millsap).

Speaking of gym bags… good costume idea for Halloween next year for you and a +1: One of you dress up like Boozer and the other as a gym bag. Your Jazz friends will love you.

Once again Jeffer-Sap (1 Jefferson + 1 Millsap = 1 Jeffer-Sap) was a “beast.” They finished with 43 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 block. Jeffer-Sap could have had more rebounds but D-Will was doing what D-Will usually does: he was dominating.

CJ Miles once again came off the bench as a big 6th man scorer. CJ had 19 including 5-6 from 3 point range. It seems that as long as CJ stays out of foul trouble he is a dependable scoring threat. He’s shooting a ridiculous 57.1% from 3 point range. There’s no way that’ll keep up but if he can stay in the 40% range then the Jazz will have found a dependable deep threat. Add a healthy Okur off the bench and the Jazz will be fine in the outside shooting department.

The Jazz will travel to bay area this Friday to take on the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is at 10:30 PM eastern time.

[Update]

Enjoy Ronnie Price’s Left Hand Hammer:

This is what 3-0 looks like. It's similar to what 0-3 looks like. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

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By Fareed Taghvaee
Special to Salt City Hoops
Follow @tag_fareed

Despite a late rally by the Phoenix Suns, the Utah Jazz held on in Arizona to beat the Phoenix Suns 105-100 in preseason action. The Jazz were paced by Al Jefferson with 16 points and 5 rebounds, CJ Miles scored 13, and Othyus Jeffers added 12. The two teams meet again on Thursday at Energy Solutions Arena….and on TV, no less! (FSN Utah at 7:00 local time).

Who makes the Roster?

Although Jeremy Evans is clearly a fan favorite, and Ryan Thompson has the family pedigree, I am going out on a limb and predicting that Othyus Jeffers will make this team. The reason Wesley Matthews made the Jazz last season as an undrafted rookie (aside from the injuries) was he accepted his role, was cool, calm, collected and did what he needed to do to make the roster. Though he’s clearly no Matthews, there is only one Jazz player playing this way thus far, and it is Jeffers. He’s the guard version of Houston’s Chuck Hayes. He is under-sized, cannot shoot, but is all hustle; he is Rudy personified. He busts his butt when he is in the game and gets all of his points and stats through the flow of the offense. Thus far he is the only wing that is actually moving without the ball and cutting to the basket. There is a lot of time left, but I am calling my shot that Jeffers makes this team. One gigantic factor will be the contract issue. He stands to make roughly $600,000 more than Ryan Thompson this season.

Just when I thought you couldn’t possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this… and totally redeem yourself!

Last night I was ready to totally write off Demetris Nichols (and in fact I did), but he shook off his poor night and came to play in his first opportunity with extended minutes. He played some great help defense and hit some big shots while Utah made a rally in the second and tried to hold onto their lead in the fourth.

Gordon Hayward is a gamer. He struggled again with foul trouble and his offensive game, but managed to make a positive impact with his intangibles. His playmaking abilities in the Jazz half court sets are going to make him a great asset for this team. If he can learn to score within the offense (Harpring curl, Korver spot up) he will be a beast. A white, cherubic, beast.

Kosta Koufos is relegated to vocal exercise for Tas and Skeets and hoping for garbage time in Minnesota, but Jeremy Evans will bear the torch for fans of Boom Beaches [sic] everywhere. He scored 6 points (off 2 dunks) and snagged an offensive rebound in less than two minutes. [Editor's note: That comparison should in no way be interpreted to mean that Koufos was some kind of offensive microwave.]

Color me unimpressed with Ryan Thompson. He seems like a solid player, but he doesn’t stand out in anyway.

Best of the Rest:

Deron Williams and Paul Millsap were under the radar, and some could voice concern over Millsap’s back-to-back quiet nights. It’s early in the preseason, Millsap has struggled while Jefferson seems to be finding his place after a slow start. Part of that has to do with foul trouble, but the Millsap Paradox seems to be on display.

AK continues his steady play having 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block. It is worth noting that Fes, AK and Raja Bell were in the second unit for the second straight night.

Raja Bell could quietly have a big year. If he can defend and hit his shots he could easily have a 12 ppg season.

Fes impressed tonight because he played through adversity and had a good night for a backup. Fes needs to buy into a role. If he does nothing more than simply rebound, defend, and slam home the ball on offense it will be a huge win for the Jazz. He was trying to be too cute tonight, which might be his basketball epitaph if he doesn’t counter with beastly play on the court.

Backup Battle:

The battle at point guard between Ronnie Price and Earl Watson is interesting to say the least. Sloan doesn’t care about playing a certain player first or last. In the past he has played the veteran PG later in the game. In fact, Ronnie Price played the similar role last season. Price was great tonight. His unit was by the far the most efficient for the Jazz and brought them back from a sluggish start to finish the half up. He finished the game with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists (all in the second quarter). Earl Watson has been steady, but with no sizzle.

What up Doe?

CJ Miles again has a Jekyll and Hyde first and second halves. M.I.A. in one half and explode in the second. Inconsistency and CJ Miles go hand in hand. Once again are bound for another season marred by inconsistency and faux hope? Hopefully Miles builds on his excellent playoff series and does not revert to his previous self.