The Reality Check: Spurs 102 – Jazz 90

Josh Howard actually played a decent game during limited minutes, but the fact that a player like Howard played any minutes at all against the Spurs showed the talent disparity between the two teams.

Millsap has had an incredible season, and I sincerely hope that in Game 4, win or lose, he can attain some sort of redemption. His last two games have been terrific failures, but he should be remembered for the periods during this season when he carried the team.

So many jumpshots. Duncan intimidated Al away from the basket, and the result was devastating for the flow of the Jazz offense. Big Al’s line looks solid, but his stats are deceiving. The man is an eFG% nightmare. He never gets to the line and takes far too many 15-18 footers. This was by far Big Al’s best game of the series, which should tell you just how ugly its been for the Jazz.

One of this game’s many tragedies was that Devin Harris’s gutsy effort went unrewarded. Harris left it all on the court, and as a true microcosm of the series, it wasn’t nearly enough.

Hayward’s miserable shooting slump could not have come at a worse time. He bricked all five of his three pointers and could not earn enough penetration from San Antonio’s D to compensate. He played admirable defense on Tony Parker for a few stretches and affected the game with his passing, but tonight, the Jazz desperately needed offense, and Hayward did not provide.

The Jazz have been playing with house money with Tinsley, and he’s been a serviceable back-up point guard for much of the season (and occasionally, a joy to watch). Unfortunately, against a team like the Spurs, serviceable players turn into match-up disasters. Tinsley’s assists were nice, but besides those, he brought almost nothing to the table.

See Howard, Josh.

Favors played his heart out, and for the greater part of the second quarter, he was the offensive and defensive anchor for the team. His free throw shooting was awful, and he couldn’t buy a bucket in the second half, but to get 15 points and 11 boards against this Spurs defense on sheer talent represents a beacon of hope for the Jazz’s future.

Burks showed off an impressive mid-range game tonight, and actually made free throws (shocking, I know). From a developmental standpoint though, Burks needs to understand that his elite athleticism is wasted if he’s always shooting jump shots.