Heading to the Big Easy
by Myles Nelson » Sun Jul 08, 2012 1:40 pm
Yeah, that was pretty unexpected. Awesome, and I love it, but very unexpected.
Writer of Heading to the Big Easy (DDSPB3), Rising to the Top of the Pac-12 (DDSCB2), and Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Piston's Glory (DDSPB2).
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by Myles Nelson » Mon Jul 09, 2012 3:47 am
Found out why. Only took 6 shots, went 0-6, and broke his nose in the 1st quarter.
Writer of Heading to the Big Easy (DDSPB3), Rising to the Top of the Pac-12 (DDSCB2), and Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Piston's Glory (DDSPB2).
- Myles Nelson
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by PointGuard » Mon Jul 09, 2012 12:55 pm
buddy wrote:way to go in round 1! no better way to win a series than take out the opponents best playerremember that tactic for round 2!
Wasn't that the New Orleans Saints motto?
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by Myles Nelson » Mon Jul 09, 2012 2:20 pm
PointGuard wrote:Wasn't that the New Orleans Saints motto?
Shoot, they are on to us! I knew we shouldn't have hired Mike Vilma!
Writer of Heading to the Big Easy (DDSPB3), Rising to the Top of the Pac-12 (DDSCB2), and Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Piston's Glory (DDSPB2).
- Myles Nelson
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by Tim Moungey » Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:00 am
*looks very pleased to see the 17-7 turnover margin* Unfortunately, it appears we're starting to get a bit away from Jestorball with pending NLL deals.
Glad to see you've been picking up the dynasty torch, Myles.
Glad to see you've been picking up the dynasty torch, Myles.
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by Myles Nelson » Tue Jul 10, 2012 1:09 pm
Tim Moungey wrote:*looks very pleased to see the 17-7 turnover margin* Unfortunately, it appears we're starting to get a bit away from Jestorball with pending NLL deals.
Glad to see you've been picking up the dynasty torch, Myles.
Funny you bring up Jestorball, I haven't even thought what style of play my team will run, despite basically having the ability to mold this team however I like.
Writer of Heading to the Big Easy (DDSPB3), Rising to the Top of the Pac-12 (DDSCB2), and Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Piston's Glory (DDSPB2).
- Myles Nelson
- Posts: 989
- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:43 pm
by Myles Nelson » Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:51 pm
After getting a big win in the first round over the Thunder (and a very unexpected win too, as if I were a betting man I would have bet against my own team), we face the young Jazz. The Jazz are pretty stacked, with a good starter at every position, a lot of size, and a lot of youth. In a lot of ways, they are a lot like us. They just have a lot more talent.
Do the experts think we can pull off another upset?
Point Guard
Jeremy Lin vs. Grevis Vasquez
Lin isn't anywhere near as good as Westbrook is, but his defense is very comparable: 94.7% STOP. Lin is also a good scorer and distributor, averaging 17/7 in the regular season. Vasquez can afford to sag off on him a little bit, but Lin will be the superior point guard here.
Vasquez was quite the star in the first round, averaging 18 points and 6 assists, including that 35 point outburst in game 5. However, his defense was atrocious, as he only stopped 29.4% of drives. If he continues up that pace, he'll allow much more damage defensively than he'll cause offensively.
Advantage: Jazz
Shooting Guard
Devin Harris vs. Eric Gordon
Harris is a PG masquerading as a SG, but he's done a decent enough job moving over. His defense is great, stopping 95% of drives, and though he struggled to adjust to the two spot, he was the 5th option on offense anyway which made that problem a little less of an issue.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Gordon is a short SG who can't take advantage of the size advantage most SGs would have over Harris. What Gordon does bring to the table though is dynamic offense, the kind of offense that can overcome Harris's good defense. Gordon has a great mid range game, so Harris's ability to stop drives may not play a huge role here.
Advantage: Hornets
Small Forward
Paul Millsap vs. Shawn Marion
Millsap is a much bigger SF than most, and that's because he's really a PF. His lack of outside shooting may be his biggest problem at the perimeter position, but his size allows the Jazz to get more rebounds than most teams, and to pack the paint better defensively.
Marion is a lot like Millsap, a combo forward who has seen a lot of time both at small forward and power forward in his career. Marion is a bit quicker and a better outside shooter than Millsap, but he can't muscle Millsap out of the key or outrebound him.
Advantage: Draw
Power Forward
Kevin Garnett vs. Anthony Davis
Fifteen years ago, Garnett was exactly what Davis is now. A skinny power forward who took a lot of jump shots, played fantastic defense, and could really handle and pass the ball well. Now, Garnett is a bit slowed down, but he's still a fantastic player.
If Davis turns into anything like Garnett came to be, then he'll be a Hall of Famer for sure. However, in this postseason series, Garnett will use his experience to keep Davis guessing, and given Davis's struggles in the first round, it's possible that the pressure is getting to him.
Advantage: Jazz
Center
Al Jefferson vs. Jason Thompson
Jefferson will bully Thompson, there's no other way to say it. Jefferson is a masterful offensive talent, a good defensive player, and a good rebounder. Thompson may be slightly quicker, but he won't be able to stand up to Jefferson.
Thompson will have to switch it up this series, using his quickness and face up game to get around Jefferson to the basket. He may get fatigued though, from having to work so hard defensively to contain Jefferson.
Advantage: Jazz
Bench
The Jazz bench, while they don't have anyone like the Thunder did in James Harden, contain quite a few young monsters. Most notably, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward. Favors will be a great big man one day and Hayward has the talent to be a more consistent Lamar Odom type. Their best backup though, is former Hornet Jarrett Jack. Jack is averaging 13 points per game on over 50% shooting with good handles. He's highly underrated, and a great 6th man.
Luis Scola averaged a double double in the first round, and he plays more than Jason Thompson does. Austin Rivers had a very efficient series, scoring 9 points per game and notching 3 assists per game. Xavier Henry was an efficient scorer as well, and that's about it for the Hornet bench.
Advantage: Draw
Final Thoughts
The Jazz match up very well with this young Hornets team, and any strength that they bring, the Jazz can match or top. Unless the Hornets bounty system continues, look for them to bow out early.
Prediction: Jazz in 5
The Jazz are certainly deeper than the Thunder were last series, so that could negate our bench depth. However, if Scola and Gordon can continue to play well, and Vasquez can pick up his defense, and particularly if Anthony Davis can play the way we know he can, then we might just stand a chance.
Game One
Our inability to get to the basket really showed, as Gordon was pressured into a 6/22 shooting night, Scola was held to 6/16 and one rebound short of his 7th straight double double, and overall forced to shoot 24 three pointers, only connected on 7 of them. Austin Rivers has continued to show he can step up in the postseason, as he scored 15 points on 7 shots and added 8 assists. Jarrett Jack made us pay for trading him, scoring 24 points, and 5 other Jazz scored at least 12 points.
Hornets 93 Jazz 105
Game Two
Scola and Davis both had double doubles, Gordon dropped 27 points on 22 shots, and Thompson added 14 points as well. The problems? We sent them to the line 27 times and turned the ball over 19 times, leading to our demise, albeit a better result this time around.
Hornets 103 Jazz 114
Jeremy Lin sprained his ankle, giving even more credence to the "bounty" conspiracies...
Game Three
At home, it seemed as though Anthony Davis and Jason Thompson got together and resolved that they were tired of being bullied around, and came out on fire in game three! They combined for 48 points and 24 rebounds, and held the trio of Millsap, Garnett and Jefferson to 13/36 shooting from the floor. That was the main, big reason for our huge blowout home win.
Jazz 88 Hornets 111
Game Four
Like I've said before, we are a much different team at home than on the road. At home, we play with ease, we play with confidence, we play to win. Marion had a double double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Scola got his 8th double double in the playoffs, Gordon had 22 points, and the loss of Lin has really hurt the Jazz.
Jazz 81 Hornets 117
Miami has continued their domination and swept the Hawks, putting them at 8-0 in this postseason.
Game Five
Lin came back but was clearly hampered, and the Jazz just couldn't get anything going. Their spirit may be broken, as they shot only 34%, were outrebounded 51-38, and allowed us to shoot 52% from the field. Gordon had 31 points, Davis had 16/11, and we take a commanding 3-2 lead heading home.
Hornets 111 Jazz 77
The Celtics polished off the Knicks in 5 games, setting up a rematch in the East of the Heat/Celtics, a strong rivalry that will continue on.
Game Six
Man... same scenario as the first series. At home for game six, with the opportunity to move on to the Western Conference Finals? Ridiculous. Can we keep up the strong play, or will the Jazz finally step it up? Another big rebounding deficit, 51-40, another poor shooting night, 39.5%, and the Jazz are going home for the rest of the year! We move on to the Conference Finals! 29 points from Gordon, 22 points from Davis, and we show that we are a team to be feared in the West!
Jazz 86 Hornets 103
As Kanye West said in his song Appalled, "Man this sh*t is... f*cking ridiculous." And it is. A team expected to finish at the bottom of the West coming back to win two postseason series is certainly incredible.
We'll be moving on to face the Clippers, a highly dangerous team that manhandled us during the regular season. Can we continue our streak?
Do the experts think we can pull off another upset?
Point Guard
Jeremy Lin vs. Grevis Vasquez
Lin isn't anywhere near as good as Westbrook is, but his defense is very comparable: 94.7% STOP. Lin is also a good scorer and distributor, averaging 17/7 in the regular season. Vasquez can afford to sag off on him a little bit, but Lin will be the superior point guard here.
Vasquez was quite the star in the first round, averaging 18 points and 6 assists, including that 35 point outburst in game 5. However, his defense was atrocious, as he only stopped 29.4% of drives. If he continues up that pace, he'll allow much more damage defensively than he'll cause offensively.
Advantage: Jazz
Shooting Guard
Devin Harris vs. Eric Gordon
Harris is a PG masquerading as a SG, but he's done a decent enough job moving over. His defense is great, stopping 95% of drives, and though he struggled to adjust to the two spot, he was the 5th option on offense anyway which made that problem a little less of an issue.
Unfortunately for the Hornets, Gordon is a short SG who can't take advantage of the size advantage most SGs would have over Harris. What Gordon does bring to the table though is dynamic offense, the kind of offense that can overcome Harris's good defense. Gordon has a great mid range game, so Harris's ability to stop drives may not play a huge role here.
Advantage: Hornets
Small Forward
Paul Millsap vs. Shawn Marion
Millsap is a much bigger SF than most, and that's because he's really a PF. His lack of outside shooting may be his biggest problem at the perimeter position, but his size allows the Jazz to get more rebounds than most teams, and to pack the paint better defensively.
Marion is a lot like Millsap, a combo forward who has seen a lot of time both at small forward and power forward in his career. Marion is a bit quicker and a better outside shooter than Millsap, but he can't muscle Millsap out of the key or outrebound him.
Advantage: Draw
Power Forward
Kevin Garnett vs. Anthony Davis
Fifteen years ago, Garnett was exactly what Davis is now. A skinny power forward who took a lot of jump shots, played fantastic defense, and could really handle and pass the ball well. Now, Garnett is a bit slowed down, but he's still a fantastic player.
If Davis turns into anything like Garnett came to be, then he'll be a Hall of Famer for sure. However, in this postseason series, Garnett will use his experience to keep Davis guessing, and given Davis's struggles in the first round, it's possible that the pressure is getting to him.
Advantage: Jazz
Center
Al Jefferson vs. Jason Thompson
Jefferson will bully Thompson, there's no other way to say it. Jefferson is a masterful offensive talent, a good defensive player, and a good rebounder. Thompson may be slightly quicker, but he won't be able to stand up to Jefferson.
Thompson will have to switch it up this series, using his quickness and face up game to get around Jefferson to the basket. He may get fatigued though, from having to work so hard defensively to contain Jefferson.
Advantage: Jazz
Bench
The Jazz bench, while they don't have anyone like the Thunder did in James Harden, contain quite a few young monsters. Most notably, Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward. Favors will be a great big man one day and Hayward has the talent to be a more consistent Lamar Odom type. Their best backup though, is former Hornet Jarrett Jack. Jack is averaging 13 points per game on over 50% shooting with good handles. He's highly underrated, and a great 6th man.
Luis Scola averaged a double double in the first round, and he plays more than Jason Thompson does. Austin Rivers had a very efficient series, scoring 9 points per game and notching 3 assists per game. Xavier Henry was an efficient scorer as well, and that's about it for the Hornet bench.
Advantage: Draw
Final Thoughts
The Jazz match up very well with this young Hornets team, and any strength that they bring, the Jazz can match or top. Unless the Hornets bounty system continues, look for them to bow out early.
Prediction: Jazz in 5
The Jazz are certainly deeper than the Thunder were last series, so that could negate our bench depth. However, if Scola and Gordon can continue to play well, and Vasquez can pick up his defense, and particularly if Anthony Davis can play the way we know he can, then we might just stand a chance.
Game One
Our inability to get to the basket really showed, as Gordon was pressured into a 6/22 shooting night, Scola was held to 6/16 and one rebound short of his 7th straight double double, and overall forced to shoot 24 three pointers, only connected on 7 of them. Austin Rivers has continued to show he can step up in the postseason, as he scored 15 points on 7 shots and added 8 assists. Jarrett Jack made us pay for trading him, scoring 24 points, and 5 other Jazz scored at least 12 points.
Hornets 93 Jazz 105
Game Two
Scola and Davis both had double doubles, Gordon dropped 27 points on 22 shots, and Thompson added 14 points as well. The problems? We sent them to the line 27 times and turned the ball over 19 times, leading to our demise, albeit a better result this time around.
Hornets 103 Jazz 114
Jeremy Lin sprained his ankle, giving even more credence to the "bounty" conspiracies...
Game Three
At home, it seemed as though Anthony Davis and Jason Thompson got together and resolved that they were tired of being bullied around, and came out on fire in game three! They combined for 48 points and 24 rebounds, and held the trio of Millsap, Garnett and Jefferson to 13/36 shooting from the floor. That was the main, big reason for our huge blowout home win.
Jazz 88 Hornets 111
Game Four
Like I've said before, we are a much different team at home than on the road. At home, we play with ease, we play with confidence, we play to win. Marion had a double double with 24 points and 10 rebounds, Scola got his 8th double double in the playoffs, Gordon had 22 points, and the loss of Lin has really hurt the Jazz.
Jazz 81 Hornets 117
Miami has continued their domination and swept the Hawks, putting them at 8-0 in this postseason.
Game Five
Lin came back but was clearly hampered, and the Jazz just couldn't get anything going. Their spirit may be broken, as they shot only 34%, were outrebounded 51-38, and allowed us to shoot 52% from the field. Gordon had 31 points, Davis had 16/11, and we take a commanding 3-2 lead heading home.
Hornets 111 Jazz 77
The Celtics polished off the Knicks in 5 games, setting up a rematch in the East of the Heat/Celtics, a strong rivalry that will continue on.
Game Six
Man... same scenario as the first series. At home for game six, with the opportunity to move on to the Western Conference Finals? Ridiculous. Can we keep up the strong play, or will the Jazz finally step it up? Another big rebounding deficit, 51-40, another poor shooting night, 39.5%, and the Jazz are going home for the rest of the year! We move on to the Conference Finals! 29 points from Gordon, 22 points from Davis, and we show that we are a team to be feared in the West!
Jazz 86 Hornets 103
As Kanye West said in his song Appalled, "Man this sh*t is... f*cking ridiculous." And it is. A team expected to finish at the bottom of the West coming back to win two postseason series is certainly incredible.
We'll be moving on to face the Clippers, a highly dangerous team that manhandled us during the regular season. Can we continue our streak?
Writer of Heading to the Big Easy (DDSPB3), Rising to the Top of the Pac-12 (DDSCB2), and Motor City Basketball: Restoring the Piston's Glory (DDSPB2).
- Myles Nelson
- Posts: 989
- Joined: Sat Jan 30, 2010 3:43 pm
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