Jazz (28-10) at Celtics (20-18) Game #39 3/16/21

[Somebody]

Just caught up with the game. Ugly rotations by CBS and embarrassingly bad shooting night from Smart. I’ll chalk this up to rust after being out for so long.

I don’t understand the hate for Tatum. He was hands down our best player tonight and once again, the team plays better when he’s on the floor. He has something that no one else on the team has: gravity. It makes guys around him better, whether he has the ball or he’s playing off it.

Tough loss but the Jazz just executed better. The better team won

Big difference between hating on our strategy and the player our strategy is built around. No one's calling for us to completely take the ball out of Tatum's hands in crunch time, but there's a difference between building multiple layers of attack with the good players we have (Brown and Kemba receiving a ton of flack on this forum doesn't make them role players on offence, let's be honest) instead of just clearing out the court for Tatum to grind out possessions in the pick and roll every time.

[Rikibellevie]

Watched this game now. Our game and intentions were very good entering in the game and at the end. We put a lot energy and it is sad we lost this one.

Utah scored only 10 point the first 10 minutes and lost so much balls. Then our bench entered; Teague did Teague stuf, Semi did Semi etc.. After some hope at the begining of the season (for Semi at least) we see now how much this bench is bad, superbad. Building a bench isn't the hardest thing, especially as we nee to find just a good PG and Swing. Don't get if Danny deosn't do anything.

For the end of the match first Utah is very hot at 3 (basically Niang who isn't better than Semi killed us). We lack so much of confidence and they have so much. Again some iso Tatum, some hero Smart... And bye bye. Again with our players Brad can do better to fix our defense (we were so ggod at defending outside!) and for finishing the games (we are so much previsible).

For Utah, I ask to wait. One year ago who would said that Clarckson would become unstopable, O Neale a great ? defensor? Even Mitchell-Gobert-Conley being the best big 3 of the league ? Almost noone. So I will wait the PO, the performance of Clarckson and even Mitchell when hard PO games will come... I don't bet my hand they are true contenders. Even Denver if they put everything good can beat them in PO in my opinion. Time will tell.

And for us, we don't exploit at all our potential, even with good momentum, but when it counts (bench unit impact, end of games) we don't execute well. Because of the roster construction, the lack of maturity and confidence of some AND because of Brad

Okay a few things about your post:
1. Yeah our bench wouldn't look too off from a tanking team vying for Cade, it is absolutely rubbish for a team with playoff aspirations.

2. Utah did get hot from three, but this wasn't them having the shooting night of their lives. They're currently averaging 39.7% from three this season, good for third in the league. Btw Georges Niang is a shooting specialist - he's been averaging 39.5% from three on 2.8 attempts per game since the 2018-2019 season.

3. You're severely underrating Utah's players. Clarkson has been putting up per possession box stats similar to his current campaign since the 2018-2019 season as a valuable microwave scorer off the bench and Royce O'Neale was one of the better 3 and D wings last year. You do have a point about Gobert/Mitchell/Conley, but they were projected to be a fantastic trio when the Jazz first traded for Conley a year or two ago: Gobert is a perennial All-NBA calibre big while Conley and Mitchell were mid-low end All-Stars who gave the Jazz some much-needed offensive punch. Sure they can lose in the second round (or even the first round if they get an unlucky draw in the loaded West), but that's not an indictment on them as a team - the West just has most of the very good teams in the league.

Maybe I am wrong and they are in this category but now some of mine comments :

_ I don't root that much with stats, but I always saw Clarkson as a KANTER version of PG, a great offensive guy who is a total fluke on defense and is playable only because he is so great on offense, but also a little stricky. I don't know why it turend so well for him. But if he was seen so strong why did it take only Exum and second round pick to get him two years ago. He was a great signing for them, he is 28 and maybe gain in maturity. But he still the kind of guy and of game to become again inconstant. Maybe I am wrong and he is the next Crawford/LouWill. If so I pray Ainge has noose to find a player like that with a second round this year...
_ I watch sometimes Jazz as I am french and I like to suit a little Rudy. Niang always seemed to me to be so raw. He was a 4pt by match last year and one point the year before. He is also 28. Maybe their succeed is a mix of continuity, confidence and guys who all are in their prime; even Mitchell seem to be what he is and don't have in my opinion an enormous potential left. Royce Oneale was scoring 7 points per game at 24 i Gran Canaria... My god this is the guys who are favorite to win the NBA title now ?
_ their big 3, before Conley disapointed last year was supposed to make them pass a gap (also with Bogdanovic signing), but on my view it was more putting them in the Denver type of team, than a team who can beat LA teams or Bucks/Nets (this year) or even us (last year). So still surprising. Their game about crazy 3 pt % walked very well for the Warriors, but they don't have this all time level shooters. So in PO again, I ask to wait. They become contender when/if they are able to beat one of the LAteam in SF. If not, people will say like Atlanta 2015 or Celtics 2017 a team with good teamwok and talent, but unable to compete against superstar teams... And especially against LeBron

[Somebody]

Watched this game now. Our game and intentions were very good entering in the game and at the end. We put a lot energy and it is sad we lost this one.

Utah scored only 10 point the first 10 minutes and lost so much balls. Then our bench entered; Teague did Teague stuf, Semi did Semi etc.. After some hope at the begining of the season (for Semi at least) we see now how much this bench is bad, superbad. Building a bench isn't the hardest thing, especially as we nee to find just a good PG and Swing. Don't get if Danny deosn't do anything.

For the end of the match first Utah is very hot at 3 (basically Niang who isn't better than Semi killed us). We lack so much of confidence and they have so much. Again some iso Tatum, some hero Smart... And bye bye. Again with our players Brad can do better to fix our defense (we were so ggod at defending outside!) and for finishing the games (we are so much previsible).

For Utah, I ask to wait. One year ago who would said that Clarckson would become unstopable, O Neale a great ? defensor? Even Mitchell-Gobert-Conley being the best big 3 of the league ? Almost noone. So I will wait the PO, the performance of Clarckson and even Mitchell when hard PO games will come... I don't bet my hand they are true contenders. Even Denver if they put everything good can beat them in PO in my opinion. Time will tell.

And for us, we don't exploit at all our potential, even with good momentum, but when it counts (bench unit impact, end of games) we don't execute well. Because of the roster construction, the lack of maturity and confidence of some AND because of Brad

Okay a few things about your post:
1. Yeah our bench wouldn't look too off from a tanking team vying for Cade, it is absolutely rubbish for a team with playoff aspirations.

2. Utah did get hot from three, but this wasn't them having the shooting night of their lives. They're currently averaging 39.7% from three this season, good for third in the league. Btw Georges Niang is a shooting specialist - he's been averaging 39.5% from three on 2.8 attempts per game since the 2018-2019 season.

3. You're severely underrating Utah's players. Clarkson has been putting up per possession box stats similar to his current campaign since the 2018-2019 season as a valuable microwave scorer off the bench and Royce O'Neale was one of the better 3 and D wings last year. You do have a point about Gobert/Mitchell/Conley, but they were projected to be a fantastic trio when the Jazz first traded for Conley a year or two ago: Gobert is a perennial All-NBA calibre big while Conley and Mitchell were mid-low end All-Stars who gave the Jazz some much-needed offensive punch. Sure they can lose in the second round (or even the first round if they get an unlucky draw in the loaded West), but that's not an indictment on them as a team - the West just has most of the very good teams in the league.

Maybe I am wrong and they are in this category but now some of mine comments :

_ I don't root that much with stats, but I always saw Clarkson as a KANTER version of PG, a great offensive guy who is a total fluke on defense and is playable only because he is so great on offense, but also a little stricky. I don't know why it turend so well for him. But if he was seen so strong why did it take only Exum and second round pick to get him two years ago. He was a great signing for them, he is 28 and maybe gain in maturity. But he still the kind of guy and of game to become again inconstant. Maybe I am wrong and he is the next Crawford/LouWill. If so I pray Ainge has noose to find a player like that with a second round this year...
_ I watch sometimes Jazz as I am french and I like to suit a little Rudy. Niang always seemed to me to be so raw. He was a 4pt by match last year and one point the year before. He is also 28. Maybe their succeed is a mix of continuity, confidence and guys who all are in their prime; even Mitchell seem to be what he is and don't have in my opinion an enormous potential left. Royce Oneale was scoring 7 points per game at 24 i Gran Canaria... My god this is the guys who are favorite to win the NBA title now ?
_ their big 3, before Conley disapointed last year was supposed to make them pass a gap (also with Bogdanovic signing), but on my view it was more putting them in the Denver type of team, than a team who can beat LA teams or Bucks/Nets (this year) or even us (last year). So still surprising. Their game about crazy 3 pt % walked very well for the Warriors, but they don't have this all time level shooters. So in PO again, I ask to wait. They become contender when/if they are able to beat one of the LAteam in SF. If not, people will say like Atlanta 2015 or Celtics 2017 a team with good teamwok and talent, but unable to compete against superstar teams... And especially against LeBron

Plenty of good players have been traded for pennies on the dollar: our very own Isaiah Thomas was traded for a protected first round pick and the corpse of Marcus Thornton. Clarkson has been a good player for years, just because Cleveland was dumb enough to trade him for crap doesn't mean that he's an empty stat guy.

To be fair none of their guys made massive leaps, it's just everything coming together with a bunch of very good players. Btw I don't think anyone's projecting them to be title favourites lol, I just think that they might have a shot at winning it all.

I mean the Nuggets of the league is still a solid title contender lol. Their red hot start has definitely been surprising, but I think that this can be attributed the synergistic effect of having so many layers to your team's attack and defence even when you don't have that MVP calibre player: it's very difficult to crack through such teams when they're clicking and this approach has been shown to yield championships (eg. 2014 Spurs, 2004 Pistons, 1979 Sonics, 1978 Bullets, etc). But yes they'll have to get past LeBron lol.

[Rikibellevie]

Finally we are almost agree and debate about nothing lol... Typical sport forum debate

But, and it is not my position (I really want a move to come; again noone waited the Heat at mid season before the Crowder trade last year), this Jazz team aren't they an ode to patience for us ?

I mean we could already have our Clarckson (Pritchard in a much more playmaker and less scorer style), Gobert (Rob), Ingles (in a total different style Langford), Niang + (Nesmith) Royce ONeale (Grant OK this one is hard to sell, but as was Royce reaching this level 2 years ago) etc... But they are 27-30 and our guys are 21-24... I think I could accept this timeline changing, but so Brad has to play more this guys and less (or not) Oj, Theis/TT, Javonte and Teague. Don't know where we go this year.

[td450]

Utah is a very good team.

They have 7 different consistent high quality 3 pt shooters they play out there around Gobert. Some of them can have bad nights, but there are 7, so that's OK.

They also have ball movement. Conley, Mitchell and Ingles keep the ball moving.

They could win the title.