East is Eden
If you are wondering why the Jazz must turn around and start their second-round playoff series against Golden State just 45 and a half hours after defeating Houston on Saturday night, the answer is simple.
The Southeast Division.
In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Miami, Orlando and Washington were all swept in the first round. Those no-shows by the gutless Heat, the talent-short Magic and the injury-ravaged Wizards left the NBA and its TV partners scrambling to fill those hours in prime time.
Forty games in 40 nights, you know?
Because the Southeast Division went 0-12 in the opening round, however, it meant the schedules in more-competitive series had to be juggled and tweaked so TNT wasn't stuck running more "Law and Order" reruns.
So the Jazz come off an emotionally-charged, mentally-taxing win in Game 7 at Houston, arrive home in the early morning hours on Sunday and squeeze in an afternoon practice. On Monday, they go through a normal shootaround in the morning before playing the white-hot Warriors, who have been resting since finishing off Dallas in six games.
After his Game 7 press conference, I walked back toward the Jazz locker room with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and asked him about the quick turnaround, which could be a disadvantage for his team.
Sloan shook his head and said, "That stuff doesn't matter. You play the games when they tell you to play and see what happens. You're either good enough or your not."
Going into the first round of the playoffs, I wasn't quite sure the Jazz were good enough to beat the Rockets. Losing 12 of the final 20 games in the regular season is not usually a springboard to what the Jazz pulled off against Houston.
Looking back, however, late-season injuries to Andrei Kirilenko (thumb) and Gordan Giricek (ribs) impacted Utah more than anyone thought.
With Kirilenko and Giricek back and mostly healthy in the first round, the Jazz were a better team than the Rockets. I thought they outplayed Houston throughout the series and deserved this chance to cool off Golden State.
— Steve Luhm
The Southeast Division.
In the Eastern Conference playoffs, Miami, Orlando and Washington were all swept in the first round. Those no-shows by the gutless Heat, the talent-short Magic and the injury-ravaged Wizards left the NBA and its TV partners scrambling to fill those hours in prime time.
Forty games in 40 nights, you know?
Because the Southeast Division went 0-12 in the opening round, however, it meant the schedules in more-competitive series had to be juggled and tweaked so TNT wasn't stuck running more "Law and Order" reruns.
So the Jazz come off an emotionally-charged, mentally-taxing win in Game 7 at Houston, arrive home in the early morning hours on Sunday and squeeze in an afternoon practice. On Monday, they go through a normal shootaround in the morning before playing the white-hot Warriors, who have been resting since finishing off Dallas in six games.
After his Game 7 press conference, I walked back toward the Jazz locker room with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and asked him about the quick turnaround, which could be a disadvantage for his team.
Sloan shook his head and said, "That stuff doesn't matter. You play the games when they tell you to play and see what happens. You're either good enough or your not."
Going into the first round of the playoffs, I wasn't quite sure the Jazz were good enough to beat the Rockets. Losing 12 of the final 20 games in the regular season is not usually a springboard to what the Jazz pulled off against Houston.
Looking back, however, late-season injuries to Andrei Kirilenko (thumb) and Gordan Giricek (ribs) impacted Utah more than anyone thought.
With Kirilenko and Giricek back and mostly healthy in the first round, the Jazz were a better team than the Rockets. I thought they outplayed Houston throughout the series and deserved this chance to cool off Golden State.
— Steve Luhm
5:29 PM
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