A perplexing performance in Portland
Deron Williams, Matt Harpring and Jarron Collins played well for the Jazz on Saturday night at Portland.
Otherwise, nothing.
The Jazz laid an dinosaur-sized egg.
In what should have been an extremely important game -- a chance to tie the season series with one of two teams just ahead of them in the Northwest Division -- Carlos Boozer was a no-show, Memo Okur was invisible except for a brief stretch in the third quarter and the Jazz's defense disappeared when it mattered most.
Watching the third quarter, I was reminded on a famous Frank Layden story.
On a long-ago night against Boston, Larry Bird was putting on a clinic. The Jazz couldn't stop him. During an timeout, Layden looked at his players at screamed, "Forget Boston, let's beat Bird."
In Saturday's game, the Jazz couldn't beat Martell Webster, who is a nice young player but probably won't ever again end up being mentioned in the same breath as Bird.
In the third quarter, Webster ran C.J. Miles out of the game with 12 points in the first five minutes. He ended up with 24 points in the period, or two more than the Jazz scored as a team.
Somewhere, Layden was probably shouting at his TV screen, "Forget Portland, let's beat Webster."
Depending on your point of view, the key to this game was either Webster's sensational shooting or the Jazz's atrocious defense -- the kind that makes you wonder if this group of players is truly interested in winning major-magnitude games.
Boozer's outing was shocking.
Yes, he picked up two quick fouls and had to sit out the final four minutes of the first quarter. Sometimes, that can throw a player off track and prevent him from ever finding his rhythm. He finished 3-for-16 from the field.
But before Webster torched Miles, LaMarcus Aldridge was roaming free against Boozer. He scored 10 of the first 14 points for the Blazers, who actually looked ready to get beat in the first half.
After Aldridge kept them close with 17 points, however, Portland found its legs after a four-game road trip and roared past the Jazz in the third quarter.
Until now, I've given Utah the benefit of the doubt.
The Jazz's schedule in December was as difficult as any I've seen in all the years the Tribune has paid me to pay attention to such things. But in this game, the Jazz were rested and Portland was not. Utah was missing Andrei Kirilenko because of a shoulder injury, but the Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy played only four minutes because of a sore tailbone.
Advantage: Jazz.
Instead of playing with the ferocity and determination of a Western Conference contender, however, the Jazz showed little heart. They meekly stepped aside and were shot down by Larry Bird.
I mean, Martell Webster.
-- Steve Luhm
Otherwise, nothing.
The Jazz laid an dinosaur-sized egg.
In what should have been an extremely important game -- a chance to tie the season series with one of two teams just ahead of them in the Northwest Division -- Carlos Boozer was a no-show, Memo Okur was invisible except for a brief stretch in the third quarter and the Jazz's defense disappeared when it mattered most.
Watching the third quarter, I was reminded on a famous Frank Layden story.
On a long-ago night against Boston, Larry Bird was putting on a clinic. The Jazz couldn't stop him. During an timeout, Layden looked at his players at screamed, "Forget Boston, let's beat Bird."
In Saturday's game, the Jazz couldn't beat Martell Webster, who is a nice young player but probably won't ever again end up being mentioned in the same breath as Bird.
In the third quarter, Webster ran C.J. Miles out of the game with 12 points in the first five minutes. He ended up with 24 points in the period, or two more than the Jazz scored as a team.
Somewhere, Layden was probably shouting at his TV screen, "Forget Portland, let's beat Webster."
Depending on your point of view, the key to this game was either Webster's sensational shooting or the Jazz's atrocious defense -- the kind that makes you wonder if this group of players is truly interested in winning major-magnitude games.
Boozer's outing was shocking.
Yes, he picked up two quick fouls and had to sit out the final four minutes of the first quarter. Sometimes, that can throw a player off track and prevent him from ever finding his rhythm. He finished 3-for-16 from the field.
But before Webster torched Miles, LaMarcus Aldridge was roaming free against Boozer. He scored 10 of the first 14 points for the Blazers, who actually looked ready to get beat in the first half.
After Aldridge kept them close with 17 points, however, Portland found its legs after a four-game road trip and roared past the Jazz in the third quarter.
Until now, I've given Utah the benefit of the doubt.
The Jazz's schedule in December was as difficult as any I've seen in all the years the Tribune has paid me to pay attention to such things. But in this game, the Jazz were rested and Portland was not. Utah was missing Andrei Kirilenko because of a shoulder injury, but the Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy played only four minutes because of a sore tailbone.
Advantage: Jazz.
Instead of playing with the ferocity and determination of a Western Conference contender, however, the Jazz showed little heart. They meekly stepped aside and were shot down by Larry Bird.
I mean, Martell Webster.
-- Steve Luhm
12:39 AM
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