Some thoughts on the Jazz
I thought the Jazz's win over the Clippers was fairly impressive, even though Los Angeles looked beaten down, perhaps because it has played all season without injured starters Elton Brand and Shaun Livingston.
But remember on thing.
In the same week the Clippers were blown out twice by the Jazz, they beat Phoenix and New Jersey. The victory over the Suns was especially impressive, given the Suns' improved play lately.
I thought the Jazz threw a wrinkle at the Clippers on defense that worked well.
Ronnie Brewer spent a lot of time guarding L.A. point guard Sam Cassell. Brewer was quick enough to prevent Cassell from driving and his size bothered the Sam's jump shot and ability to get the Clippers into their offense.
Cassell finished with nine points on 4-for-9 shooting. He has as many turnovers as assists -- five.
I thought Andrei Kirilenko was victimized by a couple of questionable calls. He ended up playing only 9:32 after picking up two fouls in the first 5:06, another quick foul when he re-entered the game in the second quarter and his fourth foul only 4:14 into the second half.
Kirilenko's third foul looked on TV like a clean steal, and his fourth foul was a close block-charge call that went against him.
The good news for the Jazz: Matt Harpring, just medically cleared to play more minutes, had an outstanding game in place of Kirilenko. He scored 17 points but, just as significantly, he locked down Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter.
Maggette did not score in the final period until he made a free throw with 2:11 remaining. By that time, the Jazz owned a 107-84 lead.
Kyle Korver and Memo Okur also did their part to prevent a Clipper comeback.
Korver hit two quick three-pointers and Okur added another -- shots that seemed to destroy whatever life remained in the Clippers.
Korver continues to look like a huge addition for the Jazz, not only because of his outside shooting ability because of the way he plays and grasps the game.
Can anyone say, "Jeff Hornacek, without the bad knees?"
Korver isn't quite as good a shooter as Hornacek, but he probably has a little more athletic ability, which helps him rebound and defend. He looks like a prefect fit on a team that just a month ago was crying out for another defense-stretching perimeter shooter.
Okur finished with 13 points -- nine in the second half.
Speaking of Okur, I'm wondering if I saw what I think I saw. With about four minutes left in the third quarter and the Jazz's lead down to 66-62, Okur went to the bench and -- unless I'm mistaken -- threw a one-finger salute over his shoulder, presumably at a heckling fan.
The TV folks did not say anything and there was no replay -- surprise, surprise. I'm just wondering if any of you saw the same thing, or whether I owe Mr. Okur an apology for my worsening nearsightedness.
-- Steve Luhm
But remember on thing.
In the same week the Clippers were blown out twice by the Jazz, they beat Phoenix and New Jersey. The victory over the Suns was especially impressive, given the Suns' improved play lately.
I thought the Jazz threw a wrinkle at the Clippers on defense that worked well.
Ronnie Brewer spent a lot of time guarding L.A. point guard Sam Cassell. Brewer was quick enough to prevent Cassell from driving and his size bothered the Sam's jump shot and ability to get the Clippers into their offense.
Cassell finished with nine points on 4-for-9 shooting. He has as many turnovers as assists -- five.
I thought Andrei Kirilenko was victimized by a couple of questionable calls. He ended up playing only 9:32 after picking up two fouls in the first 5:06, another quick foul when he re-entered the game in the second quarter and his fourth foul only 4:14 into the second half.
Kirilenko's third foul looked on TV like a clean steal, and his fourth foul was a close block-charge call that went against him.
The good news for the Jazz: Matt Harpring, just medically cleared to play more minutes, had an outstanding game in place of Kirilenko. He scored 17 points but, just as significantly, he locked down Corey Maggette in the fourth quarter.
Maggette did not score in the final period until he made a free throw with 2:11 remaining. By that time, the Jazz owned a 107-84 lead.
Kyle Korver and Memo Okur also did their part to prevent a Clipper comeback.
Korver hit two quick three-pointers and Okur added another -- shots that seemed to destroy whatever life remained in the Clippers.
Korver continues to look like a huge addition for the Jazz, not only because of his outside shooting ability because of the way he plays and grasps the game.
Can anyone say, "Jeff Hornacek, without the bad knees?"
Korver isn't quite as good a shooter as Hornacek, but he probably has a little more athletic ability, which helps him rebound and defend. He looks like a prefect fit on a team that just a month ago was crying out for another defense-stretching perimeter shooter.
Okur finished with 13 points -- nine in the second half.
Speaking of Okur, I'm wondering if I saw what I think I saw. With about four minutes left in the third quarter and the Jazz's lead down to 66-62, Okur went to the bench and -- unless I'm mistaken -- threw a one-finger salute over his shoulder, presumably at a heckling fan.
The TV folks did not say anything and there was no replay -- surprise, surprise. I'm just wondering if any of you saw the same thing, or whether I owe Mr. Okur an apology for my worsening nearsightedness.
-- Steve Luhm
11:00 AM
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5 Comments:
I saw that finger too, Steve, and wondered the same thing. Looks like Boler and Boone missed it (or at least chose to not comment on it), but I've been looking around today to see if anyone had written about it. Can't find anything.
And Korver is the real deal. I know he's not hitting 3s at the rate we'd like yet, but he will. 2 good games out of the last 3 help show that it's coming. The biggest thing he brings, like Horny did, is the ability to spread the floor. Booz and Millsap get double teamed far less often when he's on the floor. That doesn't show up on his stats, but it makes a world of difference.
I rewound that part a few times to see if my eyes were playing tricks on me. It definetly looked like he was flippin the old bird.
Definitely saw it. It sounded as though Boller saw it but didn't want to say anything about it on tv and draw attention to it. Kind of funny that the camera just happened to switch to him right when he was doing it. haha.
Definitely the bird.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWo0luQVtkY
In turkey the middle finger is called the FIG
11. Place your thumb between your index finger and middle finger, then close your fist. If you show your fist like this to someone from Turkey, this is offensive. This gesture is called "The Fig" and is considered obscene throughout much of the Mediterranean area. It is almost the same as showing the middle finger.
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