Jazz 86, Rockets 82
The Rockets are an organization that crunches numbers to no end with general manager Daryl Morey trying to adapt statistical analysis to the NBA in similar ways to what Billy Beane has done with the Oakland A's.
Before the series started, I heard it mentioned that the Jazz were far and away the No. 1 team in the NBA at grabbing offensive rebounds after missed free throws. It seemed like one of those interesting stats but not all that important in the grand scheme.
Of course, Mehmet Okur then beat Carl Landry and Tracy McGrady to the rebound after Deron Williams missed two free throws with 7.3 seconds left and the chance to close out the Jazz's Game 4 victory.
Had the Rockets grabbed that rebound, they could have set up for a game-winning or -tying shot in the final seconds. This was what Bobby Jackson said afterward, making reference to the above stat that was clearly discussed in the Rockets camp.
"We had our chances," Jackson said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't capitalize on them at the end. He [Williams] misses two free throws and we had our chances to get that, come down and get a play for Tracy.
"That's the way we crumble sometimes. We know they're the best offensive rebounding team on the free-throw line, so we kind of kept that in mind. We fought hard and we didn't play our best basketball but we still had a chance to win it."
McGrady called out Houston coach Rick Adelman for a substitution mistake with Williams at the line: "That was the point where Dikembe [Mutombo] and those guys should have been in the game, because we would have called a timeout had we gotten the rebound."
* * *
It seems like the Jazz could do themselves a world of good by closing out the Rockets with a Game 5 victory in Houston on Tuesday. Especially with the Lakers poised to sweep Denver in their first-round series after taking a 3-0 lead Saturday.
The Lakers play Game 4 against Denver on Monday while Game 5 is Wednesday. If the Jazz can't beat Houston in Game 5, they would have to wait until Friday for Game 6 back at EnergySolutions Arena.
The question is if the NBA would schedule Game 1 of a Lakers-Jazz series for Sunday, May 4 at Staples Center. If the Jazz couldn't finish off the Rockets until Game 6 on Friday, that would give them less than 48 hours to prepare for the Lakers.
I have to imagine ABC wants the Lakers playing in that Sunday afternoon time slot. The Lakers already are scheduled to play at Staples Center on that day as well, for a Game 7 against the Nuggets that looks unnecessary.
If the Jazz beat the Rockets on Tuesday and the Lakers close out Denver either Monday or Wednesday, that would give both teams at least three days off in the event they open next Sunday.
* * *
I was curious as to whether these 8:30 p.m. starts bother any of the ticket holders/TV viewers out there. They wound up pushing back the tip for Saturday's game until 8:51 p.m., so ESPN could have as little overlap as possible between the end of the Boston/Atlanta game and start of Houston/Jazz.
It's absolutely killing me as a writer. We normally talk to Deron Williams five minutes after the game is over in the regular season. Now we have to wait for a press conference that started Saturday after midnight. You can't make deadline with that. I'm mainly wondering who exactly is watching NBA TV at 2 a.m. Eastern.
I feel even worse for the guys who are covering for the Houston Chronicle. Saturday's game ended at 12:15 a.m. for them. But I'm most interested in whether there are fans out there who have to make sacrifices because these games are starting so late for TV.
--Ross Siler
Before the series started, I heard it mentioned that the Jazz were far and away the No. 1 team in the NBA at grabbing offensive rebounds after missed free throws. It seemed like one of those interesting stats but not all that important in the grand scheme.
Of course, Mehmet Okur then beat Carl Landry and Tracy McGrady to the rebound after Deron Williams missed two free throws with 7.3 seconds left and the chance to close out the Jazz's Game 4 victory.
Had the Rockets grabbed that rebound, they could have set up for a game-winning or -tying shot in the final seconds. This was what Bobby Jackson said afterward, making reference to the above stat that was clearly discussed in the Rockets camp.
"We had our chances," Jackson said. "That's the bottom line. We didn't capitalize on them at the end. He [Williams] misses two free throws and we had our chances to get that, come down and get a play for Tracy.
"That's the way we crumble sometimes. We know they're the best offensive rebounding team on the free-throw line, so we kind of kept that in mind. We fought hard and we didn't play our best basketball but we still had a chance to win it."
McGrady called out Houston coach Rick Adelman for a substitution mistake with Williams at the line: "That was the point where Dikembe [Mutombo] and those guys should have been in the game, because we would have called a timeout had we gotten the rebound."
* * *
It seems like the Jazz could do themselves a world of good by closing out the Rockets with a Game 5 victory in Houston on Tuesday. Especially with the Lakers poised to sweep Denver in their first-round series after taking a 3-0 lead Saturday.
The Lakers play Game 4 against Denver on Monday while Game 5 is Wednesday. If the Jazz can't beat Houston in Game 5, they would have to wait until Friday for Game 6 back at EnergySolutions Arena.
The question is if the NBA would schedule Game 1 of a Lakers-Jazz series for Sunday, May 4 at Staples Center. If the Jazz couldn't finish off the Rockets until Game 6 on Friday, that would give them less than 48 hours to prepare for the Lakers.
I have to imagine ABC wants the Lakers playing in that Sunday afternoon time slot. The Lakers already are scheduled to play at Staples Center on that day as well, for a Game 7 against the Nuggets that looks unnecessary.
If the Jazz beat the Rockets on Tuesday and the Lakers close out Denver either Monday or Wednesday, that would give both teams at least three days off in the event they open next Sunday.
* * *
I was curious as to whether these 8:30 p.m. starts bother any of the ticket holders/TV viewers out there. They wound up pushing back the tip for Saturday's game until 8:51 p.m., so ESPN could have as little overlap as possible between the end of the Boston/Atlanta game and start of Houston/Jazz.
It's absolutely killing me as a writer. We normally talk to Deron Williams five minutes after the game is over in the regular season. Now we have to wait for a press conference that started Saturday after midnight. You can't make deadline with that. I'm mainly wondering who exactly is watching NBA TV at 2 a.m. Eastern.
I feel even worse for the guys who are covering for the Houston Chronicle. Saturday's game ended at 12:15 a.m. for them. But I'm most interested in whether there are fans out there who have to make sacrifices because these games are starting so late for TV.
--Ross Siler
1:50 AM
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12 Comments:
I'm a jazz fan living in PA. I have to TiVo the games and watch the highlights in the morning before I go to work. It isn't ideal, but then at least I get some sleep instead of being up until 1:30 a.m.
I'm a Jazz fan in Baltimore, MD. I stay up to watch all of the games. Luckily I'm a grad student, and rarely have to be up too early.
I'm a Jazz fan in Atlanta. I also record the game with my DVR and usually watch the 4th quarter at 5:00 am.
That's pretty much how it is to watch any sporting event played in the west when you live out here.
Eh, it's no big deal. You lose a little sleep, but I'd rather have all 4 games on TV, even if one of them is late. We won't have to worry about it in the 2nd round though... the Lakers always get prime TV slots.
I'm on the East Coast and I don't mind the late starts. I can still spend time with my family and then watch the game in peace after everybody has gone to sleep. The only hard part is calming myself down to go to bed after these tense games.
These Start Times are killing me. I was up until midnight last night watching this game. Luckily I took nap before the game or else my old ass wouldnt have been able to finish the game
I was in Orlando last night with a 7:00 am flight back to salt lake this morning. I ended up with very little sleep but it was worth it to me. Playoffs only come once a year.
In the East coast and staying up till 1:30 a.m. is killing me since I have a 1.5 hour commute into NYC. The NBA playoffs, where small market teams like the Jazz get stuck with bad start times.
I'm a Jazz fan in Philly. The only game I've watched the end of was last night's game. I get up at 6 am most days, so I just can't handle it. If it were the Western Conference Finals or the NBA Finals or even a game 7 in this series, I'd stay up and watch.
Ross,
I hear your complaints about the late tip-offs. It sucks for me too because I live on the east coast, which means the games typically are not ending until around 1:30 in the morning. Still, at least I get to watch these games.
What if they correctly called an offensive basket interference against Houston near the end of the game? The Jazz would have been up by four, D-Will's misses wouldn't have mattered, and he wouldn't need to buy Okur a car. Sometimes it's fun to see how little things can cause certain outcomes.
"McGrady called out Houston coach Rick Adelman for a substitution mistake with Williams at the line: 'That was the point where Dikembe [Mutombo] and those guys should have been in the game, because we would have called a timeout had we gotten the rebound.'"
I love it. T-Mac will never be a true star or even get of the first round. He doesn't have a winning mentality. First, it's because the Rockets are short-handed. Then Kirilenko flops and the refs are against Houston (By the way, where were the fines for Adelman and McGrady?). Now it's Rick Adelman's fault for substituting poorly. Will T-Mac ever grow up or grow a set and take over the game like a true superstar would do? Kobe came out and dropped 49 on the Nuggets, CP3 wills his team to wins, D-Will takes over and blows past Alston on two consecutive plays to lead the Jazz. McGrady takes ill advised shots hoping for the foul (how about that brick from the three point line?) and doesn't come through. T-Mac came right out of high school and apparently hasn't matured much in 10 years of NBA play.
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