Magic 105, Jazz 87
As Tim Buckley from the Deseret News can attest, I predicted Jerry Sloan's ejection from Sunday's game before it even started. You could just see it coming how frustrated Sloan was after Saturday's triple-overtime loss to Miami.
Now 2:12 into the game? I don't think anybody could have called that. We tried to find out if it was the quickest coaching ejection in NBA history, but the Elias Sports Bureau doesn't track ejections since it's not an official league statistic.
We have a lot of longtime Jazz fans here as well as some pretty savvy researchers. I'm wondering if anybody can remember Sloan getting ejected from a game as fast as he did Sunday. None of the Jazz players could after the game.
"I don't think I've ever seen that," Deron Williams said.
"He let his voice be heard," Carlos Boozer added, "and we love him for that, for having our back."
Sloan didn't want to talk about the officiating after the game, but he couldn't recall if he'd ever been tossed so quickly. I was surprised he talked to reporters after the game, considering Phil Johnson did the coaching for all but two minutes, but credit Sloan for doing so.
* * *
Remember how brutal the Jazz were on the road last season? They weren't as bad as this season's team, at least when it came to beating Eastern Conference teams. The Jazz went 7-8 last season on the road against the East, compared to 5-10 this season.
The Jazz went East three times and came home with three losing trips. They have two really critical issues to address if they want to avoid slipping to the Western Conference's No. 7 or No. 8 spot heading into the playoffs.
We chronicled it before, but the Jazz have beaten only two teams (Philadelphia and Detroit) all season on the road who came into Sunday with winning records. Now the Jazz still have seven games left on the road against winning teams to close the regular season.
The Jazz also are 3-13 in the second game of back-to-back sets, with five more sets of back-to-backs still remaining. After the game, I asked Williams whether there was time left to correct what have been fatal flaws to the Jazz's season.
"We've got a lot of road games, so there's always time to turn it around," Williams said. "I thought we played good against Atlanta, except for the last couple minutes, played really good against Miami except for a minute and then the last overtime.
"Those are two games we should've had, we just let slip away. It's kind of tough to swallow. We've just got to get back on the winning track."
One more road loss, by the way, will guarantee the Jazz a losing road record for the season. It's something that's been coming for a long time, but still will be worth noting given the emphasis the Jazz put on improving their road fortunes back in training camp.
* * *
The Jazz did win in Orlando last season, but the Magic might be their worst matchup nightmare. Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer can't slow Dwight Howard and when the Jazz opt to double-team Howard inside, the Magic have three-point shooters everywhere.
Howard had 28 points and 20 rebounds, but what's scary is what his line could've been. Howard also missed nine free throws and committed seven turnovers. He had a double-double at the end of the first quarter and scored 14 points in the third.
The Magic went 11 of 34 from three-point range - - Rashard Lewis was 0-for-6 and JJ Redick was 1-for-6 - - and also got 14 points off the bench from Anthony Johnson, who shall be referred to as Jazz-killer Anthony Johnson after the last two seasons.
Credit Orlando with following through on their plan to pounce on the Jazz from the start after the triple-overtime loss. The Magic scored 30 points in the first quarter and had 50 on the board midway through the second quarter.
* * *
There's some debate about whether Tuesday is a potential trap game for the Jazz. Maybe not with a three-game losing streak to end, but I think it is regardless. For one thing, the Jazz have to play so soon after returning from a long road trip.
They won't practice Monday, which means they have only Tuesday's shootaround to get ready. It's also the start of a four-game trip for the Wizards, and teams usually come out strong in such circumstances, trying to set the tone for the rest of the trip.
I guess what I'm saying is don't take anything for granted Tuesday, even if the Wizards are the NBA's second-worst team at 16-51.
* * *
There's a lot of unsung heroes around the Jazz, but after a five-hour flight home from Orlando, equipment manager Brian Zettler was planning to go to the practice facility in the middle of the night to start doing laundry and unpacking from the trip. That takes a dedication that not a lot of us have.
* * *
The No. 1 thing I'm not going to miss about Florida? The incredible number of toll roads that the state has. It's not an exaggeration that I spent about $40 in tolls driving around during the four days we've been here. Hope that money gets put to good use Gov. Crist.
--Ross Siler
Now 2:12 into the game? I don't think anybody could have called that. We tried to find out if it was the quickest coaching ejection in NBA history, but the Elias Sports Bureau doesn't track ejections since it's not an official league statistic.
We have a lot of longtime Jazz fans here as well as some pretty savvy researchers. I'm wondering if anybody can remember Sloan getting ejected from a game as fast as he did Sunday. None of the Jazz players could after the game.
"I don't think I've ever seen that," Deron Williams said.
"He let his voice be heard," Carlos Boozer added, "and we love him for that, for having our back."
Sloan didn't want to talk about the officiating after the game, but he couldn't recall if he'd ever been tossed so quickly. I was surprised he talked to reporters after the game, considering Phil Johnson did the coaching for all but two minutes, but credit Sloan for doing so.
* * *
Remember how brutal the Jazz were on the road last season? They weren't as bad as this season's team, at least when it came to beating Eastern Conference teams. The Jazz went 7-8 last season on the road against the East, compared to 5-10 this season.
The Jazz went East three times and came home with three losing trips. They have two really critical issues to address if they want to avoid slipping to the Western Conference's No. 7 or No. 8 spot heading into the playoffs.
We chronicled it before, but the Jazz have beaten only two teams (Philadelphia and Detroit) all season on the road who came into Sunday with winning records. Now the Jazz still have seven games left on the road against winning teams to close the regular season.
The Jazz also are 3-13 in the second game of back-to-back sets, with five more sets of back-to-backs still remaining. After the game, I asked Williams whether there was time left to correct what have been fatal flaws to the Jazz's season.
"We've got a lot of road games, so there's always time to turn it around," Williams said. "I thought we played good against Atlanta, except for the last couple minutes, played really good against Miami except for a minute and then the last overtime.
"Those are two games we should've had, we just let slip away. It's kind of tough to swallow. We've just got to get back on the winning track."
One more road loss, by the way, will guarantee the Jazz a losing road record for the season. It's something that's been coming for a long time, but still will be worth noting given the emphasis the Jazz put on improving their road fortunes back in training camp.
* * *
The Jazz did win in Orlando last season, but the Magic might be their worst matchup nightmare. Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer can't slow Dwight Howard and when the Jazz opt to double-team Howard inside, the Magic have three-point shooters everywhere.
Howard had 28 points and 20 rebounds, but what's scary is what his line could've been. Howard also missed nine free throws and committed seven turnovers. He had a double-double at the end of the first quarter and scored 14 points in the third.
The Magic went 11 of 34 from three-point range - - Rashard Lewis was 0-for-6 and JJ Redick was 1-for-6 - - and also got 14 points off the bench from Anthony Johnson, who shall be referred to as Jazz-killer Anthony Johnson after the last two seasons.
Credit Orlando with following through on their plan to pounce on the Jazz from the start after the triple-overtime loss. The Magic scored 30 points in the first quarter and had 50 on the board midway through the second quarter.
* * *
There's some debate about whether Tuesday is a potential trap game for the Jazz. Maybe not with a three-game losing streak to end, but I think it is regardless. For one thing, the Jazz have to play so soon after returning from a long road trip.
They won't practice Monday, which means they have only Tuesday's shootaround to get ready. It's also the start of a four-game trip for the Wizards, and teams usually come out strong in such circumstances, trying to set the tone for the rest of the trip.
I guess what I'm saying is don't take anything for granted Tuesday, even if the Wizards are the NBA's second-worst team at 16-51.
* * *
There's a lot of unsung heroes around the Jazz, but after a five-hour flight home from Orlando, equipment manager Brian Zettler was planning to go to the practice facility in the middle of the night to start doing laundry and unpacking from the trip. That takes a dedication that not a lot of us have.
* * *
The No. 1 thing I'm not going to miss about Florida? The incredible number of toll roads that the state has. It's not an exaggeration that I spent about $40 in tolls driving around during the four days we've been here. Hope that money gets put to good use Gov. Crist.
--Ross Siler
10:35 PM
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