Could it be any other way with Carlos Boozer and the Jazz? Everything is so complicated, from late owner Larry Miller's combative stance on Boozer's injuries to Boozer's renewed sense of self-worth to the constant conflict between stardom and also-ran status. Boozer surprisingly picked up his 2009-10 team option Tuesday, putting Utah on the hook for $12.3 million.
Boozer is well worth the cash, so this development should be a clear win for Utah, right? Well, it's complicated. Boozer's commitment puts the status of back-up power forward Paul Millsap and starting center Mehmet Okur into question. By casting his lot with Utah for one more year, Boozer may very well have cast his buddies out.
Well, well, well. Utah has decided it won't go down without a fight. Behind a raucous (as usual) home crowd, the Jazz clawed their way back in Game 3 to put a win up on the board. Now with Game 4 tonight, the Jazz have an opportunity to prove our own Brett Pollakoff wrong and make this a series for real. The Jazz get Mehmet Okur back tonight (most likely) which is a big plus for them. For the Lakers, the question is not talent, nor execution, nor offense, nor defense. It's simply effort. If they don't want this game more than Utah does and play like it, no amount of talent and size is going to save them amongst the rabid Utah fans.
Say, since this is such a big game, why don't we get a liveblog going? Indeed, let us. Join us at 9PM EST for Lakers at Jazz, Game 4.
The Lakers came into Sunday's game with the Jazz as the prohibitive favorites, expected not only to win the game but to dominate the entire series. For the first 24 minutes on Sunday, that's exactly what happened: the Lakers held a 62-40 advantage heading into the half, with the Jazz looking like they were making a case for the league to adopt a mercy rule.
The Lakers eased up in the second half, allowing the Jazz to almost -- almost -- make a game of it, making up nine points in the third before playing to a draw in the fourth. The end result was still a lopsided 113-100 win that had the Staples Center crowd more concerned about free tacos (they didn't get any) than the final score, but still, the visitors proved (at least to themselves) that they can hang with the league's golden team for stretches at a time.
The Lakers versus the Jazz was a competitive and physical second round series a season ago, but this year it looks to be (on paper) one of the most lopsided matchups of the first round. So what's changed? Well, while the Lakers have gotten better with the return of Andrew Bynum, injuries and a lack of continuity have sent the Jazz limping to the finish line.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Boston had two reasons to beat Philadelphia: to flex its biceps, and to help ensure the Celtics and Sixers would meet in the playoffs. Those muscles gleam, because Paul Pierce nailed a jumper late to give Boston the victory, dropping Philly into the No. 7 seed heading into the season's final day.
Pierce scored 31 on 16 FGAs, filling offensive gaps left by the absences of Kevin Garnett (injury recovery) and Ray Allen (spastic elbow). Philadelphia has Thaddeus Young back, but dang. No good, y'all.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
The Warriors love to play gracious antagonist to all seeking stupendous, silly, stupid and downright outlandish individual lines. And really, it's hard to pick between three of Sunday's Golden State opponents.
On the one hand, Mehmet Okur went gonzo, scoring 23 points in just 26 minutes. Then there's Ronnie Brewer, a cat on an absolutely vicious tear of late: one night after dropping 26 on the Kings, Brewer put up a 21/9/6/3 line on GSW. But it's impossible to look past a nice round number like 20. As in Deron Williams' 20 assists. D-Will had a rough night shooting, but did I mention the 20 assists?
The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.
Depending on your interior biases, the Utah Jazz either represent a flimsy facade waiting to be knocked over or the last gasp of insurgent power willing to make the Western Conference playoffs compelling.
As always, the truth falls somewhere in the middle. The public consensus, however, has cast Utah as more bit player than force to be reckoned with. But mis-measuring the Jazz as a Western also-ran is a huge mistake.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Jim O'Brien is the new Don Nelson! Okay, maybe not, but this year's Pacers look an awful lot like Golden State East, giving up more than 107 points a game, second-most in the league only to (wait for it ...) the Warriors. As such, a good performance against this team practically demands an asterisk in the game log.
In other words, congrats on the career-high 43 points, Mehmet Okur, but let's see you do that against a real defense! Fortunately for Memo, he won't be facing a "real" team until the weekend -- the Jazz are in Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Memphis on Friday before taking on the Mavericks in Dallas on Saturday.
If Kevin O'Connor and Jerry Sloan really do have some Magic Power Forward Beans in the safe, now'd be a splendid time to push them into some soil. With Carlos Boozer still ailing and awaiting a second MRI this weekend, replacement Paul Millsap has received a pair of health shackles. Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune reports Millsap will sit for 7-10 days with a strained knee ligament.
Boozer has been out so long and you don't really get the impression he's anywhere close to ready to get back in sneakers -- there have even been whispers of surgery for Boozer. Meanwhile, starting center Mehmet Okur has missed a few starts due to back spasms. That's three of your top four big men off the bat. The Jazz have survived Boozer, Okur and Deron Williams' previously sprained ankle. But this is getting a bit absurd.
Andrei Kirilenko -- who has done masterful work as a sixth man -- will take the power forward position, apparently. Luhm reports that unless Okur can play, rookie Kosta Koufos will start at center tonight when Utah meets Dallas. Yes, it has come to this: Sloan is starting a rookie. (A rookie he doesn't seem to particularly like, at that.) It's only a matter of time until Kyrylo Fesenko gets his big break, right? (Right?)
Could it be any other way with Carlos Boozer and the Jazz? Everything is so complicated, from late owner Larry Miller's combative stance on Boozer's injuries to Boozer's renewed sense of self-worth to the constant conflict between stardom and also-ran status. Boozer surprisingly picked up his 2009-10 team option Tuesday, putting Utah on the hook for $12.3 million.
The Lakers came into Sunday's game with the Jazz as the prohibitive favorites, expected not only to win the game but to dominate the entire series. For the first 24 minutes on Sunday, that's exactly what happened: the Lakers held a 62-40 advantage heading into the half, with the Jazz looking like they were making a case for the league to adopt a mercy rule. 
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the "lig." Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
Every night there are some stupendous, silly, stupid, or downright outlandish individual lines from around the lig. Doing Lines lets you know which one tops the list.
If Kevin O'Connor and Jerry Sloan really do have some Magic Power Forward Beans in the safe, now'd be a splendid time to push them into some soil. With Carlos Boozer still ailing and awaiting a second MRI this weekend, replacement Paul Millsap has received a pair of health shackles. Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune reports Millsap will sit for 7-10 days with a strained knee ligament.
