| 26 April 2010
(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Utah Jazz 117, Denver Nuggets 106
Nobody expected this when the Jazz were hit with the dual-soul crushing news that Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko wouldn’t be with Utah for the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz were now without their best wing defender and a big man that could bang with the Nene monster and keep him honest defensively by having to hang around the three-point line.
The only way for the Jazz to survive was to get the role players to step up, the stars of the team to play like superstars and the other team to wilt under your constant barrages and lack of being scared of what the opposing team can do.
And that’s exactly what the Jazz have done.
Credit Jerry Sloan for keeping his team motivated and getting his guys to take their games to the next level. Is that cliché? Yes. Is it what is happening?
Clichés are there for a reason. Sometimes, they’re completely true.
The Utah Jazz are playing like a team. In this game against the Nuggets, they had the opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead going back to Denver with a chance to close out a dwindling Nuggets team. Everybody came through for the Jazz too while the Nuggets left it up to Carmelo Anthony to try and carry them for the full 48 minutes.
Deron Williams put on a brilliant performance of 24 points and 13 assists (to just two turnovers) as he carved up the Denver defensive “effort” like Jerome James and Eddy Curry carve up a Hometown Buffet. Williams made everyone better on his team because everyone on his team was hell-bent on doing their part plus a little extra. CJ Miles had arguably his most effective game of his career. Wesley Matthews was a big finisher when the Jazz needed a bucket to keep things going. Carlos Boozer was a stud when Millsap fouled out. Fesenko was tough enough to neutralize Nene inside.
Carmelo Anthony on the other hand was the guy trying to fight his way out of a pile of zombies. No emotion ran through his teammates. They were dead to competitive play. Carmelo had 39 points and 11 rebounds but had to force so much on offense without any help from his teammates that he ended up turning the ball over nine times. Chauncey Billups continued to get outplayed and outclassed by Deron Williams. JR Smith was doing whatever the hell JR Smith does when he isn’t making threes. The Nuggets just fell apart and couldn’t even get a 38-point fourth quarter to truly threaten the Jazz because they gave up 31 points at the same time.
Now the Jazz head back to Denver with an already defeated Nuggets team that may not have enough pride to avoid being closed out on their home floor.
Why The Jazz Won This Game
The Jazz had energy out there. They could have rested on their laurels and just been happy with a 2-2 split heading into Game Five. Instead, they made sure to put all of the pressure on the Nuggets by kicking their butts and outworking them throughout the entire game. They didn’t settle for bad shots. They created good shots. They made the extra pass, attacked the key when they should and played some semblance of defense. It was all about the team effort and helping each other instead of waiting for someone else to do it.
Why The Nuggets Lost This Game
There was one point in the third quarter (!!!) when the Nuggets had just seven assists and 16 turnovers as a team. That perfectly sums up exactly how the Nuggets played this game. They waited for guys to do it on their own without trying to create opportunities for each other. It was like playing at a 24-Hour Fitness basketball court only the players had more tattoos and less semblance of being a team.
Heading Into Game Five
I can’t in good conscience pick the Nuggets to win even though they’re on their home court. I saw nothing in Game Four that showed they were willing to work and earn a victory in this series. Instead, they seem content on using excuses like referees and missing their head coach as to why they aren’t competing as a team against a Jazz team missing two core players. It’s all about pride in Game Five and I’m not sure Denver has any.
Prediction: Jazz Close Out The Series
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