Crescendo: A Utah Jazz MyLeague

[JazzMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

^YIKES. Hayward seems to be in a real funk and the team is suffering because of it. No choice but to play through it for him, but you need someone else to carry the scoring load. Step up, Jazz!

Seems as though when Hayward plays poorly, so does the team.

On a side note, I'm loving this MyLeague so far. In the past few years in my dynasties, I've always steamrolled the CPU and I never really had any challenges in user games. Now I'm actually losing, and sometimes pretty convincingly too.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by JazzMan

Seems as though when Hayward plays poorly, so does the team. On a side note, I'm loving this MyLeague so far. In the past few years in my dynasties, I've always steamrolled the CPU and I never really had any challenges in user games. Now I'm actually losing, and sometimes pretty convincingly too.

Yeah, the CPU really puts up a serious challenge. Once you get the players to fit your style, you'll find winning easier, but even then the CPU will force you to adjust. The AI is really smarter and plays a lot like their real-life counterparts.

Hence why 2K16 is the best sports game of all time. It is the GOAT and finally unseat NBA 2K5 (RIP). In my opinion, anyway.

(And how about them Packers? Team is returning to form it seems. Just in time.)

[JazzMan]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

Yeah, the CPU really puts up a serious challenge. Once you get the players to fit your style, you'll find winning easier, but even then the CPU will force you to adjust. The AI is really smarter and plays a lot like their real-life counterparts. Hence why 2K16 is the best sports game of all time. It is the GOAT and finally unseat NBA 2K5 (RIP). In my opinion, anyway. (And how about them Packers? Team is returning to form it seems. Just in time.)

Thank goodness they're back in form. Gonna be tough next week though.

[JazzMan]

NBA 2K16_20160112000507.jpg

Block Party In SLC; Jazz Win 96-85

What an outing by the frontcourt "Big Three" for Utah. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert combined for 53 points, 35 rebounds, 10 assists, and 9 blocks as the Jazz cruised their way to a 96 to 85 win over the Houston Rockets. Houston was without superstar guard James Harden, who is nursing a broken toe. Marcus Thornton started in Harden's place, shooting to the tune of 3-14 in the loss.

Houston forward Sam Dekker looked promising. He led the team in points, even though he came off of the bench and played just 15 minutes. He had 18 points off of 7-9 shooting from the field. Dwight Howard had 16 points and 11 boards in 29 minutes.

Rudy Gobert had yet another monster game. He had 13 points, 20 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 6 blocks (!!) while shooting 6-7 from the field, his lone miss being a jumpshot outside of the paint. Fellow big man Derrick Favors put up 19 points, 11 boards, and 4 assists, while swingman Gordon Hayward had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks.

It was a convincing win for the Jazz, who need a little confidence after an up-and-down month during December. Utah is now 2-0 in January, but have a very tough schedule this week, playing San Antonio on Wednesday, Houston again on Thursday, and Miami on Saturday. After the Miami game, the schedule thankfully softens up for the Jazz, who have had one of the most brutal schedules to open the 2015-2016 season.

NBA 2K16_20160112001423.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160112001432.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160112001516.jpg

[JazzMan]

NBA 2K16_20160108102556.jpg

WEEK 11 RECAP (17-19)

Can these Jazz get some consistency? After going 1-3 last week against mediocre to terrible opponents, the Jazz faced 4 of the league's best and finished the week with a 3-1 record, the only loss coming on a back-to-back during a Texas road trip. Regardless, the Jazz deserve props for the stellar week of basketball that they played. They beat Houston Monday night in SLC, then took on the Spurs in San Antonio Wednesday and got the nail-biter win off of Gordon Hayward's career-high 39 points, then lost to the Rockets in Houston after scrapping with the Spurs the night before. And finally, they closed the week out last night with a convincing 25-point win over the Heat at home. Not too shabby.

Let's start with Monday's game against Houston at home. The team combined for 13 blocks, as the Jazz got the 96 to 85 victory over the James Harden-less Rockets. Gordon Hayward had 21, 4, and 5, Derrick Favors had 19, 11, and 4, and Rudy Gobert had 13, 20, and 6 blocks. Great game by the Big Three, who could not be contained.

Against San Antonio, it was all Gordon Hayward's game. Hayward shot the ball 27 times, making 14 shots, and shot 6 for 7 from behind the arc to put up 39 points, 7 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block. All this being done against one of the league's best defenders in Kawhi Leonard. The Jazz only shot 42% to San Antonio's 57% from the floor, but the free throw margin was huge; Utah shot 26/35 free throws, while San Antonio shot 14/17, as the Jazz got the 98-97 victory over the 26-12 Spurs. Trey Burke sprained his ankle during the game and only finished with 5 minutes played.

The next night in Houston, the Jazz were visibly tired. They were sluggish on offense, and it showed in their shooting percentage: they shot just 26/83, 31% on the night. Alec Burks led the way with 22 points, but Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors combined to shoot just 7 for 25 on the night in the 91 to 75 loss.

However, the Jazz prevailed last night against a strong Miami Heat squad. Alec Burks again led the way with 21 points off an efficient 6-11 shooting. Derrick Favors had 20 points and 7 boards, Gordon Hayward had a near-triple-double, finishing with 14 points, 9 boards, and 8 assists, as well as 3 steals and 2 blocks. Utah shot 21/26 from the free throw line in the 106 to 81 win.

This week is when the schedule begins to soften up. The Jazz play the Lakers tonight, then go to Portland for a date with the Blazers on Wednesday, head home to play Sacramento on Thursday, and close out the week with a home game against the Lakers on Saturday.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3PT%
Gordon Hayward	36	34.8	19.9	5.2	5.2	1.5	0.8	44.8%	34.9%
Derrick Favors	36	30.9	16.1	8.9	1.4	0.9	1.5	47.7%	0.0%
Alec Burks	36	24.8	13.4	3.3	3.2	0.9	0.4	47.4%	34.8%
Rodney Hood	28	24.4	9.5	3.0	2.2	0.6	0.3	43.3%	37.1%
Rudy Gobert	36	31.1	9.3	12.8	1.4	0.6	2.3	61.9%	0.0%
Trey Burke	34	20.6	8.0	1.5	3.2	0.9	0.1	37.4%	31.6%
Shelvin Mack	40	17.5	7.1	1.9	3.0	0.7	0.0	44.8%	45.7%
Trey Lyles	36	12.6	5.2	3.3	0.7	0.3	0.4	48.3%	14.3%
Joe Ingles	36	10.8	3.9	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.4	40.7%	38.8%
Raul Neto	25	21.3	3.7	1.2	4.0	0.9	0.5	26.4%	24.3%
Trevor Booker	24	10.9	3.4	3.5	0.8	0.3	0.4	37.5%	22.2%
Jeff Withey	35	11.7	2.8	3.1	0.2	0.2	0.5	44.2%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	15	6.3	1.7	0.9	0.7	0.2	0.1	23.7%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

--------------------------------

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 10, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	26	11	--	4-3	17-6
Cleveland Cavaliers	24	10	0.5	4-1	17-7
Atlanta Hawks	25	13	1.5	4-2	17-6
Indiana Pacers	23	13	2.5	6-3	15-7
Chicago Bulls	20	15	5.0	3-4	13-9
New York Knicks	20	18	6.5	5-0	13-13
Toronto Raptors	20	19	7.0	3-3	12-12
Charlotte Hornets	18	18	7.5	2-5	10-11
Milwaukee Bucks	16	22	10.5	1-6	8-14
Detroit Pistons	15	22	11.0	4-4	10-12
Orlando Magic	15	23	11.5	5-2	10-13
Boston Celtics	12	24	13.5	6-2	9-17
Brooklyn Nets	12	25	14.0	1-6	7-17
Washington Wizards	9	26	16.0	3-6	8-14
Philadelphia 76ers	9	30	18.0	2-6	7-15
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder	28	9	--	4-2	16-5
Los Angeles Clippers	27	10	1.0	5-2	18-6
San Antonio Spurs	26	12	2.5	2-4	14-7
Minnesota Timberwolves	23	14	5.0	6-1	12-6
Houston Rockets	23	14	5.0	4-4	14-10
Memphis Grizzlies	21	17	7.5	2-5	11-12
New Orleans Pelicans	19	16	8.0	6-2	13-10
Phoenix Suns	20	19	9.0	4-4	12-14
Dallas Mavericks	19	18	9.0	5-4	12-10
Sacramento Kings	18	19	10.0	7-3	11-12
Utah Jazz	17	19	10.5	3-5	9-14
Golden State Warriors	16	21	12.0	4-6	9-15
Portland Trail Blazers	16	23	13.0	3-5	12-16
Los Angeles Lakers	10	28	18.5	1-6	6-16
Denver Nuggets	9	28	19.0	4-7	7-23

The Thunder just keep rolling, even without Russell Westbrook. Kevin Durant and company have been able to reproduce some of the offense that was lost when Westbrook went down, and the defense is just as tight as ever, as they are in the top 10 in scoring defense.

The Timberwolves keep leaping up the Western Conference standings. They have now won 6 straight games and are 4th in the West with a 23-14 record. Karl-Anthony Towns has been the biggest reason for their surprising record, as he is averaging 18 points, 13 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks a night.

The Nets have made star big man Brook Lopez available. A number of teams have sent in trade proposals, but the Nets are adamant on receiving at least 2 draft picks for the talented center. They are also interested in Philadelphia big man Joel Embiid, who has not played an NBA game yet in his career.

[trekfan]

Nice bounce-back week. Good wins all around (surprised you lost to the Rockets, but it was a back-to-back, so no biggie).

Looks like you got an easy schedule this week -- look out for the Blazers, though, that screams trap game to me. Never underestimate a division rival. If you go 3-1 like last week, you'll be right at .500.

Jazz got this.

[JazzMan]

NBA 2K16_20160116110517.jpg

Jazz Drop Lakers in 120-115 Shootout

Well, that was certainly a change in pace for the Utah Jazz. Usually, this year's Jazz team has been a lumbering, grind-it-out defensive lockdown squad that puts tons of pressure on defense, but slows it down on offense to break down mismatches due to the team's size. However, tonight was a far cry from the usual Jazz style of play that we've seen this season. Utah shot the lights out at 54% from the floor, but they needed to. The Lakers dropped 115 points on the defensive powerhouse Jazz. LA shot 47% from the floor, and 37% from three as they nearly stole the victory from Utah.

With no Kobe Bryant (hyperextended knee), the Lakers' offense was humming. D'Angelo Russell finished with 21 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists, while Lou Williams had 18 points and 6 assists himself. A number of role players for the Lakers also had decent games, as Tarik Black had 11 points in 13 minutes off of 4-4 shooting.

However, it was the Jazz who got the last laugh. The Jazz shot a super-efficient 86% from the free throw line, and most of the credit can be given to Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. Favors had 9 free throw attempts and made 8 of them. Gobert shot 8 free throws and made 7. Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward combined for 10 free throws and made all 10.

This was a really great showing for a Jazz team whose offense has been pretty mediocre all year. Hayward had 34 points, 4 boards, and 6 assists. Derrick Favors had 28 points, 9 boards, and 4 assists. Rodney Hood had 21 points and 4 assists. The entire Jazz team combined for a staggering 33 assists on the night. However, the defensive effort was concerning tonight. This Lakers team, even without inefficient Kobe Bryant, should not hang 115 points on anybody, let alone a Jazz team who is 3rd in scoring defense. Regardless, the Jazz got the W, and that's all that matters. On to the next one.

Utah plays in Portland on Wednesday night, then returns home the next night to play Sacramento in SLC. They then have another date with the Lakers on Saturday in SLC.

NBA 2K16_20160116113955.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160116114004.jpg

NBA 2K16_20160116114012.jpg

[JazzMan]

NBA 2K16_20160116111117.jpg

WEEK 12 RECAP (20-20)

Now that's more like it. Utah went 3-1 again this week, scrapping their way back to .500 after an up-and-down (and back up) first half of the season. Utah just hasn't been able to put many wins together, but the past 2 weeks is a great start, as the Jazz have gone 7-2 in their past 9 games.

Sunday night's win against the Lakers was a little closer than it needed to be, but the Jazz got it done. Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rodney Hood combined for 83 points in the road win, while Rudy Gobert had 15 points, 22 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on the night. The Jazz had a season-high 120 points and 33 assists, but the defense allowed 115 points. Regardless, a win is a win.

Wednesday night, Utah went into Portland and got a 31-point victory, as they trampled the Blazers 117-86. Utah shot a season-high 59% from the floor, and outrebounded the Blazers 48 to 35 in a dominating win. Alec Burks had 32 points off of the bench in just 22 minutes, shooting 11-15 from the floor. Derrick Favors had 26 points and 13 boards off of 12-16 shooting. Gordon Hayward had 22, 4, and 7 off of 7-12 shooting. Gobert finished with 13 points, 17 boards, and 3 blocks.

Trey Burke returned after a sprained toe injury the next night against Sacramento at home. Though Burke played well (10 points, 4-6 shooting), the Jazz lost to the Kings in overtime, losing 107 to 102. Derrick Favors continued his great offensive play, putting up 31 points, 9 boards, and 3 assists, while shooting 14-19 from the floor. He also had 4 blocks on the night. Hayward had 23 points, 9 boards, and 7 assists, but shot just 8 for 23 on the night. DeMarcus Cousins left the game in the 4th quarter due to a strained groin injury, and he will miss at least 2 weeks with the injury.

Last night, the Jazz played the Lakers yet again, and this time, the game was much less competitive. Utah held LA to just 78 points on the night, as they got the 102 to 78 victory. Hayward had 26 points off of 8-18 shooting, while Alec Burks pitched in 21 points in 21 minutes off a blistering 8-10 showing from the field. Rudy Gobert had 5 blocks in the win.

With a relatively soft schedule all the way until the All-Star Break, the Jazz should be able to continue to string games together and fight their way back into the playoff picture. Here's the schedule for the next 4 weeks:

Home Games In Bold
January 18 - @ Charlotte Hornets (19-21)
January 20 - @ New York Knicks (22-20)
January 22 - @ Brooklyn Nets (15-26)
January 23 - @ Washington Wizards (12-27)

January 25 - Detroit Pistons (17-23)
January 27 - Charlotte Hornets (19-21)
January 29 - Minnesota Timberwolves (26-15)

February 1 - Chicago Bulls (24-15)
February 3 - Denver Nuggets (10-30)
February 5 - Milwaukee Bucks (19-24)
February 6 - @ Phoenix Suns (22-20)

February 9 - @ Dallas Mavericks (21-20)
February 10 - @ New Orleans Pelicans (21-18)

All of these games are very winnable. However, there are a few games where the Jazz will be challenged greatly. During the 4 game road trip, a game against New York on the 20th will be tough. The Knicks are playing great basketball and beat on the Jazz earlier this season. A trip to Charlotte on the 18th to play the Hornets will also be a big challenge for the Jazz. Since trading away Al Jefferson, the Hornets have gone 15-12 without the former Jazzman.

January 29th's date with the Timberwolves will be a great challenge for Utah. The Wolves are 5th in the conference and have the likely ROTY winner and MVP candidate Karl-Anthony Towns. Earlier this season, the Wolves beat the Jazz 83 to 68 in a defensive battle in December.

If the Jazz can go 8-5 in these 13 games going into the All-Star Break, I think that can give them enough momentum moving forward to really make a playoff push.

Utah Jazz Stats - 15-16
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Gordon Hayward	40	34.9	20.5	5.2	5.3	1.5	0.8	45.1%	36.7%
Derrick Favors	40	31.3	17.0	9.1	1.5	0.9	1.5	50.0%	0.0%
Alec Burks	40	24.6	13.9	3.2	3.1	0.9	0.4	49.0%	37.0%
Rodney Hood	32	24.6	9.7	3.0	2.4	0.6	0.3	42.0%	34.8%
Rudy Gobert	40	31.2	9.6	13.0	1.4	0.6	2.3	60.5%	0.0%
Trey Burke	36	20.5	8.1	1.4	3.2	0.9	0.1	38.1%	33.3%
Shelvin Mack	44	17.7	6.7	1.9	3.0	0.7	0.0	43.7%	44.8%
Trey Lyles	40	12.7	5.1	3.2	0.7	0.3	0.4	47.6%	14.3%
Raul Neto	29	21.6	3.7	1.2	4.2	0.8	0.4	28.4%	23.1%
Joe Ingles	40	10.5	3.6	1.3	1.2	0.4	0.3	38.6%	37.7%
Trevor Booker	25	10.5	3.3	3.3	0.8	0.3	0.4	37.5%	22.2%
Jeff Withey	39	12.1	2.7	3.3	0.3	0.3	0.5	41.9%	0.0%
Tibor Pleiss	4	3.3	2.0	1.5	0.0	0.0	0.3	42.9%	0.0%
Terran Petteway	16	6.2	1.9	0.9	0.6	0.2	0.1	28.6%	15.4%
Dante Exum	0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0%	0.0%

------------------------------------

NBA Standings - Updated: Jan 17, 2016
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat	28	12	--	4-3	17-6
Cleveland Cavaliers	26	12	1.0	4-1	18-7
Atlanta Hawks	26	15	2.5	5-2	18-8
Indiana Pacers	25	15	3.0	6-3	16-8
Chicago Bulls	24	15	3.5	4-4	16-9
New York Knicks	22	20	7.0	6-1	14-15
Toronto Raptors	20	20	8.0	3-3	12-13
Charlotte Hornets	19	21	9.0	2-6	10-13
Milwaukee Bucks	19	24	10.5	1-7	11-16
Detroit Pistons	17	23	11.0	4-4	10-12
Orlando Magic	16	23	11.5	5-2	11-13
Brooklyn Nets	15	26	13.5	2-6	9-17
Boston Celtics	13	28	15.5	6-3	9-20
Washington Wizards	12	27	15.5	3-6	11-15
Philadelphia 76ers	10	32	19.0	2-6	7-17
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers	30	10	--	6-2	20-6
Oklahoma City Thunder	30	11	0.5	6-3	18-7
San Antonio Spurs	28	13	2.5	2-4	14-7
Houston Rockets	26	15	4.5	5-4	15-11
Minnesota Timberwolves	26	16	5.0	7-2	15-8
New Orleans Pelicans	21	18	8.5	6-2	15-11
Phoenix Suns	22	20	9.0	4-4	13-14
Dallas Mavericks	21	20	9.5	5-4	13-11
Memphis Grizzlies	21	21	10.0	2-6	11-13
Utah Jazz	20	20	10.0	4-5	12-15
Sacramento Kings	19	21	11.0	7-4	12-14
Golden State Warriors	18	23	12.5	5-6	11-15
Portland Trail Blazers	16	27	15.5	3-7	12-18
Denver Nuggets	10	30	20.0	4-7	7-24
Los Angeles Lakers	10	32	21.0	1-7	6-20

Is LeBron James starting to fall off? After a phenomenal Finals showing last season against the Golden State Warriors where LBJ put the Cavs on his back, it appears that James is nowhere near the same player that he once was. LeBron is averaging just 22 points a night off of 42% shooting from the floor and 26% shooting from behind the arc. His rebounding and assist numbers are still up, but is it time to give the scoring load to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love?

Speaking of Kevin Love, the Cavs' rangey big man is having an excellent bounce back season. He's averaging 19.5 points, 10.5 boards, and 2.1 assists off of 46% shooting and 40% shooting from three. However, is it possible that the Cavs are looking to trade the talented power forward? Numerous reporters in Cleveland have been claiming that the Cavs are interested in acquiring Brook Lopez from the Nets, and in order to do so, Love would most likely be traded away. This trade would bring in a talented center in Lopez, and would also put Tristan Thompson into the starting lineup. Thompson is averaging 9.6 points and 9.6 boards off of the bench, and is shooting almost 60% from the floor. There's no doubt that Lopez would help improve the Cavs defense, but is Kevin Love to steep of a price to pay for the 27-year-old center?

The Hawks are slowly losing momentum after numerous injuries to their big men, notably Al Horford and Tiago Splitter. With Splitter now returning to lineup, putting Mitch McGary on the bench, can Atlanta regain some steam?

The Nets have now won three straight games, including a 150(!!) to 116 win over the Hawks last night, improving their record to 15-26. Is it possible for the lowly Nets to make a playoff push in the weak East? They are just 4.5 games out of the 8th seed, which Charlotte currently holds with a 19-21 record. Brook Lopez has been playing outstanding basketball, and Jarret Jack has flipped a switch his last two games. Brooklyn is now 5-1 in their last 6 games.

The Clippers continue rolling, having won 8 of their last 10, but the Thunder are right on their tail. OKC is half a game out of 1st place in the West despite having Russell Westbrook on the sidelines with a torn tricep. Kevin Durant is clearly the MVP frontrunner at the moment, as he's averaging 26.4 points, 6.8 boards, 6.7 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.5 blocks a night.