Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Deron Williams carries Nets past Jazz



New Jersey -- Deron Williams had a big night as he carried the Nets past his old team the Utah Jazz in New Jersey and stop the Jazz getting closer to .500 on the road as the play-offs draw ever closer.

New Jersey had a rampant start to the game and got the crowd behind them early starting the game with a 7-2 to run and scoring mercilessly on the Jazz possession after possession and it seemed to be the same on defence early as Brook Lopez swatted away to Jazz shots early in the first quarter but the Jazz recovered well and were able to get themselves back in the game as the had a productive scoring run mid first quarter but that didnt mean the Nets would stop scoring as they seemed to be hitting consistent 3 pointers on the Jazz especially Arron Afflalo who was 100% from behind the line in the first half. The Jazz needed to play better D inside for the rest of the game if they were going to mount any sort of challenge on New Jersey the rest of the game, and they did do that throughout the second q and it led to them taking the lead with 3 minuets gone in the quarter but the combination of New Jersey drawing fouls, D-Will bothering the Jazz with steals and Utah's turnovers the nets were able t get the lead back with 3 mins left in the quarter and they kept it as the teams went in at the half 53-54 and the Nets were shooting 100% from the line in the first half.

Utah had a positive start to the third quarter and took advantage of the Nets bad start to the q shooting 3/4 in the first two minuets but the Nets showed resiliency and fought back this made it a very entertaining 3rd as no one could take control and he teams were exchanging leads and bad news for the Nets mid quarter as Gerald Wallace clashed with D.J Augustin and went down clutching his ankle and it would be revealed that he will be out for 4-6 week with a severe ankle sprain and with 2 weeks left of the season im sure he wont be rushed back unless the Nets sneak into the 8th seed in the east. Deron Williams hit a deep 3 pointer to put the Nets up by 2 at the end f the quarter and it seemed the Nets would have all momentum going into the last minuets of the game but J.J Redick would hit a buzzer beating three to put the Jazz up by one and giving them momentum going into the final 12 minuets of the game, and the Jazz somewhat rode this momentum to an extent but they gifted the Nets this win down the stretch with them turning the ball over on consecutive possessions making it hard for themselves to keep the lead and the Nets were also red hot from the perimeter and it was enough despite a late run from the Jazz the Nets would close the game out by one point and the season series would end 1-1.

Utah Jazz (41-32) at New Jersey Nets (35-39)
Apr 4, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 23 30 21 27 101 New Jersey 25 29 19 29 102 Top Performers Utah Jazz Alec Burks (19 pts, 4 rebs, 2 stls) Harrison Barnes (15 pts, 3 rebs, 6-10 FG) New Jersey Nets Deron Williams (32 pts, 15 asts, 4 stls) Brook Lopez (17 pts, 11 rebs, 8-13 FG)	Team Stats Comparison UTH NJN FG Made-Att 38-91 37-92 3PT Made-Att 5-14 9-31 FT Made-Att 20-23 19-21 Rebounds 60 49 Assists 19 25 Turnovers 13 7 Steals 5 12 Blocks 5 12

Simmed two games to get to San Antonio as we are 4 and 5th seed and I want to try and beat them to get homecourt Adv.

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Jazz Clinch Play-off Berth

Salt Lake City -- After the Jazz's 101-94 victory on Sunday @ Dallas night it was confirmed that they had clinched a play-off berth and will be in the postseason for the first time in two years and have mad a big step this season from being a lottery team last season to going straight to the play-offs this year is a big accomplishment having only made one trade and trading for Harrison Barnes on draft day last year and The appointment of coach George Karl in the off-season seemed to have played a big part of the Jazz's success.

The Jazz are currently 5th seed in the West and would take on San Antonio if the play-off's started today but with their next opponents being the Spurs in San Antonio it adds a twist to the tale as they can try and move up a seed an get home court advantage over the Spurs and they will be looking to win to try and do that tomorrow night.

George Karl said this about Utah clinching a play-off berth:

"Everyone is ecstatic about it we were a lottery team last season and no one thought we would be where we are right now come the post season but there is still work to do regardless as there are still two weeks left and with some consistent performances we can maybe move up a seed or two"

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Matchup Preview *|* April 8, 2013
	@
Utah Jazz (43-32, 18-20 Away)		San Antonio Spurs (39-36, 22-14 Home)
Stats Comparison 101.0 Points Per Game 100.8 101.1 PPG Allowed 98.8 .434 Field Goal % .444 .403 3-Point % .321 .772 Free Throw % .754 52.9 Rebounds 48.8 10.9 Steals 7.8 6.5 Blocks 4.4 21.0 Turnovers 14.9 Projected Starters D.J Augustin Point Guard Tony Parker Alec Burks Shooting Guard Manu Ginobili Harrison Barnes Small Forward Stephen Jackson Paul Millsap Power Forward Tim Duncan Al Jefferson Center DeJuan Blair Game Notes Two Teams are currently 4th and 5th seed in the West and could be potential 1st round opponents in the West 1st round playoffs. SAS: 1-9 in last 10 games still not clinched playoff berth UTA: Are in playoffs clinched berth after W @Dallas

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Spurs defeat Jazz with ridiculous 4th quarter scoring



SAN ANTONIO -- San Antonio avoided a 3-0 season sweep by the Jazz with a 41 point 4th quarter but the Jazz winning the season series might give them the upper hand if these two meet come play-off time. The Jazz are now the 4th seed but the Spurs dropped to 6th behind the Warriors so these two teams might not meet after all.

Utah started the game off turning the ball over too easily and giving the Spurs the upper-hand and they were behind for most of the first quarter but they gained momentum when D.J Augustin stole the ball of Tony Parker and converted the breakaway lay-up and then Alec Burks would hit a transition 3 to put the Jazz up and the teams would trade leads right up until the end of the quarter with Utah going ahead right at the end with a Derrick Favors dunk from his offensive rebound.

San Antonio wasted no time going back in front in the 2nd and they held the Jazz off for a while defending well and forcing the Jazz into tough shots. D.J Augustin would eventually tie it up with a converted and one at the line with 5:09 left to play in the second, but again the Spurs would not back down making a late run in the quarter to go up by 7 and again the Jazz would fight back right until there was .6 on the clock where Gerald Green would hit a three to tie the game at 51 going into half-time.


Alec Burks hit a nice reverse lay-up

Bad news came early in the third for the Spurs when Manu Ginobili converted a lay-up off balance and fell hard to the floor clutching his shoulder and he would not return, it was later revealed that he had a Torn Labrum and he would be out for 1-2 weeks not something the Spurs wanted with the play-off's drawing closer but the Spurs still battled and despite some sloppy play turning the ball over on two consecutive possessions and giving the Jazz control they were eventually able to take the lead again with 7:33 left to play Tony Parker converted his and one, But it was short lived as Alec Burks would tie the game up again with a 3 and no one could take control of the game and it was tight going into the final quarter.

San Antonio's ridiculous 4th quarter started strongly with them outscoring the Jazz 15-9 in the opening 4 minuets of the Quarter and they were just making everything it seemed they couldn't miss. It wasn't the fact that the Jazz were weak in the 4th (far from it they still scored 38 pts) just that the Spurs were unstoppable and scored in the 4th what most teams do over two quarters and despite a late Jazz surge to try and steal the victory the Spurs were able to win the game.

Utah Jazz (43-33) at San Antonio Spurs (40-36)
Apr 8, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 26 25 26 38 115 San Antonio 25 26 25 41 117 Top Performers Utah Jazz Alec Burks (26 pts, 11-19 FG, 4-4 3PT FG) D.J Augustin (24 pts, 11 asts, 8-15 FG) San Antonio Spurs Tony Parker (27 pts, 9 asts, 5 rebs) Stephen Jackson (25 pts, 4 rebs 2 stls)	Team Stats Comparison UTH SAS FG Made-Att 48-107 44-97 3PT Made-Att 10-17 5-16 FT Made-Att 9-13 24-29 Rebounds 49 60 Assists 30 23 Turnovers 9 15 Steals 12 7 Blocks 12 11

Simming to the playoff's now as i want to get to the best part of Association (off-season as well) will try and play more regular season games next season.

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

NBA End of Season Awards and Standings

NBA Standings - Updated: Apr 21, 2013
ATLANTIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Philadelphia 76ers - y	49	33	--	12-4	34-18
Boston Celtics - x	44	38	5.0	5-11	28-24
New York Knicks - x	41	41	8.0	9-7	30-22
New Jersey Nets - x	40	42	9.0	10-6	27-25
Toronto Raptors	18	64	31.0	4-12	13-39
CENTRAL	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Chicago Bulls - y	49	33	--	9-7	31-21
Indiana Pacers	39	43	10.0	10-6	26-26
Detroit Pistons	36	46	13.0	9-7	20-32
Milwaukee Bucks	31	51	18.0	6-10	24-28
Cleveland Cavaliers	29	53	20.0	6-10	18-34
SOUTHEAST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat - y	68	14	--	13-3	41-11
Atlanta Hawks - x	48	34	20.0	9-7	32-20
Orlando Magic - x	47	35	21.0	10-6	31-21
Washington Wizards	32	50	36.0	5-11	18-34
Charlotte Bobcats	28	54	40.0	3-13	17-35
EAST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Miami Heat
Chicago Bulls
Philadelphia 76ers
Atlanta Hawks
Orlando Magic
Boston Celtics
New York Knicks
New Jersey Nets
NORTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder - y	58	24	--	15-1	37-15
Utah Jazz - x	48	34	10.0	31-21	8-8
Minnesota Timberwolves - x	42	40	16.0	7-9	27-25
Denver Nuggets	39	43	19.0	5-11	24-28
Portland Trail Blazers	78	85	20.5	5-11	21-31
PACIFIC	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Los Angeles Clippers - y	53	29	--	12-4	35-17
Los Angeles Clippers - x	52	30	1.0	11-5	32-20
Golden State Warriors - x	45	37	8.0	7-9	30-22
Phoenix Suns	31	51	22.0	6-10	19-33
Sacramento Kings	30	52	23.0	4-12	19-33
SOUTHWEST	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
San Antonio Spurs - y	45	37	--	10-6	25-27
New Orleans Hornets - x	42	40	3.0	10-6	29-23
Dallas Mavericks	78	85	7.5	6-10	24-28
Houston Rockets	34	48	11.0	9-7	20-32
Memphis Grizzlies	34	48	11.0	5-11	17-35
WEST PLAYOFF RACE	W	L	GB	DIV	CONF
Oklahoma City Thunder
Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers
San Antonio Spurs
Utah Jazz
Golden State Warriors
Minnesota Timberwolves
New Orleans Hornets

NBA Performance Awards 2012-13
Award	Player	Pos	Team
Most Valuable Player	LeBron James	SF	Miami Heat
Rookie of the Year	Thomas Robinson	PF	Charlotte Bobcats
Sixth Man of the Year	Derrick Favors	PF	Utah Jazz
Defensive Player of the Year	Dwight Howard	C	Orlando Magic
Most Improved Player	Ronnie Brewer	SG	Detroit Pistons
Coach of the Year	Rick Carlisle		Dallas Mavericks
All-NBA 1st Team
All-NBA 1st Team	Chris Paul	PG	Los Angeles Clippers
	Russell Westbrook	PG	Oklahoma City Thunder
	LeBron James	SF	Miami Heat
	Kevin Durant	SF	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Dwight Howard	C	Orlando Magic
All-NBA 2nd Team
All-NBA 2nd Team	Rajon Rondo	PG	Boston Celtics
	Derrick Rose	PG	Chicago Bulls
	Kevin Love	PF	Minnesota Timberwolves
	Chris Bosh	PF	Miami Heat
	Andrea Bargnani	C	Golden State Warriors
All-NBA 3rd Team
All-NBA 3rd Team	Monta Ellis	SG	Milwaukee Bucks
	Deron Williams	PG	New Jersey Nets
	Rudy Gay	SF	Memphis Grizzlies
	Carmelo Anthony	SF	New York Knicks
	Greg Monroe	C	Detroit Pistons
All-Defensive 1st Team
All-Defensive 1st Team	Rajon Rondo	PG	Boston Celtics
	Chris Paul	PG	Los Angeles Clippers
	LeBron James	SF	Miami Heat
	Thomas Robinson	PF	Charlotte Bobcats
	Dwight Howard	C	Orlando Magic
All-Defensive 2nd Team
All-Defensive 2nd Team	Russell Westbrook	PG	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Derrick Rose	PG	Chicago Bulls
	Blake Griffin	PF	Los Angeles Clippers
	Kevin Durant	SF	Oklahoma City Thunder
	Joakim Noah	C	Chicago Bulls
All-Rookie 1st Team
All-Rookie 1st Team	Thomas Robinson	PF	Charlotte Bobcats
	Damian Lillard	PG	New Orleans Hornets
	Jared Sullinger	PF	Milwaukee Bucks
	Perry Jones III	PF	Phoenix Suns
	Michael Kidd-Gilchrist	SF	Toronto Raptors
All-Rookie 2nd Team
All-Rookie 2nd Team	Bradley Beal	SG	Cleveland Cavaliers
	Anthony Davis	PF	Washington Wizards
	Terrence Jones	PF	Golden State Warriors
	Tony Wroten Jr.	PG	New York Knicks
	Quincy Miller	PF	Phoenix Suns

NBA League Leaders - Updated: Apr 21, 2013
Points Per Game		PPG	Rebounds Per Game		RPG
	1. Kevin Durant	30.4		1. Dwight Howard	12.9
	2. LeBron James	27.9		2. Blake Griffin	12.4
	3. Monta Ellis	23.6		3. Andrew Bynum	12.1
	4. Russell Westbrook	23.0		4. Kevin Love	11.7
	5. Dwight Howard	22.7		5. Anderson Varejao	10.7
Assist Per Game		APG	Steal Per Game		SPG
	1. Rajon Rondo	10.3		1. Chris Paul	3.0
	2. Chris Paul	10.0		2. Rajon Rondo	2.7
	3. Deron Williams	9.8		3. Monta Ellis	2.2
	4. Steve Nash	9.3		4. Russell Westbrook	2.2
	5. John Wall	8.6		5. Raymond Felton	2.0
Blocks Per Game		BPG	Field Goal %		FG%
	1. DeAndre Jordan	2.2		1. Dwight Howard	.578
	2. Dwight Howard	2.1		2. Pau Gasol	.539
	3. Andrew Bynum	2.0		3. Carlos Boozer	.530
	4. Javale McGee	1.7		4. Paul Millsap	.529
	5. Roy Hibbert	1.7		5. Amar'e Stoudemire	.528
3 Point %		3PT%	Free Throw %		FT%
	1. Stephen Curry	.481		1. Stephen Curry	.955
	2. J.R Smith	.474		2. Chauncey Billups	.934
	3. Ben Gordon	.472		3. Shannon Brown	.926
	4. Richard Jefferson	.467		4. Kevin Durant	.919
	5. Gary Neal	.456		5. Kyrie Irving	.908

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Matchup Preview *|* April 22, 2013
	@
Utah Jazz (48-34, Away)		San Antonio Spurs (45-37, Home)
Stats Comparison 100.9 Points Per Game 100.8 101.1 PPG Allowed 98.4 .440 Field Goal % .446 .418 3-Point % .320 .773 Free Throw % .759 52.4 Rebounds 48.9 10.6 Steals 7.9 6.6 Blocks 4.4 20.8 Turnovers 16.1 Projected Starters D.J Augustin Point Guard Tony Parker Alec Burks Shooting Guard Kawhi Leonard Harrison Barnes Small Forward Stephen Jackson Paul Millsap Power Forward Tim Duncan Al Jefferson Center DeJuan Blair Injury Report Manu Ginobili (Torn Labrum) Day-to-Day Game Notes West First Round Play-off's game 1

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Jazz dismantled by Spurs in Game 1

SAN ANTONIO -- It's NBA playoff time and its one of the most exciting time in the NBA calender and as Game 1 of the West first round tipped-off at the AT&T Centre the Jazz and Spurs had high hopes of snagging a game one victory and some momentum to take into Game 2 and in a game where the Jazz scored 110 points in San Antonio it still wasn't enough to beat a rampant Spurs team.

The game started of with a Kahwi Leonard foul while D.J Augustin was shooting a 3 pointer and he would convert all the free throws giving the Jazz momentum and they would ride it going on a 7-2 run in the first two minuets and it looked like the Jazz would have a good start to their play-off campaign. The Spurs fought back well to 11-8 and eventually took the lead for the first time with 4 mins let to play in the first but the Jazz showed they were up for a fight and took the lead back near the end of the quarter and it looked like for the most part it would turn into an interesting opening game.

The 2nd quarter was much like the first already with 7 lead changes and 4 ties both teams were going at each others throats and exchanging leads and playing with alot of intensity. The spurs made a late run and were making everything shooting 67% from the field but again the Jazz would fight back not letting up despite having basically the whole arena against them and it would be 58-62 going into half time.

The third quarter was when the Spurs really turned on the style and the Jazz just turned off altogether on defence but it wasn't like that all quarter as the Jazz were still hanging in their and doing their part on offence but the Spurs were outscoring the Jazz 23-14 with 5 minuets left to play and the Jazz really needed to play much better under their own basket, Jazz fans knew it, Jazz players knew it and you could certainly see that Jazz coach George Karl knew it screaming his lungs out on the side lines but to be fair to the Jazz when your hot your hot and that's what the Spurs were and they couldn't seem to miss anything despite the Jazz's defensive effort but it might have also helped of the Jazz rebounded better and weren't getting pushed about by a 6'8 center in DeJuan Blair.

The Jazz knew they were pretty much out of it at the start of the 4th but still gave it a go even though their focus was probably on game 2 and they looked out of it giving up a 7-2 run at the start and they looked a beaten team despite a stellar scoring total for the game. Now they have to play once more in Texas before the Spurs face them in their back yard in Salt Lake City but one things for sure George Karl will not be happy with that team and they will know that if they are to stand a chance of making the West semi's they need to be much more consistent on D and be much better at rebounding. Im sure they will work on it to death in practice and dissect every part of game film to make sure they walk out of San Antonio in two nights with a W.

Utah Jazz (0-1) at San Antonio Spurs (1-0)
Apr 21, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 33 25 22 30 110 San Antonio 34 28 36 34 132 Top Performers Utah Jazz Al Jefferson (22 pts, 2 stls, 11-13 FG) Alec Burks (19 pts, 2 stls, 6-9 FG) San Antonio Spurs DeJuan Blair (25 pts, 11 rebs, 10-14 FG) Tony Parker (25 pts, 13 asts, 9-14 FG)	Team Stats Comparison UTH SAS FG Made-Att 43-84 53-91 3PT Made-Att 3-16 5-12 FT Made-Att 21-26 21-28 Rebounds 34 48 Assists 22 22 Turnovers 14 10 Steals 8 10 Blocks 5 3

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Jazz get revenge for Game 1 thrashing, Take Valuable Win into Game 3



SAN ANTONIO -- A great overall team performance from Utah and balanced scoring by everyone showed that relying on one player to score the bulk of your points will not work down the stretch as with six Jazz players finishing on double-digit totals and only three players doing the same for San Antonio.

The game started out the compete opposite to Game 1 with both teams struggling to score early on Stephen Jackson seemed to be the only one able to score for the Spurs with 9 of the Spurs first 11 points and for the Jazz they were only shooting 16% from the field with 4 minuets to go and they were relying on their foul shooting to keep them in the first quarter and as the Spurs mad a late run it looked like this would be Deja-Vu all over again for the Jazz going down 9 which would be the biggest lead of the game. The Jazz however got going late in the quarter to come back and start the second as the first started - Tied - with Gerald Green hitting a 3 pointer which would bounce around the rim before falling and the play would have to be reviewed and to the relief of the Jazz fans the 3 points counted.

Utah were able to start the second much better than the first, before which has been the story most of the time for the Spurs Tony Parker would carry the Spurs back into the game after the Jazz took a seven point lead and with Tm Duncan being extremely unproductive the Spurs would have to rely on Parker for most of the quarter. Enes Kanter was showing again why he was crucial for the Jazz of the bench for most of the regular season and he was 3/3 so far in the quarter as was newly crowned sixth man of the year Derrick Favors providing more of a defensive presence of the bench in this game but he still chipped in offensively too. It was close going into the half at 49-50 to the Spurs and if the Jazz were taking better care of the ball they might have been in front going onto the half.


D.J Augustin hit a nice floater over Tony Parker giving him a taste of his own medicine

Utah were utilizing the double team well on Tony Parker coming out of the half and it was hurting his production and the Spurs' production in general as he was turning the ball over much more and was force into tough shots, But the Jazz weren't taking advantage of it as much as they should have been as their were multiple possessions were San Antonio would turn the ball over and the Jazz would give them the ball straight back and it was frustrating George Karl you could tell by his expressions on the bench but by playing stifling defence it din't matter much towards the end of the quarter. Utah were able to go 2 for one at the end of the quarter as Derrick Favors would be involve alot in this he would score the 2 points with 35 seconds left go down the other end Block Boris Diaw then D.J Augustin would throw a pass to Alec Burks who would hit his 3rd 3 of the night but the Jazz werent done there as Cory Joseph would get a quick two back Utah rushed back up court for another buzzer beater this time it was clear and this time it was by Earl Watson but the question was could they ride the momentum and defeat the Spurs on the road.

It didn't look like it as they were on the end of an 8-2 run from the Spurs to start the quarter but it would help with Tim Duncan being fouled out on just 4 points it was a bitter blow to the Spurs and young rookie Royce White would have a big role to play as the Spurs would try and take a 2-0 series lead. With the Jazz down by one and just over 2 minutes left Utah need a basket to take the pressure of instead they would turn the ball over an Stephen Jackson would convert on the breakaway dunk to put the Spurs up by three. Utah would waste no time on getting the points back as D.J Augustin would hit a lay-up with 1:48 left to go and the Jazz desperately needed a stop to try and steal the win they did get that but the teams went scoreless on each of there possessions but with 10 seconds left D.J Augustin would score what would turn out to be the game winning lay-up and as the Spurs called time-out, got back up the court, Tony Parker was double teamed and forced to make a desperate pass to Stephen Jackson who would be force into a tough shot and miss and the Jazz players exploded as the buzzer went. So Utah take a valuable win back to Utah for Game 3 and will look to take the lead when they two meet in Utah in two nights.

George Karl had this to say about the Jazz's first play-off win:

"Well we are relieved and at the same time glad that we were able to get revenge for the bad loss in game one and get the win to tie the series but we must no get carried away and keep focused and try and win again while we have the home advantage in game three and if we play like we did tonight everyone knows that we can get the win in two nights"

Utah Jazz (1-1) at San Antonio Spurs (1-1)
Apr 23, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final Utah 23 26 28 21 98 San Antonio 23 27 24 23 97 Top Performers Utah Jazz Alec Burks (16 pts, 4 rebs, 3-5 3PT FG) Al Jefferson (14 pts, 9 rebs, 5-10 FG) San Antonio Spurs Stephen Jackson (23 pts, 7 rebs, 10-19 FG) Tony Parker (18 pts, 5 rebs, 5 asts)	Team Stats Comparison UTH SAS FG Made-Att 35-78 36-83 3PT Made-Att 5-11 3-10 FT Made-Att 23-30 22-30 Rebounds 44 48 Assists 12 22 Turnovers 16 13 Steals 7 16 Blocks 7 5

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Ginobili Returns to give Spurs Game 3 win in Utah



SALT LAKE CITY -- Manu Ginobili returned from his injury that he sustained against the Jazz in the regular season to drop 31 pts and erase the Spurs' home defeat two nights ago to guide them to a win on the road and a 2-1 series lead in another thriller which the difference was 1 point.

San Antonio still looked a bit rusty after their game 2 defeat by starting the game off with 2 straight turnovers and luckily for them the Jazz were only able to take advantage converting on one of them. It was a neck and neck game all the way through the first and the teams were trading buckets and every time Utah scored the towels were swinging and the crowd would explode. In past meetings between the two teams it had seemed that Utah struggled to contain San Antonio on the offensive glass they were to an extent in this game but they improved on the glass offensively themselves.

The second quarter was when Manu Ginobili really got going as he was causing problems for the Jazz inside and making tough shots. It didn't help either that the Jazz went scoreless for almost 4 minutes but because there defence was extremely good tonight they were able to get back in the game with a late run in the quarter and got back within two points before the half with the teams going in 48-46 at the half.


Harrison Barnes seemed to have major hops tonight dunking all over the Spurs

It looked like the Jazz could come out on top again with the Spurs opening the second half 0/3 from the field and the Jazz were taking advantage as Paul Millsap made the Jazz first three shots but as we have seen before this season the Jazz have a habit of throwing leads away and it happened again when the Spurs came back to outscore the Jazz 13-10 with 5 minutes left to play. It would get worse as the Spurs then went on a 9-0 run and took the biggest lead of the game at 11 and the Jazz gave themselves work to do in the 4th to try and get the win on their home court.

Utah were much better at both ends of the court in the 4th quarter bot giving the Spurs room to breathe and contesting basically every shot but the Spurs were holding them of well and every time the Jazz would score the Spurs seemes to just do the same but when Harrison Barnes made a lay-up off a foul and convert the free throw with 3:54 to go it sparked a Jazz comeback and they eventually took the lead with 1:59 left to play but it would be a slender lead and they kept it for all of 20 seconds after the game was tied Manu Ginobili would hit a wide open 3 to put the Spurs up by 3. The Jazz would take the lead once more and again by 1 but with 16 seconds left Ginobili would euro step and dunk and it would turn out to be the winning dunk as Al Jefferson would miss the game winning lay up for the Jazz and now they will have to again try and tie the series up but this time they will have a whole arena on their side but as we seen tonight it still wont be easy.

San Antonio Spurs (2-1) at Utah Jazz (1-2)
Apr 25, 2013 1 2 3 4 Final San Antonio 24 24 23 24 95 Utah 22 24 16 32 94 Top Performers San Antonio Spurs Manu Ginobili (31 pts, 4 rebs) Tim Duncan (10 pts, 15 rebs, 5-8 FG) Utah Jazz Paul Millsap (20 pts, 9 rebs, 8-15 FG) D.J Augustin (14 pts, 7 asts, 3 stls)	Team Stats Comparison SAS UTH FG Made-Att 40-93 39-90 3PT Made-Att 3-24 2-6 FT Made-Att 12-21 14-20 Rebounds 54 50 Assists 25 16 Turnovers 7 8 Steals 7 6 Blocks 4 4

[Liam_93]

Re: Utah Jazz - Dealing with the Hoodoo

Sorry about cutting this short but I have a new association going on so hopefully everyone who was following this can follow my new one.