Houston, We have a break-through!

Paul Millsap just gave Jazz fanatics back their dignity. By taking control in the fourth quarter of the debacle in Houston, "The Miracle Man" pushed the game to over time after being down 16 pts. early in the contest.  In overtime it was more of the same, incredible shots buried by the man they call Millsap.

The win brought Paul 27 points with 10 rebounds.  A great night in Houston for the overachiever.  Another great comeback... But did it answer the questions that have lingered around this Utah team like the stink that soaks into your coat after eating at La Frontera?  Lets take a look, and a big whiff!

Question 1:  Is this the starting line-up Utah needs to stay with?

A- No.  The starting five are a strong, talented unit; but they lack balance.  While they can all score and be at least a second option on any NBA team (often the first),  none of them have shown the "rapid fire" characteristic in the first quarter often needed to start fast.  That rapid fire option frees up other scorers and can cause a pretty big explosion in scoring.  It's not needed for him to be the top scorer over all, just have that threat of scoring quickly.  

For Utah, that is C.J. Miles.  He is streaky, often shoots too many 3's, and often is ice cold.  But when he is even a little "on", he can score 12+ points very quickly.

Yes, he is the top scorer off the bench.  But what good is a scoring threat on the 2nd team when he is always trying to close a deficit left by the first team?  More on this in my next article.

Question 2:  Why does it appear the offense can't get in rhythm lately (before the second half in Houston)?

A- D-Will is not running the pick and roll/pop as often or as crisp as he has in the past.  A lot of this has to do with Millsap and Jefferson not creating clean picks consistently,  But D-Will is adding fuel to the fire by not running it nearly as much as he used to.  I get that Al is still learning... but to learn one must try.

Having two pretty aggressive bigs in Paul and Al, D-will should/could be running some type of  the screen related play on just about every non break-away offensive series.  It works and opens up cutting wings to streak to the rim.

Question 3:  What are some of the tangible keys that get the Jazz a win?

A-  Rebounds:  The Jazz out rebounded Houston at a +9 rate!  This has usually been a huge problem this year, and has forced Utah to individually create more, instead of taking what is already there.

I may be way off, but it seemed that between Paul and Al against Houston, there was a  mutual respect for player spacing, while still attacking the glass.  This was evident in where each was receiving the ball in relation to the location of the other.  If Paul took it at the top of the key, Jefferson would settle down low on a side block, giving Millsap room to pop or drive.  Paul seemed to give that same spacing for Al, cautiously rotating to the week side, depending on where Al got the ball.

The Houston game was a perfect example of how these two can really produce together.  Both going for 20+ points & 10+ rebounds is a pretty good indication that Utah is going to win.  

The other key is assists.  This one is strictly numbers but also plays off of the spacing Al and Paul developed in the second half of the Houston game.  Basic number results: when the Jazz win this year they average 23 assists, and D-Will averages 10+ of those.  When they lose, Utah averages just over 19 assists, with D-Williams bringing in just over 8 of them.  

In Houston Deron had 15 assists and Utah had 26 as a team.   That's a win.

Question 4:  The defense has dropped off, why?

Great defensive players typically have one major characteristic in common; HIGH ENERGY!!

While former Jazz defensive cancer Booze is being benched in Shy-Town for a lack of defensive effort, Utah is now at least a team that is willing to play defense.  The willingness gets them in position, the lack of energy takes them out.  When this Utah team is clicking on offense, the energy translates to the defense.  The stops will come when the pick and roll is clicking. 

After watching the 2nd half of the Houston game again, I am going to make a prediction that Utah is going to get back on track,and start winning more consistently with much better starts.

But is it enough?  Can the Jazz break through in the playoffs?  Time has to answer that one.



Dignan also writes as a “Jazzbot” on utahjazz360.com & can be reached by e-mail at dignan.sportscave@gmail.com