Utah Jazz Blog – Page 93 – NBA Blog

Second round playoffs notes

Nineteen teams have recovered from 2-0 deficits to win a best-of-seven series, including two last postseason.

The Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets 4-3 in their first round series after dropping the first two games, and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Detroit Pistons 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals after falling behind 2-0.

New Orleans, which owns a 2-0 lead in its Western Conference semifinals series against San Antonio, is out-rebounding the Spurs by an average of six rebounds (50-44) and is shooting .491 from the field, while San Antonio is at .417. Game 3 is tonight in San Antonio (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

New Orleans’ Chris Paul has recorded a points/assists double-double in six of his first seven playoff games, including three 30-point, 10-assist games.

The Celtics own a 1-0 lead in its best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series against Cleveland, with Game 2 tonight in Boston (7 p.m. ET, ESPN). In their 76-72 Game 1 victory, the Celtics held LeBron James to only 12 points on 2-of-18 shooting. James, however, fell one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double, finishing with 12 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. James has made fewer than two baskets once, on Dec. 29, 2004, when he shot 0-of-5 against Houston.

The Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series against Utah, defeating the Jazz 120-110. One of the reasons the Lakers are in control of the series is the defensive effort their frontcourt has made against All-Star Carlos Boozer. Boozer, who led Utah in scoring during the regular season (21.1), was limited to 15 points in Game 1 on 6-of-14 shooting. In Game 2, he was held to just 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting.

The Lakers are averaging a playoff-high 114.7 points, out-distancing the next closest team, New Orleans (102.4 ppg) by 12.3 points. L.A. also is shooting a postseason-best .491 from the field and averaging a playoff-off 26.5 assists.

The postseason’s best defense belongs to Boston, which is allowing only 85.3 ppg on .397 shooting from the field.

Orlando scored a 111-86 home victory in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals series against Detroit to avoid going down 3-0. Rashard Lewis recorded a playoff career-high 33 points, shooting 11-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from three. In the first two games of the series, played in Detroit, Lewis scored a combined 38 points, shooting 15-of-41 from the floor and 2-of-12 from three. During the regular season, Lewis shot .483 in home games compared with .429 on the road.

– NBA News

May 7: Lakers 120, Jazz 110

The AP reports: The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated Kobe Bryant’s MVP award the best way possible. Bryant had 34 points, eight rebounds and six assists Wednesday night, and the Lakers beat the Utah Jazz 120-110 to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals and remain the NBA’s only unbeaten team in the postseason… Derek Fisher, who played for Utah last season, added 22 points, Pau Gasol scored 20, and Lamar Odom had 19 points and 16 rebounds for the Lakers, who shot 57.4 percent from the field and made 35 free throws—22 more than the Jazz. Seven Utah players scored in double figures, led by Deron Williams, who had 25 points, including three 3-pointers in the final minute, and 10 assists. Paul Millsap added a career playoff-high 17 points and 10 rebounds, Mehmet Okur scored 16 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 14. Okur and Kirilenko both fouled out in the final minute. Carlos Boozer was held to 10 points—all in the second half. He played less than seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble… The Lakers led 55-40 before Williams made a 3-pointer for his only points of the first half. It was 63-49 at halftime, and it might have been worse for the Jazz had Millsap not scored 13 points—three more than his previous playoff high.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers shot 57.4%, the Jazz 44.6%. The Lakers nailed 7-of-11 three-pointers, the Jazz 7-of-18. The big story was free throws: 35-of-43 for the Lakers (Bryant and Gasol had 12 FT attempts each), 13-of-16 for the Jazz. The Jazz had the slight edge in both rebounds and assists, and Utah committed five fewer turnovers than L.A. did. The Lakers blocked 9 shots, the Jazz just one.

For the Lakers, Bryant had 34 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists, but 5 turnovers. Derek Fisher on just 10 shots (and 4-of-5 threes) had 22 points and 3 steals. Pau Gasol on just 11 shots had 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 blocks. Lamar Odom on just 10 shots had 19 points and 16 rebounds.

For the Jazz, Deron Williams (9-of-17) had 25 points and 10 assists. And six other Jazz players scored between 10 and 16 points. Andrei Kirilenko had 14 points and 5 assists. Paul Millsap (7-of-13) was the team’s second leading scorer with 17 points and the only good Jazz rebounder tonight with 10 boards.

American Idol`s David Archuleta to sing before Jazz game, unless…

David Archuleta, a finalist on American Idol, will perform the national anthem prior to the Utah Jazz home game this Friday night, May 9, at EnergySolutions Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.

However, if David is voted off of American Idol tonight, his Utah Jazz pregame performance won’t happen. It’s a contract thing.

I’ve never been an American Idol viewer but actually have seen most of this season, and I don’t think he’ll be voted off tonight. I predict that the kid with the dredlocks who sang Bob Marley and Bob Dylan last week is probably the one to go. Marley and Dylan are two of my favorite singers ever, but the kid couldn’t really pull it off.

May 4: Lakers 109, Jazz 98

The AP reports: Kobe Bryant, celebrating what’s expected to be his first NBA MVP award, converted six of his franchise playoff-record 21 foul shots in the fourth quarter, and the Los Angeles Lakers held off the Utah Jazz 109-98 Sunday to begin the second round of the playoffs. Bryant finished with 38 points, six rebounds and seven assists, and the Lakers made it five straight victories to begin the postseason after winning eight of their last nine regular-season games to earn the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference… The Lakers shot 38-of-46 from the foul line, while the Jazz went 22-of-30. The teams spent most of the final period going from one foul line to the other, with Los Angeles going 14-of-19 from the line and Utah 10-of-12. Twenty-four of the 60 personal fouls were called in the last 12 minutes… There were some other unexpected numbers. For one, the Jazz outrebounded the Lakers 58-41, with 25 of their rebounds at the offensive end. For another, Utah attempted 95 shots to match its regular-season high, but converted only 36 (37.9 percent).

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: The Lakers hit 5-of-10 threes, the Jazz just 4-of-19. Utah did dominate the glass, getting 58 rebounds to LA’s 41. Assists, turnovers and blocks were close.

For the Lakers, aside from Bryant, Pau Gasol (8-of-13) had 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Lamar Odom (5-of-12) had 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks. Sasha Vujacic on just 6 shots had 15 points and 4 rebounds off the bench. Vladimir Radmanovic scored 10.

For the Jazz, Mehmet Okur on 19 shots and 0-of-5 threes had 21 points, 19 rebounds and 3 assists. Carlos Boozer on 14 shots had 15 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists but 7 turnovers. Deron Williams shot just 5-of-18 for 14 points but he did rack up 9 rebounds and 9 assists. Ronnie Brewer, Andrei Kirilenko and Kyle Korver each scored 11.

May 2: Jazz 113, Rockets 91

The AP reports: The Jazz beat the Rockets 113-91 on Friday night to win the series 4-2 and avoid having to play a Game 7 on the road. The Jazz did that a year ago against the Rockets and didn’t want to push their luck again in Texas. The third quarter all but guaranteed they wouldn’t have to. Deron Williams scored 13 of his 25 points in the period, making three of four 3-pointers as the Jazz outscored the Rockets 27-11… Williams had just seven points at halftime, then took over the game in the third quarter. He was 4-for-7 from the field and pumped up his teammates as Utah pulled away on a 20-5 run. Houston had already cut a 17-point lead to four and Williams wanted the Jazz to pull away—and stay there… Houston relied almost entirely on Tracy McGrady, who couldn’t beat the Jazz by himself—even with his 40 points… Luis Scola was the only other Rockets player in double figures with 15 points. The Rockets lost point guard Rafer Alston with a sprained ankle late in the second quarter and the offense never recovered… Mehmet Okur had 19 points and 13 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer added 15 points and 10 boards. Andrei Kirilenko scored 11 points and Williams added nine assists. The Jazz found their long-range shooting and made 10 of 22 3-pointers. Utah was 2-for-23 from beyond the arc in the previous two games.

Apr. 29: Rockets 95, Jazz 69

The AP reports: The Houston Rockets didn’t need a big fourth quarter from Tracy McGrady to stay alive in their playoff series with Utah. McGrady scored 29 points and got plenty of help, and the Rockets staved off elimination Tuesday night by routing the Jazz 95-69 in Game 5 of their first-round series. Luis Scola added 18 points and 12 rebounds, Rafer Alston scored 14 points and Dikembe Mutombo grabbed 10 rebounds as the Rockets cut their series deficit to 3-2 and forced Game 6 in Utah on Friday night… The Jazz, meanwhile, endured their worst offensive performance of the season, setting a season-low point total by eight. They shot 36.5 percent (27-of-74), went 2-for-9 from 3-point range and 13-for-23 from the free throw line. They also committed 18 turnovers and were outrebounded 46-38… Carlos Boozer led Utah with 19 points and 10 rebounds. Deron Williams had 13 points and six assists… The Rockets used a 12-0 run to stretch their lead to 70-48. McGrady swished a jumper over Matt Harpring with eight seconds left in the third quarter to put Houston up 74-55. Harpring stepped out of bounds at the other end, a fitting end to another dismal quarter for Utah.

Apr. 26: Jazz 86, Rockets 82

The AP reports: Mehmet Okur can expect to get something nice from teammate Deron Williams. Okur bailed out Williams when he missed two free throws with 7.3 seconds left, then Okur made two from the line to seal an 86-82 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday that put the Jazz up 3-1 in the best-of-7 series. “Memo saved my butt. I ought to give him something. I ought to buy him a car or something,” Williams said. Okur had 18 rebounds, Carlos Boozer added 14 and the Jazz made up for some dismal outside shooting by controlling the lane… Williams scored eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter, starting an 8-0 run after Houston had trimmed a 16-point lead to just one with 10:39 left… Tracy McGrady, who is 0-6 in playoff series, scored 23 points to lead the Rockets. McGrady was taunted with the chant “Over-Rated!” when he went to the foul line late in the game. He scored just four points in another quiet final quarter… McGrady also led Houston with eight assists and 10 rebounds, but the Rockets were outrebounded 48-41… Andrei Kirilenko added an exclamatory block as the buzzer sounded and the Jazz left the court one win away from advancing. Kirilenko scored 11 and Ronnie Brewer had 12 points and two blocks as all five Utah starters scored in double figures.

Apr. 24: Rockets 94, Jazz 92

The AP reports: Scoring seven points in a quarter is normally nothing for Tracy McGrady. With his team down 2-0 in the opening round of the playoffs, it meant everything to the Houston Rockets. McGrady scored all of those seven in the final 3:29, finally snapping out of a fourth-quarter slump and finishing with 27 to lead Houston to a 94-92 victory over the Utah Jazz on Thursday night that gave the Rockets life in a series that could have been headed for a sweep… Rafer Alston added 20 points and five assists in his first game in nearly two weeks. Carl Landry had 11 rebounds and two blocks, swatting away Deron Williams’ shot that could have won it for the Jazz just before the buzzer. Landry also sacrificed his left front tooth, courtesy of an elbow from Utah’s Carlos Boozer in the second quarter, and had a huge gap in his post-game grin… The Rockets, who are without 7-foot-6 center Yao Ming, outscored Utah in the paint 40-26… Carlos Boozer had 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Mehmet Okur scored 12 and pulled down 11 boards for the Jazz, whose poor free throw shooting caught up with them in the fourth quarter when McGrady started scoring. The Jazz went 20-for-33 from the foul line, getting 11 more chances than Houston (16-for-22) but failing to capitalize.

InsideHoops.com Stat Notes: For the Rockets, T-Mac had 27, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Alston had 20 points (4 threes) and 5 assists. Luis Scola (just 4-of-13) had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks. Carl Landry grabbed 11 rebounds. For the Jazz, Deron Williams had 28 points and 12 assists. Boozer had 15 with 11 rebounds. Mehmet Okur (just 3-of-13) had 12 with 11 rebounds.

Apr. 21: Jazz 90, Rockets 84

The AP reports: Deron Williams shrugged off an ankle injury and scored 22 points and Mehmet Okur added 16 points and 16 rebounds as the Jazz beat the Rockets 90-84 on Monday night to take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series… Tracy McGrady, a seven-time All-Star who has never advanced past the first round of the playoffs, had 23 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to just miss his first postseason triple-double. But he went 0-for-4 from the field and scored only one point in the final quarter as the Rockets lost to the Jazz for the eighth time in the last 10 meetings… Bobby Jackson rebounded from a 3-for-15 effort in Game 1 to score 18 points… Carlos Boozer added 13 points and Deron Williams had five assists for the Jazz, who closed the game with a 14-8 run.

Apr. 19: Jazz 93, Rockets 82

The AP reports: The Utah Jazz failed to secure home-court advantage for their playoff series with Houston. Maybe they won’t need it after all. Andrei Kirilenko scored 21 points, Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 16 rebounds and the Jazz beat the Rockets 93-82 to take a 1-0 series lead Saturday night. Deron Williams had 20 points and 10 assists as Utah, 17-24 on the road during the regular season, won its second straight playoff game in Houston. The last victory came in Game 7 last season, and that was when Houston had Yao Ming… Kirilenko hit 8 of 12 shots and Utah’s reserves also contributed, outscoring Houston’s reserves 28-17… Shane Battier scored 22 and Tracy McGrady had 20 points for Houston, which shot 37 percent (29 of 79). The Rockets are also playing without starting point guard Rafer Alston, who strained his right hamstring late in the season. His backup, Bobby Jackson, scored seven points on 3-for-15 shooting.