2021 post season #1 seed in NBA!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/460332/donovan...fter-game-two/

“It’s good,” Mitchell said of his ankle Friday after the team arrived in Memphis. “It’s gotten better since I played, these things can go one of two ways and I feel like it’s going the right way.”

good to hear since you forced your way on to the floor

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/460320/jazz-he...or-game-three/

Though the Jazz shot just 25 percent in their series opener, they’d gladly welcome 40+ attempts for the remainder of the series, especially with the quality of look they are getting.

as long as Clarkson isn't taking too many and of course he will be

In addition to creating open looks, the Jazz have punished the Grizzlies with their pick and roll play. Mike Conley is averaging 13 assists per game through two games and surgically picked the Memphis defense apart, including an eight-point, eight-assist fourth quarter on Wednesday.

sadly we'll see less and less of that as Mitchell comes back

Conley doesn’t have to outscore Morant for the Jazz to win in Memphis, but he’s got to keep his shooting percentages up and keep his team from panicking while playing in front of the fan base that once worshiped him with the Grizzlies.

might be able to pick it up defensively as he goes back to spotting up in the corner while Mitchell goes 1 on 5

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/460306/four-ta...zzlies-so-far/

First, the team was without their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell who was a late scratch from the opener under bizarre circumstances.

no excuse

Second, the team may have been a bit rusty, having had a full week off while the Grizzlies had played two high-leverage games in preparation for the game one. The rust resulted in 14 turnovers, including 12 steals by the Grizzlies leading to easy transition baskets.

maybe but it was pretty typical

Third, the Jazz shot bizarrely poorly in their opener, connecting on just 12-47 of their three-point attempts, their second-worst shooting performance of the season.

yeah but Gobert fouled out was the main reason and as usual they aren't very good without him

As good as Ja Morant and Dillon Brooks have been through the first two games of the series, Memphis needs more firepower if they want to keep up with the Jazz hot shooting.

or better D. Jazz certainly need better D

And, he’s doing this against Jonas Valanciunas, one of the better seven-footers in the league. Not only has Gobert been impressive statistically, he’s had several eye-opening highlights including a massive block on Morant who challenged him at the rim, and an unstoppable offensive performance in the fourth quarter of game two.

blocked Morant in game 1 as well

Jazz fans have been singing the praises of Gobert for several years now, though the nuances of his game don’t lend themselves to more casual NBA Fans.

some. Others chant MVP for Mitchell

If the Jazz want to end this series in short order, they’ll have to avoid full quarter letdowns.

been a problem all year. Despite their #1 D they rarely do it for 48 minutes which is more a statement on today's game than anything else

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/5/28/22...view-ja-morant

The Jazz are their own worst enemy when it comes to the offense slowing down. At times the ball can stick, making off-ball movement and drive-and-kick plays more difficult. This was a particularly egregious problem in the third quarter of Game 2, when the Grizzlies outscored the Jazz 43-29.

only going to see more of it as Mitchell comes back

[Xiao Yao You]

Two NBA people I respect suggest the Cavs trade Sexton. One likes him a lot, one is lukewarm. But their point is the team should only sign Allen (a restricted free agent) to a $100 million deal. Because of the Love contract, the Cavs can’t pay Allen and Sexton tons of cash without crushing the salary cap.

– via Terry Pluto @ Cleveland Plain Dealer

similar numbers to Mitchell but two years younger and cheaper. Can't be any worse defensively

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After struggling to find a consistent rhythm throughout much of his first season in Utah, Conley appears to have found the groove in his second campaign that helped make the Jazz the No. 1 team in the Western Conference all season. He went 7-of-10 from the 3-point line on Saturday, tying his career high for 3-pointers in a game. “I think the biggest thing is he’s just locked in,” Mitchell said. “He just has a different look. And that’s one of the things that I saw from him in the bubble, and I’ve seen it at an even higher level now. He understands it. He loves — he played for Memphis, what, 13 years. At the end of the day, there’s still love. You can see it. And there’s also love in competing against them. And I think it is impressive, because it’s easy to be distracted …

– via Nick Friedell @ ESPN





Ben Anderson: Mike Conley on playing against Memphis: “Sometimes you just live long enough to become the villain and I’ve become that for the Memphis Grizzlies now so, you’ve just got to take that in stride.”

– via Twitter BensHoops






Eric Walden: Mike Conley, on facing Ja in Memphis: “It’s surreal — him wearing the jersey I’m so used to wearing, getting the cheers I’m used to hearing. You live long enough, you become the villain — and I’ve become that for the Memphis Grizzlies.”

– via Twitter tribjazz






Marc J. Spears: Grizzlies say Ja Morant is the fourth player in NBA history to score 100+ points over his first three playoff appearances and the first since 1970. He joins Wilt Chamberlain (116 points in 1960), George Mikan (107 points in 1949) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (102 points in 1970).
– via Twitter MarcJSpears







Eric Walden: Quin Snyder, on Donovan down the stretch: “He’s such a competitor, and he’s thinking about winning. When you have a guy that believes in himself that much, believes in his teammates, has that competitive fire, he’s going to make things happen.”
– via Twitter tribjazz

He's going to keep gunning anyway

Meghan Triplett: Coach Jenkins said the Jazz were really physical w/ Jonas Valanciunas and put a lot of attention on him. Jenkins said he was glad he found a way in that 3rd qtr but they will have to go watch film & see what they need to do for Game 4.

– via Twitter Meghan_Triplett

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Eric Walden: Rudy Gobert, on Mark Eaton: “It’s tough. He’s someone I really appreciated. He was a great guy. I texted him a few days ago. … He had a great career, but he’s an even better person. Definitely gonna be missed.”

– via Twitter tribjazz





“I know that if he was here I would have got a text after the game saying, ‘way to protect the paint big guy,’” Gobert said with a smile after the Jazz’s 121-111 Game 3 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. “I know he’s watching, and I know he’s going to be watching through the rest of the playoffs and everything else. I feel his presence.”

– via Sarah Todd @ deseret.com







That’s what keeps coming up when talking to people about Eaton. Over and over you’ll hear those that knew him say that he was a great listener, a superb friend, and unendingly kind to everyone he encountered. “Obviously he had a great career, but as a human being as a person, he was someone that I related a lot,” Gobert said. “I learned a lot just from being around him. He’s definitely going to be missed, and not just by me but in the community, with all the great things that he’s done and all the people he’s been inspiring his whole life.”

– via Sarah Todd @ deseret.com







Snyder added that he always appreciated the rare occasions when Eaton would speak to the team. “He would come in the locker room occasionally; he was always very sensitive to his presence and what his purpose was, and you almost had to encourage him to come in, because every time he did, he touched players, he touched coaches,” he said. “He had a way about him that would [make you] want you to open up, and he motivated in very specific ways and also in very subtle ways depending upon the situation and what was needed. The subtleties of all that, I think, speak to the compassion, with which he lived.”

– via Salt Lake Tribune






“He was always at games early in my career, and he just used to always come up to me and give me advice about certain things,” Favors said. “You know, we just used to talk, and he’d tell stories.” Favors, who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs about 265 pounds, recalled how Eaton was one of the few people he’d ever come across who could make him feel small. “I mean, he was how tall — 7-3, 7-4? Yeah, 7-4. The only other player that I played against that was taller than that was Yao Ming, my rookie year,” Favors said. “He was a big guy, he was a big guy. There was a reason why he was one of the best shot-blockers in the NBA at his time.”
– via Salt Lake Tribune

Boban

“God could not have put a gentler, kinder soul in a big body than Mark Eaton,” Bailey told The Athletic. “I have a lot of great basketball memories because his story is so unique. He worked his tail off to be one of the best. He learned how to protect the paint, and he saved his teammates. We relied on him sometimes too much.” “He was the Rudy Gobert of our time.”

– via Tony Jones @ The Athletic






“He had an effect on winning with us,” Bailey said. “Before Mark came, we didn’t have that much success as a team. But he was always mentoring me. He was always optimistic. We just developed a really great relationship. The moments that mark and I had, we would just go have a beer and talk about life. That was the difference. We talked about family, about things we wanted to do during the summer. We talked about music. We had very intellectual conversations. Mark was like a family member to me.”
– via Tony Jones @ The Athletic

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50176612...-off-the-court

Wilt's advice? Eaton never will be able to catch or keep up with those athletic guards.

never was

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50176471...z-over-memphis

Up to that point, Utah's All-Star shooting guard had struggled to find his shot. He was 7 of 21 from the field for 19 points and looked to be playing through some pain. He seemed to forget all of that pretty quickly.

there can't be pain. He and his team said he is ready!

The plays a superstar makes. Morant is on his way there — Mitchell has already arrived.

I guess. I'd take Morant anyday

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.ksl.com/article/50176444...jazz-go-up-2-1

But it was clear on Saturday: Conley has been Utah's best player in the series — and, therefore, one of the main reasons the Grizzlies are two losses away from their season being over.

him and Gobert anyway. That must've been tough. Mitchell is usually the only guy the media wants to fawn over

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https://www.ksl.com/article/50176282...-bicycle-crash

"As much as Stockton and Malone were the face of the Utah Jazz, so was Mark Eaton — everyone associated him with the Utah Jazz," said former Houston Rocket guard and TNT analyst Kenny Smith.

[Xiao Yao You]

https://kslsports.com/460445/mitchel...in-game-three/

Conley dished out 26 over the first two games of the series, repeatedly abusing Memphis in the pick and roll largely as a result of the Grizzlies’ willingness to go over the top of Rudy Gobert screens above the three-point line.

In game three, Memphis generally preferred to dip under the screen, limiting Conley’s ability to get into the paint, so he punished them from the three-point line instead.

the fact that the Jazz are running anything other than pick and roll is stupid. Memphis has no answer. Got to get Mitchell, Clarkson and Bojan their looks though!

The Jazz acquired Conley with the hopes that he would relieve the ball-handling and playmaking pressure off Mitchell for stretches during the playoffs, and they’re reaping the rewards of that move in this series.

Conley and Ingles should do all the ball handling

Jordan Clarkson may have broken out of his shooting slump to open the series in the second half, scoring eight points on 3-4 shooting including 2-2 from downtown, but was just 2-7 from the three-point line on the night and was a team-worst -7 for the night.

but the big news is COTY actually cut his minutes!

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.sltrib.com/sports/jazz/2...ple-team-jazz/

Regardless, he was a hero to the Jazz. Not only did Conley brush the weird feelings off, he thrived in his unusual scenario, performing as the Jazz’s best player once again in a 27-point, eight assist, six rebound performance in which he shot 8-16 from the floor, and 7-10 from 3-point range.

as long as D isn't considered

Here, he does it perfectly: Clarkson’s not really in good position, so he picks up the ball for safekeeping, takes two steps, and lobs it to Rudy Gobert.

If ytou mean Clarkson isn't in good position because he can't shoot than yeah!

And he’s right, sometimes. Like, you can see what he’s talking about here: the Jazz are in panic scramble mode defensively, so Kyle Anderson can just sneak down to the paint. I suppose the box-out should be Jordan Clarkson’s, but Clarkson is busy boxing out someone else after all of the rotations.

but Clarkson sucks

Sometimes, it was the perimeter players who didn’t show enough urgency. Bojan Bogdanovic has to know what the situation here is: if the shot misses, Valanciunas is going to get 2 points. So push, fight, grab, and battle before and while the shot goes up. If it’s a loose ball or defensive foul, that’s a much better outcome than JV getting the easy 2.

Yeah Bojan is going to fight for boards!

The Jazz have to clean this up: their whole defense is predicated on forcing tough shots and getting the rebound. They force next to no turnovers. If they want to be good defensively, they have to complete the play.

Play Ersan, Morgan and/or Brantley or play guys that don't rebound. There is a choice

The Jazz have been limiting Mitchell’s minutes over the last two games; tonight, he only played in 30. I think it’s something to watch moving forward, Mitchell’s energy level. He had two days off before Saturday and still felt like he needed to conserve energy in Game 3. How will he look with one day off in between games in Game 4?

only 30? He's pretty much back to full minutes

Regardless, the Jazz were lucky to have him tonight, no doubt. His presence has changed this series. They’ll just also want him at full strength — and full energy — by the time the second round comes along.

lucky? The game would have been over long before if not for Clarkson and Mitchell keeping Memphis in it with their bricks

[Xiao Yao You]

https://www.deseret.com/2021/5/30/22...phis-grizzlies

The Jazz would close the game on a 21-11 run that included 11 points from Mitchell, seven points from Mike Conley, and a string of defensive stops that put the game out of reach for the Grizzlies.

no need to mention who made those

[Xiao Yao You]

https://sports.yahoo.com/nba-gm-play...220020973.html

seeing it with Mitchell right now forcing himself into the lineup when it sounds like his ankle isn't really ready