Let’s face it. Everybody on Planet Earth knew there was NO WAY the Jazz were going to win Game 3 in Oakland. It simply wasn’t in the cards. Too much emotional letdown after the huge Game 2, too tough a crowd, too good a home team. Fair enough.
That said, we sure made it easy on them.
No perimeter defense. Turnover after horrible turnover. Bad shot selection. No inside game. I could go on, but it’s making me depressed, even though I was 100% correct in my prediction for the game.
I don’t want to take anything away from Golden State. They played a tremendous game defensively, shot the lights out, and Baron’s posterizing dunk on AK is going to be highlight-reel stuff for decades. All credit to them and the Oracle fans, who lived up to their billing. Having said that, this loss isn’t really as bad as it seems.
I’m going to state the very obvious here:
1) Can we play a game in this series where Deron Williams doesn’t get two fouls in the first quarter, and three before halftime? Please? Who do I have to bribe to get this to happen? Because it neuters our entire team when he’s sitting on the bench. Then you give Fisher two fouls in the first quarter and three before halftime as well. So we have to have Kirilenko run the point forward again, which was not nearly as successful as in Game 2, probably because Golden State’s defense was so suffocating. Which leads to…
2) 23 turnovers. TWENTY-THREE!!! 16 in the first half? How can you win a basketball game like that? You can’t. No chance. Now, a lot of those turnovers were due to excellent Warrior defense. But most of them were because we had no point guards, because they were riding the pine, because somebody out there is determined to make Baron Davis the hero of this series. (Like he needs the help. No, I’m not going to get over this, especially when I know the same thing will happen in Game 4. If/when D-Will and Fish have six fouls between them before halftime again, don’t expect to see another post from me, because I will have thrown my laptop against the wall in a fit of rage. Just giving fair warning.)
3) Eleven 3-pointers in the first half. 15-32 for the game. What on earth can you do against that? Yes, it’s poor perimeter defense, but when you make that many 3s, it’s something more than that. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime first half there. If it happens again, I’ll know that Don Nelson sold his soul for a team that makes everything they throw up there and organize an exorcism at Oracle. It’s simply inhuman.
Point #1 is something we have no control over. Point #2 will be a whole lot better if #1 isn’t an issue (except, it will be). Point #3, I HAVE to think, will even out over time (nobody stays that hot for that long, unless they have the aforementioned powers of Satan).
So really, all things considered, it’s not that bad. We got that loss out of our system. Time to regroup and come back Sunday with a better handle on how to win in Oakland. Is it possible? Maybe not. But we WILL play better than tonight.
It would be hard not to.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:19 pm
Yes, Utah will play better on sunday but what is seriously up with the refs not calling all the blatant offensive fouls every time Baron Davis drives? I can’t understand how they can not see what is happening. Every time there is a drive watch Davis’ off arm, the way he swings it. Even the poster dunk on Andre he has his forarm in Andre’s neck. That was after the push away on the defender. Just as you said, someone is dead set on making Davis the hero of the series, maybe the playoffs. I think it is just wrong. I have no problem with no calls as long as the no calls are both ways. Williams and Fisher don’t deserve two quick fouls at the begining of the game.
May 11th, 2007 at 11:30 pm
Actually I am a Warriors fan, but your style of writing about this series makes it really interesting to read.
One thing I disagree with you -is when you make excuses with referees and their poor job. Please, remember game 2 of the series… All the calls were against the Warriors, it got to the point where you just sit and smile for every whistle refs made in the favor of Utah.
But noone said anything about it. I agree, refs suck sometimes (As a matter of fact, I am a ref also :) and I have bad games sometimes), but those refs are professionals and whatching them making BS calls really frustrates me.
I believe that tonight’s referees were the best so far in the series.
And ,by the way, AK47-is my favorite player-I’m very proud of being Russian and whatching this series, cause Andrei is unbelievable. I will be sad if Warriors loose the series, but UTAH was my favorite team for years! I just live in Bay Area that’s why I’m a Warriors fan, also.
Great series! Let’s enjoy it!
Sasha
May 11th, 2007 at 11:32 pm
check
May 12th, 2007 at 11:06 am
It’s easy as a fan to get caught up in the game and think that every call against your team is bull, and every call for your team is perfect. I’m not immune to that, but I do try to be as fair as possible. I’ve also had some reffing experience in my lifetime, and my father is a varsity high-school ref. So I know how it goes.
And I hate bringing it up, because it makes me sound petty and bitter and unintelligent. To be honest, it wasn’t a badly called game overall. The final stats (foul count, free throws) bear that out. It’s the significance of the fouls that bothers me. In every game this series, Deron Williams has been in foul trouble. I realize that Baron’s a better player right now and a veteran and should get the benefit of some calls. Fair enough. But without D-Will, we’re lost. Two phantom fouls in the first quarter of Games 2 and 3 absolutely DESTROYS Utah’s ability to play their game. It changes everything. Then to throw in similar fouls on Fisher, and with no Dee Brown… well, it just sucks.
Having said that, I think the Warriors would have won last night anyway, whether D-Will and Fish were able to play more or not. They were just that good, that amped, that motivated. All credit to them. But I don’t think I’m being unreasonable pointing out this one thing about the officiating.
Thanks very much for the comments.
May 12th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Playoff basketball is about adjustments. When you play a team over and over you have to adjust. We can do something about your first point. You have to start Giri and bring Fisher off the bench to relieve Williams. Of the 6 fouls picked up last night in the first half between Fish and D-Will 4 of them were while they were on the court at the same time. With Dee Brown hurt–who ever thought that would matter–you have to bring Fish off the bench as the back up point guard so that you can spread those fouls around. Baron Davis is going to get calls–especially in Oakland–we have to adjust to that. Giri is playing well, let him have some minutes, the AK at point was fun in Game 2 but this can not be our game plan.
On point 2 and 3 they go hand in hand. Most of those threes they make are in tansition off of turnovers. If we don’t turn the ball over they don’t make that many shots. They are going to shoot better at home but, the Jazz have got to take care of the ball.
Last we have got to get the ball to Boozer!!!! We were far to content with casting up outside shots last night. Get the ball inside. The zone, and them fronting makes it hard but we just need to move the ball and passing lanes will open up. Especially when are guards are in foul trouble, Booze has to carry us.
Ok–I have vented–we win Game 4. This is not a team that is going to roll over.
May 12th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
No, series gonna be tied 2-2