Game Preview #10: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs
by Tim C. on Nov 19, 2009 3:10 PM CST
in Game Previews & Recaps
50 comments
That kid is soooo a Spurs fan right now.
Are you pissed off now? You can bet the Spurs are. Both teams in this game are already backed into a corner in the young season, and are going to fight to the death tonight. This is a SEGABABA for all involved, so... we got that going for us.
 Utah Jazz @ San Antonio Spurs Where: AT&T Center - San Antonio, TX When: November 18, 2009, 7:30 PM Spurs time Watch: FSN Utah (SLC); FSN Southwest (SA)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 George Hill Coach's Pet |
Point Guard Tony's still out, and George has done a pretty good job standing in for him. Unfortunately for Cubits, he's getting a nightmare assignment tonight. Unlike the two-headed monster of Beaubois/Barea that he was up against last night, Williams is the total package. He's got size, speed, athleticism and excellent court vision. Did I mention he also plays defense? He's my personal favorite among current point guards, because he usually gets the better of CP3 head-to-head. Look, we all love Cubits, but he's completely out of his league here. And let's not even talk about Mason running the point. The best thing George can do is attack the rim on offense and use those long arms to draw contact. Advantage: Jazz |
 Deron Williams 2nd Best |
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 Keith Bogans The Boogeyman |
Shooting Guard As of this writing, Manu is officially out for this game. That means we'll see a lot of Bogans, probably guarding Williams. If he can get a couple of corner threes, that'll be nice, but I want him completely focused on limiting Williams. When Bogans is sitting, we'll probably see a lot of Michael Finley and Roger Mason, with a bit of Malik Hairston thrown in for good measure. Malik did good things last night, and appeared to earn Pop's trust for the most part, so I hope he can have a decent contribution off the bench. For the Jazz, Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Brewer will likely rotate at the 2 - these 2 need to be SHUT. DOWN. Cubits, are you up to it? Advantage: Nobody |
 Ronnie Brewer Meh. |
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 Richard Jefferson Still Waiting For Some RAGE |
Small Forward RJ still looks lost out there sometimes when the big 4 all play. Luckily for Advantage: Spurs |
 Andrei Kirilenko AK-47 |
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 Antonio McDyess Anti-Boozer |
Power Forward Poor Dice - he gets two incredibly difficult assignments in a back to back. Luckily, Boozer had to chase Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani around all night last night. If SAM plays the kind of D he has on Dirk tonight against Boozer, he'll be all right against a tired Boozer. In other news, DeBeast will get another shot at Millsap tonight. Let's hope all those comparisons were right. Advantage: Jazz |
 Carlos Boozer |
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 Tim Duncan WWTD? |
Center Okur was held out last night with flu-like symptoms, replaced by the 7'1" Ukranian, Kyrylo Fesenko. I'd expect him to return tonight, but Timmy has the advantage either way. If Timmeh does enough to counter the Boozer/Millsap combo, this game is in the bag. Something tells me he will. Advantage: Spurs |
 Kyrylo Fesenko Chernobyl Mutant? |
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 Michael Finley Wise Beyond Our Years |
Bench & Role Players The Findog is going to be backing up both of the wing positions, and needs to hit some shots to make up for his horrible defense. Roger Mason attacked the rim last night, and I would love for him to continue doing that, but he's going to be playing PG at times tonight. Please, Roger, break out of your shooting slump tonight. Matt Bonner, Malik Hairston, Dejuan Blair and Theo Ratliff probably see court time tonight as well, and they can all be effective. Utah's bench is decidedly thinner, but their bench wings are a pretty nasty matchup. Advantage: Spurs |
 Wes Matthews Undrafted Rookie Starter |
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 Gregg Popovich The Veins Are Popping Out |
CoachThat Sloan has never been Coach of the Year is a crime against humanity, and a stain on the NBA. He gets no respect. He's the only coach who's been with his team longer than Pop, and he's done a great job year after year, even when he doesn't have much to work with. I still can't bring myself to take Pop's white box away, but Sloan gets one too. Advantage: Tie |
 Jerry Sloan Rodney Dangerfield |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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| Both of these teams are failing to live up to expectations so far. That doesn't mean it will continue, though. The Spurs have only looked slightly better. Advantage: Spurs |
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Mojo |
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| On a SEGABABA, it's coming down to whose home crowd can give them an extra boost. Oh look, that's us! Advantage: Spurs |
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Winner: Spurs |
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| There's no reason for the Spurs to lose this game. Well, no reason other than having our 2 best guards unavailable. Prediction: Spurs win, or our secret suicide pact takes effect. |
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of Schedule
The Spurs played a tough, demanding OT game against a division rival last night. The impact of that is compounded by the loss of Tony and Manu, causing our available backcourt to play a lot of minutes. As for Utah, they had an easier go of things last night, beating Toronto 104-91. However, they always play much better at home. A SEGABABA on the road is usually terrible news for Jazz fans. The short flight the Spurs took home from Dallas is much easier than the considerably longer flight from SLC to SA. |
Last Time They MetUtah sliced and diced us mercilessly at home about 3 weeks ago. REVENGE! |
Some Other ReadingCopied from previous Jazz game, due to lack of sleep.
JazzSLC Dunk - The Jazz SBN blog. They are not too happy about the start of the season and the Boozer mess. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Speaking of THN blogs, we're extremely lucky that the best one is dedicated to the Spurs. Tim and Graydon always do an excellent job of breaking down everything that's happening in the Spurs' organization.
The (sort of) Daily TwitterHow do everybody like my new pic? It's a hott wall paper!!! Lol http://twitpic.com/q0m09 |
The Magic That HappenedLots of stuff to read in the comments if you flip through the game threads. Really, it's fun. |
Where to Tune InTVThis game will be televised on local stations only. Fox Sports has the rights in both Utah and San Antonio. OnlineAs always, NBA league pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Almost every Spurs game will be broadcast there, which is especially helpful for those of us who aren't in the San Antonio area. Please don't post links to illegal game feeds in the game thread. Links to illegal feeds are not permitted on SBNation, but you can probably find them out there on the internets if you're resourceful and desperate. In fact, nobody can stop you from googling "atdhe". You can also shoot an email with your PtR username to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. Spurs League Pass audio is still free this year if all else fails, so check it out. RadioIf you're in the San Antonio area and aren't near a TV, tune in to WOAI (1200 AM). |
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Comments
You need to get the Mavs out of your Head.
Quick.
Concentrate on Teamwork.
And keep an eye on this Boozer guy.
The Charles Barkley 2009/10 Ancestors Count: 1 Grandmothers , 0 Mother Alltime: Reg. 24-0 Playoffs 7-0
"There were arms coming from everywhere, and I knew they weren’t going for the ball," Miller said. "I was just trying to get [the shot] up before they called some crap like ‘on the ground.’ "
"What do you want me to do?" Wright asked. "Do you want me to Derek Fisher him?"
"Give them some fucking credit, i mean for real." Jackson said.
"I just fell on my face for no reason," Bryant deadpanned. "I'm a klutz."
"Fucking right i'm preachin' it!" Carlisle replied.
"Rough life, isn't it. It's tough all over, isn't it." Smith chuckled.
Mutombo, Ewing and Yao at the restaurant...
MUTOMBO: "The chicken is the bomb."
EWING: [Rubbing belly] "I gotta go work out tonight. I'm full. You got a treadmill for me?"
YAO: " Leave your car keys here and run home. I'll give you the keys tomorrow."
we better fucking win this. i’m “working from home” tomorrow, so i’ll be able to watch, and i don’t want a repeat of the mavs game. which i don’t know if i can bring myself to watch on league pass replay…
free george hill!
by sleep research facility on Nov 19, 2009 4:33 AM CST reply actions
Man.
Wes Mathews looks suspiciously like Rodrigue Beaubois.
LoL
...Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is forty five.
by alamobro on Nov 19, 2009 4:55 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
they both are the same undrafted rookie guy who loves to have a big game against aging former champions. this guy is only useful against the Spurs, so the teams rotate him under different names.
by Kondor on Nov 19, 2009 11:31 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
I swear I put in the right image – I had to go to ESPN to get it, since Yahoo doesn’t have rookie photos. The firewall here at work doesn’t let me see images at ESPN though, so if somebody could fix that, it’s be appreciated.
The Spurs - now playing defense again! ...sometimes
Yea, we need this win like no other so far. We’ve got a great oppurtunity the next 4 games or so to pick up wins. Home games against bottom feeders. We can do this.
Good call. Great work there, Tim. You should get a medal or something, especially coming off a tough OT loss.
by silverandblack_davis on Nov 19, 2009 7:18 PM CST up reply actions
I am not kidding. I woke up with a distinct image of jj barea flopping all around me not letting me move or some weird feeling like that.
Terry lost on the transition, only once I think, when it mattered most(I can’t blame Hairston, that spacing is an experience thing). Dirk without a body on him again in crunch time(Hill). Lazy passes(RJ) in crunch time. All the turnovers throughout the game and I am not including the bad calls. Forget the refs. Actually, can’t do that. They let Gooden practically hit every Spur on the floor. Can’t ignore non-basketball no-calls.
Warning: Completely-unrelated-to-the-Spurs rant follows:
I would just like to point out what this article does not: Durant has been playing 40 minutes a game, every game. The OKC Cowboy Thunderclusters played in their twelfth game of the season last night (the Spurs are playing their tenth game later tonight, by comparison). Seven of those games have been road games. They haven’t had more than 2 consecutive days off yet (the Spurs have already had two 3-day breaks). Last night after the loss (in a SEGABABA, no less), KD tweeted that he “just couldn’t find the energy.” Gee, I wonder why? Brooks, don’t run him into the ground before the All-Star break (which you can bet he won’t have off, by the way), ’k?
Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!
Thanks, whoever fixed the “winner” part. I needed sleep pretty badly last night.
The Spurs - now playing defense again! ...sometimes
our offense looked really bad last night without frenchy and batmanu. i’m almost afraid to watch what that looks like for an entire game. plus, roger mason will surely play significant minutes as back-up PG – and we have seen how that goes……….
gotta figure out a way to win the ugly game that we didnt last night. once again, it will be defense and rebounding – and then we hope that someone gets a hot hand. bonner, brick-mason, RJ, georgie or (god hep us) the corpse. somebody will have to step up and provide a second scoring option.
I actually thought Roger did a good job of attacking last night. Better than RJ, that’s for sure. Ballhandling, on the other hand…
The Spurs - now playing defense again! ...but only against Dallas.
I’m afraid I have some rather unfortunate news for everyone. Your head ref tonight is one Joey Crawford.
The Spurs - now playing defense again! ...but only against Dallas.
Make sure Ducan doesn’t hear any of your jokes people.
When the tooth fairy's own tooth falls out, it is taken during the night by Princess Peanut.
by the little o on Nov 19, 2009 4:11 PM CST up reply actions
im...
im pissed off.
i wasted my night to watch this.
im an avid fan
and it hurts my eyes and heart to see how our team go.
at the start of ot i thought we can control it,.
but they got the momentum in the play of terry fast break which he was fouled.
damn
when is this going to end.
i hope after a week both stars would be back and after maybe 3 games with them.
i hope we can spark a 20 winning streak.
i think its the only way to be still a contender.
i hate growing pains
ouch
go spurs go!
Am I the only one who actually enjoyed watching last night’s game and could care less about the outcome. Don’t get me wrong, the L stings, but I saw a lot more good than bad last night. Our offense was horrendous, but that’s what happens when two of our three big guns are out. Sure, Dallas can say that 60 percent of their line-up was gone, but that’s role players in their system that were out. If they had a big three, it would be Dirk, Terry, and Kidd. Marion is a new player in their system, and is the equivalent of RJ being out for us. I’m also sure that the Mavs have forgotten how to play with Howard on the floor with them, or is it he who’s forgotten how to play with them? Anyways, they also had Dampier out, who, although is a starter, can easily be replaced, and not missed, by Gooden, they’re sort of a rosencrantz and guildenstern character. Besides, Gooden has been playing well for them as of late, so has Dampier before he went out. Anyways, not focusing on our team’s offense for obvious reasons, the defense was admirable. I’d say the defense has been showing up more often throughout the last few games than in the first few games, so that’s progress. The only thing that concerns me is RJ’s assimilation with Timmy and Parker on the floor, but I’m willing to give it a few more games before I become alarmed. Oh, and I almost forgot, defensive rebounding, I’m legitimately concerned over that. Teams having been eating us in the glass as of late. We need to box out.
Great preview Tim. I have a feeling that unless Parker comes back, this game is going to be ugly.
When the tooth fairy's own tooth falls out, it is taken during the night by Princess Peanut.
Hey all, besides the obvious (our inability to win, play defense, and stay healthy) does anyone have any idea what the Rumor on ESPN about frustration brewing in San Antonio is referring to, specifically? Or is it just in general?
According to SpursTalk, when you click on it it goes to a page from yesterday that says:
With their key components healthy to start the season, the Spurs were supposed to be title contenders from the start. But after they’ve been uneven and have started out 4-4, are they getting frustrated?
"I don’t think we’re playing good at all," Manu Ginobili told the San Antonio News-Express. "We can do much better than this. Frustrating is not the word. It’s disappointing."
When asked when his roster was going to gel, coach Gregg Popovich offered this.
"Whenever it does. It might be next week. It might be in January. It might be Feb.27. You can’t make it come together. It will or it won’t."
In other words, it’s not a rumor, it’s not frustration, and ESPN is full of shit.
Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!
ESPN Insider
Under Rumors: Frustration brewing with the Spurs
I don’t subscribe, so I couldn’t read it.
But you know BSPN wouldn’t say it, if it wasn’t true ! !@ LOL
by LakehillsFan on Nov 19, 2009 6:37 PM CST up reply actions
Viewing enjoyment??
I am in the San Antonio area, but get my TV by DISH. Does anyone know if the game will be shown anywhere. I also get the local channels, but don’t see the game listed.
Thanks,
LHF
If you go to the Dish website and click on “Where’s My Game,” you can find the channel. Sometimes it’s hidden on one of those HD-Alt channels. But since you’re in SA, it might be blacked out. Don’t you also get local channels?
Try the new PtR--now entirely BAT-FREE!
yes I get the local channels, but I don’t see the game listed, could be blacked out?
by LakehillsFan on Nov 19, 2009 5:56 PM CST up reply actions
Can someone help me? I thought it was the late game on TNT, which is 9:30 here in Cen-Tex, but a buddy of mine said nay, it’s at 7:30.
I felt rejected and went into the fetal position from which I type this plea: What time?
Neither he nor Gob were prepared for the challenges of using cats to catch a seal.
oh, I’m an idiot. I assumed it was late game on TNT. Thanks.
Neither he nor Gob were prepared for the challenges of using cats to catch a seal.
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