Game Preview #18: San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz
by CapHill on Dec 7, 2009 5:41 PM CST
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PrintSince the Spurs are playing the Jazz tonight, here's an old school video showing George Gervin and Pistol Pete Maravich playing horse. This is from the 1977-1978 season, when CBS showed a pre-taped horse tournament during the halftime of games.
Gotta love the shorts!
Maravich is still the all-time leading scorer for the NCAA, even though he couldn't play as a freshman and basketball didn't have a 3-point line at that time.
Maravich played with the Jazz when the team was still in New Orleans. When the team moved to Utah, it kept the nickname, rather than changing it to one that would make sense. Vancouver probably has grizzlies; Memphis does not. And there are no lakes in LA. This is not a phenomenon limited to only the NBA - it happens across all leagues. So, tonight's question is: Should teams change their nicknames to something more appropriate when they move to new cities? Discuss amongst yourselves in the comments.
Now onto the actual preview.
We need this game. We really, really need this game. Unfortunately, we are on the road against a good team. I'm not overly optimistic. Plus, it's cold.
 San Antonio Spurs @ Utah Jazz Where: EnergySolutions Arena - Salt Lake City, Utah When: December 7, 2009, 8:00 PM Spurs time Watch: My35 (SA), FSUT (SLC)
How They Stack Up
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Matchups
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 Jazz (11-8) |
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 Tony Parker Turnover Machine |
Point Guard Last year, Tony really picked up his game and carried the team through stretches. This year, it seems he's having trouble integrating with the new parts. Williams has upped his assists to 9.9 per game. He's also scoring efficiently from the point guard position. Advantage: Jazz |
 Deron Williams Assist Machine |
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 Keith Bogans Veteran |
Shooting Guard Bogans is another one of those players whose contributions don't always show up in the box score. We Spurs fans like those players. Matthews is a rookie, but Sloan trusts him enough to play Wesley 23 mpg. I'm going to lean towards experience in this matchup. Advantage: Spurs |
 Wesley Matthews Rookie |
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 Richard Jefferson Finding his way |
Small Forward RJ is still feeling his way in the Spurs system. I think he's slowly getting there. Kirilenko lost his way last season, but he seems to have found his type of play again. His stats are up across the board. Slight advantage to the Russian. Advantage: Jazz |
 Andrei Kirilenko Found his way |
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 Tim Duncan Rock |
Power Forward We all know what Timmeh has been doing this year. Surprisingly, Boozer has quit trying to get a trade and has been playing well. His numbers are as good as Duncan's. Duncan gets the white box because I include defense in my analysis and because he's Timmeh. Advantage: Spurs |
 Carlos Boozer Better than last year |
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 Antonio McDyess Fitting In |
Center McDyess has been a little up and down, but overall he has done what we've needed him to do. Okur works perfectly in the Jazz system. Although Mehmet is not as good of a rebounder or defender as Antonio, his point production and minutes played give him the edge over Dice. Advantage: Jazz |
 Mehmet Okur Already knows the system |
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 Manu Ginobili Getting Up to Speed |
Bench & Role Players Manu is getting his basketball legs back, and the bench is continuing to be productive (except against the Nuggets). I'm interested in seeing Blair and Millsap compete in the paint. Will there be any rebounds for the other players on the court? Our depth should prove superior, as the Jazz have only 8 players averaging more than 10 mpg. Advantage: Spurs |
 Paul Millsap Undersized Rebounding Machine |
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 Gregg Popovich Future HOFer |
CoachThese are two of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Sloan has done a good job this year with minimizing any drama and getting his team to play. Sloan still does not have a Coach of the Year award. Only people who get fired win those. Advantage: Tied |
 Jerry Sloan Future HOFer |
| images via yahoo.com | ||
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Other Factors
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Intangibles |
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We need this more than the Jazz do. Advantage: Spurs |
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Mojo |
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We've had two tough losses in a row. Plus, the game is in Utah, where we are 1-4 the last three seasons. Advantage: Jazz |
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Winner: Jazz |
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| The Spurs need another victory after losing to the Celtics and the Nuggets. The Jazz need to keep pace with the Nuggets. It should be a close one. Prediction: Jazz win in a sqeaker.
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Keys To The Game
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Strength of ScheduleWe'll be playing on one day of rest, coming off of a home loss to the Nuggets. This game marks the end of a tough week for the Spurs. The Jazz are coming off of a road loss to the T-Wolves on the back end of a SEGABABA. They also will be playing on one day of rest. Last Time They MetOur last meeting with the Jazz was November 19th. We lost 90-83 and neither Tony nor Manu played. Millsap and Williams killed us. Utah won at San Antonio for the first time this decade. |
Some Other ReadingJazzSLC Dunk - The Jazz SBN blog. Head over there to check out the green and yellow retro unis the Jazz wore against Indiana. Spurs48 Minutes of Hell: Best damn TrueHoop affiliate out there. Always a must visit Spurs site. Twitter Musings
MoneyMase And you were ALL A PART of the LARGEST TWITTER TICKET GIVEAWAY IN HISTORY by your boy @Moneymase ! Tell a friend! George_Hill3 Thanks for everyone that came out with me and @DeJuan45 at country lanes bowling alley. Had a blast Thanks SA you all we got. You can also find all the official Spurs Sports & Entertainment Twitter accounts here: http://twitter.com/spurs/official/members |
Where to Tune In
TVThis game will be aired by My35 in San Antonio and by FSUT in Salt Lake. If you have cable or satellite, you'll have to look up your individual channel. And of course, there's always League Pass for the haves. For the have nots, read on. OnlineAs always, NBA League Pass is recommended for those who are willing to pony up the cash. Most Spurs games 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 to dmenendez@gmail.com for more assistance. NBA League Pass audio is still free this year, 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
Ok, this is gonna be a tough game. Even though the Jazz played last night…
...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.
Changing Nicknames
Yes, teams should change to something that makes sense for the new city. It isn’t the same franchise and the name should change.
I agree. However, there should be a committee that will have the following powers:
1) To overrule fugly team name changes or even new names, like “Thunder”, for example.
2) To overrule embarrassing logos and uniforms (see: OKC Thunder, again)
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 6, 2009 10:32 PM CST up reply actions
Utah Jazz makes as much sense as Arkansas Darwins. I wonder what they would name them if they had to come up with a Utah-specific name.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
Yeah, but they had no connection with the fans, or the city. Barely any fans, actually. But when a fanbase has been established, it shouldn’t move. In Argentina, Brazil, Europe, teams belong to their cities, and it’s a good system.
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Almost forgot, Capizzle, for you:
http://www.theonion.com/content/news_briefs/area_dad_talking_about_pete
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
Gotta love The Onion, but with my dad, it begins and ends with Wilt.
Maravich isn’t my all-time favorite Jazz (that honor belongs to John Stockton), but when you watch old clips, you can’t help but be impressed by his offensive skill set. Dude averaged 45 ppg in college. I don’t care if you’re playing against 6-yr olds – that’s impressive. Of course, Maravich didn’t play defense, but neither did Gervin.
Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. - Jane Austen
he is
What i really wanted to say… i wrote it down here somewhere….let me see…
I’m going to shoot every single guy who voted me in.
The Charles Barkley 2009/10 Ancestors Count: 3 Grandmothers , 0 Mother Alltime: Reg. 26-0 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.
" Let the Golden Child do that, or one of the NBA Without Border kids do that, it's all fine and dandy." -- Wallace on Pierce dunking = taunting. Sheed also bought some words about flopping in the NBA (for the low price of just 30,000 $). "They've got to know that he's a [darn] flopper. That's all Turkododo do."
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."
by DOH on Dec 7, 2009 7:42 AM CST up reply actions
Love that Gervin/Maravich footage, Cap.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
If you liked that, look at some of the crazy shots Paul Westphal was pulling off. Take a look at that high tech bracket too!
Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way. - Jane Austen
If we lose this game, we lose a season series to a playoff team. This might be the most important game we’ve played thus far.
I don’t want to see .500 again.
The Iceman had the Pistol in the bag! Ice rushed a little too much on the scoop shots, and should have hit one of his j’s from the left baseline to keep the pressure on Maravich. Then Ice could have kept banking him to death.
When I play H-O-R-S-E, I use the same shots as the Pistol did in that footage, b/c most people have never tried those kind of shots (and I don’t have much of a jump shot). I try to save the toss-it-behind-the-back-catch-it-with-the-same-hand-reverse-layup as the clincher.
Watched The Godfather for the first time today. I don’t know what the big deal is about. The fights looked fake, the blood looked fake, the explosions were lame and they talked way too much for a gangster movie. There wasn’t enough cursing and all this time the Godfather, who’s supposed to be a bad ass, is trying to avoid all out war.
It effing sucked really. If you want to go see a good movie, do yourself a favor and rent Transformers, it won’t bore you to death.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
I love the Coen Brothers. Fargo is one of my all time favorites. I was very happy to see No Country for Old Men win Best Picture last year, I think?
It won in ’07, that was a good year, There Will Be Blood was also competing for Best Picture.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
No Country For Old Men = Boring.
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I got bored with There WIll Be Blood at the beginning, too, and didn’t gut it out to finish it. Is it any good?
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:07 PM CST up reply actions
Maybe you’re referring to There Will Be Blood. The first 15 minutes of that movie was spent in the dark, showing this dude digging up an oil reserve. B-O-R-I-N-G.
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:30 PM CST up reply actions
Part of the Godfather’s greatness is contextual. You have to consider what movies were like back then (as you do with any classic). I assumed you were simply baiting with the “it effing sucked” remark (particularly in combination with the reference to Transformers) , so I wasn’t planning on mounting any sort of serious response. If you really care to know “what the big deal is about,” there has been plenty written about it. And for what it’s worth, the Godfather II is considered by many to be superior to the first movie.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I know, it’s a great film. I was just practicing my sarcasm/parody. I figured if I went over the top it would be too obvious, so it had to be a little bit believable, that’s why I said Transformers instead of my first thought, Gigli.
I’m downloading The Godfather II as we speak.
Oh, talking about Gigli. If you haven’t seen Gone Baby Gone, check it out, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Ben Affleck can really direct a movie.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
What’s really weird is that I have 2 DVDs that are overdue at Vulcan Video. One of those DVDs is Gone Baby Gone.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
it’s been on my netflix instant queue forever…i need to watch it
if you want to recommend transformers (un-sarcastically), tell someone to watch the animated one….its story telling and writing are epic compared to the trash Bay made….i’ve never left a theater more upset than after transformers….i felt like he had taken my childhood dog and reanimated it into some evil zombie version for some new kid….i’ve never been more sad from a movie….
Hell yeah, BlaseE. And Orwell is a badass villain.
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I don’t know what’s wrong with you guys. Two words. Megan. Fox. And I’m not gonna expound on that for fear of being banned, but lemme say that Transformers is basically about cool robots and a hot chick. Who cares about plot and acting?
"Yes, it's important that I have good numbers, and I'm well-respected as a player. But I think it's more important that I'm respected as a man." - Some Tall Guy Who Wore #50
I’m not saying Transformers was bad, robot/womanwise. Just that the animated movie was epic. I mean, Optimus… sniff… Optimus… breaks down
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And that passing on the matrix to Hot Rod was just truly one of the most memorable scenes in cartoon history. If robots could cry, they would’ve shed a tear during that moment.
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:40 PM CST up reply actions
That’s what I love about that movie – it had balls. Took some chances. Killed a lot of characters, and it didn’t feel cheap.
Like Robotech, but I don’t want to keep showing what a geek I am.
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Gone Baby Gone was pretty damn good.
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Here’s a great movie, for free on YouTube. I keep trying to get a GF that will watch it with me. :)
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Or just watch Scarface. It’s way more entertaining.
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 6:13 PM CST up reply actions
In case you are serious, the movie is prob not that effective in conveying the ‘idea’ of the Godfather as much as actually reading the books. You will come away captivated. As is usually the case, I saw the movie after having read the book, so a lot was lost in translation but my mental images were fortified by the movie, not created.
Speaking of movies, Zach at HP has written a preview of tonight’s Philly vs. Denver game (Happy Iverson Day!) as a scene from Braveheart.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
I’m not one for inspirational speeches, but here it goes anyway.
I was watching what is perhaps the greatest achievement of humanity to date, Tunak Tunak Tun, when I became curious about the artist behind the masterpiece. After collecting myself from the weeping such a video evokes, I Googled Tunak Tunak Tun and though I expected to find but simple information, what I found was a life lesson.
The “strange” dancing and presence of only the singer in this video was a response to criticism from the world of Bhangra pop. Many critics at the time complained that his music was popular due to his videos which featured beautiful women dancing; his response was to create a video that featured only himself.
I could not believe it. The artist, ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ, already had an album that had sold 20 million copies by that point, yet he was still doubted. A lesser man, nay, a normal man, would’ve crumbled under the scathing criticism, but ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ is no ordinary man. He decided he would prove them all wrong and once and forever cement his place among the music greats of history.
Not only that, but:
As he predicted, the song was still a huge success, with the unexpected benefit of becoming a cult hit in other countries due to the phenomenon of foreign language and unusual dancing.
Predicted. Predicted.How much balls does ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ have to have to not only make a video featuring only himself, but then predict that said song will be a success.
As if that weren’t enough, there’s the video itself, a feat of technical wizardry the likes of which had never been seen before, and likely will never be seen again:
The music video was the first made in India to use bluescreen technology,1 which allowed the singer to superimpose his image over various computer-generated backgrounds, one featuring St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow.
For this, he was still doubted, " Don’t do it ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ" they said, “there will be riots in India if you use bluescreen technology, the blood will be on your hands”. “This is blasphemy”, others said, “if the Gods had meant for us to use bluescreen technology, we would all be blue like the people in Avatar!”, “You chubby faced bastard, you’ll kill us all!” others procalimed. But ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ did not listen, he said, " Mega fuck it, I’m going ahead with it". He did, and he triumphed, producing a video in which he shot fireballs and danced with many different snazzy backgrounds.
In the video he appears with clones of himself, as if to say, there is too much talent here to be contained by one single body.
And so today, with our back against the wall, with the doubters starting to rear their little ugly heads, we need to remember the example of ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ and say, mega fuck it.
Now it’s not time for excuses and now it’s not the time for more words, now it’s the time to play.
Let’s win this one for ਦਲੇਰ ਮਹਿੰਦੀ.
"Under the tutelage....of Randy Tutelage"
by Hipuks on Dec 7, 2009 4:26 PM CST reply actions 3 recs
MVPuppets makin’ a comeback this early.
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:04 PM CST reply actions
Holy cow—Iggy just made the longest shot I have ever seen at the buzzer. I don’t think it counted, but wow.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Sure, I can google lots of Spurs articles, but the one time I need to find out the percentage of theoretical hydropower potential used per continent, I come away empty-handed.
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Here’s a table in a book—2002 data.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
Thanks, Lauri. I found tables like that one, but I’d found a great pamphlet with color graphs last week and now I can’t find it. But I might as well use than one, so thanks again. :)
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Color graphs make everything better.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
This is something I’m writing from the Big Bosses Up North. And it’s a rush job. I wanted it to be pretty.
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Quietly—distributing the ball. 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
That’s what his first game in Denver resembled. Trust me, it’s an illusion.
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:52 PM CST up reply actions
Nobody wants to join me in the game thread :(
by silverandblack_davis on Dec 7, 2009 7:46 PM CST reply actions
Philly’s actually looking good…
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Yi was smashed in the mouth? Eh?
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Did y’all see that the entire series of Arrested Development was on sale at Amazon today for less than 30 bucks? My Christmas shopping just got easy.
I have flying monkeys at my disposal, and I'm not afraid to use them.
That good? Watched an ep or two, but I couldn’t get into it.
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