Game Night: Utah Jazz at San Antonio Spurs, 12-7-2007
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by CRS-ONE
When was the last time that the Utah Jazz beat the San Antonio Spurs in San Antonio?
Think about it this way. What were you doing eight years ago.
Deron Williams, the Jazz' All Star caliber point guard was only 14.
Things were a little different for those born in 1981. Andrei Kirilenko was playing on one of Russia's youth national teams. Carlos Boozer and myself were both high school seniors. The two of them went on to All Star careers in the NBA. I write for Armchair GM.
Back to the Jazz/Spurs rivalry. Simply put, since Tim Duncan joined San Antonio Spurs, they've kicked the Jazz around time and time again. Most recently was in the Western Conference Finals this spring, where they beat the Jazz in five games and went on to win the NBA championship. If it wasn't for those meddling Texans, the Jazz would have been hoisting up their first ever championship banner.
I love the Jazz. As much as it pains me, I'm not looking too confident about tonight's game.
The Spurs are the most hated of all sports teams to me for the following reason:
- Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili spend the whole game flopping around both ends of the court and get a ridiculous amount of unwarranted free throw opportunities.
- Duncan whines about everything. The lights. The court. The fan in the 15th row eating a cheese steak and wearing a Duran Duran t-shirt that is two sizes too small.
- Bruce Bowen thinks that the purpose of being a defender is to physically hurt your opponent, like sticking a leg out to trip someone, putting your feet under them so they land on you and roll an ankle, or even the time he went Jackie Chan and karate kicked Wally Sczerbiak into Earth-2, where Bryant Reeves was the best baller of all time. He makes the Philadelphia Flyers look like a bunch of pushovers.
- Bob Horry gets treated like an NBA legend. He has seven rings which is very cool. Good for him. Did he earn them? Not really. His whole career is as a back up, who occasionally made a big play hear and there, but was never the focus of his team, never an All Star and never won any player awards. I honestly think that he gets more love from commentators and the media than Scottie Pippen ever did.
- Their coach, Greg Poppovich, does an awful job pretending to be coy and unassuming. You know your teaching a good team.
Worst of all is that they are the suckiest type of villain at all. The Michael Jordans and Kobe Bryants in the sports world are at the top of the heap. If your ball club is the Fantastic Four, they're like Doctor Doom. They make you and your team miserable, ruin everything, but the way they carry themselves makes you forced to respect they show you why they're at the top and humiliate you with unreal performances. Just once you think you beat them, they pull out an Ultimate Nullifier and send your sorry ass back to the Negative Zone.
The Spurs would be like the Sandman from the Spider-Man movie this summer. They're boring to watch, you hate them for all the wrong reasons, they have no killer mentality. They're just their and on obstacle between you and your team and greatness. They always win and they don't even get excited about it. When I see any team or athlete or anyone win a major award, I want to see them jumping up and down like when the Three Six Mafia won an Oscar.
The Spurs win an award, and they act like Chuck Taylor from Chapelle's Show.
Bottom line...I'm expecting a loss. If the Jazz are to win, here are five things that would have to happen.
- Broken Spurs. Ginobili and Duncan are listed as a game time decision. Without Duncan, this game is winnable. He's the core of their team and makes everyone better. Without him, they suck. If Ginobli isn't around, this makes it almost possible to win.
- Help defense! Ginobli and Parker are very fast and wind up losing their man on the perimeter. The Jazz are awful help defenders, and they are gong to have to make sure that G and P don't get past a second Jazz player.
- Big night for Deron. In the WCF's, Williams showed that no one...Bowen, Parker or Ginobili can't stop him. He's going to need to have a huge game to carry the Jazz tonight.
- Defend the perimeter. Nine out of the fourteen players on their roster can shoot from outside. It could be a long night if they get hot.
- Play physical. Tonight the Jazz are huge underdogs. They probably won't win. Regardless, use this as an opportunity to show that you are tougher than the Spurs. Get physical. I'm not advocating starting an epic brawl, but man up. You can use your forearm when your on D to a certain extent. If your going to foul, foul hard. The one thing we learned via the Jazz and the Phoenix Suns during the playoffs is that the Spurs are just a bunch of bullies. Tonight is a chance to shut them up.
