Two Wins, Two Losses

The four game road trip has concluded and the Jazz did not win all four games - they did not lose all four either but split 2-2. A third win last night against the Mavs' would have been awesome (and they almost pulled it off even without Deron Williams) but they weren't a match for LeBron James as he took things over in the last few minutes of the game. That's what super stars do, right? Our guys should feel pretty good about their efforts though and hopefully they will come home and get some wins on the home court. Rookie Eric Maynor finished with 24 points on his first start in an NBA game. He promises to give quite a needed lift to the team.

Two Road Wins Down, One To Go

How happy I am to be celebrating TWO road wins for the Utah Jazz on this four game Eastern trip. They play again tonight so I am hoping (perhaps unrealistically) for one more win before the team heads back home. Tonight they are up against LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neil so they will have their work cut out for them. It was terrific that they won last night against the 76's especially since Deron Williams was not playing (personal family stuff). Deron should be back tonight so who knows?? Andrei was looking good last night, his shots seemed smooth and effortless. Would it be too much to hope for the same results tonight?

You Have Got To Be Kidding!

Another game, another loss. Same old story for the Utah Jazz. It is very disheartening to see how this team could play so well against the San Antonio Spurs a few nights ago and then SO bad against the Sacramento Kings last night. There was not even a name I recognized in the starting line-up for the Kings. Their premier player was on the sidelines with an injury. Even so they proceeded to beat the daylights out of our team. They hit 11 3 pointers!! Did we bother to guard them against their very accurate 3 point shooting? No. We actually lead by 15 points during the early part of the second quarter only to have them come back and outplay us for the next 2 quarters. We were down by 20 points going into the fourth quarter. What is with that? One can understand that you aren't going to have a fantastic game each and every night but how can it go from one extreme to the other so quickly? How can EVERYBODY be off their game at the same time? Deron Williams did score well, he always does. He was frustrated you could tell but the way things were going yet again. Now the teams heads out for a 4 game road trip. You can imagine how that is going to go. Talk about low morale. We're all suffering from that right now!!

Is This Really November?

I am not in Salt Lake (even though I heard that it is a gorgeous, warm day there today) but I am in St. George and absolutely loving this 82 degree weather. It is hard to believe that this is the Thanksgiving month when it is so often cold, snowy and bleak. It is the total opposite of that description. The flowers are still blooming in the yard and the grass is still emerald green. I am happy indeed because I have come to the conclusion that there is a direct correlation between the warm, sunny weather and my disposition. I know that it can't last forever but while it does I am going to be thrilled.

Thankfully!

It really happened! The Jazz actually stayed strong for all four quarters last night against the San Antonio Spurs. Deron Williams was his usual awesome self scoring 27 points with 9 assists. That was no surprize as Deron plays well night in and night out but it was wonderful to see Carlos Boozer also contribute 27 points for the evening. True, he's has been under some major pressure with all that went on in the off season and his seeming lack of commitment to the Jazz team but thankfully he's finding a way to play through it. Let us hope it lasts because we need his total effort every game and we are paying an awful lot of money for it. One thing is for sure, it really helps my mood to have the team win---especially in front of the home crowd. Keep it up!

Will The Luck Change?

It is now halftime of the Utah/San Antonio game and the Jazz are up by 10 points. I am crossing my fingers and holding my breath that we will get a much needed win tonight. It has been a dismal beginning to the season with one win and three losses. Sadly, the last two losses happened when we blew a nice lead by letting the other team dominate in the fourth quarter. The Jazz are working well together and getting everyone involved so far in the game tonight and I am hoping that they will continue that for the rest of this game and for the rest of the season too. This bad feeling everyone seems to have about the "Boozer situation" does not help matters. He has struggled so far in this early season and that needs to change. Tonight, he is looking good so far and I do hope to see that continue. It is going to be a very long season for the team and for the fans if the Jazz don't catch fire soon.

OUCH! First Game, First Loss

That is not the way I had hoped that the Utah Jazz would begin the 2009-2010 season - with a loss. And not just a loss, but with a lead for most of the game and a loss in the fourth quarter. That has happened all too many times in Jazz history and I really am hoping that this year will be different. It hasn't started out that way though with the team letting Denver outscore them 32-25 and outrebound them 15-11 in the final quarter. It was a scare to see Okur go down after only 14 seconds of play with what appeared to be a twisted ankle. He left the game for a time but returned and played although he was limping a bit. He finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. Thankfully, he appears to be o.k. We can't really afford to lose anyone else to injury for quite a while. The Jazz have their home opener tomorrow night against the Clippers. Let's hope for a better outcome. WE WANT A WINNING SEASON!!