Game Thread Jan 13, 2024 07:30PM MT: Jazz vs. Lakers

[Peter_Mentor]

That was really fun to watch. Great stuff from Hardy once again.

• At the first quarter Collins was guarding AD and Jazz sent Tech to double him. Overall defensive effort really wasn't there, but either way, AD had no issues to find open guys over the doubles. At the second quarter Hardy put Lauri on AD, sent Collins to help, and suddenly those easy skip passes weren't there anymore.
• Great all-around game from Lauri. He was really light on his feet today, and Will had clearly instructed Lauri to run after each defensive rebound. He really put pressure on the Lakers' interior defense each time he had chance to run. Also terrific defense against AD.
• DLo is really freaking annoying to watch, but damn, his shot was automatic today.

 

[Agent#00]

Hardy said they prepared for lebron then adjusted the gameplan on the spot. That’s probably why they started sluggish.

 

[HermanG]

Hardy said they prepared for lebron then adjusted the gameplan on the spot. That’s probably why they started sluggish.

That explains a lot. The aggressive doubling of AD was probably a last minute adjustment to throw the Lakers off, that just didnt work. After we went to single defender with normal help, he stopped getting the easy passes to wide open looks and AD was forced to start creating more for himself, and that turned the game around really.

 

[Peter_Mentor]

That explains a lot. The aggressive doubling of AD was probably a last minute adjustment to throw the Lakers off, that just didnt work. After we went to single defender with normal help, he stopped getting the easy passes to wide open looks and AD was forced to start creating more for himself, and that turned the game around really.

AD also posted up way less at the second half.

 

[Thejazzkickazz]

The meltdown from Lakers fans on a couple of local Aussie NBA boards is so funny. Full of “can’t even beat the Jazz etc”. Completely unaware of how well we’re playing lol. So enjoyable

It's understandable though. From the Aussie perspective, the Jazz are still recovering from the loss of the great Joe Ingles, right?

 

[FalseFlagg K]

It's understandable though. From the Aussie perspective, the Jazz are still recovering from the loss of the great Joe Ingles, right?

nah mate **** that guy he was soooo bad for us at the world cup last year

 

[HermanG]

Also one additional thing that I didnt see anyone call out (maybe someone did though).... I think the Kris Dunn steal from Vando after his own turnover was a key momentum building play. He didnt have as good a game as some of the others he's had recently, but I feel like that was an important one. We were up just a couple at that point.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

Takes:

- Clarkson got a couple of really favorable calls in this game. I guess the refs remembered he used to play for the Lakers.

- Last minute change to the game plan or not, we came out look looking soft and slow on D. A long stretch of wins does that to a team sometimes, plus you start to develop a target on your back and other teams get that extra bit of motivation that matters. We'll see it more and more, just have to deal with it.

- Making DLo eat that BS early celebration felt fantastic. Dude is super annoying. He's like Trae and Luka in that you can't even breath on him when he goes around a pick on the perimeter. Always ready to flop like he took a bullet. Reaves is almost as bad these days.

- Olynyk had one of those games where everything he did was either sloppy or inexplicable. I guess it's just the price you pay for the full KO experience. He looked like he was high. Fortunately Hardy recognized early that Kelly didn't have it and sat him down.

- John Collins is taking full advantage of the fact that defenses are not paying any attention to him, with the Jazz having a multitude of weapons. This is a good thing, but let's pump the brakes on the "COLLINS IS BACK!!" thing. He still can't do anything off the dribble, keeps getting blocked and gets caught ball-watching on D. Nice game though, in the absence of Kessler.

- Speaking of Walker... what was that about? He played scared and soft and his body language was suspension-worthy. You just can't get that down on yourself that easily. At this point, it's not just a personality trait anymore, it's a flaw that's hurting both himself and the team. He has to fix it.

- We also saw why Walker may have trouble staying on the floor if/when we make the playoffs. It was a reflex for the Lakers to hack him the second Olynyk made the mistake of giving him the ball under the basket. Through to form, Kessler missed both FT's and that was pretty much the end of his night. I mean... EVERYONE knows the foul is coming. Walker has to anticipate it and go up a LOT stronger. FFS, he's as big as a house. Play your size.

- Doesn't it feel like Keyonte has shot well from the perimater lately? Well, he hasn't. He's 8/29 (28%) over the last 5 games. That's how your eyes lie to you when the team is winning. By and large, he's managed to make the shots when they mattered, but... that's still not great. Happy about his continued development as a facilitator and calm ballhandler, though.

These notes came out a bit more critical than I intended, but overall this was a satisfying win and the direction of the team is great.

 

[HermanG]

Takes:

- Clarkson got a couple of really favorable calls in this game. I guess the refs remembered he used to play for the Lakers.

- Last minute change to the game plan or not, we came out look looking soft and slow on D. A long stretch of wins does that to a team sometimes, plus you start to develop a target on your back and other teams get that extra bit of motivation that matters. We'll see it more and more, just have to deal with it.

- Making DLo eat that BS early celebration felt fantastic. Dude is super annoying. He's like Trae and Luka in that you can't even breath on him when he goes around a pick on the perimeter. Always ready to flop like he took a bullet. Reaves is almost as bad these days.

- Olynyk had one of those games where everything he did was either sloppy or inexplicable. I guess it's just the price you pay for the full KO experience. He looked like he was high. Fortunately Hardy recognized early that Kelly didn't have it and sat him down.

- John Collins is taking full advantage of the fact that defenses are not paying any attention to him, with the Jazz having a multitude of weapons. This is a good thing, but let's pump the brakes on the "COLLINS IS BACK!!" thing. He still can't do anything off the dribble, keeps getting blocked and gets caught ball-watching on D. Nice game though, in the absence of Kessler.

- Speaking of Walker... what was that about? He played scared and soft and his body language was suspension-worthy. You just can't get that down on yourself that easily. At this point, it's not just a personality trait anymore, it's a flaw that's hurting both himself and the team. He has to fix it.

- We also saw why Walker may have trouble staying on the floor if/when we make the playoffs. It was a reflex for the Lakers to hack him the second Olynyk made the mistake of giving him the ball under the basket. Through to form, Kessler missed both FT's and that was pretty much the end of his night. I mean... EVERYONE knows the foul is coming. Walker has to anticipate it and go up a LOT stronger. FFS, he's as big as a house. Play your size.

- Doesn't it feel like Keyonte has shot well from the perimater lately? Well, he hasn't. He's 8/29 (28%) over the last 5 games. That's how your eyes lie to you when the team is winning. By and large, he's managed to make the shots when they mattered, but... that's still now great. Happy about his continued development as a facilitator and calm ballhandler, though.

These notes came out a bit more critical than I intended, but overall this was a satisfying win and the direction of the team is great.

I was almost betting on you calling out the defensive gameplan.... but you didnt.

But for Keyonte, instead of harping on the fact that he hasnt played that great lately, you could consider giving him flowers when he actually deserves them. I havent seen much hype about him lately around here, and even as one of the strongest believers I've put the negative spotlight on him a few times, as he has deserved it.

What I dont really understand is why you felt like this is the correct moment to bash the guy?

 

[Mr. T]

I was almost betting on you calling out the defensive gameplan.... but you didnt.

But for Keyonte, instead of harping on the fact that he hasnt played that great lately, you could consider giving him flowers when he actually deserves them. I havent seen much hype about him lately around here, and even as one of the strongest believers I've put the negative spotlight on him a few times, as he has deserved it.

What I dont really understand is why you felt like this is the correct moment to bash the guy?

Tremendous Downside living up to his name.

 

[Tremendous Upside]

I was almost betting on you calling out the defensive gameplan.... but you didnt.

But for Keyonte, instead of harping on the fact that he hasnt played that great lately, you could consider giving him flowers when he actually deserves them. I havent seen much hype about him lately around here, and even as one of the strongest believers I've put the negative spotlight on him a few times, as he has deserved it.

What I dont really understand is why you felt like this is the correct moment to bash the guy?

Huh?

I've been one of his cheerleaders lately and have given him props for playing better. I literally wrote in the post right above:

Happy about his continued development as a facilitator and calm ballhandler, though.

I also pointed out he's made clutch shots even if his % isn't good. That's not what I'd call "bashing", LOL. To repeat: Key has been a LOT better during this winning stretch, and I'm particularly impressed by his patience running the PnR. Hasn't looked like a rookie, which is great.

I'm just interested by the tricks our minds sometimes play on us when we watch basketball. During the game I caught myself thinking, "Man, Key has been on fire from the arc lately". Went to check the exact numbers, and realized I couldn't have been more wrong. 28% is bad. It's just interesting... When you're winning, you don't look at the game the same way and the team results "spill over" into how you view individual players and their performances in the moment.

I guess that's only human. But even when the W's keep piling up, it's worth keeping an eye on the currents under the surface. The opposite is equally true, of course. Encouraging developments may take place during losing streaks.

 

[HermanG]

Huh?

I've been one of his cheerleaders lately and have given him props for playing better. I literally wrote in the post right above:



I also pointed out he's made clutch shots even if his % isn't good. That's not what I'd call "bashing", LOL. To repeat: Key has been a LOT better during this winning stretch, and I'm particularly impressed by his patience running the PnR. Hasn't looked like a rookie, which is great.

I'm just interested by the tricks our minds sometimes play on us when we watch basketball. During the game I caught myself thinking, "Man, Key has been on fire from the arc lately". Went to check the exact numbers, and realized I couldn't have been more wrong. 28% is bad. It's just interesting... When you're winning, you don't look at the game the same way and the team results "spill over" into how you view individual players and their performances in the moment.

I guess that's only human. But even when the W's keep piling up, it's worth keeping an eye on the currents under the surface. The opposite is equally true, of course. Encouraging developments may take place during losing streaks.

For whatever reason, I trust his shots in the 4th. I dont know if he actually shoots better there, but it feels like he does. It could also be the fact that Hardy plays the "hot hand", and when Keyonte is cold he rides the pine.

Or then maybe he is one of those guys, who are prone to being a bit casual and sloppy when the crowd/game intensity is low, but when there is a sense of urgency and stress he turns sharper.