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Game Thread Apr 25, 2022 7:30PM MT: Jazz at Mavericks - Game 5

Added to Calendar: 04-25-22

LoPo said:
I think Phoenix is a good team, but Booker might be needed to beat this Pelicans team.

The Pelicans are pretty stacked people.

McCollum and Ingram are legit scorers. Valincunas is a force underneath. Herb Jones is one of the best if not the best perimeter defenders in the game. Graham and Jose Alvarado are going to make the other team work. They have other solid role players.
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Obviously NOLA is better than their record given the CJ trade, but I still don't think they are that good.

They just matchup well against the Sun's with Booker out. CJ and Ingram can take it pretty easy on defense. They have no one who is tough to guard on that team outside of Paul, who will mostly be handled by Jones then you can rotate a handful of guys on him at your discretion because no one else commands a specific matchup outside of Ayton (which let's them play Jonas more which is good for them).

Against Utah at least they would have to worry about multiple matchups. Jones would have a tougher time just sticking to Mitchell (and Mitchell would overall be a tougher guard for Jones). Ingram/McCollum would have to guard someone of note. Sometimes Jonas has good games againzt Gobert, but his presence on the court let's Gobert play his optimal style.

Of course Ingram/CJ would be a tough cover for Utah, but overall I think they would be easier to guard for Utah than Brunson/Doncic.


*ALSO it's funny how much people dick rode the Phoenix wings. They are great wings if you got two good creating guards. When it's just those wings and an aging PG who maybe can't handle a ton of load, you're in trouble. Utah could navigate losing Mitchell much better than the Sun's can losing Booker imo because of the Jazz creation depth.
 
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Sean said:
I definitely still favor the Mavs winning this series. Saturday was a great win and hopefully it turns the series around, but as mentioned, Utah needed some luck to even have a shot at winning that game (or at least something that was out of their control, specifically the missed free throws).

Saturday was a must-win for Utah and a game Dallas could theoretically afford to lose. Sure, the Mavs could have seriously put the Jazz on life support with a win - but they got what they needed out of these last two games with their game three win.

But it just felt like Utah needed everything to go their way just to eke out the win, while Dallas, at least in game's two and three, largely controlled the contest.

Even the game one win was a bit of a ****-show late. Neither game has been remotely easy.

I guess the good news is that Utah and Dallas are tied despite the Jazz not really playing all that well.

The bad news is that over a seven-game series, if that doesn't change, it's going to eventually catch up to them - just as it almost did Saturday.

If I had to predict, I think Dallas wins tonight and closes this out in game six.

But maybe Saturday's game was a turning point and the Jazz put in a complete effort. I mean, they're certainly do, right?
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Game 4 was a huge boost for Utah.

The biggest issue for Utah in the playoffs is figuring out how to make Gobert effective despite the other team trying to scheme him out. Hopefully he can have another high impact game on the offensive glass, actually hit his FTsz and Utah's shooters come alive. I think throughout the series they have started to get Gobert the ball a bit better and it's going to open up the offense.

I'd also like to see Conley more aggressive with his 3pt shot. Come off those Gobert screens ready to fire.

Got to think Mitchell is going to get his 30+, just hope it's on 20 shots instead of 30
 
Sean said:
I definitely still favor the Mavs winning this series. Saturday was a great win and hopefully it turns the series around, but as mentioned, Utah needed some luck to even have a shot at winning that game (or at least something that was out of their control, specifically the missed free throws).

Saturday was a must-win for Utah and a game Dallas could theoretically afford to lose. Sure, the Mavs could have seriously put the Jazz on life support with a win - but they got what they needed out of these last two games with their game three win.

But it just felt like Utah needed everything to go their way just to eke out the win, while Dallas, at least in game's two and three, largely controlled the contest.

Even the game one win was a bit of a ****-show late. Neither game has been remotely easy.

I guess the good news is that Utah and Dallas are tied despite the Jazz not really playing all that well.

The bad news is that over a seven-game series, if that doesn't change, it's going to eventually catch up to them - just as it almost did Saturday.

If I had to predict, I think Dallas wins tonight and closes this out in game six.

But maybe Saturday's game was a turning point and the Jazz put in a complete effort. I mean, they're certainly do, right?
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We have certainly played 4 bad games. I think it's tough because even when we were winning down the stretch of the season, they were games that we did not play very well in. On the other hand, we would rationalize losses by pointing to anomalies and saying "if ______ didn't happen" or "if only _____ happened," then we would have won. I think it all boils down to ignoring a lot of the deep nuance and asking ourselves if we're able to find ways to win games (or conversely, find ways to lose games). From that perspective, I guess we could argue that games 1 and 4 we found ways to win, even if not convincingly. I think Dallas definitely has an edge here and while we can say that we've played 4 bad games, it could just be that that's the level we perform at and is more of a baseline. But on the flip side of this, Dallas also collapsed last year in their first round exit after they blew a 2-0 lead and then had games 3 & 4 at home. They lost 4-2 against the Clippers the year before in the first round against the Clippers. While that's not as much emotional baggage as we have, they themselves definitely have some pressure about collapsing last year that can be in the back of their mind. I guess a lot of questions will be answered tonight. If we come out flat and struggle in the same ways we've struggled through the first four games, then forget it. If we come out with some aggression and effort and play confident, then we can take control of the series. All of that yet to be determined. We'll see.
 
Saint Cy of JFC said:
Game 4 was a huge boost for Utah.

The biggest issue for Utah in the playoffs is figuring out how to make Gobert effective despite the other team trying to scheme him out. Hopefully he can have another high impact game on the offensive glass, actually hit his FTsz and Utah's shooters come alive. I think throughout the series they have started to get Gobert the ball a bit better and it's going to open up the offense.

I'd also like to see Conley more aggressive with his 3pt shot. Come off those Gobert screens ready to fire.

Got to think Mitchell is going to get his 30+, just hope it's on 20 shots instead of 30
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Maybe - but until proven otherwise, I'm going to remain skeptical. Unfortunately, Dallas didn't need game four, and Utah absolutely needed to win it. Even still, if the Mavs don't miss those free throws at the end, it's possible Utah is heading into game five down 3-1.

With that said, you're right that game five may be the boost this team needs to put in a complete effort.

Bottom line: Utah has to win one in Dallas if they're going to advance. Might as well make that win happen tonight.
 
Headed home from Mexico and have a long layover in… Dallas… I feel my closer presence will spur us to victory and my loudness will annoy any nearby Mavs fans. It’s probably exactly what this team needs.
 
Sean said:
Maybe - but until proven otherwise, I'm going to remain skeptical. Unfortunately, Dallas didn't need game four, and Utah absolutely needed to win it. Even still, if the Mavs don't miss those free throws at the end, it's possible Utah is heading into game five down 3-1.

With that said, you're right that game five may be the boost this team needs to put in a complete effort.

Bottom line: Utah has to win one in Dallas if they're going to advance. Might as well make that win happen tonight.
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Utah missed a lot more FTs in that span....

Utah definitely outplayed Dallas in the final 5. Of course every game has a luck factor, but Utah deserved to win (and probably should have won by more if Gobert **** his FT average)
 
infection said:
If you're flying American through DFW, it will be delayed.
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Based on how the last 24 hours have gone I’m not sure luck is with me.
 
Jazz need to get back to 3s and restricted area paint shots. Only person who should be allowed to take floaters is Float God Jordan Clarkson.
 
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