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

[LoPo]

Mitchell absolutely must improve on his shooting or this will be a tough row to hoe. He is currently at 30 ppg, but so inefficient shooting splits it is ridiculous. .396 FG/.235 3PT FG, but his free throws are money at .892, so there is that. He is averaging at his career high for assist per game though, and that is also a good thing, at 6 assist per game, tied with his 2nd year for assist per game in the playoffs. He need to keep his assists where they are and just start making shots.

I still wonder if he is secretly injured and that is why his shot is off so bad. Someone one game mentioned he was favoring his right wrist. If he is nursing a wrist injury on his shooting hand that could be really really bad. That is one of the chronic issues that diminished D Will so much later in his career.

Whatever it is I hope DM sorts it out. We need playoff DM to emerge and lead us to the promised land.


edit: for comparison his career playoff averages are .432 FG/.378 3 PT FG and .866 FT. And in the denver series he was an other-worldly .529 FG/.516 3 PT FG/.948 FT

Don has to shoot better. No excuses.

In the 4th, Dallas is practically double teaming Don so other guys are going to have to hit open shots. Rudy will need finish in the paint. If he missed 8 free throws at home, I would only imagine he would miss a higher percentage away. So the big fella has to throw it down through contact.

This needs to be a breakout game for Conley and a "bounce back" game for Royce.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

. If he missed 8 free throws at home, I would only imagine he would miss a higher percentage away. So the big fella has to throw it down through contact.

What kind of logic is this lmfao? Does every player miss a higher percentage of FTs than they did the last game?

Rudy is a streak FT shooter. He might go 9/10 next game. Prior to that bad shooting performance he was 12/15

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Don has to shoot better. No excuses.

In the 4th, Dallas is practically double teaming Don so other guys are going to have to hit open shots. Rudy will need finish in the paint. If he missed 8 free throws at home, I would only imagine he would miss a higher percentage away. So the big fella has to throw it down through contact.

This needs to be a breakout game for Conley and a "bounce back" game for Royce.

The Jazz are getting very few open looks from 3 so we need to actually generate these open looks from the attention Donovan is getting with quicker passes.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Is it possible Utah is better playing from behind in a series? Maybe them going down 1-2 is a better sign than them going up 3-1???

 

[416Klawzz]

I'm not saying Utah didn't deserve to win, only saying that even with a few bounces, a home crowd and a do-or-die game essentially, the Jazz still barely pulled it out.

That is what gives me pause.

I keep thinking about the 2007 Houston series and how the Jazz controlled every game in Salt Lake, and were extremely competitive in every game in Houston, to the point where I think they held a 4th quarter lead in every single one of those games. The only problem was that the Jazz just couldn't seal the deal and lost those three games in the final minutes.

But eventually they were able to put things together in that game seven to win on the road.

My point? You could see the Jazz were better than Houston... they just had to work out things before it finally aligned on the road and they got that road victory. It took seven games but they got it.

I don't have that sense from this Jazz team. I don't really know if I believe they're the better team. Certainly game four, at home, didn't give me confidence they are - not like if they had rolled the Mavs like those Jazz tend did Houston in that 07 series in SLC.

But we'll see. Tonight is a big opportunity to take advantage of that momentum and head back to Salt Lake looking to close Dallas out.

I just worry we'll squander it.

Different team back then and we had Sloan, nothing compares...

 

[David Hume]

Our colleague Jordan Taylor Clarkson shall be such a Flamethrower this game that he shall be entitled to the nickname “Brunson-Burner.”

 

[jom2003]

Is Forrest available this game? We had no solution for Brunson all series. This might be the golden moment for him

 

[FrenchJazzFa]

All the team has to shoot better, not only Don. Too easy to allways put things on him. Mike sucks and Rudy has to score more as well. Until now only Clarkson and Bogda have make the job offensively.
If we shoot at our normal level, we win.
On the other side, in the PO, many top player struggle, Young, Ja, Kyle..it's not only Jazz issue.

 

[Avery]

If we get an early deficit, I would like to see Gay get some PT and go entirely small ball with him at C. Boggles my mind how we brought him specifically for that purpose yet don't seem to want to utilize him. We can't let the Mavs rain threes.

 

[Jingled]

If we get an early deficit, I would like to see Gay get some PT and go entirely small ball with him at C. Boggles my mind how we brought him specifically for that purpose yet don't seem to want to utilize him. We can't let the Mavs rain threes.

He was so bad this season that I really don't blame Quin for going with Juancho and Paschall over him.

 

[bopahull]

If we get an early deficit, I would like to see Gay get some PT and go entirely small ball with him at C. Boggles my mind how we brought him specifically for that purpose yet don't seem to want to utilize him. We can't let the Mavs rain threes.

After the first couple of games Gay played so poorly that we couldn't play him. I doubt he's improved much sitting on the bench. Just another FO screwup.

 

[yamers]