Thee Idiotic Minivan K
Well-Known Member
Almost called it
Looking good here.
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Official Round 1 Predictions: Jazz-V-Thunder
- Thread starter 7StraightIsGreat
- Start date
Looking good here.
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Reminder
Missed this thread earlier, but here is my prediction in Salt City Hoops:
Prediction time!
Allen R. Jazz in 5. They lose game 1 and then win the next 4. They do this by:
· Making Westbrook beat them from above the break (e.g., go under screens) and suffocate PG13 and make him beat you inside where Rudy awaits. They must face-guard PG13, if he goes off from 3, it is “lights out” for the Jazz
· Kill the break by taking care of the ball and not worrying about the offensive glass. If the Jazz are forced into many fast break “Euro fouls,” OKC will get into the penalty and the Jazz will die at the free throw line.
· Making their open 3s. A concern is that three-point shots have high variability, and if the Jazz go cold they could lose a home game, forcing them to find two wins in OKC.
Other input:
Which Jazz player HAS to play well for Utah to win the series?
Allen R. I’m going to cheat a bit and say Quin Snyder. Last time these two teams played, 40 percent of Utah’s minutes went to players who have since departed or fallen out of the rotation. Andre Roberson was in, Gobert was out. So while coaches will generally analyze the regular season match-up to determine initial playoff strategies, they now have a paucity of data. The Game 1 advantage may go to the team that can play the best ad hoc basketball — a possible advantage for Westbrook and Paul George over the scheme-dependent Jazz.
Quin will need to be imaginative to get off on the right foot, and then pivot quickly as the data flows in.
Which OKC player will have a bigger impact on the series than most people think?
Allen R.: We all know what PG13 can do on offense, but his defense will be a huge factor. Westbrook had primary defensive responsibility for Mitchell last time the two teams met, and the rookie went off for 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting. Billy Donovan will not repeat this mistake and George will likely assume primary responsibility, especially in the fourth quarter. Against George’s length and athleticism, expect Donovan to drive and kick, as the Thunder are a poor team at 3-point closeouts. The Thunder will force the Jazz to beat them with 3s from the likes of Crowder, O’Neale, and Rubio. They’ll stay close to Ingles.
What’s fair to expect of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio in their first playoff series ever?
Allen R.: We all know that rookies struggle with playoff pressure, so why do I just know that Donovan will step up?
Prediction time!
Allen R. Jazz in 5. They lose game 1 and then win the next 4. They do this by:
· Making Westbrook beat them from above the break (e.g., go under screens) and suffocate PG13 and make him beat you inside where Rudy awaits. They must face-guard PG13, if he goes off from 3, it is “lights out” for the Jazz
· Kill the break by taking care of the ball and not worrying about the offensive glass. If the Jazz are forced into many fast break “Euro fouls,” OKC will get into the penalty and the Jazz will die at the free throw line.
· Making their open 3s. A concern is that three-point shots have high variability, and if the Jazz go cold they could lose a home game, forcing them to find two wins in OKC.
Other input:
Which Jazz player HAS to play well for Utah to win the series?
Allen R. I’m going to cheat a bit and say Quin Snyder. Last time these two teams played, 40 percent of Utah’s minutes went to players who have since departed or fallen out of the rotation. Andre Roberson was in, Gobert was out. So while coaches will generally analyze the regular season match-up to determine initial playoff strategies, they now have a paucity of data. The Game 1 advantage may go to the team that can play the best ad hoc basketball — a possible advantage for Westbrook and Paul George over the scheme-dependent Jazz.
Quin will need to be imaginative to get off on the right foot, and then pivot quickly as the data flows in.
Which OKC player will have a bigger impact on the series than most people think?
Allen R.: We all know what PG13 can do on offense, but his defense will be a huge factor. Westbrook had primary defensive responsibility for Mitchell last time the two teams met, and the rookie went off for 29 points on 12-for-16 shooting. Billy Donovan will not repeat this mistake and George will likely assume primary responsibility, especially in the fourth quarter. Against George’s length and athleticism, expect Donovan to drive and kick, as the Thunder are a poor team at 3-point closeouts. The Thunder will force the Jazz to beat them with 3s from the likes of Crowder, O’Neale, and Rubio. They’ll stay close to Ingles.
What’s fair to expect of Donovan Mitchell and Ricky Rubio in their first playoff series ever?
Allen R.: We all know that rookies struggle with playoff pressure, so why do I just know that Donovan will step up?
Someone forgot about the time OKC blew a 3-1 lead to the Warriors which eventually led to KD leaving the team because Russell Westbrook decided to stop guarding Klay Thompson.
Last year's Clippers team was way better than this OKC team.
framer
Well-Known Member
This held up pretty well. . .
framer
Well-Known Member
It seems like I underestimated the ability of Ingles to get in BOTH George's and Melo's head. Won't make that mistake again.
Nice job!
We all know str8line is our resident dumbass, but this thread is like dip-**** central. Hey where's that guy who told me that he'd never seen a Jazz team so outmatched in his 50 years watching basketball (but in reality he's just copying something he heard on on TNT)? I'll have to find the time to dig that up.
LifeOnaPlate
Well-Known Member
I hope Str8line at least puts "Formerly str8line" in his/her sig so we remember who they are.
I was probably wrong with my Jazz in 6 prediction.
I was probably wrong with my Jazz in 6 prediction.
7StraightIsGreat
Well-Known Member
I made two critical mistakes with my initial prediction of OKC in 6.
Mistake #1: I was too quick to overlook the MASSIVE advantage Utah has in coaching. Quin has outcoached Billy D. about as bad as humanly possible. I think this series cements Quin’s status as one of the top 2 or 3 HC’s in the NBA.
Mistake #2: I didn’t realize how personal some Jazz fans take it when fellow Jazz fans pick the opposing team to win a series. I’m also surprised that this turned into a “I told you so” thread before the series is even technically over. Some of y’all either take this **** to seriously, or are in bad need of validation.
All that being said, I’m still picking Houston next round because I don’t wanna mess with a good thing.
Mistake #1: I was too quick to overlook the MASSIVE advantage Utah has in coaching. Quin has outcoached Billy D. about as bad as humanly possible. I think this series cements Quin’s status as one of the top 2 or 3 HC’s in the NBA.
Mistake #2: I didn’t realize how personal some Jazz fans take it when fellow Jazz fans pick the opposing team to win a series. I’m also surprised that this turned into a “I told you so” thread before the series is even technically over. Some of y’all either take this **** to seriously, or are in bad need of validation.
All that being said, I’m still picking Houston next round because I don’t wanna mess with a good thing.
Cool story bro.
I know all you *******s were rooting against the Jazz so you wouldn't look stupid. And don't try to deny it.
Well, you do look stupid. To be fair, some of you were already known to be stupid, but it's good to get confirmation.
If i was a mod, I'd ban your asses.
Well, you do look stupid. To be fair, some of you were already known to be stupid, but it's good to get confirmation.
If i was a mod, I'd ban your asses.
Spinoza
Well-Known Member
I was convinced OKC was such a terrible matchup for us. The length and athleticism of George and Westbrook with the toughness of Adams was intimidating.
I guess I'm a dumbass for inferring too much from that one game against Portland. Happy that I was wrong about how we would compete in this series.
I guess I'm a dumbass for inferring too much from that one game against Portland. Happy that I was wrong about how we would compete in this series.
No worries bro. I m just glad that you are with us now!
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Guys.
Guys.
Sit down.
The Jazz could possibly lose game 5.
I'm feeling a situation like the Golden State game Followed by the final regular season against the Trail Blazers. Jazz were killing it, on a winning streak and they kicked the **** out of GSW. They were on an emotional high. Everything was going right.
They came into Portland ready to close it out and get home court advantage for the first round. They were a little too pumped. They pressed. The other team was hitting shots, hard shots. The Jazz went cold shooting the ball. The game got away and the Jazz lost.
THE JAZZ HAVE NOT WON THIS SERIES YET!
They will. They very well might do it in 5 games. But they also might not.
Don't hate me for saying it, but they might come back to earth a little in game 5.
Guys.
Sit down.
The Jazz could possibly lose game 5.
I'm feeling a situation like the Golden State game Followed by the final regular season against the Trail Blazers. Jazz were killing it, on a winning streak and they kicked the **** out of GSW. They were on an emotional high. Everything was going right.
They came into Portland ready to close it out and get home court advantage for the first round. They were a little too pumped. They pressed. The other team was hitting shots, hard shots. The Jazz went cold shooting the ball. The game got away and the Jazz lost.
THE JAZZ HAVE NOT WON THIS SERIES YET!
They will. They very well might do it in 5 games. But they also might not.
Don't hate me for saying it, but they might come back to earth a little in game 5.
7StraightIsGreat
Well-Known Member
Is being a douchebag something you only do while on the interwebs, or is this a 24/7 affliction for you?
I'm sad I didn't get in on this thread before the series started.
Best I can provide is my post on the Jazz subreddit from when people were cheering for Memphis to beat OKC on the last night of the regular season so that we could avoid them:
www.reddit.com/r/UtahJazz/comments/8b8inb/tomorrow_we_must_root_hard_for_memphis_if_they/dx5a7ja/
Best I can provide is my post on the Jazz subreddit from when people were cheering for Memphis to beat OKC on the last night of the regular season so that we could avoid them:
www.reddit.com/r/UtahJazz/comments/8b8inb/tomorrow_we_must_root_hard_for_memphis_if_they/dx5a7ja/