Official Round 1 Predictions: Jazz-V-Thunder
- Thread starter 7StraightIsGreat
- Start date
Bump. O ye disbelievers.
You pretty much nailed it!
Told ya bishes
Thee Jazz Fan
Well-Known Member
Almost called it
Looking good here.
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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!