The Jazz had a rough night and it ended their season.  The Jazz only shot 38.2% from the floor and they allowed the Spurs to hit 51.3% from the floor and it’s hard to win that way.  Andrei Kirilenko led the way for the Jazz with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists.  Deron Williams also had a rough game with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists.  Matt Harpring had a solid game off of the bench with 11 points and 4 rebounds.  Carlos Boozer had his worst game of the series at a bad time with 9 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists on 3 of 10 shooting from the floor.  Mehmet Okur (8 points, 3 rebounds) and Gordan Giricek (5 points) didn’t help out too much in the Jazz’ last game of the season.  The Jazz lost the series to the Spurs 4-1.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270530024

The Jazz played good for three quarters before the roof caved in on them in the 4th quarter.  The Spurs outscored the Jazz 28-17 in the 4th quarter and that’s the reason they won this game.  Deron Williams was fantastic again as he led the way for the Jazz with 27 points, 3 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals.  Carlos Boozer also had a great game with 18 points and 9 rebounds.  Andrei Kirilenko (9 points, 8 rebounds), Derek Fisher (9 points, 4 steals) and Mehmet Okur (7 points, 5 rebounds) all disappointed with their play last night.  The Jazz are now down 3-1 to the Spurs as this series shifts to San Antonio. 

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270528026

The Jazz dominated the 2nd half of this game as they outscored the Spurs 66-36 on their way to a very easy victory.  The Jazz also shot an amazing 53.2% from the floor as a team.  Deron Williams led the way for the Jazz with 31 points, 8 assists and 5 steals.  Carlos Boozer also had a great game with 27 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists.  Derek Fisher (11 points) and Gordan Giricek (11 points, 6 assists) both pitched in on offense.  Andrei Kirilenko and Mehmet Okur both failed to show up for the game last night.  In 30 minutes, Kirilenko only scored 2 points, grabbed 2 rebounds and dished out 3 assists.  Mehmet Okur only played 21 minutes due to foul trouble and he finished with 0 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.  The Jazz now trail the Spurs 2-1 in this series.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270526026

The Jazz fell behind 58-41 in the first half and that was way too much to overcome last night.  The Jazz were outrebounded 44-35 last night and they didn’t play any defense as the Spurs hit 55.6% of their shots from the floor!  Carlos Boozer played a great game as he led the Jazz with 33 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists.  Deron Williams did a fine job of running the offense with 26 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and 3 steals.  Andrei Kirilenko also was a little bit busy with 15 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists.  Mehmet Okur had a bad shooting night (4 for 13) and he finished up with only 11 points and 5 rebounds.  Derek Fisher played awful last night as he was only 1 for 9 from the floor and he only finished with 3 points.   The Jazz are now down 2-0 to the Spurs as this series shifts to Salt Lake City. 

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270522024

The Jazz put up a good fight in the 2nd half of this basketball game but it wasn’t enough.  The Jazz outrebounded the Spurs 48-33 but it didn’t matter as the Spurs shot 54.3% from the floor.  Deron Williams was outstanding as he led the way for the Jazz with 34 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.  Carlos Boozer had a tough time with foul trouble but he still scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.  Mehmet Okur had an awful shooting game (3 of 15) and he finished up with 10 points and 6 rebounds.  Matt Harpring had a decent game off of the bench with 10 points and 3 rebounds.  Andrei Kirilenko (7 points, 5 rebounds) and Derek Fisher (6 points, 2 rebounds) each had a rough time against the Spurs.  The Spurs now lead this series 1-0.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270520024

This should be an outstanding matchup in the Western Conference Finals between two great basketball teams.  The Jazz win basketball games because they’re an outstanding rebounding team.  In 12 playoffs games so far this season the Jazz have outrebounded their opponents 46.5-38.5 so far this post-season.  But, the Spurs are a good rebounding team too, so I’m forecasting a very physical series.  Here’s a closer look at the matchups in this series:

POINT GUARD:  Deron Williams has continued his fine play into the playoffs this season.  In the Jazz 12 playoff games so far this season, Williams has averaged 16.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 8.9 assists and 1.17 steals per game.  Williams is a pure point guard but he’s not shy about taking his shot.  That will be important in this series.  Tony Parker on the other hand is a shoot-first point guard.  He has averaged 19.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.0 steals per game in the playoffs so far.  He has a great in-between game from the top of the key to 10-12 feet from the basket.  His game reminds me quite a bit of Joe Dumars.  EDGE:  EVEN

SHOOTING GUARD:  This is a matchup of a couple of old timers and it should be fun to watch.  Michael Finley just keeps rolling along.  He’s no longer the high flying dunking machine of his earlier years as he’s much more content to fire from the outside.  Finley has averaged 14.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game so far in the playoffs.  He also has hit 45.9% from the three-point line.  Derek Fisher has also played very well in the playoffs as he’s averaged 11.0 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.  Fisher also has shot well from three-point range as he’s hit 45.8% of them in the playoffs.  EDGE:  EVEN

SMALL FORWARD:  This will be a battle of two of the best defensive players in the NBA.  As long as Andrei Kirilenko isn’t crying like a little baby, the Jazz should have a advantage here.  Kirilenko has averaged 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.67 blocks per game in the playoffs.  Bruce Bowen is averaging 6.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.91 steals per game so far in the playoffs.  He’s not only a defender as he is a good three-point shooter.  EDGE:  JAZZ

POWER FORWARD:  This is the matchup that everyone will be watching.  Tim Duncan vs. Carlos Boozer!  Tim Duncan usually rises to the challenge when he’s against a star caliber player so look out in this series.  Duncan has averaged 23.8 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.55 blocks per game in the playoffs this season so far.  Look for him to use his height advantage against Boozer as often as he can.  Boozer is a tough guy that plays at 100% effort at all times.  He is averaging 24.4 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game in the playoffs so far.  Look for Boozer to have another good series for the Jazz.   EDGE:  SLIGHT FOR THE SPURS

CENTER:  This is an area where the Jazz have a huge advantage over the Spurs.  Mehmet Okur is an outstanding offensive player that can extend his shooting range beyond the three-point line which cause matchup problems for the Jazz’ opponents.  Okur has averaged 13.7 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game so far in the playoffs.  Francisco Elson hasn’t done much for the Spurs thus far in the playoffs and that’s part of the reason why Fabricio Oberto has started the last couple of games.  Look for the Spurs to let Elson have his starting job back for this series.  He is only averaging 2.8 points and 3.6 rebounds so far in the playoffs.   EDGE:  HUGE FOR THE JAZZ

BENCH:  The Jazz have only really played three players off of their bench and don’t look for that to change right now.  Matt Harpring is the most important player off of the bench for the Jazz because he plays 100% at all times and it rubs off on his teammates.  Harpring is averaging 27.0 minutes per game in the playoffs and he’s averaging 10.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game.  Gordan Giricek has started 2 games in the playoffs (due to Derek Fisher spending time with his little girl who we all should say a prayer for) and he’s come off of the bench in the other 10 games.  Giricek is averaging 6.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game in the playoffs.  Paul Millsap is the muscle off of the bench for the Jazz.  The rookie is averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in only 14.5 minutes per night.

The Spurs have a very deep bench and they’re not shy about using it.  Manu Ginobili is one of the best 6th men in the NBA as he brings energy to the whole team due to his style of reckless play.  Ginobili is averaging 15.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.91 steals per game in the playoffs so far.  The Spurs need him to regain his shooting touch as he’s only hitting 38% from the floor in the playoffs.  Robert Horry was the real MVP of the last series as he hurt the Suns big-time due to the suspensions he drew to Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw for game #5 of the series with the Suns.  He also is still a clutch player when the lights of the playoffs are burning brightly.  Horry has averaged 6.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.44 blocks per game.  Fabricio Oberto splits time in the middle with Elson and they do a passable job in the pivot.  Oberto is averaging 4.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in the playoffs.  Brent Barry and Jacque Vaughn are both averaging only 2.2 points per game in the playoffs so far.  But Barry can hit the key three-pointer as he’s an outstanding shooter.   EDGE:  EVEN

PREDICTION:  This should be an outstanding series, but I’m going with the Spurs in 7 due to their playoff experience and home court advantage.

 

The Utah Jazz punished the Warriors 48-33 in the second half of the game last night and that’s why they won the game.  Another big key was the fact that the Jazz outrebounded them 59-35 last night!  Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 21 points and 14 rebounds.  Andrei Kirilenko also was outstanding last night with 21 points, 15 rebounds and 3 steals.  Derek Fisher was solid with 20 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.  Mehmet Okur was tough on the inside with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  Deron Williams had a poor game as he was 1 for 11 shooting and finished with only 2 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists.  Paul Millsap was outstanding off of the bench with 9 points and 12 rebounds in only 23 minutes on the court.  The Jazz advance to the Western Conference Finals after defeating the Warriors 4 games for 1.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270515026

The Jazz looked like the bullies in the playground in the 4th quarter last night as they outscored the Warriors 40-23 on their way to a big win.  The Jazz shot 51.4% from the floor as a team and they outrebounded the Warriors 52-36 and that was the two biggest reasons for their win last night.  Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 2 assists.  Derek Fisher also had a solid game with 21 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.  Deron Williams didn’t shoot well (6 of 18) but he played well with 20 points, 6 rebounds and 13 assists.  Mehmet Okur had a decent game with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  Andrei Kirilenko was also pretty busy with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists.  The Jazz are now up 3-1 on the Warriors in this series.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270513009

The Jazz got ambushed by the Warriors at the Oracle Arena last night.  The Warriors raced out to a 70-49 lead and never let the Jazz make a game of it.  The Jazz did outrebound the Warriors 44-32, but they didn’t play any defense as the Warriors shot 52.6% from the floor.  Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists as he shot 8 for 10 from the floor.  Andrei Kirilenko had another good game with 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocked shots.  Mehmet Okur had a solid game with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.  Deron Williams had a rough game as Baron Davis torched him all night long (32 points, 4 rebounds, 9 assists).  Williams finished with 14 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 turnovers.  Matt Harpring pitched in with 12 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists off of the bench.  The Jazz still lead this series 2-1.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270511009

The Warriors had the Jazz on the ropes last night but the Jazz came up big at the end of regulation and then again in OT.  The Jazz outscored the Warriors 14-4 in OT and the Jazz outrebounded the Warriors 60-32!  The Jazz also were very efficient on offense as they hit 52.9% of their shots from the floor.  Carlos Boozer led the way for the Jazz with 30 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists.  Mehmet Okur also had an outstanding game with 23 points and 18 rebounds.  The Jazz have been waiting all season for Andrei Kirilenko to wake up and he now has.  He had an outstanding game last night with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 blocked shots.  Deron Williams did a great job of running the offense with 17 points, 3 rebounds and 14 assists.  Gordan Giricek got another start in Derek Fisher’s spot and he scored 10 points.  Paul Millsap (10 points, 6 rebounds) and Matt Harpring (6 points, 7 rebounds) both added some punch off the bench for the Jazz.  The Jazz are now up 2-0 in this series as it heads to the Oracle Arena in Oakland.

http://scores.espn.go.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=270509026