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The King of the Fast Break . . . Jerry Sloan?
By Travis Heath
for HOOPSWORLD.com
Nov 20, 2006, 19:02
Just when you thought things couldn't get any better for Utah, the Phoenix
Suns made their first trip to Delta Center . . . er, EnergySolutions Arena
(for those of you who haven't heard, the Delta Center is no more).
Whatever the building is called now, the Jazz were dead men walking in their
place of residence on Saturday night facing a deficit of 16 points early in
the fourth period. They couldn't possibly dig themselves out of a double-
digit hole against the Suns for the second time this young season could they?
Okay, well at least after the loss the Jazz would still be 8-2, and the Suns
were due to get back on track, right?
This might have been the thought process of some NBA teams in the same
situation, but not the 2006-07 Utah Jazz. The team never panicked, and as
strange as it sounds, the look on their collective faces was one of we've
got right where we want them -- even down 16 points.
Confidence is a crazy little bird, isn't it?
The win matches the best start in the history of the franchise, a mark the
Jazz will try to surpass at home tonight against the struggling Toronto
Raptors.
However, it's not just the fact the Jazz are winning which makes their early
season run so impressive -- even if it that fact alone is pretty darned
impressive. It's the way the Jazz have been winning games so far this year
that should really jump out at people.
In the past, the Jazz have been a slowdown type of offensive club that
preferred precise execution in the half-court late in the shot clock.
This has been a virtual trademark of head coach Jerry Sloan over the years.
This season, though, something has changed. The Jazz are scoring in droves
and Sloan is loving every minute of it.
It's not like they have become a haphazard fast break team who run at every
opportunity like their guests on Saturday from Phoenix. Instead, they have
been thriving in early offensive sets. Utah has become adept at running
quick hitting plays as they jog across the timeline, thanks in large-part to
the brilliant playmaking ability of Deron Williams as well as Carlos Boozer's
ability to seal his defender on the block and make a quick move to the bucket.
This isn't just meaningless journalistic banter, either. Statistics backup
the aforementioned claim.
Consider that the Jazz have scored over 100 points in all nine of their
victories so far this season. Last season, the Jazz didn't get their ninth
win when scoring 100+ points until March 3rd.
Okay, so you're saying to yourself not too bad, right?
Well, not only are the Jazz outscoring last year's outfit, but they are also
leading the entire NBA in scoring. That's right, you read that sentence
correctly. A Sloan coached team is running the opposition out of the gym
averaging 108.3 points per contest.
So what's to account for this remarkable increase in scoring and departure
from the drag it out and muck it up half-court style the Jazz have featured
in recent years? Has Sloan finally acquiesced to the new school?
Not exactly. The old ball coach is still demanding his players play superior
defense in order to stay on the floor (If you don't believe me, just ask
Williams who was pulled from the game early in the first period on Friday in
Seattle for a laxed defensive effort on Luke Ridnour).
What has changed is that Sloan has seemingly allowed his players to "just
play" more than he has in previous campaigns on the offensive end provided
they give maximum effort on the other end of the floor. Sure, Utah can still
execute in the half-court when they need to, but the players appear to have
more freedom than they have in the past.
In previous years, the Carlos Arroyo's and Keith McLeod's of the world could
be seen nearly every possession looking toward the Jazz bench to get a
play-call from Sloan. By the time the team got into an offensive set, the
shot-clock was almost always at 14 seconds or less. This year, though, when
the clock strikes 14, Utah is often times running back on defense after
another D-Will dagger, Mehmet Okur triple, or Boozer power move in the paint.
While Sloan would never admit it publicly, he has loosened the offensive
reigns and his team is better because of it -- of course with Williams
running the show, it makes such a decision much easier for any head coach.
That said, there is a new and rejuvenated general at the helm in Salt Lake
City, people.
Next thing you know, dude's going to show up at the arena with a diamond
earring in both lobes while simultaneously sporting Pat Riley's trademark
slicked back hair. Okay, that's probably not going to happen, but something
is definitely different in Utah.
People a lot smarter than me have argued evolution is inevitable, and Sloan's
final evolution as an NBA basketball coach might be the one that takes this
Jazz team to heights none of his previous clubs were ever able to attain.
http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_19531.shtml
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