Jazz need sustained defense to snap skid

[RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)]

Jazz need sustained defense to snap skid
Monday, April 9, 2007 12:20 PM CDT
Chuck Nunn/Jazz Session

For an NBA team heading into the playoffs, the end of the regular season
is often a time to put things together, fine tune its game and build some
momentum for the first round.

But the Utah Jazz, who are going to the playoffs after a three-season absence
and won their first division title in seven years, have endured a three-game
losing streak against teams that aren't going to the playoffs, blowing
double-digit leads each time.

Saturday's 106-103 loss to Northwest Division cellar-dwelling Seattle
Supersonics was the toughest to swallow as the Jazz wasted a 22-point lead
and got booed off the court by their home fans.

Of course, nobody likes to see their team lose, especially when they're
paying today's NBA admission prices. But I think booing the team with the
fourth-best record in a 30-team league that represents the best basketball
in the world in its own gym is a little fickle.

But I digress.

The real point is that the Jazz still have some work to do in maintaining
consistent focus for 48 minutes each game. When you get up by a big margin,
it's easy to lapse into a careless attitude and let the other team back in
─ especially when they're playing for pride. Nowhere was that more apparent
than in Saturday's stunning loss.

"This was one of those games where it looked like we were going to have the
ability to win the ballgame and then all of sudden the wheels kind of came
off of us," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We started throwing the basketball
away and had a difficult time executing."

While part of that was due to a better defensive effort by the Sonics, Sloan
pointed out that there were too many instances down the stretch where Utah
just gave away possessions.

"We gave up 21 points on turnovers," Sloan said. "Some of those were just
totally unforced ─ we just turned and threw the ball away. It looked like
we hadn't played with each other. That's what happens when pressure gets on
you a little bit. We've got to learn how to deal with it or learn to compete
a little harder."

If there's a bright side to this, it's that the Jazz players recognize the
problem and seem committed to turn things around. And it starts with the
defense.

"Our defense is terrible at the end," Jazz forward Carlos Boozer said.
"It seems like the first half we do great, but the second half ─ especially
the fourth quarter ─ we don't do as good a job defensively."

Utah rookie swingman Ronnie Brewer, who started Saturday in place of Andrei
Kirilenko ─ expected to be out one to two weeks with a thumb injury ─ also
recognized the lapse in defensive effort.

"We need to play better team defense," Brewer said. "I think a lot of guys
want to play great defense, but you've got to have trust in your teammates
and be willing to help and get back and recover. I think once we get back to
that stage and help and recover, we'll start winning games again."

Getting to that level and staying there for four quarters is something Utah
has been able to do in stretches this season, but it's important to create
that sustained effort heading into the playoffs, where teams need their best
effort every night to keep from being eliminated. And that has to come from
the players, themselves.

"We've got to circle the wagons," Boozer said. "We can't look for anybody
outside to help us ─ we've got to help ourselves. This is the NBA. Nobody's
going to give you a cookie; you've got to go take your cookie if you want one.
We've got to help each other, stick together, not pull apart."

Utah gets a chance to start pulling together tonight against the Golden State
Warriors. Unlike the last three opponents ─ Portland, Sacramento and Seattle
─ Golden State is still in the playoff hunt, trailing the Los Angeles
Clippers by one game for the eighth spot in the Western Conference.

With scorers like Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Al Harrington against
them, the Jazz will need to have their defense clicking on all cylinders in
order to avoid a fourth straight loss.


Contact South Idaho Press sports editor Chuck Nunn at
[e-mail] or feel free to blog this column at
www.southidahopress.com. 


http://www.southidahopress.com/articles/2007/04/09/
sports/local/jazzsessions.txt 

--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 219.135.156.199
推 Stockton:nobody likes to see their team lose
推 CarlosBoozer:菜鳥得意了
※ 編輯: RonnieBrewer    來自: 219.135.156.199      (04/11 01:44)
推 RonnieBrewer:http://www.quaker.com.tw/product_list.asp?c_id=5
噓 xjazz:抱歉了我不是針對你....見一次我噓一次！！！
→ Stockton:career high＠＠？？
推 gratitude:nobody也得意了