DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Utah/LA

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The Spurs are a better matchup for the Cavs though, no ?

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Either of the next 2 and you're "demised?"

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1. Mission Possible: How Jazz Can Bounce Back
By Kevin Arnovitz
ESPN.com

For the third consecutive postseason, the Utah Jazz find themselves in a familiar position -- down 0-2 to the Los Angeles Lakers heading back to Salt Lake City for Games 3 and 4. Setting aside the long odds of storming back and winning the series faced by the Jazz, they have been tantalizingly close in each of the first two games at Staples Center. Utah led during the fourth quarter of Game 1, and despite a woeful shooting performance in Game 2, was within shouting distance of the Lakers for much of the second half. A handful of possessions here or there and this series would have an entirely different feel headed into Game 3.

It won't be easy for Utah to scratch its way back into this series against a Lakers team whose size presents a unique matchup problem. But the Jazz have demonstrated that they're a resilient bunch, with the discipline and problem-solving skills to adjust. If they can address a few festering problems from their first two games in Los Angeles, the Jazz have a chance to square this series in front of their raucous home crowd.

Deron Williams needs to be Deron Williams

There will always be a tension in the Jazz's flex offense between complete devotion to the system and allowing the team's most talented players to make basketball plays one-on-one. Against Denver, Williams struck that balance to perfection. He initiated the Jazz's preferred offense by delivering the ball to his big men at the high post, or broke down the Nuggets' defense with dribble-penetration. Either way, Williams controlled each game with force and finesse.

Although the Lakers apply far more ball pressure than Denver ever could, Williams has been off-balance in this series and, at times, tentative. It's time for Williams to get back into attack mode. Whether it's in transition, as a post option (something he does quite well) or by looking for contact, it's a strategy that should be rewarded more generously in Salt Lake City.

Push the Lakers off their spots

There's nothing Utah can do about the extra vertical inches the Lakers' big men have over them, but Jazz defenders can take away the inches that truly matter -- the distance between the Lakers' offensive players and the basket.

Much like the Nuggets in their Game 1 victory over the Jazz in the first round, the Lakers have been able to set up at their preferred spots on offense far too comfortably. Although the Jazz must be careful not to foul the Lakers excessively, Utah has to offer sincere resistance to the Lakers down in the post. The Lakers aren't an offensive juggernaut. They struggle against physical teams and were 16th in the NBA in true shooting percentage this season (53.6 percent). If Utah can force the Lakers to shoot the ball from beyond 10 feet, the Jazz's chances of evening the series will improve dramatically.

Get to work early

One way to avoid the outstretched arms of the Lakers' big men is to get clean looks before the defense can set up shop down low. Those patented cuts and flashes to the foul-line area by Carlos Boozer or Paul Millsap are much easier to choreograph in an open half court, before the Lakers' big men can stake out their territory in the interior.

In addition, Williams is a master of the secondary break, whether he's pulling up in transition, hitting Wes Matthews or C.J. Miles as they cross underneath the hoop, or making a shuttle pass to Boozer or Millsap for an easy mid-range jumper. Early offense is the single most effective way to neutralize the Lakers' length, but it's a tool that can be effectively utilized only if the Jazz can get stops on the defensive end of the floor.

Welcome back, Andrei Kirilenko

Tom Haberstroh has explored how badly Utah misses its lanky forward. The Jazz are a far more efficient unit with Kirilenko on the floor. He can he guard virtually every position, whether it's Kobe Bryant in isolation or Pau Gasol on the block. The Lakers' ball movement has been flowing far too freely in the half court, and Kirilenko is a master of disruption. Whereas the precision of the Lakers' inside game can overwhelm Boozer and Millsap, Kirilenko has a knack of anticipating action, demonstrated by his gaudy block and steal rates.

On the offensive end, Kirilenko provides the Jazz with another skilled facilitator who can score at an efficient clip. Whether Kirilenko can perform at full capacity coming off a strained calf is uncertain, but every minute of court time logged by Kirilenko is one fewer minute for overmatched young centers Kyrylo Fesenko and Kosta Koufos, who aren't helping.

Remember what got you here

Yes, the Lakers are big and long, but nobody executes offensive possessions quite like the Jazz. During the regular season, two-thirds of Utah's field goals were assisted, the best in the NBA by a considerable margin. Williams and Boozer orchestrate the pick-and-roll as fluently as any tandem in the league not named Nash-Stoudemire, and the rest of the offense hums efficiently, whether its practitioners are All-Stars or a band of castoffs, second-round picks and undrafted rookies. Execution, not personnel, governs the Jazz's system. Couple that program with the rugged, nasty brand of defense that opponents have come to loathe, and Utah can compete with any squad in the league, even the vaunted champions.

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