Golden State at Utah: Game 2 Notes
The Basketball Gods smile upon Derek Fisher.
-There are two great injustices at play in this series: 1)Don Nelson can no longer drink cheap domestic beer during the post-game press conference. 2)Dick Stockton and Reggie Miller are calling the games. I will not stand for this!
-NBA TV ran a regular season Jazz-Warriors game from the mid-90s before tonight’s game 2. Mugsy Bogues (!) was running the point for the Dubs, and Mailman had himself 56 points (37 in the second half; 25 in the third quarter alone), and threw in the game winning bucket for good measure. Not a bad night at the office.
-Before the game, I predicted that Baron would have himself a monster night after getting outplayed by Deron in game 1, and that’s exactly what happened. Of course, I also predicted that the Jazz would continue pushing the pace, which did not really happen. Can’t win ‘em all, I guess.
-Dee Brown, meet the starting lineup (and sadly, the chilling list in all likelihood). Gordon Giricek, say hello to the bench. Funny how one game can change things in the Playoffs. After playing terrible defense in the series opener (and getting glued to the bench as a result), I bet that Giricek hasn’t worked up the guts to look his coach in the eye for the last couple of days.
(As for Dee: stay up, homie. That fall did look pretty bad.)
-I have a sneaking suspicion that TNT is deliberately trying to alienate its viewers. Not only do they insist on letting Reggie Miller and Dick Stockton’s rotting corpse call Playoff games, but now they’ve dusted off Magic Johnson (who hasn’t put together a coherent sentence in about 15 years) for Inside The NBA. Thank God they’re bringing in Shaq for a night in the studio next week. For a moment, I was starting to get worried.
(Also, can you believe that Charles Barkley is only now going to get himself an email address? That’s insane. Welcome to the future, Chuck.)
-Kirilenko’s block party was simply stunning. My favorite of the six stuffs was the one on Baron Davis in the fourth quarter. After B-Diddy made the Russian dance with a few nifty crossovers, AK-47 laid back in the cut and let Baron play himself into thinking he had an easy layup attempt. THWACK! Get that playground nonsense outta here, Baron. This is the Playoffs, baby!
(And yes, I wrote the last two sentences with Terry Tate’s voice in my head. Thanks for asking.)
-When Derek Fisher made his dramatic entrance into the game, the goosebumps on my arms got goosebumps of their own. Great moment. You can read about why he missed the series opener here.
(Message for the Jazz employee who stuck his crotch in front of the camera so that we didn’t see any more of D-Fish riding the stationary bike in the tunnel: Don’t you ever do that again. Thanks, mate.)
-Reggie Miller’s mini-rant about the refs getting a call wrong seconds before being proven wrong himself by the replay may have been my favorite moment of the year. You know what, screw it, let him call every game. His entertainment value at this point is incalculable.
-Can Jason Richardson get some love already? Dude has been playing out of his mind in the postseason. I see you, J-Rich.
-Deron Williams has balls so big they would make Sam Cassell blush. How about Sloan trusting the second-year point to take one of the biggest shots of the season? Luckily for Williams, Matt Barnes decided that he was suddenly allergic to defense as he nearly jumped out of Deron’s way on the game’s OT-forcing jumper.
(I love Jerry Sloan’s decision to put Derek Fisher on Baron Davis late in the game. Remember, this led to a Davis turnover which could’ve resulted in a tie game had Okur connected from deep on the ensuing possession. That’s coaching, folks.)
-As this wildly entertaining game went into overtime, I began to think about how boring these Playoffs would have been had Golden State not been involved: The Suns dispatched the Lakers in 5 relatively easy games; Cleveland swept Washington in a laugher of a series; the Spurs are busy doing that thing where they make you want to take your own life when you watch them play; Detroit has yet to be challenged; and even the Bulls’s defeat of Miami lacked drama.
(Thanks for the excitement, Golden State Warriors. Even more importantly, thanks for making that stupid trade, Larry Bird! You truly are a man of vision.)
-Like any good Hollywood script, Derek Fisher hit the dagger with a baseline three late in overtime to give Utah a 2-0 series lead. Looking back on things, the Warriors might as well have hopped on a plane back to Oakland as soon as Fish entered the game.
-I still like Golden State’s chances in the series. I fully expect them to tie it up in Oakland in front of those yellow-clad crazies. You must remember that they could have very easily won the first two games in Utah. They fell apart (in their execution, and at the free throw line) at crunch time in both games. Warriors fans have a big job ahead of them in games 3 and 4. The fans (and their team) cannot afford to disappoint.
62 Responses to “Golden State at Utah: Game 2 Notes”
May.10 at 12:57 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Fantstic photo choice, Marcel. The Jazz are obviously on a mission from Gad (said in best Dan Ackroyd voice). And I think they should give Don Nelson’s postgame beers to Reggie and Dick pregame.
May.10 at 1:13 am
ALX8725 says:
Yeah… Pietrus’s ability to brick two free throws that would’ve sealed the game… won it for the Jazz. Sidenote: Matt Barnes is making mucho $$ this offseason, clutch jumper at the top of the key to put the Warriors up by 5 with less than a minute left… hahahahaha and after taking on the entire Bay Area, Gary Payton makes Charles Barkley apologize on Inside the NBA. Gary is so gangsta.
May.10 at 1:51 am
Sesa says:
I’d pick the Jazz to win these series. GS uses an 8 man rotation while the Jazz uses a 10 man rotation. So, I think the Jazz had more depth and more energy to play.
May.10 at 2:41 am
ALX8725 says:
Sesa, even though the points you have are valid, combined with the fact that the Jazz simply DOMINATED on the boards in both games 1 & 2… the Warriors still could’ve easily won both those games… not so much the strengths of both teams… but the inability of the Warriors to close out cost them games 1 and 2.
May.10 at 3:30 am
Sesa says:
ALX8725: You maybe right, this is gonna be a close series throughout. So my money is still on the Jazz unless the Warriors made their freethrows.
If I’m not mistaken, Don Nelson also criticized B Diddy and J-Rich’s foul shooting percentages on the regular season.
May.10 at 4:53 am
FLUXLAND says:
“rotting corpse”… not saying it’s not true but OUCH! Good stuff, Mutoni. And yeah, the Ws just gave the games away.. umm.. FTs anyone? I’d say they are going to win the series.
May.10 at 8:54 am
deestarbuckz says:
This game was nuts… but you could feel Utah pulling it out after MP and B. Diddy drew the iron on the free throws. Once again, living in the Mountain Time Zone means I can catch the game, Inside the NBA and watch Lost on the DVR!
May.10 at 9:06 am
Tariq says:
Nice job Mutoni,
A coupla points:
- First off, get your vocab right when you’re talking about the good Reverend Reggie Miller; his entertainment value is not incalculabe, but rather incalculatory. Seriously though, he needs to put that nasal wheeze of a voice of his to rest before I get a brain tumor.
- Also, Magic isn’t on the level of Charles, Kenny and EJ, but he’s no Reggie either. I wouldn’t want to see him everyday, but he can’t ruin your day the way Reggie does.
- I totally agree with you on your Golden State/boring playoffs comment, especially about how the Spurs “make you want to take your own life”. Very apt description. Whenever Duncan’s on TV, I’m on suicide watch like Dirk.
May.10 at 9:08 am
Tariq says:
Hey…could that be why they’re stalling the MVP presentation? Could Dirk have thrown himself off the Golden Gate Bridge?
May.10 at 9:15 am
DC Hilton says:
The Warriors are scary. They have so much talent and a great coach. They only problem is that the Jazz have equal talent, more players, a better coach and a solid game plan. Jacking up 30 three-pointers is not a game plan. Eventually, that type of play will fade. Also, to many people’s surprise, the Jazz can run with the Warriors. What if the Warriors cool off for a game? What if Utah decides to pound the ball to Boozer every play? The Warriors will be out of guys.
Utah will finally get some respect in this series.
And for all the talk about BD, DWill will show us all a thing or two.
May.10 at 9:19 am
CoolWhip11 says:
Did anyone else notice at the beginning of the game when Reggie Miller, talking about Golden State, said: “that’s been their Amaker all year”
I think you meant “moniker” Reg, although Tommy “Amaker” did coach at Michigan all year.
May.10 at 9:21 am
Rod Strickland says:
Is it me or do all Utah fans look like they are related. It’s like a giant family reunion. Creepy
May.10 at 9:22 am
fabio says:
never liked utah very much, actually couldn’t stand them in the stockton-malone days, but now they have my full support. i’m sure they’ll put up a fight in the conference finals.
May.10 at 9:30 am
deestarbuckz says:
I still hate Utah… It’s just encoded into my DNA! My skin crawled when I saw the Karl Malone picture/article on the front page… I hate LA Gears, short shorts, purple and Rogaine.
May.10 at 9:38 am
Sam Rubenstein says:
Mutoni, that Reggie rant and subsequent silence was incredible. It went sort of like this:
1. Ball glances off Biedrins and goes out of bounds. Steve Javie communictaes with fellow refs to make sure they make the right call.
2. Reggie begins tirade “I mean even if they take the time and come up with a call, how do they know? You can’t trust a ref to blah blah blah and they got the call wrong.”
3. Indisputable video evidence of ball hitting Biedrins on the leg, and then slowly rolling out of bounds.
4. Reggie “Oh. They got it right.” Followed by 5 seconds of dead air.
May.10 at 9:54 am
Rod Strickland says:
@deestarbuckz: Don’t forget Malone’s dunk where he would pose with his left hand behind his head. I hated that. Remember the Malone SlamUp? That was a cruel joke, Russ.
May.10 at 9:59 am
Rod Strickland says:
in OT Nellie should have run the play he scribbled on a napkin that Slam found years ago and posted in the Mag. Classic. That would have been the first play he has called this year.
May.10 at 10:08 am
deestarbuckz says:
Word Rod! I hate that too! My two guard did that dunk in a tourney. I told him if he ever did it again he would really understand the definition of a lookoff, for the rest of the damn tourney! Breakaway, half-court set, it didn’t matter…
May.10 at 10:08 am
M.K. Petrik says:
NOT THAT THIS HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH LAST NIGHT’S GAME BUT I WAS BROWSING A LOCAL BOOKSTORE AND I OBSERVED THE LATEST ISSUE OF SLAM (WITH AMARE, STEVE AND SHAWN) AS I LOOKED CLOSER AT THE COVER, STEVE NASH DOES NOT IN ANY WAY LOOK LIKE STEVE NASH! WTF?
DID SLAM GET A DOUBLE TO FILL IN?
May.10 at 10:10 am
deestarbuckz says:
And I hate Booze on so many levels!
*He is a Dookie
*He did my Cavs so so dirty!
*He is a member of the Jazz
*He is a Dookie
May.10 at 10:12 am
shu says:
UTAH COVER. I hope Dee Brown is OK. It kinda got overshadowed by Fisher’s ordeal, but that looked pretty serious. The 4th quarter seemed to be way out of whack for the refs. Makeup call after make up call. I don’t think Baron stepped out of bounds on that one play, maybe an 8 second violation, but how could I tell with those two announcing. JRich gets fouled behind the 3pt line, Dick says jRich shoots two after the break. ehem. Correction after the commercial break. Tom Izzo?? Of all the people. Is he coming to the NBA soon? Or was it just to give Richardson some love? UTAHCOVER. Boozer’s clutch FT’s have to be mentioned. I think he was in the high 60’s for the season, but when it mattered most, he sunk them all. I honestly think Nelly instructed his guards to flop every time they get switched into guarding Booz in the post. Props to Andrei for running the point for 5 minutes or so. Granted it wasn’t crunch time but it was unexpectedly smooth. Now if Utah can go without those droughts of not scoring for 9 straight possesions. They honestly looked LOST for about the first 7 minutes in the 4th. GS wasn’t doing anything different on D. They just were confused all together. I guess it’s part of the growing pains. UTAH COVER. My favorite moment of the game. OT, memo with the steal. dribble dribble, 3 on one. WTF? I HAVEN’T GOTTEN A LAYUP MY WHOLE TIME IN THE LEAGUE!!! So he panics and throws it away. or it was a charge or something. again, growing pains. UTAH COVER.
May.10 at 10:14 am
Noyd says:
The funniest was one particular sequence when one of the Warriors went in for a layup, can’t remember who, and the whistle blows. The play-by-play went something like this: Dick Stockton: A charge! No a block! Goaltend! On Kirelenko!(I think) Reggie: It’s just a goaltend Dick. Also, correct me if I’m wrong, but did I hear Reggie call Deron Williams a “fourth time player” after he hit that corner 3 in overtime?
May.10 at 10:20 am
2G40 says:
I spent all last week bashing euro’s, but it’s nice to see two players (memo, ak47) step up when their team needed them. I bet Utah wins the first game in GS, and AK47 has another great night…20pts, 10rbn, 5blks.
May.10 at 10:21 am
ALX8725 says:
shu, you should try battling with Boozer in the post for position and not falling down. boozer has so much size on them, you think a two guard/small forward is supposed to be able to hold his own in the post against one of the up-and-coming power forwards in the league?
May.10 at 10:28 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Didn’t Stockton call out Kirilenko for a foul—twice—in overtime when it was actually Giricek? I know all those Euros look alike, but still.
May.10 at 11:16 am
Cub Buenning says:
i love western conference playoff ball…..
This series has been great. Although i used to feel similarily about the Spurs, haters need to get over it. Check the bejeweled fingers.
May.10 at 11:21 am
Kene says:
…am I the only one who skips shu’s posts? I tried reading them once and those embedded ‘UTAH COVER.’ blurbs made me feel like I was getting brainwashed on that subliminal tip.
May.10 at 11:38 am
Zee says:
All you pro Utah bloggers UTAH SUCKS I hope you have the stones to post when you guys start losing. Realize UTAH SUCKS that you should be down 0-2 right now. The Jazz UTAH SUCKS haven’t been beating the warriors, UTAH SUCKS, the Warriors have been beating themselves. Stop hating, ya bastards. Shu your posts are basura caliente.
May.10 at 11:48 am
DubsGonDoIt says:
Doesn’t losing to a team that “sucks” twice hurt. Yea, it’s quite painful lol. Really I hate Utah & I’m trying to remain diplomatic, but it’s difficult. The Jazz played great in the first 2 games and we somehow hung with them. Let’s massacre them in games 3 & 4. I HATE UTAH!!!
May.10 at 11:57 am
Dblizzy! says:
Sam the rant went more like this:
The ball goes off Beidrins
Reggie: “They couldn’t have seen it, even if it’s the right call I don’t agree with them changing it!”
Replay showing the correct call
Dick: “They got it right.”
Reggie: “And that’s all that matters”
May.10 at 11:58 am
Dblizzy! says:
This was classic Reggie though: “Karl Malone only had one 20 rebound game in 170+ playoffs games, while Boozer has already had one in ARGUABLY 20 playoff games!”
May.10 at 12:06 pm
FLUXLAND says:
Russ… all the Euros look alike? WTF?
May.10 at 12:07 pm
Kene says:
…umm, shu’s posts are weirding me out a little. All that embedded ‘UTAH COVER’ stuff has me feeling brainwashed on that subliminal tip. That said, awesome game. D-Fish making that dagger three just felt right. I’m a Mavs fan so i’m torn on the whole Golden State issue. Do I want them to go as far as possible to help justify the Mavs exit?…or do I just want them to lose cause they beat my team?….screw it, GOOOOO JAZZZ!!!!
May.10 at 12:25 pm
#1 jazz fan says:
Dee brown is the reason we stayed close in striking distance. With out his quickness and ability to score we were able to rest Deron Williams. If williams went in and got another foul that could have made the game difference. I also think Andre has not been given as much credit as he should be given. Also watch Gordon Giracek his Sparp Shooting behind the three has really made a difference.
May.10 at 12:27 pm
#1 jazz fan says:
Sorry that should say sharp
May.10 at 12:27 pm
Tariq says:
Dblizzy…did he actually say that?!
That doesn’t make sense on so many levels! I can get my head around Reggie not using the word ‘arguably’ correctly, that’s a given. But what does he mean by 20 playoff games?? Last night’s game was Boozer’s ninth…It’s just– I think I’m hyperventoxicating— Reggie, one day you will cause a rip in the space-time continuum!
May.10 at 12:30 pm
Jazz rock says:
Yes i totaly agree with that last thing you posted! Gordon is totaly better then what Jerry sloan takes him for. i am just glad that he is getting more playing time.
May.10 at 12:34 pm
#1 jazz fan says:
Derek Fisher Deserves the basketball gods to smile at him
May.10 at 1:10 pm
mutoni says:
i love this warriors team, but i would be lying if i said that i hate the jazz. they’re incredibly entertaining in their own right, and they have just as many compelling characters as the dubs. i guess what i’m trying to say is that i love this series. thanks for letting me share.
May.10 at 1:12 pm
k.o. says:
I’m all for the Reggie bashing, but considering the bias against him at Slam since, well, forever, could he really do anything without u guys criticizing him?
May.10 at 1:16 pm
mutoni says:
i can’t speak for anyone else, but i’ve always respected reggie as a ballplayer. how could you not? anyone who can get john starks to head-butt them, mike jordan to claw at their grill, and manage stick all of those enormous shots throughout the years (and tell opposing fans all about it) deserves our admiration.
May.10 at 2:00 pm
Nothin_personal says:
Russ, I feel you. If you had Nowitzki sit right nect to Tony Parker, you would never know the difference! You would have to ask Eva Longoria help you, she can identify TP, as he has no balls. On the other hand, neither does Dirk. Ah, well, those Euros keep confusing me…
May.10 at 2:12 pm
Tariq says:
Oh, no question: Reggie was a helluva ballplayer. He just sucks really, really, really, very, really bad as an analyst/pundit/announcer/any vocation which requires verbal expression.
May.10 at 2:14 pm
Tariq says:
Maybe he should take up sign language. The most profound thought he ever expressed was when he threw up that “choke” sign at Spike Lee back in the day. I’m just saying…
May.10 at 2:23 pm
Alpha-bet says:
Much repect to D. Fish..and stay up Dee Brown..
May.10 at 2:27 pm
*be equal* says:
that was a great game… and utah will take it in 5.. and i’m sick of hearing people say that teams “give” games away to other teams, theres gotta be a team ready to “take” the game so don’t be so afraid to give a team like utah credit, they had to play their asses off to be in a position to win the game
May.10 at 2:46 pm
Ikemob22 says:
Reggie Miller should Teach a speech class bcuz id attend
May.10 at 3:37 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Um, the Euros thing was a joke. J-O-K-E. Based on Dick Stockton confusing Andrei Kirilenko with Gordan Giricek twice. Despite being corrected. Please hold off on the lawsuits. Christ, from now on I’ll just leave the sarcasm at home.
May.10 at 3:41 pm
Tariq says:
Russ, without the sarcasm (and Heroes references), y’all’ll just be ESPN.com.
May.10 at 4:43 pm
MBOW32 says:
I have been a HUGE Jazz fan forever! Even during the Stockton to Malone days. I have to say, I liked Karl Malone UNTIl he went to the Lakers to get his NBA ring. What a crock!!! I prayed that the Lakers didn’t win the championship that year for that reason. NOW, it would just be the BEST if the Jazz could do it now, without him.
May.10 at 6:00 pm
Dblizzy! says:
Tariq he did say that. I couldn’t believe it. Everyone is not made to call ball games. His voice sucks and “corpse” is the best way to describe Stockton, he really looks like he’s about to kick the bucket. Very Larry King like.
And I actually like when Magic is on. His face just lights up when he talks about basketball so it sounds like he’s into it and knows what he’s talking about. I guess its just that genuine love for the game.
May.10 at 6:11 pm
jonny says:
boozer pushes off on rebounds — watch closely
May.10 at 6:55 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
I hated Reggie so much when he was a player BECAUSE he was so good. Hell, why would I waste my energy hating a guy who sucked? They have enough to worry about as it is.
May.10 at 6:57 pm
jdubbs says:
The Dubs played great until the choked FT’s at the end. Fish pushed Baron out of bounds but then if you look at it it didn’t look like he ever was even out of bounds. Terrible call, but Fish is beyond gully right now. Then the Dubs missed 3 FT’s in the final seconds that could have sealed the game. This series will be tied up 2-2 by next week, utah will outrebound the Dubs by 100, but it won’t matter. Book it.
I’m out like Dirk and Shaq.
May.10 at 8:32 pm
Jonathan W. says:
Inspirational: Derek Fisher’s dramatic and inspiring return to the team after his game-one absence. Fisher, a former Golden State Warriors for two years, missed game one of the series due to personal reasons, which he did not disclose, except for saying that it had to with one of his four children. Jerry Sloan spoke to Fisher a few hours before the game and did something that he did not have to do: leave Fisher on the active list for the game. Although Fisher was still in New York at the hospital he still hoped to help out his team as soon as it was possible for him to do so. The game started and soon enough reserve point guard, Dee Brown, landed awkwardly on a teammate and suffered a neck injury leaving them with only one point guard on the roster. In the early third-quarter, Fisher arrived at the arena. Deron Williams drew his fourth foul with just under 5 minutes to go in the third-quarter and the Jazz had no other true point guard to replace him. Right on cue, Derek Fisher came out of the tunnel in full uniform. The crowd of 20,000 gave him a loud standing ovation as he came straight from the tunnel to the scorer’s table to check into the game. His defense was badly needed on Baron Davis. Deron Williams hit a game-tying floater with 4 seconds to go and then Fisher’s lockdown defense helped force the game into overtime as he forced Baron Davis into a tough shot that would he missed, which could of won the game for Warriors. In overtime, Fisher who had not practiced since Sunday, hit a big three-pointer and two free throws which helped build a 10 point lead for Utah, as overtime came to an end with the Jazz being victorious. Fisher had inspired the Jazz to the win. As the overtime began to come to an end, Fisher looked up and pointed his hands to the sky as he was playing the entire game with a heavy heart and his mind focused on something other than basketball. In an interview on the court after the game, Fisher told the world that his 10-month-old daughter, Tatum, had treatment on a rare form of cancer that was lodge behind her eye. Luckily enough, for the Fisher family they discovered the disease before it spread throughout the body. Fisher said that he did not know he got through the game and he said that he was speechless about what he had been through. Fisher also said that the operation on his daughter was successful. This really puts basketball into perspective compared to the other more important things in life. I find it inspirational that Fisher came to the arena right off the plane, and came in to help his team win the game despite the fact that his daughter’s life had been in jeopardy only hours earlier. I cannot even imagine how many things were going through his mind throughout the game.
May.10 at 11:02 pm
DC Hilton says:
It seems a bit odd to me that people say that the Warriors could have easily won both games. They looked like they played 100% and they still lost. There wasn’t anything easy for either team. That’s why this is already a great series.
May.10 at 11:13 pm
Drolfe says:
^Because if they hit a couple of free throws down the stretch the game was theirs.
May.11 at 1:49 am
Benny says:
IF Jazz win at GState, and it’s so unexpected you almost have to expect it, does this thing turn into the sweep that NOBODY, except possibly Jerry Sloan, wants to see?
May.11 at 6:30 am
Tariq says:
DC…When they say the Warriors could have easily won both games, they don’t mean they could have won with ease. They mean they were thisclose to winning, especially in Game 2. Contrast that with the Bulls, who lost games 1 and 2 by a combined 298 points. That’s why I expect this series to come back to Utah 2-2. I also expect Detroit to pull off the first-ever three-game sweep in a 7-game series.
May.11 at 8:07 am
Nothin_personal says:
I got the joke Russ, i just wanted to emphasize that most Euros don’t have balls! I am from Greece, so this should be listed under the JOKE list (or maybe Under the incomprehencible JOKE list). Worst thing about retinoblastoma is that it indicates (in most cases,) a disfunctional gene. that gene is, in simple words, preventing cells to turn into cancer cells, so if somebody has retinoblastoma, you can’t be very optimistic. I hope Tatums case is a differnt one though…
May.11 at 7:21 pm
shu says:
Here’s something we can ponder. Is Ginobili a Euro? Luol Deng? Apparently Deng is eligible to play for team UK. UTAH COVER. subliminal message… UTAH COVER. UTsAHuCObVElRUiTAmHCiOVnERal mUTAHessagCOVERe. This series has to go seven. The ratings are down already. The Eastern Conference Finals will start at the same time as game six of this series, but the ratings are always better for elimination games. But with exactly ZERO players on the general public’s conscience playing in this series, the ratings will continue to be poor. Unless we get to the elimination games. Any update for Dee Brown? I read somewhere that he was released from the hospital early Thursday mornin but didn’t see whether he made the trip out to CA or not.
May.14 at 12:12 pm
tommy luu says:
warriors suck……..