Golden State at Utah: Game 1 Notes
Deron Williams is that dude.
-This is going to be one hell of a series. Especially if the Jazz keep pushing the tempo.
-Early on in game 1, Deron Williams was pushing it every chance he got against a gimpy Baron Davis. That hammy - if it doesn’t heal fast - could ultimately be the Warriors’s deathblow. This is what I wrote midway through the first quarter:
Baron can hardly get to the rack and he is a non-factor on the break.
And then, the second quarter happened…
-17 points (on 5-7 shooting) in quarter number two, and what injury? Baron Davis was back and it was on and poppin’. Sadly for Warriors fans, The Baron seems to be picking his spots because of the injured leg. Unlike games 1 through 5 of the Mavs series, he can’t go full throttle for the full 48 minutes.
-When Larry Bird sees what Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington are doing in these Playoffs, how often do you think he punches himself in the face? I’m guessing it happens at least twice a day.
-The Jazz are a better defensive team than the Mavs. Remember how S-Jax and his teammates were waltzing to the hole in the last series because Dallas simply refused to guard the middle of the floor? Yeah, well, that’s in the past. The Jazz are clogging up the driving lanes, and they have the length to challenge the long-distance shots.
-Never underestimate the gulliness of Jerry Sloan. You might think that Stephen Jackson is an intimidating individual, but rest assured that no one is more hardbody than Jerry Sloan. Put simply, the Utah Jazz reserve all of their fears for the head coach. They will not be intimidated by another team.
(I’m curious to see how long the Jazz can keep running with this Warriors team. Sloan did what Avery Johnson did in game 1: he changed his team’s style of play to match up with Golden State. Fortunately for him and his squad, the strategy worked. We’ll see how long this keeps up.)
-It’s good to see that Andrei Kirilenko has decided to show up for this series. If he can get through it without shedding any tears, I think we’ll have made some real progress.
(Judging by the box score, it would appear as though Dee Brown had little impact on the game, but if you watched, you know full well that there’s no way the Jazz would’ve pulled it out without him. As Deron had to sit due to foul trouble, the rook came in and gave his team solid minutes and played fearlessly.)
-Matt Barnes - who had himself a hell of a game (20 points, 10 boards) - reminds me of Naima from America’s Next Top Model. Shut up! An ex girlfriend of mine used to occasionally make me watch the show with her. I swear. Shut up!
-Respect Carlos Boozer and his 20 rebounds. The Warriors slowed him down offensively by fronting him on post-entry passes and sending double teams from the blindside, but he would not be denied on the boards.
-Deron Williams, without a doubt, was the MVP of game 1. He played like a grizzled veteran, and simply took it to Baron and the Warriors. I don’t know if he can keep this up for the remainder of the series, but Jerry Sloan has to be ecstatic with his point guard’s play in the opener. By attacking the rim, he was able to keep the defense honest, and he managed to create open looks for Utah’s shooters.
(Baron did not have to play defense in the previous series; his vacation has come to an end.)
-The Baron Davis/Deron Williams matchup is the most visually exciting head-to-head battle of these Playoffs. Anytime two great point guards get an opportunity to go at it on a big stage, it usually results in a great basketball game (just ask anyone who watched the opener of the Suns/Spurs series).
Now that Baron has finally been outplayed in the Playoffs, how will he respond? The answer to this question will be one of the determining factors in the outcome of game 2.
29 Responses to “Golden State at Utah: Game 1 Notes”
May.8 at 3:27 am
Russ Bengtson says:
Good stuff, man. Sorry I jumped the gun. (Don’t send Jerry Sloan after me.)
May.8 at 4:33 am
ALX8725 says:
This game was so close… anyone’s for the taking. It was tied up with less than a minute to go, props to the Jazz for being up to run with the GSW for a good chunk of the game. Note: look for some dumbass GM to pay Matt Barnes, who is an unrestricted free agent this summer, MAX $$$ this offseason. Not that he doesn’t deserve it, after everything he’s been through… to be able to keep hustlin’ and get to where he is now, which he couldn’t have done without Nellie’s guidance I might add; but he isn’t worth the MAX that someone like Isiah will offer him. The reason why Matt Barnes is flourishing is because he’s in Nellie’s system…
May.8 at 4:34 am
ALX8725 says:
It’s too bad Baron is playing injured, a battle between a fully healthy Baron and Deron would be a wonderful sight to see.
May.8 at 10:26 am
Billy Blanks says:
Look for Matt Barnes to become the new cornerstone of the Knicks franchise lol!!!
May.8 at 11:15 am
nic says:
hey - i just read that dfisher hired a PR firm, and that his personal leave could be something serious. SLAMmers, get us the 411! i mean, there are strict guidelines about charging sitting presidents with crimes, arent there?
May.8 at 11:31 am
2G40 says:
AK47…break out of that shell baby, breakout!
May.8 at 11:53 am
tommy luu says:
Warriors suck!
May.8 at 12:04 pm
DubsGonDoIt says:
Hopefully Monta was watching Dee Brown last night because he NEEDS to show up!! I think if Monta could have played more effectively & allowed Baron to rest more he wouldn’t have had gotten into foul trouble with like 5 mins left in the fourth quarter. A rested Baron not playing with 5 fouls would have taken over in the final minutes. Warriors are going to win game 2.
May.8 at 12:07 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Isiah tried Matt Barnes once already. He didn’t even think he was good enough to give him a second 10-day.
May.8 at 12:58 pm
Emry DowningHall says:
I remember Larry Brown came out in support of Barnes after he was cut … worth noting.
May.8 at 1:16 pm
2G40 says:
I don’t see how GS win’s the next game, or the series with Baron at 50% unless monta steps up. I just don’t think Baron can play at the level he did in the dallas series…not w/ one bad leg. Derron’s too tuff, and if Fish comes back that’s even more preasure.
May.8 at 1:28 pm
2G40 says:
Russ, We were talking yesterday about Lamar Odom. Lakers could use a player like Matt Barnes at the four, and then move Odom over to three. Send Kwami packing along with Smush, make Bynum and Farmar starters. If you can’t sign KG without giving up the bodies, or get a solid four in the draft, that would be a deal worth doing.
May.8 at 1:34 pm
shu says:
UTAH COVER I was thinking the same thing about the pace. They have too many athletes, and the difference on the front line is too big not to constantly exploit. UTAHCOVER. Aren’t the rebounding numbers a little amplified because of the quick pace? I mean 20 boards is 20 boards, but if it was a grind out game, he would have had his usual 11 rebounds. Look for Matt Barnes to become the next Bobby Simmons. He definately deserves his own “Where are they now” section.
May.8 at 1:41 pm
slate says:
I heard the Nets would trade Jsn Cllins straight up for Matt Barnes,not for him to play in the backcourt,but to actually play center.Who’s gonna check Boozer the Booster?
May.8 at 1:46 pm
Paniscus says:
Just saying, but notice how the favorites for Coach of the Year (Avery, the Most Improved-COY, and Van Gundy) are out of playoffs?
May.8 at 2:57 pm
ALX8725 says:
2G40, what makes you think Mullin and Nellie would actually want Kwame and Smush. We already have Al and Andris who are each WAY ahead of Kwame in terms of talent and… well… everything. Monta is light years ahead of Smush in every department as well.
May.8 at 3:02 pm
mutoni says:
russ, no worries. jerry sloan watches you while you sleep. just so you know.
May.8 at 3:07 pm
2G40 says:
ALX8725, I thought Barnes was a free agent at the end of this season. Kwami and Smush are gone regardless…whether the lakers get’s Barnes or not.
May.8 at 3:08 pm
jj says:
Jerry is scary…
May.8 at 3:29 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Judging what Bobby Simmons has done lately, I don’t think Matt Barnes has any interest in being the next one. And while slotting Barnes into Kwame’s spot MAY make the Lakers better (although he wants to slide out and shoot threes too, which may not work with Lamar and Kobe), it wouldn’t get them any closer to contending next year (especially with Farmar and Bynum playing starter’s minutes). Which wouldn’t make Kobe happy.
May.8 at 3:45 pm
ALX8725 says:
2G40, I misunderstood you, my apologies. Yes, Barnes is an unrestricted free agent this offseason… hopefully he doesn’t go to the Lakers… as a devoted GSW fan… that’s the last thing I would want to happen.
May.8 at 3:50 pm
mehmet senol says:
mehmet okur mehmet okur mehmet okur
ne mutlu turkum diyene
May.8 at 5:00 pm
wolfbait74 says:
Holy crap I might actually have to pay 150 bucks to get a crap seat to the next game! Okay maybe not, would rather watch it at home. But all I can say is the next game I think they both need it. The Warriors need it to keep it even. The Jazz need it to really show you have to beat us at home to get passed us.
May.8 at 6:39 pm
2G40 says:
I think AK47 breaks out and has his best game of the playoffs…18pts, 10 boards, 4 blocked shots.
May.8 at 6:41 pm
» Jerry Sloan: Coach of the Postseason? - SLAM ONLINE says:
[…] I thought about giving Jerry Sloan a little love in this space after he again didn’t win Coach of the Year honors, but at the time the Jazz looked like probable first-round losers, which would have undercut my point a bit. But today, in the wake of Utah’s series win over the Rockets and Game One win over the Warriors—featuring, as Mutoni points out briefly, Sloan’s impressive willingness to let Deron Williams do his thing and to let the whole team run with G State, and seriously undercutting this brouhaha—I have revisited the concept. […]
May.8 at 10:08 pm
Nothin_personal says:
@2G40 I think 13-7-4 a steal and 7 BLOCKS, is actually enough of a “breakout game”
@Mehmet Hey, proud boy, lets not make it a Greek-Turkish debade right here.
May.8 at 10:35 pm
sam says:
The Jazz played their best game last night, and they only won by 4. Bottom line is GS is gonna kick some Jazz ass!
May.9 at 8:16 am
Sesa says:
I really think that these series will belong to the Utah Jazz because of Davis’ hamstring.
It really hurt them on the Warriors’ defensive end.
May.9 at 10:26 pm
2G40 says:
AK47 is kicking the wall in…15pts, 7rbn, 3blks, all in the first half.
-
Breakout baby!