Write On Sports LLC - "Utah beats Golden State at its own game" by Jake Lloyd

Utah beats Golden State at its own game

2007-05-08 15:39:12 | By: Jake Lloyd

At halftime of the game between Utah and Golden State Monday night, I was ready to pencil in a victory for the Warriors.

I know it sounds crazy. They only led by three points. But the Jazz were playing right into their hands, it seemed, by participating in their fast-paced, shoot-until-your-arm-falls-off style of play.

Former NBA star and TNT analyst Reggie Miller agreed, saying a minute into the second half -- after a Matt Barnes fastbreak layup for the Warriors -- "They (Utah) can't fall in love trying to run with this team."

Well, my pencil stayed pocketed until the final minute, and when I finally pulled it out at the final horn, I was incredulously circling Utah's name after its 116-112 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinal.

Much of the game was played at Golden State's pace, yet the Jazz didn't seem to mind, getting back on defense more often than the Warriors and putting up 25 fastbreak points of their own.

It all started with second-year point guard Deron Williams, who outplayed the stronger and more experienced Baron Davis. Williams finished with 31 points, eight rebounds and five assists despite foul trouble. His three-point play on a driving layup with 1:14 to play gave the Jazz the lead for good at 112-110. He scored six crucial points in the final quarter.

His backup -- and former Illinois backcourt mate -- Dee Brown, who played very sparingly in the first round against Houston but got the opportunity Monday because of Derek Fisher's absence due to family issues, played a huge role as well, using his unmatched speed to convert two fastbreak layups to keep Utah right in the thick of things while Williams rested on the bench with five fouls. Brown's layup with 4:35 to play tied the score at 102-102, and Williams entered the game with 3:43 to play and his team down just a bucket.

For a couple minutes early in the third quarter, as I had thought, Golden State looked like it was ready to hop in a Porsche and speed away from the Jazz. The Warriors responded to a Carlos Boozer layup by getting the ball to Stephen Jackson within 3 seconds for a layup and 77-72 lead with 8:15 to play in the period.

But then the Jazz stymied the Warriors' fastbreak, and the Warriors were never able to make that patented run. At one point, they missed seven consecutive 3-pointers and they finished 12-for-31 from beyond the arc -- not terrible, but not at the rate they made triples in their opening-round series with Dallas.

The main reason for this? They didn't get a lot of open looks in transition. Utah did a pretty good job -- especially in the fourth quarter -- of getting back on defense, and Golden State is not as good of a shooting team when it's slowed down into a halfcourt offense.

And when the pace of the game was moderately slow -- meaning still pretty fast -- Utah pounded Golden State down low, outrebounding it 54-36. Boozer didn't have the offensive game one would expect after his stellar performances in the first round, but his work on the glass made up for it. He finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards.

His biggest rebound came in the final seconds when he grabbed a missed 3-pointer by teammates Mehmet Okur and put it in to give Utah a 114-112 lead. After Jackson missed an open 3-pointer on the other end, Matt Harpring nailed two free throws with 7.7 seconds remaining to ice the game.

I thought it was ridiculous that Utah didn't go to Boozer more often on offense, considering the series he had against the Rockets and that no one on Golden State can match his strength. Give him credit, however, for not getting frustrated and grabbing all the key rebounds.

Okur also played big, scoring 21 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. His mid-range jumper and 3-pointer, sandwiched around a Harpring basket, helped to quickly erase a 91-84 deficit early in the fourth quarter, which was Golden State's biggest lead of the game.

Despite the play of Williams and Brown at the point guard position and Boozer and Okur down low, the Warriors were in the game until the end -- they trailed by 10 points in the first quarter, but quickly made that up thanks to three 3-pointers by the suddenly resurgent Al Harrington.

Davis led Golden State with 24 points and Jason Richardson and Harrington added 21 apiece. Barnes chipped in with 20 and Jackson poured in 16. It was the usual balance on offense, but in the second half the Warriors never got on the kind of roll that devastated the Mavericks in their four wins in the first round.

For instance, midway through the final quarter, Mickael Pietrus and Richardson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Warriors a 102-98 lead. However, Davis missed consecutive triples the next two times down the court and then Golden State turned the ball over, resulting in Brown's second fastbreak bucket and a tie game.

I know the game was in Utah and the advantage is supposed to go to the road team when a game stays close, but in this case the momentum shifted to Utah. The Jazz needed to avoid Golden State's right hooks and left jabs and simply stay in the ring for the final round -- OK, enough boxing analogies -- and that's exactly what they did.

Even while letting Golden State, for the most part, dictate the pace.

We'll see if they can pull a repeat come Wednesday. Where's Monta? Where is the Most Improved Player of the Year? Golden State's Monta Ellis has been quieter than a country morning these playoffs, and Monday night was no exception. He played a mere 5 minutes, scoring one point. During the regular season, Ellis averaged 16.5 points per game. He hasn't been close to the same player this postseason. Of course the casual fan hasn't noticed because Golden State's been winning. But right now, with Ellis basically MIA, the Warriors' rotation is reduced to seven players. With the style they play, you have to think they'd be more effective with another player giving starters Baron Davis and Jason Richardson some rest. If this series goes six or seven games -- which I fully expect to happen -- Golden State may need Ellis. The good sign for the Warriors is that Al Harrington was also nonexistent in the first round, and he exploded for 21 points Monday. Ellis just needs the opportunity to rebuild his confidence. If he does, I think he can be effective against the slower Utah players.