So tonight is game 2 of round 2 and the Jazz wants to redeem themselves after a turnover-filled game 1 where Stephen Curry scored 22. Game 3 will be in Utah where they will be giving out “Nightlife” T’s, but that’s a game 3 preview.
The first question of this series is can the Warriors keep Gordon Hayward under wraps. He only scored 12 off 4-15 shooting from the field in 35 minutes of play. He also only shot 2-9 from the field and was forced to make defenses shots all night and the Jazz doesn’t win when Hayward doesn’t show up. He might as well had not shown up. Big players make big plays in the playoffs.
Joe Johnson was a starter in the last game which resulted in a lost. Which kind of makes me wonder. Is Joe Johnson better off the bench in his elder years in the NBA or is Boris Diaw just a better starter?
Diaw pressured Curry during a play that resulted in a “JazzPOT”. Capitalizing on a Warriors mistake is a gold mine because it irritates Draymond which can cause a snowball effect on the rest of the team. Draymond Green in the heart of the Warriors. He ignites almost all of the spurts, ignites the crowd and wears the game on his sleeve. Rattle Draymond, you rattle the Warriors.
With Draymond off the floor, the Warriors drop significantly on defensive efficiency. With him, on the floor, they are the best defensive team in the league. Curry has the better +/- and effective FG% that shows the team has been better with him on the floor but we all know Draymond is the Warriors MVP.
Rudy Gobert has spun around twice, was a -3, and even though he was the Jazz leading scorer; he didn’t make a presence or effect the game. He had 2 blocks but not really exciting; especially for the Warriors crowd. The crowd got to the Jazz and rattled them so overall this a poor showing for them scoring under 100 and you HAVE to average 110+ to even challenge these Warriors.
Consistent turnover turning into quick Golden State buckets is blasphemy and if the Jazz thinks this is fun and games with these Warriors then those “Nightlife” shirts will be more than just a joke to the Jazz.
Tipoff is tonight @ 10:30 on ESPN
