I distinctly remember Game 1 in Houston last year. We were petrified. We were rigid, nervous, scared, and the complete opposite of confident. Now I totally understand that Houston did not have Yao Ming, and my comments have taken that into consideration. But last night, we started CONFIDENT from the jump. We looked like a veteran team out there. Precision execution. Not-perfect ball-handling, but what I liked is that we were unflappable in the face of possible breakdowns. We were poised. I felt so confident watching the Jazz last night, just like I did in the early rounds of the 97 and 98 Jazz.
Could it be possible that the Jazz are serious contenders? It took the Stockton-Malone led Jazz about 4 years until they made the conference finals and really made "championship noise." The way I see it, it started in 1988 when they had their improbable run, stretching the Lakers to 7 games in the second round before finally falling - until 1992 when they first played in the conference finals against Portland. Could it be possible that this "new" Jazz team made the leap that it took the "old" team 4-5 years to get to in just 1-2 years? With the way this current Jazz team is built, it sure looks like that is the case.
Hopefully last night's poise and execution is a sign of more good things to come.
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2 comments:
We stayed honegry
I'm not trying to sound over-confident, but I just don't see how this series with the rockets doesn't end with a sweep. I liked what Deron said last night when he said that they weren't happy with a split on the road because they were greedy. I like that. That is the killer instinct that I think Jazz fans have been craving for years. He is so focused right now. He definitely is coming across as a crafty playoff veteran with the way he controls every facet of the game. Last night in the fourth he took over. He had nine points and two more drives where the ball just rolled out. He is like a lethal injection. You don't even realize that you are getting killed until it is all over. I think for a while there in the fourth the Rockets actually thought they might win the game. Forget about it. Not if Deron had anything to say about it. Don't get me wrong, he is flashy and he can make the highlight reel, but his strength lies in his methodical breaking down of the opposing team. Kind of like Ty Detmer picking apart a secondary (Sorry Jon). Enough of my ramblings. Tyler summed it up well with the title. What a difference a year makes.
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