A great effort late but not enough for Seattle.
The margain of error is so slim when you fall behind like Seattle did when they are playing that slow a game. That was too much to overcome.
Jazz 84 Sonics 79 with 3:30 left in the 4th Quarter
Hold on Seattle on a 10-0 RUN !!!!!
Does Utah know how to close without their scorers
Seattle has scored on 8 straight possessions since Ostertag left the game.
Utah 84 Seattle 74 with 5:05 left in the 4th Quarter
As a fan of basketball there is something to be said about this game. Utah on the back end of a back to back. Playing their 4th game in 5 nights, without 3 starters and their 6th man should never be able to play with the Sonics. However, if you play the game with a focus and a plan and the correct way you can take the athleticism out of the game and make it a different game. Utah played with a precision that Seattle couldn’t match. Talent was displayed in a different fashion then we are used to seeing.
Utah 77 Seattle 64 with 8:23 left in the 4th Quarter.
Everytime you go to the basket against the Jazz you get blasted. It is Sloan basketball.
Fear the Tag – Greg Ostertag is dominating this game with his size.
If you play the game the right way you get dividends and the Jazz are playing it correctly and the Sonics are trying to make it easy.
Utah 73 Seattle 60 at the end of the 3rd Quarter
Nick Collison leaves with 2:03 left in the 3rd Quarter with 4 fouls
VALUE EVERY POSSESSION. Seattle just had three key possessions decided by Potapenko and Cleaves. They seem totally unable to get Ray Allen free.
When Ray is dribbling a lot it is a bad sign. That is not his game.
Seattle broke again. They looked much better and then when they went to the bench the guys that came off weren’t ready to match the intensity and Seattle fell apart again.
Utah 68 Sonics 58 with 2:17 left in the 3rd Quarter.
Reggie Evans enters the game with the Sonics down by 17
Kris Humphries just threw a ridiculous alley-opp and the look on Jerry Sloan’s face was great. He then subbed him out.
Seattle is battling but they have put themselves in such a hole that every mistake pushes them back considerably.
They must value every possession.
Utah is playing so slow and methodical that it is hard to tell much about Deron Williams.
Greg Ostertag is a force with his length inside.
Utah 61 Sonics 44 with 7:48 left in the 3rd quarter
A sign that Seattle is breaking the offense and that Utah is getting the best of them is that we are seeing lots of dribbling.
I said this in the first half but I will mention it again. Utah’s entire system is based on making you go the easy route. Seattle is falling into the trap again. They are never making the extra pass or stressing the defense.
START OF THE SECOND HALF
Sonics offensive game plan was to run via their defense, go at Gordan Giricek and space the floor and exploit the Jazz lack of athleticism. None of those happened.
Utah starts Vlady in the second half in place of Petro. That relates to the above.
Utah 51 Seattle 38 at the half
Seattle wilted down the stretch and broke down defensively. Utah's style does that to you. They mentally try to break you for the entire game and if you blink they jump on it. Tonight Utah is on their game. The only answer is to break them.
Utah is killing Seattle in the half-court.
Utah 44 Seattle 34 with 1:37 left in the 2nd Quarter
The answer to what Utah is doing is to match it. Seattle did for a possession or two and then they fell off again.
Danny Fortson just cost Seattle another point with a “lane violation” on Ray Allen’s free throw.
Fortson has single-handedly put the Jazz into the penalty.
The idea of going to Danny tonight made sense to add some energy, but he doesn’t value a possessions in a game where the first quarter had just 20 trips up and down the floor you can’t afford to have a guy cost you a few possessions or give them easy buckets at the free throw line.
Utah has knocked Seattle out of its game and they are no making dumb plays.
Utah 37 Seattle 27 with 3:58 left in the 2nd Quarter.
Wow this is brutal.
The bad Danny Fortson arrived today. In a slow game like this you can’t afford to lose this many possessions. Fortson just cost the Sonics 3. That will likely be 3 of 21 possessions in the quarter. That is hue.
This game is a grinder. Nobody is running at all. The Jazz lull you to sleep and then bust out a sharp cut for a backdoor lay-up or a good look. Seattle is playing right into their hands.
Utah’s defense is good.
The battle of strengths are both going to Utah.
Seattle is getting frustrated offensively and taking it one on one rather then executing an offense.
Utah 27 Seattle 23 with 7:46 left in the 2nd Quarter
Seattle needs one offensive burst. Utah won’t be able to counter.
Utah is finding seams to drive. Let me see if I can explain this. The Sonics bigs are dropping back off the big who is setting the pick to allow the guard to get under the pick and get through. However, when the guard gets through the Sonics aren’t tight enough so there is room to drive and the Utah guards are going so fast that Seattle is slow to react
I have decided to have a new feature. A visual to tell the story
Jazz 19 Sonics 14 end of 1st Quarter
Wake me up at halftime.
Weiss is furious about how often the Jazz are going over the Sonics backs for rebounds.
Seattle continues to struggle without Ray Allen on the floor
Utah is relentless on the boards. Seattle is going to have to match that challenge
Seattle is looking for the easy route on offense and that is exactly what Jerry Sloan predicates his entire defensive system on. He believes teams will always go the easy way.
Utah is playing frighteningly slow
Jazz 11 Sonics 9 with 3:37 left in the 1st Quarter
My first impression of Utah is that this is the no shower team.
Utah is playing their 4th game in 5 nights.
It is obvious that if you defend Utah they are going to have a hard time scoring.
The only way Utah is going to score is to out execute you or to have you breakdown entirely on defense.
Okur might have the best pump fake I have seen.
Not much feel yet for this game
Storylines
1) Strengths v. Strengths. The Sonics good offense against the good defense of the Jazz and the poor Sonics defense against the poor offense of the Jazz.
2) Rebounding. The Sonics are 29th in the NBA in defensive rebounding
3) Playing stronger and tougher then the Jazz
4) Bench play against the depleted Jazz.
Inactives
Jazz: Kirlenko, Boozer, Keith McLoed (3 starters) also Matt Harpring is out.
Sonics: Mikki Moore, Robert Swift and Rick Brunson
Seed Newsvine
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