Alright team, I was clearly very very wrong going with my Jazz to beat out the Spurs. I take full responsibility for that terrible hope. Now that it's down to 4 teams, Heat and Celtics and the Spurs and OKC who will emerge victorious and head on to the NBA Finals? Let's be honest speculation hasn't been my strong suite so I don't blame you if you don't agree and stop listening to me right here but, after a conversation I had with a co-worker I have to put OKC through to the next round. He told me that there isn't anyone who can stop Tony Parker and to an extent I agree but, if there is anyone who can hang with him (as a point guard) it's got to be Russel Westbrook. The kid can fly for crying out loud! I wasn't super impressed with how OKC ended the game the other night but I am impressed with the first 40 minutes of the game. They really gave the Spurs a run for their money as far as outscoring and playing better defense. One thing that the Thunder have is smarts. They know they style of basketball Popovich's boys like to play and it seemed like they did a great job of disrupting that style again, until the last 8 minutes of the game with Manu finally decided to "man" up for the Spurs and end the game with an incredible showing of athleticism and heart. Unfortunately, I just don't think they will do it again tonight. The Spurs got lucky with a late bail-out but I don't see it happening again. I'm looking for Westbrook to have a great night shoot his 15 foot jumper and I assume that Mr. Scott Brooks has told him to calm down a little bit and to pass the dang ball a little bit more. Kevin Durrant will unleash beast-mode tonight, just wait. OKC got fish-slapped across the face in game 1, don't assume it will happen again.
As for the Heat Vs. Celtics... Heat. They look too good. Unless James and Wade get injured but, they're just too good for the Celtics to keep up. Go Rondo!
That's about all I've got.
AWK
(average white kid)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
My Jazz
Heat Vs. Knicks - Heat
Bulls Vs. 76ers - Bulls (I know I know, Rose is gone but, I have to go with my original pick and I still think they could pull it out)
Pacers Vs. Magic - Pacers
Celtics Vs. Hawks - Celtics
OKC Vs. Mavs - OKC
Lakers Vs. Nuggets - Lakers
Clippers Vs. Grizzlies - Grizzlies
Jazz Vs. Spurs - Jazz
I know I'm a homer. It's a fact. I've loved the Utah Jazz for a long time. What can I say, I'm a fan. I just don't quite understand all the pessimism that Jazz fans have towards them winning this series. Let me guess, it's not pessimism it's "realism" right? Wrong. To be perfectly honest the Jazz aren't the most flashy or all that consistent and sometimes darn right frustrating to watch but, they have a first string that plays really well and a second string that plays really well too. Just about everyone is great on offense and great on defense. Anyone and everyone could end up being the game ending hero. It's true, it's happened throughout the entire regular season. That's our strength, we don't just have one guy to guard, we have a team.
Here is my one thing to watch out for tonight... Be careful about playing Raja Bell and Josh Howard. Jefferson, Harris, Hayward, Favors, Burks, Tinsley, Millsap, Kanter, and Carroll have really come together as a unit to make it to the playoff's. No reason to "fix what ain't broke" if you know what I'm saying.
The Jazz really can have a good night with Favors, Millsap, and Hayward coming alive on offense. Tinsley and Harris will make things happen for sure. Burks and Carroll will increase the energy and come up with some great top 10 worthy steals. Look out for Millsap to have a phenomenal career night tonight.
I'm calling it! Jazz steal one tonight by 7!
Go Jazz Go!
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Fixing Utah Basketball
Today while driving to work, I was listening to the Bill Reilly show on 1320 KFAN with University of Utah Athletic Director Chris Hill as the featured guest. Amongst other things, they discussed the outlook of the Mens basketball team. They talked about the struggles that Coach Krystkowiak had to endure this past season and the rebuilding that will have to come after so much turmoil in the program. I feel that Coach Krystkowiak has done a fairly good job with the pieces he has been given. Not only did he have to play with a depleted roster, but also had to make the tough choice to kick key players off the team to create the type of culture that you need for a successful basketball team. Dr. Hill said that he expected the rebuilding process for the basketball team to be 4-5 years. My first reaction was, "that long?!" but after thinking about it, thats about how long it really will take to rebuild to be at a position to be competitive year in and year out in the Pac-12. Yet there is one person who could have helped make the rebuilding process go a bit quicker. That person is Quincy Lewis, current Head Basketball Coach at Lone Peak High School.
It shouldn't come as a big shock that Brad and I really admire Coach Lewis. I mean his name is the basis of our blog. But aside from that homerism, Coach Lewis could have had a really big effect on the Utah Basketball program. Not only because he is a good coach, but also because he might have been able to get Nick Emery and T.J. Haws to follow him. I'm not saying it would have been a guarantee they would have followed, especially with their older brothers both being really good BYU players, but it would have been worth a try. If anything else, it would have helped in the recruitment of the local talent. If you look at the rise and fall of the Utah basketball program, and the subsequent rise of the BYU basketball program, it coincides with the best basketball players in the state choosing to go that respective school.
Speaking of which, why do I care that the U basketball program recovers? I'm a BYU fan. Carry on as you were Utah basketball...
It shouldn't come as a big shock that Brad and I really admire Coach Lewis. I mean his name is the basis of our blog. But aside from that homerism, Coach Lewis could have had a really big effect on the Utah Basketball program. Not only because he is a good coach, but also because he might have been able to get Nick Emery and T.J. Haws to follow him. I'm not saying it would have been a guarantee they would have followed, especially with their older brothers both being really good BYU players, but it would have been worth a try. If anything else, it would have helped in the recruitment of the local talent. If you look at the rise and fall of the Utah basketball program, and the subsequent rise of the BYU basketball program, it coincides with the best basketball players in the state choosing to go that respective school.
Speaking of which, why do I care that the U basketball program recovers? I'm a BYU fan. Carry on as you were Utah basketball...
Monday, March 26, 2012
#freealecburks
Brad did a fantastic job introducing our blog. Yet when we were throwing around ideas of what we were going to write about, the Utah Jazz weren't exactly on the top of my list of topics to talk about. Like Brad said, I didn't move to Utah until the summer of 8th grade and as such didn't really embrace the Jazz as my team until recently. Because of my new found embrace of the Jazz as my team, there is something that must be addressed about them. The younger players need more playing time. Now, most of the young guys have good established players ahead of them in the line up. Paul Milsap and Al Jefferson deserve to start in front of Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors. But C.J. Miles instead of Alec Burks? Please...
****
During the 2011 NBA draft, the Jazz had the 3rd and 12th picks courtesy of a trade that sent Deron Williams to New Jersey in return for Devon Harris, Derrick Favors and two first round draft picks. (we won't get into this now, but lets just agree that Utah DEFINITELY won that trade). That 3rd pick, was courtesy of that trade. Enes Kanter is who the Jazz drafted with that pick. I felt that the Jazz made the right pick with going with Kanter. He was young, and raw but we need size to compete in the west. Then with the 12th pick, the Jazz picked Alec Burks. My first impression was, who? Turns out he is the explosive shooting guard that we need.
In 42 games played this season, Burks is averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, .08 assists and a +5.43 efficiency rating in 14.6 minutes per game. CJ Miles is averaging 9.3 points, 2.10 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a +7.04 efficiency rating in 20.4 minutes per game. So their numbers are basically the same given an adjustment for minutes played. Yet its how they play. Burks is always looking to be aggressive. He plays good defense most of the time (its the NBA, no plays good defense all the time). He is four years younger than Miles and with that youth he has greater potential to grow. He, along with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, in my opinion are the future of the Jazz. We know what CJ Miles is, but we want to see what Burks will become. Please Coach Corbin, #freealecburks.
****
During the 2011 NBA draft, the Jazz had the 3rd and 12th picks courtesy of a trade that sent Deron Williams to New Jersey in return for Devon Harris, Derrick Favors and two first round draft picks. (we won't get into this now, but lets just agree that Utah DEFINITELY won that trade). That 3rd pick, was courtesy of that trade. Enes Kanter is who the Jazz drafted with that pick. I felt that the Jazz made the right pick with going with Kanter. He was young, and raw but we need size to compete in the west. Then with the 12th pick, the Jazz picked Alec Burks. My first impression was, who? Turns out he is the explosive shooting guard that we need.
In 42 games played this season, Burks is averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, .08 assists and a +5.43 efficiency rating in 14.6 minutes per game. CJ Miles is averaging 9.3 points, 2.10 rebounds, 1.2 assists and a +7.04 efficiency rating in 20.4 minutes per game. So their numbers are basically the same given an adjustment for minutes played. Yet its how they play. Burks is always looking to be aggressive. He plays good defense most of the time (its the NBA, no plays good defense all the time). He is four years younger than Miles and with that youth he has greater potential to grow. He, along with Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter, in my opinion are the future of the Jazz. We know what CJ Miles is, but we want to see what Burks will become. Please Coach Corbin, #freealecburks.
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Average White Kid
That's what most people consider me. I'm pretty sure when God made me he used all of his generic basic templates. Most people know someone that I look like to them. What does this have to do with sports you may ask yourself? Well, let me tell you a little about my life; I'm ok... at just about everything I do. I've never been great at about anything I do, just enough to hold my own and occasionally doing something cool.
Luckily I was blessed with a best friend named Merrill who is just about the exact same as me at almost everything we do. We tend to offset perfectly. We trade off W's when we play basketball and football. We are are deuce at tennis and stalemate in chess (though I can't remember the last time we played).
We practically based our friendship off of girls and sports. Two things we loved even if Merrill wasn't always vocal about his little crushes. I, on the other hand was more than vocal about it. Maybe that's why I didn't get my first girlfriend until I was 21... Anywho. Growing up we would go to school, talk sports, see who was looking particularly good that day, go home, play anything (mostly basketball), homework (merrill), eat and play more sports. We lived to compete and since we were both decent we pushed each other (in both senses of the word).
Now we are two college students who are finishing our degree's, some sooner than others (Merrill... of course) and both married to wonderful women, who both don't have the burning desire to switch on a game, or listen to sports talk radio, or care too much for sports in general. We are very lucky that they let us get our need for sports out every time we are together. Although we can both feel the proverbial eye roll when we start watching and/or talking about sports. Whenever we are together we get into this zone where we talk about anything and everything that is going on in the world of sports. It's kinda like when you are dating a girl and you're out with her and she see's an old friend and they run up to each other and are so excited to see each other to catch up. Your girlfriend introduces you but those six words, "I'm Bradley, nice to meet you." is all you say for the next half of an hour. This has got to be how our wives feel when we are together. Good thing they are alike in many ways and like each other or Merrill and I may never actually get to see each other.
Merrill and I grew up together. He moved into my neighborhood in the summer before the 8th grade. He was a scrawny scraggly looking kid with less fat on his bones than an antelope skeleton after being chased down by a couple hungry lions during a drought.... little much? My point is; that kid was/is skinny.
Top: Me in the red, Merrill to the left and our other best friend Drew to the right in the LP shirt.
Middle: Merrill middle and myself to the left and Drew again to the right (at Merrill's wedding)
Bottom: Your's truly in the middle and merrill on the left there and what have you, Drew still hanging on the right with Quinn between us.
Top: Me in the red, Merrill to the left and our other best friend Drew to the right in the LP shirt.
Middle: Merrill middle and myself to the left and Drew again to the right (at Merrill's wedding)
Bottom: Your's truly in the middle and merrill on the left there and what have you, Drew still hanging on the right with Quinn between us.
We practically based our friendship off of girls and sports. Two things we loved even if Merrill wasn't always vocal about his little crushes. I, on the other hand was more than vocal about it. Maybe that's why I didn't get my first girlfriend until I was 21... Anywho. Growing up we would go to school, talk sports, see who was looking particularly good that day, go home, play anything (mostly basketball), homework (merrill), eat and play more sports. We lived to compete and since we were both decent we pushed each other (in both senses of the word).
Now we are two college students who are finishing our degree's, some sooner than others (Merrill... of course) and both married to wonderful women, who both don't have the burning desire to switch on a game, or listen to sports talk radio, or care too much for sports in general. We are very lucky that they let us get our need for sports out every time we are together. Although we can both feel the proverbial eye roll when we start watching and/or talking about sports. Whenever we are together we get into this zone where we talk about anything and everything that is going on in the world of sports. It's kinda like when you are dating a girl and you're out with her and she see's an old friend and they run up to each other and are so excited to see each other to catch up. Your girlfriend introduces you but those six words, "I'm Bradley, nice to meet you." is all you say for the next half of an hour. This has got to be how our wives feel when we are together. Good thing they are alike in many ways and like each other or Merrill and I may never actually get to see each other.
We aren't really sure why we are doing this blog but we wanted a forum for us to get our thoughts out so we thought we would spare our wives from having to listen to endless hours of our meaningless banter about why Tebow should or shouldn't on the Jets or why Steve Nash is still the man. We thought this would be an appropriate release for the two of us. So honestly if there is anyone out there, cool. Enjoy.
Average White Kid: Bradley
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