Utah Jazz Top 10 plays of 2012-2013

[nuraman00]

 

[nuraman00]

I have a feeling that MHSL82 will like # 9 in the first clip so much, he'll rank it # 0.

 

[Sackataters]

To me the most memorable is Al for three so ranks as my number one play. I think a top 10 play should be in crunch time when a game is in doubt. Sadly, most of our top plays were for not, as I seem to recall losing some of these games. I'd be shocked if we won 4 out of the 10 clips. I remember some plays sending it to OT, where we lost. I think Marvin's 3 just got us to OT where we got an L. Al's got us to OT where we eventually bet the Raptors for what I think was the first freaking road win (if I remember right).

 

[nuraman00]

I have a feeling that MHSL82 will like # 9 in the first clip so much, he'll rank it # 0.

BTW, for those of you that don't know the history between Hayward and Deron, here's what Deron did to Hayward during Hayward's rookie year. He threw a baseball style pass to Hayward, in frustration. There are many negative words you can use to describe Deron's attitude, when he threw that pass.

I disagree with Reggie Miller, who rationalized it.


[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urE_fCp7e5s&feature=player_embedded]Deron Williams Not Happy With Gordon Hayward - YouTube[/ame]

Deron Williams Apologizes for Yelling at Rookie Gordon Hayward | The Big Lead

 

[MHSL82]

BTW, for those of you that don't know the history between Hayward and Deron, here's what Deron did to Hayward during Hayward's rookie year. He threw a baseball style pass to Hayward, in frustration. There are many negative words you can use to describe Deron's attitude, when he threw that pass.

I disagree with Reggie Miller, who rationalized it.


Deron Williams Not Happy With Gordon Hayward - YouTube

Deron Williams Apologizes for Yelling at Rookie Gordon Hayward | The Big Lead

I was glad both times that Hayward scored - after the baseball pass and after the block of Williams' shot.

 

[nuraman00]

I was glad both times that Hayward scored - after the baseball pass and after the block of Williams' shot.

What if Hayward had had an assist to the PG for a 1-foot layup?

I can't be too happy. Removing myself from the moment, if Favors had kept running, the JAZZ would have had a 1-5 foot layup.

Hayward took a 18-20 footer.

A shot in the paint > a long jumper.

I don't care who shoots it, I want scoring in the paint, not a long jumper.

The long jumper by Hayward adds to the moment, but isn't the best basketball play.

 

[nuraman00]

Hayward shoots less than 40%, career about 37%, on long jumpers.

 

[MHSL82]

What if Hayward had had an assist to the PG for a 1-foot layup?

I can't be too happy. Removing myself from the moment, if Favors had kept running, the JAZZ would have had a 1-5 foot layup.

Hayward took a 18-20 footer.

A shot in the paint > a long jumper.

I don't care who shoots it, I want scoring in the paint, not a long jumper.

The long jumper by Hayward adds to the moment, but isn't the best basketball play.

I said I was happy he scored, not took the shot... my source of happiness referred to the result, not the process.

 

[nuraman00]

I'm sometimes unhappy even when the end result is a score. I don't want players to get in the mentality of taking more long jumpers, when a play at the rim could have been had. I don't want them to get encouraged, in the big picture. It's about having good habits.

If Hayward was a good midrange player, then I could say "that's a good shot for him", but he isn't there yet, based on his percentages.

And his FG% last year was .435. I can't be happy with that.

So, for him to become a great offensive player, he has to improve his efficiency, and it starts with making better decisions and getting into good habits.

Small picture, that field goal attempt in one regular season game resulted in points, but big picture, if it encourages him to take more perimeter shots, then it's bad. He needs to either improve his efficiency on long jumpers, or take more shots at the rim. Generally, long jumpers are bad shots by most players though, so it's probably best if he either shoots 3's, or takes shots as close to the rim as possible, or passes to someone for a shot at the rim.

Hornacek, who was a good midrange player, had a career ORTG of 117, and had several seasons in the mid 120s, which is great. His ORTG of 125 in 1996 is probably one of the best offensive seasons in NBA history. A few years ago, I noted that Brandon Roy's 123 was one of the top 30 ORTGs for a guard in NBA history, and that's something that someone like Kobe Bryant has never even come close to having (Bryant's career high was a 115). Small forwards are usually less efficient than guards, I think, so Hornacek's 125 could even be top 20 in NBA history for small forwards.

If you're Hornacek and you're that good, then you can take midrange shots. If you're most players, then you should be taking less of them, since you're not as good from there.

If someone took a one-handed hook shot from half court, and made it, I would still be angry at the result (unless the shot clock was winding down), because a better shot could have been had. The result included bypassing a better shot, and potentially getting an and-one if a player had been fouled on a make, which could have gotten the other team in more foul trouble. Big picture, it's unlikely that those 3 points from the one-handed half court shot would matter much, unless it was a playoffs game that was close. Most games aren't as close where 3 points matter, and most games are regular season games, not playoffs games.

 

[nuraman00]

I wish I could sleep right now, tomorrow is going to suck.

 

[nuraman00]

Shoot! I was supposed to watch the Hornacek press conferences this weekend, I TOLD myself that I'd make time. Sigh, hopefully this week.

 

[nuraman00]

I will say that a few times in recent years that I did get caught up in the moment, were:

* Boozers's 35 on 13-17 FGs against Kaman in 2009-2010. Kaman was Stern's replacement pick as an All-Star, but he was really a fake All-Star. Boozer, or some guard, should have made it over Kaman. Boozer's game was right after Kaman was selected, and he literally scored on Kaman during the game. Plus, Boozer was a good midrange shotmaker, so I'm fine with some of the shots he took.

I liked seeing the Jazz teammates keep encouraging Boozer to go after Kaman, it was a good "revenge" game.

Boozer also had that dagger assist to Wesley Matthews in the corner for the win @ SA, earlier in the year.

(I can't find a clip right now, so I'll post the play-by-play).

Hmm, am I remembering wrong? The only Jazz player to make a 3-pointer in that game was Deron Williams, and it was EARLY in the game:

8:29.0 D. Williams makes 3-pt shot from 25 ft (assist by C. Boozer) +3 5-5


Also, this was from 25 feet. The corner 3-pointer is usually 22 feet, so this couldn't have been the shot I was thinking of.

Hmm, the Jazz beat SA in both road games that year, and swept them in the regular season, 4-0. Am I thinking of the other road win @ SA that year? I'll have to watch full clips from both games.

Shoot, the Jazz don't have their schedule for 2009-2010 on nba.com anymore, 2010-2011 is as far back as they go. I was hoping to find full highlights for that year.

Maybe it wasn't a 3-pointer, but a long corner 2? I don't want to post similar plays from the play-by-play, I need to see a clip.

Does anyone know a site where I can find old highlights, such as this, from several years ago?


Fine, barring any other way to find video, I'll post a play-by-play of what other play it could have been:

7:22.0 W. Matthews makes 2-pt shot from 15 ft (assist by C. Boozer) +2 50-44



* Al Jefferson's 33 on 14-18 FG the day after his grandmother died.

I liked how both Boozer and Jefferson had similar FG efficiency, and both were great efficient games. I liked the personal motivation for both, in each game.

Plus, they were both good midrange shooters, so I'm ok with their shot range.

I asked Clintonite33 which one he preferred more, right after the Jefferson game, this one or the Boozer one. He said both were great, but he liked the Jefferson revenge game more, because it came right after the death of a family member. That angle appealed to him more.

I prefer the Boozer one slightly, because Kaman being a fake all-Star still bothers me. . And this was Boozer's way of getting back.

Both games were also great because they were both wins, so that's another reason why I like both games, and why I link both games.



But back to Hayward, even if me makes a long jumper, it's not the best shot for the team, because he doesn't have the efficiency on his range that Boozer or Jefferson did. And the two games I mentioned in particular for Boozer and Jefferson, were also personal motivation games, and they were shooting well from midrange in those games too. So all of those factors are why it's ok for them to take those shots, especially when they're having good games. Hayward taking a shot is an opportunity cost, because better choices could have been made, to result in a better shot, or an and-one. Him shooting from there denied those better plays that someone on the team could have made. It's unlikely Hayward would have gotten an and-one shooting from where he did, because long jump shooters rarely get fouled, and you wouldn't want him taking the look if he wasn't open anyways (even if it might have resulted in a foul, but with no made basket). So Hayward's decision denied the Jazz of much better choices, and possibly reinforced bad habits in a player who hasn't had a great offensive season yet.

 

[MHSL82]

When someone makes it, I'm happy. When they miss it, I'm not. When I'm more unhappy than happy, sad MHSL82. But it doesn't prevent me from being happy those 40% of the time. But yes, he should learn.