5 Reasons Why Utah, As Opposed to Dallas, Could Actually Beat Golden State in a 7 Game Series

Thank God for the West. Last night, there was a reprieve of the Detroit batty-mashing of Chicago, (as the Brother Kwame would say, “Where else could you think of that would be the worst place to be f@cked?” Indeed.) so while waiting for the Suns-Spurs game to start, I observed this utter foolishness/forgettableness…

Is there really any reason for the comedically redundant bubbles?

Now that Phoenix and San Antonio are playing their own mini-championship, one would think it would take some sort of freak show to draw attention away from this battle of the titans. Enter those compelling Warriors, who appear to be locked in a barn-burner of a series with Utah. Present battle aside, Golden State still continues to radiate an aura that looms large from their first round defeat of the best-record-having Dallas Mavericks.

Now people have asked me two alternate questions during the Warriors ultra-exciting, frantic first round defeat of the Mavs; “How is this happening to last year’s almost champions?” and “Why is Dallas considered to be so good, anyways”, alluding to how exposed they became in the series despite their guady regular season record. Well, the short answer to the Dallas question is basically they are a very good up tempo team filled with generically skilled players (with one 7 foot scoring menace) that take advantage of beneficial one-on-one match-ups without having a natural post option. During the regular season, Dallas was impressive in its resourcefulness alone and, being a very difficult team to prepare for in the short term, it ultimately led to a lot of wins. Many teams in the Lig already match up poorly against the Mavs (i.e. San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Referees...) who further befuddled opponents by employing a gimmicky 'small' line-up to maximize playing time for their more skillful players, something they had become increasingly dependent upon due to its overwhelming success. Unfortunately for them, Dallas became entangled with a team that, thanks to some late season roster maneuvers, takes advantage of beneficial one-on-one match ups by going small and extremely skilled while playing at a tempo approaching light speed. As with most playoff series, each team’s dominant player was going to play a key role in determining the outcome. Baron Davis clearly elevated his play to a level his Dallas opposites could not keep up with; Dirk Nowitzki…not so much. Cue Mark Cuban screw face (and behind closed-doors, David Stern robotic smirk).

And a final parting shot...

Now Game 1 has come and gone from the improbable Utah-Golden State series. After being played at a ridiculous pace, Utah snuck out a 116-112 victory at home, already proving that, in theory, they have what it takes to overturn the freight train of momentum that is the Warriors. So how do the Jazz distinguish themselves and not succumb to the pitfalls of small ball that derailed the mighty Mavericks?

1. Over All Length – An typical front court match-up for this series looks like this: ‘Whoo’ Jackson-Boozer; Matt Barnes-Okur; not quite comrades Biedrins-Kirilenko. Golden State is giving up a lot of length and it showed on the boards: not only did the Jazz outrebound the Warriors 54-36 but almost had as many offensive rebounds as GS had defensive (22-20). Unlike Dallas, Utah is comparatively making the Warriors look like a college team on the inside with their undersized, frantic trapping of any Jazz big man who enters the key.
2. Post Play – True, Boozer struggled from the field in Game 1 with the active, ever-changing looks that Golden State threw at him. So he merely compensated his less than stellar shooting by grabbing 10 offensive rebounds. Golden State has to expend a lot of energy dealing with a legitimate low post threat: this will definitely become more of a factor as the series progresses.
3. Point Guard – Deron Williams, AKA the most popular beige man in Salt Lake City, came up with a Game 1 performance that was nothing less than heroic. It may be unreasonable to expect Williams to outplay Baron consistently, but his offensive presence and leadership at the point greatly contrasts that which was lacking on the Dallas roster (you think Dirk was missing Steve during the 1^st round this time around…). One important note concerning what Deron brings to the court: as the playground antics of the Warriors becomes more gully during the series, the importance of having a physically strong point will prove to be an invaluable necessity (ask anyone who has played in a heated streetball run…) . With all the one-on-one play and various forms of defensive pressure Golden State attempts to employ, having a ballhandler who is quick and strong will go a long way to withstanding the barrage and exposing the holes in such defenses.
   A beige man with STRUNGTH! What you know about that?
   
4. Defense – It may seem odd to be bigging up the defensive play of a team that gave up 112 points. That being said, unlike Dallas, Utah was able to limit the successful Golden State forays to the basket, even forcing some turnovers down the stretch. While this was far from a total success, especially considering the extended moments of mayhem with their transition defense, Utah seems committed to keeping Golden State on the perimeter. Throw in the fact that Kirilenko managed 6 blocks (they may have to start writing his name in capitals like they used to do for Ginobili) and you even have an intimidating presence around the basket. It’s a good start.
5. Coaching – Avery Johnson took a huge ‘L’ to his personal credibility by willingly engaging in what seemed like a game of coaching ‘chicken’ with recovering bender-goer Don Nelson. Unfortunately for Johnson, going with what is tried in true doesn’t always work, as the small line-up that gave the Lig fits during the regular season backfired large in the 1^st round. Figure this to be one part sustained preparation that the Playoffs allow, one part flopping super-star and one part Golden State roster, which is the antithesis of a squad like, say, last year’s Stern-anointed champions, the Miami Heat.

Hard-ass Jerry Sloan doesn’t play that outcoached ish very well, and you can be sure some sort of definitive game plan will be in effect for any Jazz team that plays under him. As many pundits have already made reference to, Utah seems to have the ammo to force the Warriors to make game plan adjustments: something every bigger team in the small ball equation must do to be successful.
Now I’m definitely not saying Utah will win this series; a lot of things had to go right for Utah for them to take Game 1 (which was one errant ‘Whoo’ Jackson three from making the Jazz the latest victims of Warrior bawl). That being said, the Warriors are definitely going to have to tinker with the front court match-ups, possibly switching Al Harrington or Biedrins onto Boozer and putting crazy on crazy with Whoo and Kirilenko. Clearly, Golden State is not going to win if the rebounding issue is not addressed. It would be interesting to see if Nelson also tries to get Monta Ellis going, as not only would his production be greatly valued but it will also extend the rotation to eight, something more befitting for an extended, drag ‘em out series.
From the Jazz side of things, keep in mind it is vital that Utah maintains its home court advantage in this series, as games in the Bay Area have turned into a madhouse for visiting teams, if the Dallas series is any indicator. But you can be sure of one thing tonight, Nellie will have his troops try and play even faster in Game 2, so expect a magic number of about 120: that would be one sure fire way to guarantee a Warriors victory.