First off let me give you what Vegas has on this series and the teams odds of winning the championship.

Ball Don’t Lie Trey Kirby’s

Preview

The Washington Post

ESPN

Espn Series Home Page

NBA.COM

Sports Illustrated

Sporting News

Bleacher Report

Faniq.com

Examiner.com

Denver Blogs and Newspapers-

The Denver Stiffs

The Denver Post

The Roundball Mining Company.

The Nugg Doctor

Nugg Love

Utah Jazz Blogs and Newspapers

Ross Siler

Slcdunk

TheUtahJazzBlog

Purple and Blues.

In the Podcast I picked the Nuggets in five. Now with AK out I am going to say Nuggets in six. Not because we are better with AK out, but that now the team knows that they have to step up and play without him. I hate to do this and know that a lot of people will be pissed, but I don’t think we are playing well and will win this series. I know I know I am the pessimist, but I am not feeling it right now with this team. Partly due to the AK injury but Millsap has disappeared offensively and Korver has been a no show for the past couple of weeks and CJ continues to be consistently inconsistent. Will Fex see playing time. Will Boozer be healthy? Will All-star Deron Williams Show up.

I don’t know but will be watching every minute of it.

The Utah Jazz has had a good three days to rest before taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight. Hopefully the rest will prove to be beneficial, because this is a huge game. It’s the last game against a division opponent and would put the Jazz at .500 for the season against teams in their division.
Here are a few things that the Jazz need to do to get a win tonight:
•    Come out strong and score inside before taking unnecessary long jumpers.
•    Try to contain Durrant as much as possible and keep him off the free throw line.
•    Don’t let Kristic get easy layups and get a hand in his face on all jump shots.
•    Deron needs to look to score on Westbrook.
•    If Durrant can’t be contained, make sure the rest of the team is not taking advantage of the double-teaming.
•    Get Boozer going early – get him the ball!
•    Pray that CJ is on tonight.
The last 5 games are must wins, but the last two home games are especially crucial. The Jazz can’t afford another late season melt down. They need this game! My prediction:  Jazz 108 Thunder 97.

The Jazz are about to face what could possibly be their toughest test of this road trip. The Milwaukee Bucks are playing great right now and are coming off a huge win over the mighty Boston Celtics. This should be a fun game to watch as well as a good test to see really how well the Jazz are playing as a team. They are going to need great outside shooting again to get by this Bucks team unscathed. If the guards are shooting well, it will open up the middle for Millsap, Boozer and Okur to do some damage inside.

Andrew Bogut is looking stellar. He had a monster dunk over Big Baby the other night that looked pretty insane for the former Ute. He is having a pretty good year and has been fairly healthy for the first time in who knows how long. Look for him to have a big game. If the rookie Brandon Jennings gets hot and takes control of his team, the Jazz could have a lot to handle.

Despite the Buck’s good play as of late, I am still picking the Jazz to take this game. Boozer is due for another monster game and the whole team is shooting too well to bet against them (not that I’m betting). A win in Milwaukee is just what the Jazz need to take some big time momentum into OKC. Look for the Jazz to start strong and hold strong. Utah Jazz 104/ Bucks 93.  JB

I have mentioned this before but I think the both Deron Williams and Derrick Rose along with Chris Paul will be our Olympic point guards for  both 2012 and 2016. I enjoy watching Derrick Rose. I like the way he plays and the passion that he plays with. I like his game and hope that he succeeds in the NBA…just not tonight.

We all know that Deron Williams has had some trouble with smaller quicker guards and we should see some of those problems tonight, however with out Salmons and Noah it will be tough for the Bulls to beat us there are also some questions as to whether or not Luol Deng will play (swollen knee) and Kirk Heinrich will get the nod ( sprained right ankle). Deng played on Saturday but only shot 2-8 . So we shall see.

The Bulls are getting some help from rookie Taj Gibson who is looking anything like a rookie. However I don’t think he will be any match for Boozer on both ends of the floor.

Besides the obvious matchup of the night with Rose and Williams, I think where the game will be won is in the matchup at the Center position with Brad Miller and Mehmet Okur. Miller is coming of games with 14 and 17 while Memo is coming of his first back-to-back 20 point games this season. If Memo gets 20 we will dominate this game.

Jazz win this game by ten.

Here is a link about Deron @ Illinois

The Jazz play the Clippers for the last time this season tonight at the ESA. They have to play better than earlier in the week when they got annihilated and then almost made a great comeback only to miss free throws at the end of the game.

Deron’s wrist is coming off a great game where he scored 27 points and had 9 assists, so I would have to guess that it will probably be hurting tonight. I think that Boozer and Millsap are due for a great game and Memo has been looking “better” lately.

I don’t care about the team, but I want revenge here. There is no way the Jazz should drop more than two games to the Clippers in one season, especially the way they have been playing as of late.

I am going to say that this game will be over early. I predict a Jazz blowout. We will be up by at least 10 at halftime and push it to twenty by the end of the third quarter. This means that the Koof will get some minutes! I expect no less than a good solid outing by our starters and our bench coming in and making shots. JB

Just in Case you haven’t seen this yet, Deron makes a Cameo.
Jazz 114 Clippers 89

So before we get to tonight’s game here are som links to some stories about some Jazz players.

Carlos Boozer Named western Conference player of the Month for Feb 2010 .

Another Article about AK being happy and playin well.

Kyle Korver is one of the five NBA players on the rise

G — Kyle Korver, Jazz: Korver missed a good chunk of the early season as he recovered from left knee surgery. Once he was healthy, he wasn’t quite up to game shape and had a hard time getting mintues both due to his gimpy state and the logjam Utah had at the wing position. Since the Jazz traded Ronnie Brewer to Memphis at the deadline, though, Korver has seen his minutes jump and he’s made an impact. With Mehmet Okur mired in a season-long shooting slump, Korver is becoming the Jazz’s lone dependable 3-point shooter. He had two 3-pointers in Utah’s overtime win over the Blazers on Sunday, two more in a close home loss to the Hawks on Monday and five more on Wednesday to help the Jazz rally past the Bobcats. He’s averaging roughly 27 minutes a game over his last four games (compared to his 14.5 mpg average) and is filling the sixth man role nicely for the Jazz.

Jazz @ Clippers Preivew

JAZZ @ CLIPPERS PREVIEW

The Jazz have a big game tonight against the LA Clippers. This is where we get to see if they really have changed since last year, or if they are mentally depleted like in the Sacramento Kings loss.
The Clippers look different from the last time the Jazz played them. They now have Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake from the Camby trade. Word on the street is, AK is a go for tonight. Hopefully he will be able to contain Outlaw and maybe even help on Kaman. Last game, Boozer practically made Kaman hold his inside-out pocket while he showed him what a real all-star looks like. We’ll see if Kaman gets to follow Boozer around the court again tonight.
The key for tonight has to be overall shooting percentage. We have to run the offense and get good shots. I really hope that we didn’t fall in love with the three-pointer enough to where we stop looking for the layup. I would like to see CJ look to drive to the basket and Korver to actually start hitting that Harpring curl shot again (it’s been a while).
I am going to give the Jazz a 14 point win tonight (103-89). I think AK and Boozer have a good game. Memo should be geared up too and maybe get over 8 points tonight…well, let’s not go overboard. Go Jazz! JB

I created, and keep this blog going because of my passion for the Utah Jazz. I rarely toot my own horn and am just glad that others share my passion for the Utah Jazz. Occasionally  though, someone will write something or say something about the work that we are doing and it makes us feel pretty good. Well Leo Derr over at City Weekly just ranked his top ten Utah Jazz Blogs and we made the list.  I realized that it not a huge deal nor am I making trying to make it out  to be one. It is nice to get recognized for the effort and work we put in, even if it is our choice as well as our passion.

Still no word on whether Ariza is in or out.

Either way I think we win tonight, although the Jazz lost to the Rockets earlier this year we are a different team now. Well lets hope so, Memo was our leading scorer that night and had one of his two 20 point games. I must be missing something cause here is was accuscore has for the odds.

Utah Jazz Houston Rockets Odds

There is the whole all-star Weekend let down from Deron Williams, and the Vacation let down from everyone else. However, the Rockets do match up with us pretty well on the Defensive end. I just don’t see them putting up more than 100 points which i think will easily win this game.

My Prediction for tonight’s game Utah Jazz 104 Houston 89. We get four double doubles Boozer and Memo with Points and Boards, Deron Points and Assists and Ak Points and Blocks.

Welcome to Ak’s Block Party Everyone.

Just kidding, no way he gets ten blocks, but if he does you heard it here first.

Ariza is still a game time decision and Lowry is out we should be able to take this.

In 2010 Draft News the Jazz have been floating around the 8-10 spots for a little while and have a 2% chance to land John Wall.

This has been quite the eight game winning streak. There have been several contributors for the Jazz as they have been rolling these last few weeks. Carlos Boozer started the streak well and has just returned to the team. Millsap was tremendous in Boozer’s absence and hopefully can continue the trend even with Boozer back. Kirilenko looks like the energizer bunny out on the court with his constant hustle. Finally, DWill is being DWill.

The Los Angeles Clippers can be a dangerous team. In fact, I believe that the Clippers have the most talent of all the underachieving teams in the league. For some reason, they can never gain any ground on the rest of the western conference from season to season.

Like I have said before, there is no way that I can bet against the Jazz right now. As much as every road game makes me nervous, the Jazz have been playing better than I can remember and should easily handle the Clippers.

I am going to say the Jazz win 98 to 79, with DWill and AK having good games…again. However, I can also see Boozer beating Kaman like a grandma would her grandchild in the middle of Wal Mart. They both know who the real All Star is and I have a feeling Boozer will show Kaman and the rest of the league who it is on the court.

Go Jazz! Let’s get nine in a row and bring it on home!

Jimmy Bragg

I don’t mean to take the SOTUA lightly, but I will be in class tomorrow night and would be watching the Utah Jazz play the Portland Trailblazers if I was not.

The game is on NBATV and hopefully we have Cheryl Miller as our analyst, she is so good on the eyes, especially when she is pissed.

If you have ever wanted to see Greg Oden naked, now is your chance. Link to story, not pictures, sorry guys. Can it get any lower than this for Greg Oden, well it could be if he were Paul Shirley.

Paul Shirley will probably get fired from ESPN for his open letter to the nation of Haiti that is getting a ton of criticism. Hey maybe I can get a job at ESPN and write some ridiculous article about 200,ooo people dying. What an idiot. Not only that he doesn’t play in the NBA.

Anyway the guys over at SOTUA have created a drinking game that I think would be fun to play during a Jazz game. I don’t drink alcohol but could mix up some Sunny D, Purple Stuff, Soda, and Vitamin water to join the fun.

So here is your drinking game list for tomorrow night’s Jazz Blazers Game. All mentions deserve one Drink.

Booner- Ohhh Baby!

Boler- Buckle Up!

A Free Throw by C.J. Miles.

The slowly running one footed jumper/floater by Mehmet Okur.

Millsap getting fouled with no Call.

Les Olsen Commercial

Ronnie Brewer Dunks

Oden Pics

Deron Williams for All-star

Boler- Money

Rookie by any announcer.

That should be good for tonight.

CBA NEWS which is not looking good for the NBA players right now. “There’s going to be a lockout,’’ the owner said. “There’s not even a doubt in my mind about that. Billy’s not going to make a deal like that. Teams are already saving up money for a strike.’’

The Blazers will be without Brandon Roy and should win this game which will get us one step closer to Deron shaving, but more importantly keep the the pressure on the rest of the west.  Here is the current stat breakdown of the teams.

Jazz	Key Team Stats	Trail Blazers
101.8	Points scored	97.6
97.4	Points allowed	94.3
.488	FG% own	.462
.452	FG% opposition	.458
.359	3PT% own	.359
.357	3PT% opposition	.349
435	Offensive Rebounds	497
1361	Defensive Rebounds	1366
1796	Total Rebounds	1863
1.8	Assist/Turnover Ratio	1.7
22.0	Fouls Per Game

Remember a few weeks ago when we played Denver without Melo and Billups, this game has that whole vibe to it. I think are going to win but just have that feeling that the Blazers will get up for this game. The Blazers are coming of a horrific loss in which NO finished the game on a 10-1 run to win in the last few seconds.Meanwhile the Jazz are coming of a rousing victory over the Suns in which they trailed by 17 late in the third. I really have no idea how to predict this game the books have the Jazz by two which is basically a pick’em game.

We win if we get 25 or more assists.

We win if Boozer gets 20 plus points.

We win if Deron Williams is on the floor.

Jazz win 106-93 in a close game that the Jazz pull away from in the beginning of the fourth quarter.

For those of you still looking for Greg Oden pics search “Greg Oden Pics” or  “The Huffington Post”, rumor is they have some. I haven’t seen them, I just heard about them. Really I heard they have them over there.

Deron and Ronnie are listed as dad-to-day and will probably be game time decisions. The Jazz have won eleven in a row over Memphis scoring 112.5 a game during that stretch.

As a Utah Jazz fan it is very hard not to get caught up in the Chicken Little syndrome,  Blow up the team, trade Boozer, everyone is trade bait but Deron and calling for Jerry’s head. All of the previous comments have been in local paper and radio over the past week or.

I don’t know if I agree with any of them, but I do think that something needs to happen, maybe a team building activity, or Utah Jazz Player Enhancement (that’s what she said).

Maybe team Jazz Bear tattoos or a scrapbooking party where they all make pages of the Lakers win a few weeks ago. A trip to Vegas, make a music video together circa 1985 Chicago Bears, I love Walter Payton.

Maybe even a another win.

We should find out if the other night was a fluke or not. The Jazz have not shot very well on the road and it is very difficult to win both ends of a home and home.

Grizzlies	Key Team Stats	Jazz
104.1	Points scored	99.3
104.7	Points allowed	97.4
.480	FG% own	.480
.480	FG% opposition	.458
.321	3PT% own	.336
.363	3PT% opposition	.344
442	Offensive Rebounds	354
969	Defensive Rebounds	1030
1411	Total Rebounds	1384
1.3	Assist/Turnover Ratio	1.7
20.7	Fouls Per Game	21.8

Over the past ten games the Utah Jazz rank 6th defensively and 26th Offensively (thanks Locke) and Jazz fans can verify this.

I don’t know what to predict with tonight’s game. I will say this, If he Jazz are leading at the end of three they will win, If they are losing at the end of three they will lose.

Link of the Day Cuban upset that he is competing with the NFL tomorrow night, Oh, the game just happens to be against the Utah Jazz.

Prediction Utah Jazz 106 Memphis 102 in “buckle up game”.

Tonight is  a great night for NBA fans here are some other good games to keep an eye on.

Celtics @ Hawks

Mavs @ Spurs

Heat @ Suns

Lakers @ Blazers

Cavs @ Nuggets

Warriors @ Kings (take the over no matter what)