Game 14: Dallas Mavericks (8-7) @ Utah Jazz (9-4)

[The59Sound]

He does not want to be great, and is satisfied with being just ok.

I don't think that's fair, considering the reports of him being the gym rat to end all gym rats and all the things we hear from those who have coached and known him. He's a 20 year-old kid in the first quarter of his sophomore season. The consistency will come, in my opinion.

I hear you and hopefully you are right. I just see Burks hunger for the ball. Burks lives to score, create, and plays good defense on the ball (off the ball he loses concentration). Hayward needs to demand the ball from his teammates. He has to have the attitude that this is his team because the Jazz play much better when the offense runs through him.

Yeah, I definitely agree that he needs to be demanding the ball more consistently. I'm optimistic that will come, but only time will tell us.

[FJS]

It's a little frustating, because we were really near to beat this team, but we played sometimes horrible, then sometimes we played fairly well...
We're a young team, we need to learn.

Still it's disapointing when your vet leader "aka Harris" make some poor decisions and shoots and how well we were doing with Kanter-Favors-Hayward-Burks-Watson line in the second quarter.

[babyjax13]

I think we are a better team than Dallas despite the loss - and that's saying quite a bit, considering what our expectations were.

[Jazzfan Bayamon]

I think we are a better team than Dallas despite the loss - and that's saying quite a bit, considering what our expectations were.

I agree, but they are also a "bad matchup" for us IMO. Our bigs have thrived so far in being tough and physical in the paint on D, but Dallas doesn't have a big like that. Dirk is a finess jump shooting big, and Haywood and Mahimi aren't offensive threats, just hustle bigs. Marion and Odom are uncomfortable players cause they play you off the dribble and slashing, so it doesn't become physical against them and so our interior D doesn't "find" itself against them. On the other side, they are long inside, so the present problems to both Millsap and Al, as they can alter their shots without the "banging" inside. Our advantage should come off our bench with Favors, and on our wings. However, Hayward was tentative and Howard was out. I can't stress the importance of Josh Howard vs them (his ability to post them up would have opened the inside (weakside) and the midrange BIG TIME. I was upset Hayward didn't go for the post up more.)

[eLo]

Watching the recap, I'm really pissed at Al tonight. Not only was he putting up weak shots on the offensive end when he should have been going to the rim, but he let Marion get WIDE OPEN under the hoop. That makes me really mad. Their clutch defense let them down tonight with that play and letting Terry get a wide open 3.

BTW, is it me or is Burks a pretty good defender, especially for a rookie? I never saw that happening with that kid. He was guarding a quick guard pretty well, except for a few rookie lapses that were frustrating, but he will improve on those. He is special.

Agree with all of this. Al Jefferson doesn't know how to play against guys his own size or bigger on the offensive end. And on defense he's just slow and lazy.

Conversely, Burks is fun to watch on both ends. If he can figure out how to play instinctively within the offense (admittedly a big if) he'll be really good.

no matter what Al will get attention from his haters He was only who was efficient in ofens, Sap screw this game seriously but again its Al fault

[BJSmiles]

Watching the recap, I'm really pissed at Al tonight. Not only was he putting up weak shots on the offensive end when he should have been going to the rim, but he let Marion get WIDE OPEN under the hoop. That makes me really mad. Their clutch defense let them down tonight with that play and letting Terry get a wide open 3.

BTW, is it me or is Burks a pretty good defender, especially for a rookie? I never saw that happening with that kid. He was guarding a quick guard pretty well, except for a few rookie lapses that were frustrating, but he will improve on those. He is special.

Agree with all of this. Al Jefferson doesn't know how to play against guys his own size or bigger on the offensive end. And on defense he's just slow and lazy.

Conversely, Burks is fun to watch on both ends. If he can figure out how to play instinctively within the offense (admittedly a big if) he'll be really good.

no matter what Al will get attention from his haters He was only who was efficient in ofens, Sap screw this game seriously but again its Al fault

Did you watch the last half of the 4th? We had the lead, and then in comes Harris who just give the ball to Al in the post, and he gets nothing out of his weak fall away jumpers and wheezy. The man has to learn that he is fast enough and strong enough to take those guys to the hoop, and try to dunk and he will get to the line! The problem with Al is that our offense stagnates too often with him. He has gotten better at passing out of it, that's for sure, but in the 4th he had complete tunnel vision and the ball stopped completely with him. That and his utter lack of defense was what lost the game when we had the lead in the 4th.

[eLo]

Did you watch the last half of the 4th? We had the lead, and then in comes Harris who just give the ball to Al in the post, and he gets nothing out of his weak fall away jumpers and wheezy. The man has to learn that he is fast enough and strong enough to take those guys to the hoop, and try to dunk and he will get to the line! The problem with Al is that our offense stagnates too often with him. He has gotten better at passing out of it, that's for sure, but in the 4th he had complete tunnel vision and the ball stopped completely with him. That and his utter lack of defense was what lost the game when we had the lead in the 4th.

im not saying that he was perfect as he was not, you are right about that 4q, but when you want to blame some one Sap would be better pick.

[StocktonShorts]

Watching the recap, I'm really pissed at Al tonight. Not only was he putting up weak shots on the offensive end when he should have been going to the rim, but he let Marion get WIDE OPEN under the hoop. That makes me really mad. Their clutch defense let them down tonight with that play and letting Terry get a wide open 3.

BTW, is it me or is Burks a pretty good defender, especially for a rookie? I never saw that happening with that kid. He was guarding a quick guard pretty well, except for a few rookie lapses that were frustrating, but he will improve on those. He is special.

Agree with all of this. Al Jefferson doesn't know how to play against guys his own size or bigger on the offensive end. And on defense he's just slow and lazy.

Conversely, Burks is fun to watch on both ends. If he can figure out how to play instinctively within the offense (admittedly a big if) he'll be really good.

no matter what Al will get attention from his haters He was only who was efficient in ofens, Sap screw this game seriously but again its Al fault

Big difference is that this seemed like an atypical game from Sap but a typical game from Al.

[BJSmiles]

He didn't have as good of an all-around game as Al last night, but when it mattered, Sap had that clutch block on Beaubois when NOBODY ELSE even thought about getting in his way and at least gave effort on that end of the floor, plus he had t guard Dirk all night, and he kept him to 5-12 shooting.

What I saw from Al in the 4th last night was what we saw last year when he just looked tired as hell, and that is worrisome to me because he has looked much better in that respect this year. Hopefully it is an anomaly.