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I have been reading David Locke's playoffs insider since it is being mailed to me from utahjazz.com, and it doesn't seem to be public. So I thought I might as well post them here. He seems to have some very thought provoking editions, So I will proceed with posting them.


April 17, 2008

Welcome to the Playoffs for 2008. In a repeat of last year the Jazz will play the first round against the Rockets. It all starts Saturday night in Houston and after a game on Monday returns to the EnergySolutions Arena on Thursday.

Not a Push Over
Considering the Jazz win over the Rockets on Monday night and the injury to Yao Ming a Jazz fan might decide this match-up is strongly in the favor of the Jazz. Let me caution you. Since Jan 1st, the Rockets have the best record in the NBA at 41-10. The Rockets have won 22 of their last 24 games at the Toyota Center and the Jazz will have to win a game on the road to win the Series.

Style of Play
The Rockets are a unique team. They play one of the slowest paces of play in the NBA. At the same time, they shot the three on 21% of their possessions. In contrast, the Jazz shot the three point shot on just 14% of their possessions.

Defensively, the Rockets take away the three point shot. They only allow opponents to shot the three on 15% of their possessions which is the lowest rate in the NBA. In three games against the Rockets the Jazz hit 11 of 42 three point attempts. The Rockets have not allowed Deron Williams to shot the three this season, he is 1 for 6 in three games.
One reason the Jazz won two games in the regular season against the Rockets was defensive rebounding. The grabbed 78% of the potential defensive rebounds in the three games. That a good deal better than the Jazz season average and holds the Rockets well below their average of 29% of the offensive rebounds.

A Good Match-Up
It is a mistake the look at the Rockets in a traditional sense. They play a unique style that is based in a different philosophy. However, the match-up is a good one for the Jazz.
The Rockets starting point guard, Rafer Alston, has a strained hamstring and will definitely miss the first two games and maybe the series. Therefore, Deron Williams, the Jazz greatest strength, will match-up on a tenacious but aging Bobby Jackson and rookie Aaron Brooks. Look for the Rockets to play Shane Battier, the league's best defender, on Williams at some point.

In addition, Carlos Boozer has played very well against the Rockets. The Rockets allow Carlos to get his mid-range jumper and he has averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds per game in three games against the Rockets.
The Rockets strength is their defense. The Jazz strength is their offense. When the Jazz have been right this year their offense has been able to score against the best defenses in the NBA. If the Jazz stay focused and execute this series should be no different.

April 18, 2008
As I head to Houston with the Jazz today, let

April 19, 2008

It is game day. The 2008 NBA Playoffs are underway. I hope you are fired up and have your night clear so you can tune to KJZZ-14, with Craig Bolerjack and Ron Boone, or tune to 1320 K-Fan with the great Hot Rod Hundley, tonight at 7:30pm.

Keys to Watch
The Rockets defense is predicated to make the opponent get off the three point line. They allow the fewest three point shots in the NBA. They want to make the opponent shoot "non-paint, 2 point shots." This is an area where the Jazz excel. Keep an eye on Boozer and Harping, and how they shoot "non-paint, 2 point shots." During the last meeting, the Jazz hit 50% of those shots. Anything less than that, the Rockets are winning the battle.
On the Jazz defensive end, keep an eye out for the Rockets hitting the corner three. In the corners the three point line is closer to the basket, and teams hit that shot at a much higher level than other three point shots. The Rockets have plays built into their offense to get Luther Head and Shane Battier corner three's.

Stat Geek
When the Jazz have the ball, it is the NBA's #2 offense against the NBA's #2 defense. The Jazz average 115 points per 100 possessions, while the Rockets only allow 103 points per 100 possessions.
The Rockets want to play a slower paced game than the Jazz. On average the Rockets play 89 trips up the floor per game, and the Jazz play 92.
The Rockets offense averages 108.2 points per 100 possessions, 17th in the NBA. The Jazz defense allows 108.3 points per 100 possessions, 12th in the NBA.
This would lead us to believe this game will be decided based on what happens on the Jazz offensive end.

Keys to the Game
1. Keep McGrady off the free throw line. If he is jump shooting, the Rockets can't win 4 out of 7 games against the Jazz.
2. Don't get too far on the wrong side of the 3 point differential. The Rockets want to make the three's, and keep the Jazz off of the line. At the end of the night, the Rockets can't make too many more three's than the Jazz.
3. Dominate at the point guard. Deron Williams is the Jazz advantage, and it is even bigger with Rafer Alston out. Digging a little deeper, keep track of what happens in the minutes when the Rockets go to their third string point guard, Aaron Brooks.

April 20, 2008

What a great night in Houston. The Jazz were everything we want them to be as team. Talking to the guys in the locker room after the game they were very proud of the effort and energy they gave for the entire 48 minutes.

Matt Harpring had the most interesting point of the evening. When I asked him how the great Jazz offense was able to outplay the great Rockets defense he said, "because the Jazz played great defense." He may have been right. The great defense permeated the entire game.

Here are some of the other things that I thought were key to the win:

Rebounding in the First Half:
The Jazz dominated the offensive glass in the first half. To win on the road you have to play from ahead rather than from behind. The domination of the offensive glass allowed the Jazz to stay in control of the game. The Rockets adjusted and started sending five guys to the defensive glass which eliminated the transition game.

Mental Fortitude:
The Rockets made a big run to open the second half. You have to expect the home team to do that. The Jazz trailed 53-51, and Sloan called a time out. The Jazz answered with three straight Carlos Boozer buckets. Deron took over control of the game. Later in the quarter, Kyle Korver hit two huge three's to put the Jazz up 8. Both of those plays were assisted by Deron.

At one point in the game the Rockets shot 21 straight free-throws while the Jazz went over 24 minutes without taking a free throw. They never lost their focus.

AK Fantastic
Both Deron and Carlos talked after the game of how brilliant AK was on both ends of the floor. The offensive game came to AK early in the game. He scored nine straight in the opening quarter. Defensively, he made McGrady work hard in the second half. McGrady finished with just 20 points on 21 attempts. Late in the game, the Jazz ran the offense through AK at the top of the key, and the Jazz executed fantastically.

3 Point Game
The Rockets game is based on winning the three-point game. That didn't happen tonight. The Rockets were 6 of 22 from behind the arch, and the Jazz were 5 of 10. Despite the lack of attempts, the Jazz they were able to match the production. That is enormous because the Rockets can't match traditional offensive games.

I'll be at practice tomorrow.

Great win. Let's get another on Monday.

April 21, 2008
Good Morning from Houston and Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs. How fun was game 1? The Jazz were terrific. When I asked the players what they were most proud of in their performance during Game 1, the answers were wide ranging. Boozer said, how they answered the Houston run, Korver agreed mentioning the physical play and grit, Deron talked of the overall focus, and Harpring highlighted the defense.

A great moment from practice yesterday was when a reporter started a question to Deron with, "You guys have a split." Deron interrupted him and said, "No we won one and we are going for two on Monday." Deron is one of the most single minded athletes I have been around.

I have spent a lot of time with Deron this year. We do a weekly radio show on Wednesday's at 5pm on 1320 K-Fan. He lives in the moment as much as anyone I have ever talked to. He doesn't look back. He doesn't look ahead. He is in the moment. In addition, he is obsessed with winning. I honestly believe that he has never embarked on anything he doesn't think he can win. Not all athletes are like that. A lot of them live in fear of losing, or are driven not lose. Deron is different. He thinks only of how he is going to win. As a Jazz fan you have to love that.

[SIC]WATHCING DERON

At practice yesterday, I decided to sit through an entire interview session with Deron to see what it is like. Usually, I am running from one player to the next getting interviews, so this is the first time I have ever sat with one player the entire time.

After he finished his shooting, Deron took a seat on the front row and waited for the media to arrive. When the first three of us arrived, he asked to wait until most of the group came so he didn't have to answer the same question every time. Nice try, but no luck.

During the 10 to 15 minute time frame, Deron answered questions about the difference in AK from this year to last year, 4 different times. He was patient and you would have never known he had answered those questions before.

He talked about how hard AK has worked this year before and after practices, and that is a change from the past. He also mentioned that despite the trade issues in the off-season, he always wanted him on the team. He complimented AK for carrying the team offensively at the beginning of the game, and disrupting McGrady on the defensive end.
Deron's answers were concise and comfortable.The reporters, me included, often make things more complicated and Deron is just about winning. He brings it back to winning in almost ever answer.

From his perspective, he is seated on a chair and there are 10 to 15 people mobbed around him asking questions. About 3 or 4 waves of reporters came through during the session. Some asked questions while others just put their microphone in for the audio. Each reporter has their different story they are working on, and everyone wants Deron's perspective. The reporters include three local papers, the Houston Chronicle, all the TV stations from both Salt Lake and Houston, and any radio or national reporters.

At this point in the season very few faces are recognizable. Many are out of town reporters. I could see going through Deron's head who is this guy, where is he from, and what does he want.

When he knows who the reporter is he likely to crack a joke or make a quip to him. He had a private session with ESPN before the game the other night, and they said he was engaging and pleasant.

ONE PLAY THE JAZZ RAN WITH GREAT SUCCESS

In Game 1 the Jazz used AK at the power forward spot, (also referred to as the 4). From that the Jazz ran a set called, "Automatic Thumb Down." The Jazz had amazing success with this play.

This is significant, because it has AK at the 4, and that is not a place where he has played a lot this year. This gives the Jazz another option for an already versatile team.

If you see AK catching the ball at the top of the key, and the Jazz running a lot of cutters along the baseline and around the outside of the key, the chances are this is the same play. It got Matt Harpring a few lay-ups late when he cut the baseline. Keep an eye to see if the Rockets have adjusted.

The Jazz success rate on this play was remarkable.

MORE OPTIONS FOR SLOAN

The Jazz played 82 regular season games, and according to everyone around the team never finished with the line-up they closed Game 1 with. The finishing five on the floor for the Jazz were Deron, Kyle, Harpring, AK, and Boozer.

Foul trouble forced Sloan to use AK as the power forward earlier in the game, and it worked. Sloan stayed with it.

It is amazing that the Jazz closed the game with a new combination. We have seen Hapring, Korver, or AK finish games, but never together, and never with Boozer.

This versatility is another reason the Jazz should be confident about this playoff run.

WHAT GAME IS MCGRADY PLAYING

An interesting side note for Jazz fans is happening on the Rockets end of things. After the game at practice yesterday, Tracy McGrady talked about how the Jazz are double teaming him, and his teammates are failing to recognize where the open players are. They are not making quick enough decisions.

The only thing is, (from everyone I talked to i.e., analyst, coaches, players,) the Jazz weren't double teaming McGrady.

KEYS TO WINNING GAME 2

1. An early start.The Rockets are 51-4 if they lead after three quarters, but just 2-23 if they trail. Also, to win on the road you need to play from ahead. It eliminates the crowd, and playing from behind is too tiring.
2. Eliminate Luis Scola on the offensive glass.
3.Hit "non-paint twos". The Rockets want the opponent to shot from the area outside the key or paint, and inside the three point line. They are called non-paint twos. The Jazz struggled with that in Game 1, but were able to get other looks. Those may disappear with some adjustments, and the non paint twos need to fall.
4. Dominate off the bench.

My radio show will be starting at 3pm from the Toyota Center. You can hear it on 1320 K-Fan or at www.thefansports.com, click Listen Live.

Let's get 2,

David Locke

I really liked Locke at first but he kind of bugs me now.

I like him, but I just get SO tired of all the stat crunching. I watch the game for entertainment, not for a math class...

HammerDunk wrote:I like him, but I just get SO tired of all the stat crunching. I watch the game for entertainment, not for a math class...

I think he is good. He is a loud mouth like Stephen A. Smith, but he actually spends some time to figure out what he is talking about. So far, his arguements and his coherent reasoning have led me to actually even bothering abour starting a thread.

He and Bill Riley are far and away the best sports radio guys in Utah, and it isn't really close.

They carry entire shows by themselves, they have a realistic view on how the game is played, and they watch the game outside of the Jazz.

Not coincidentally they both have worked for bigger markets before hosting their own shows in Utah.

Locke is a great radio guy and all, but he kinda gets annoying.

I hope Sloan gives AK more time at the 4, in significatn spurts.

ele.ven wrote:I hope Sloan gives AK more time at the 4, in significatn spurts.

+1. I really like AK at the 4 spot.

David Locke wrote:WHAT GAME IS MCGRADY PLAYING

An interesting side note for Jazz fans is happening on the Rockets end of things. After the game at practice yesterday, Tracy McGrady talked about how the Jazz are double teaming him, and his teammates are failing to recognize where the open players are. They are not making quick enough decisions.

The only thing is, (from everyone I talked to i.e., analyst, coaches, players,) the Jazz weren't double teaming McGrady.

I saw that too. You check the post game conference, and that was his excuse for underperforming, but througout the whole game he wasn't being double teamed. I didn't realize the disparity within the excuse and the reality until being made aware of it.