D-Will needs to lead this team early, and take over when it is called for. Because he can. But he is not aggressive enough at all.

It just seems to me that D-Will is acting like the little brother who so badly wants to beat his big brother(Fisher), that it takes him out of his game. We all know the little brother is better and has more game, more talent. But big brother is in little brother's head, and uses that to his advantage to get little brother too psyched out. Little brother has to either settle himseelf and take it to big bro, or he loses again.

Basically, Williams needs to take it to Fish, and score or make him foul. Shoot pull up 8 footers in the paint at times(there every time) and go to the rack when the blockers are not there. That opens it up for the rest to shoot it.

As t Booze, we are getting from him what I expect when he is afraid to shoot a 15 footer. If he can;t knock those down, he is very limited.

The Jazz appear to have spent all their emotional energy during the Houston series. I think the Rockets took more out of the Jazz than everyone would like to admit. I know these guys are young and should be able to bounce back physically, but the truth of the matter is that they are still young emotionally and it is showing. DWill has been off his game (I think he is feeling the weight of the world on his shoulders with Boozer not contributing). He tries to get other members of the team involved and they clank shots, turn the ball over play uninspired basketball. If he tries to take over the game the Jazz get out of their offense and the team still stagnates.

Boozer is not himself. I don't know if he is injured or is in a prolonged slump? I am also wondering if he is being exposed a little related to his mental toughness. If he isn't injured he really let the Houston series intimidate him. He reminds me of Karl Malone later in his career when he started settling for jumps shots instead of taking the ball inside. The only difference is that Malone could at least make his jump shots.

During that extended stretch with Boozer on the bench during the second quarter I was glad Milsap was playing. He at least had the intestinal fortitude to go inside and to battle. Something we have seen very little of from Boozer.

As for the rest of the team......they may be satisfied with their win over the Rockets. They have not been able to adjust to the finesse game of the Lakers and the way the referees are calling these games. Frankly, if the Jazz cannot play physical defense they have no shot against this team. They do not have the athleticism to stay in front of people in the half court and their transition defense really suffers in the open court. I am not convinced the Lakers are that much better than the Jazz, but for the first two games of this series it hasn't even been close.

Locke Man,

Love your show. Love your approach. LOVE the geeky stats. Love your hatred for the Lakers!

Game 2 revealed a lot about the Jazz. They didn't execute on any of the pre-game "keys to victory" and it was again a big key to their loss. The thing that had me screaming the most at the TV was what you termed "play smart and focused". I agreed but after game 2 I would rephrase that to say "play with heart and desire". The Jazz (particularly Boozer and Memot) looked like they were playing game 2& of the regular season. The reason that those 2 guys in particular were getting killed is their attitude. Look, I think Kobe gets all the calls (I was surprised and pleased to see him get called for a couple of charges, even though those were pretty easy calls), but he gets calls because he plays aggressive and with CONFIDENCE. When he reaches in or puts a body on someone, the refs see a player who is in control in every sense of the word. When Memot or Boozer are out there playing tentatively and timidly (trying to NOT lose) the refs sense that and they get the foul, or don't get it when fouled. That's just my view of what goes on psychologically. Basically it comes down to the Jazz not having the eye of the tiger. I realize the Lakers are very good, but the Jazz can play better. The coaches can come up with a game plan, the fans can have all the confidence in them, but the players need to fire up. If the team was half as fired up as you were when you hung up the the Laker fan 2 days ago, they would have a better shot. It's desire, heart, and confidence. This is the playoffs baby and last night was sad. They put a mic on Odom and when they showed him telling his team mates to not let the Jazz get fired up, that said it all to me. They weren't. I could see it, Odom could see it, and the Jazz were never in it from the beginning& and yet they were close and that's the most frustrating part.

They got behind early and I had a knot in my stomach for the rest of the game. So much for play from ahead. I think that too has everything to do with confidence. The Lakers KNEW their shots were going in, the Jazz hoped theirs were&

Containing Odom: at times the Jazz seemed to accomplish this, then I'd see him go straight to the rack off the dribble. He is vital to opening the Laker's offense up and also essential to their team confidence. He seems to be a good emotionaly motivator for the Lakers, especially when he plays with confidence and the Jazz failed to knock him back on his heels. Side note: he owns Boozer.

Now for Boozer: maybe he isn't as good as we think he is. I've been saying that he needs to go to the rim. He has had success facing up and going hard (especially to the left it seems), but last night he got the ball shoved back in his face every time he went into the paint. I think Gasol is a nice player, but definitely over-rated. Boozer, do you realize this is the playoffs?! He hasn't had a good game yet (thats 7 games I believe). He struggled against the long-ness of The Big Disbelief (that's Mutumbo after he is hit with a foul) and now he has been aweful against the Lakers. No matter what slump or excuse you make for him, could he grab a few rebounds???!!! Give me a break. He is the Big Softie. No desire. Where is the eye of the tiger?

I think Deron always plays hard. He struggled a bit. Fisher is very good on him which surprises me a bit. The Lakers see the obvious: Williams is the head of the beast and they honed in to cut that off. It's working. They are making him work and no one on the team is stepping up. EXCEPT Milsap. What a man. He is more valuable to the Jazz than he gets credit for. He works, and plays with desire and WILLS himself to make in impact in the game. He was the only Jazz-man who didn't look intimidated.

As I'm typing this, I hear a sound bite from Boozer saying that it's tough to get into a rhythm when you get quick fouls. GIVE ME A BREAK BOOZER. The answer is the most basic sports cliché ever: YOU GOTTA WANT IT! Get yourself going and stop being scared of Kobe and the yellow jerseys. I'm sick of Boozer. Mostly because he has the ability and talent, but I really doubt his heart! He is not "bloodthirsty" in a competitive sense. Disappointing.

In closing, the Lakers are very very good and as you said, they dictated everything. I give them credit for not allowing the Jazz to get the offense rolling and get into a rhythm. Kobe is amazing (I freakin' HATE Kobe, but he is impossible to guard. The Jazz could learn some things from him. His skill and ability is only second to his aggressiveness and confidence.) He deserves the MVP and he will lead this team to a title and I will be irritated for the rest of the summer. I HATE THE FREAKIN' LAKERS!!! I agree with you 100%: how hard is it to be a Laker fan? How hard, also, is it to be a Laker? Losers want to root for a winner!

If you got thru this novel, I'm doing better than I thought. Go Jazz! The playoffs make me insane. My wife of 6 months made me mad maybe for the first time last night when she told me to settle down. Funny.

Mike in Lehi

I keep hearing all these reasons why the jazz lost and how we shouldnt' put too much blame on the refs...ie: the jazz aren't playing well, they are not hustling, they are not being agressive enough...right?

Well, since Locke just loves to point out stats, let me point out some:

There are some stats that are always tell tale stats that determine the outcome of the game for example:

Rebounds- this is a key stat as usually the team with the most rebounds is hustling the most and is more likely to get the most second chance points and shot attempts. Rebounds were 37 - 41: Advantage Utah.

Shot Attempts - is an important stat because it is fueled by the rebounding and hustle. 90% of the time the team with the most shot attempts wins because they also have the most field goals attempted and the most field goals made. Shot Attempts: 101-68: Advantage Utah

Shots Made: This is another key stat and it doesn't get any more obvious that this, the team that makes the most shots wins. Or usually does. Shots made- 45- 39: Advantage Utah.

Second Chance Points - this is a key stat because second chance points
are points made after a miss. Usually the team with the most second chance points wins the game 87% of the time. Second chance points- 21-2: Advantage Utah.

Turnovers Are a negative stat and show how good a job your team did of holding onto the ball. Turnovers result in the other team getting the ball- often via a steal which leads to a fastbreak or via throwing it out of bounds which results in more possessions for your opponent. Turnovers - 10-15. Who had more? The Lakers.

Points in the Paint: Usually points in the paint determines which team shoots more free throws as you are more likely to get fouled in the painted area. Points in the Paint - 40 - 58 Advantage Utah.

Free Throws Attempted: Free throws is an important stat that is determined by how large your television market is, as well as how many sneakers and jerseys your star player sells. Sometimes Free throws can control the whole outcome of a game and make all the other stats irrelevant. Free Throws Attempted- 43-16. Advantage: LAKERS


WELL????? Anyone care to explain?