Story Created:
Feb 22, 2010
Story Updated:
Feb 22, 2010
Unthinkable.
Completely unthinkable.
Down 25 with 9:00 left in the 3rd and to win on the road without Memo, AK and to have Paul foul out in regulation.
I am writing this on the bus out of the arena and believe it or not we are 19 hours till tip off.
Back to tonight. This team has amazing heart. It fights and fights. Down 25 already having won 3 on the trip with a game the next night and they kept coming. Most impressively they ran down the Blazers to 10 on three different occasions and on each occasion the Blazers made a play to stretch it out till 15 but the Jazz kept coming and finally broke down the door.
The team as a whole has an attitude. It has a personality. That is what really good teams have. Beyond the talent they gain a personality and an attitude. Maybe it should be said they have a self belief and this team most definitely has developed that over this season.
If anyone has any doubt who the best point guard in the NBA is it is Deron Williams. No other point guard in the NBA could play the man on man defense he played tonight on Brandon Roy. He is the best. His heart and desire tonight carried this team. He was super banged up from the shot he got early in the game and he dug into the depth of his competitiveness to find a way to get the win.
Carlos Boozer on his career high tying 21st rebound followed it with a fading basket that may have been touched by Larry H Miller ever so slightly to alter its path into the net. His game symbolized the team. He battled but struggled early. His effort kept him in the game and kept the team in the game and when they finally broke through he was on fire and carried the team with a enormous night.
With Ak out with back spasms, Memo in Salt Lake for the birth of his kid and Millsap fouled out Jerry Sloan was left with Fesenko and the big man came through. He kept balls alive, he protected the rim and he made some nice offensive plays to kept the Jazz in the game and to finish off the win in overtime.
There are so many plays tonight, Korver’s big three, CJ with a huge rebound, Wesley with tough defense and numerous open floor attacks of the basket, this is a team with a personality and when that happens the untinkable can happen.
What a crazy evening.
