The Utah Jazz only had 8 players at their disposal against the Denver Nuggets, the Jazz didn’t have anything to lose and they played like it. The Jazz beat the Nuggets 107-103 in a barn burner, both teams had no problem scoring and couldn’t stop each other all night!! Utah was led by Rookie forward Gordon Hayward, Hayward scored 34 points!! That is the most points scored by a Jazz Rookie since 1983!! The young fella also contributed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal! The Nuggets ARE in the playoffs and probably wished they hadn’t played their starters, Ty Lawson went down with a sprained ankle and the playoffs start THIS weekend!! Hayward didn’t do it alone as Al Jefferson hit what turned out to be the game winner with 35 seconds left. Jefferson finished the game as well as the season with another double-double, 17 points and 10 boards!! Denver was led by Wilson Chandler who went off for 27 points, some of Denver’s key players didn’t play in this game. Denver and Utah shot 50% from the field and 80% plus from the charity stripe, the difference was the three point line. Denver shot just 3 of 14 from deep, while Utah hit at a much higher clip going 8 for 15!! Derek Favors got the start tonight due to the litany of injuries the Jazz were suffering from, the kid filled out the stat sheet fairly well. Favors had 12 points, 7 boards, 3 dimes, 3 steals, and 2 blocks!! Devin Harris closed out his first year with the Jazz with 21 points and 6 assists, I’m sure no one was prouder than first year coach Ty Corbin!! It’s been an extremely difficult year and they went out on a high note by winning the last 2 games of the season. This offseason will be vital for the Jazz as they figure out what direction this team is headed in, it will also be just as important if not more for the League. Their is rumors of an impending lockout, how much of the season will be at stake if any and is it possible for the 2 sides to reach an agreement prior to this years NBA Draft?? Many questions will need to be answered as the postseason draws to a close, thank you for reading this blog this year!!

The Utah Jazz did something different tonight, they WON!!! They finally put it all together and got the win. The Jazz led wire to wire in this one to beat the New Orleans Hornets 90-78, that gives the Jazz their 38th win of the season!! Utah was led by the play of CJ Miles and Devin Harris, each of them scored 18 points. Four of Utah’s five starters finished in double figures, the only player that didn’t was Al Jefferson with 8 points surprisingly!! Jefferson did fill out the stat sheet with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 blocks!! The Hornets were led by Chris Paul, Paul was held scoreless in his last game!! Against the Jazz he had 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. The Hornets were never really “in” this game, as the Jazz came out strong and finished that way as well. The Hornets did hold an edge on the boards, beating the Jazz 42-32. Paul Milsap finished with 16 points and 6 rebounds, Gordon Hayward scored 14 points in his starting role. Utah’s bench didn’t really contribute much in terms of points, they did play good defense though. Derek Favors led the 2nd unit with 6 points, 4 boards, and 3 blocks!! It was really good to see the Jazz win, it’s been a LONG time coming!! The franchise has been through a lot this year with the departure of Jerry Sloan and Deron Williams, I hope they retain Coach Corbin. He’s been dealt an extremely full plate and the fact that the players have yet to quit on him speaks volumes!! I hope Utah can end this tumultuous season on a relatively  happy note. Up next for the Jazz are the Denver Nuggets, that game will be a home game for the Jazz!!

This has to have been the worst season for the Utah Jazz EVER, it truly seems as if they are having a nightmare and are NOT ALOUD to wake up!! Almost every game mirrors each other, Utah starts slow, fights to get back in it, only to make a few costly mistakes that they can’t recover from. This time it was against the Spurs, the Spurs kept the NBA’s best record at 61-19 by beating the Jazz at home 111-102. Utah just can’t snap out of the spiraling downfall they have been in since the All-Star Break. You have to give them credit because they come out EVERY game and fight for the W, it just never comes to fruition. The Spurs have began to rest some of their key guys as Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli, and Tim Duncan barely played over 20 minutes in this game. Richard Jefferson stepped up and had his first 20 point game in what seems like forever for the Spurs, Jefferson finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds. Utah was led by  Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap. Big Al had 23 points and 8 rebounds, Milsap had 16 points and 3 boards. Rookie Derek Favors has been extremely productive since the trade and contributed 17 points and 5 rebounds off the bench. Wings CJ Miles and Gordon Hayward combined for just 11 points, Hayward had 9 of those points while Miles struggled with his shot. Utah shot 53% from the floor on the night, while that was definitely a positive they allowed the Spurs to shoot even better at 57%. Utah’s next game is on the road in New Orleans, they play Monday night!!

The Portland Trail Blazers are now in 6th place in the Western Conference Playoff Race after disposing of the pesky Utah Jazz. Utah fell behind early and never recovered, the Blazers beat the Jazz 98-87. This loss was just another blow to the injury depleted Jazz, I’m sure they can’t wait for the season to end so they can start fresh! I do want to say I truly respect the manner in which the Jazz have competed, there hasn’t been 1 game where they haven’t stopped fighting or playing for their new coach. Portland jumped out early in this one and never really gave the lead up, every time the Jazz would make a run Portland answered with a run of it’s own. Portland’s wings ran amok tonight, Gerald Wallace and Nic Batum combined for 6 of 9 shooting from deep. Wallace finished with 29 points, 8 boards, and a block!! Batum scored 21 points, no other member of the Blazers scored 20. Utah DID get Devin Harris back for this game, they also only had 9 PLAYERS healthy enough to suit up!! Utah has been hampered by injuries all year it seems, Harris did have a big game scoring 26 points and hitting 5 three pointers!! The bad for Harris was that he turned the rock over 7 TIMES!!  CJ Miles and Gordon Hayward both struggled tonight as they scored 10 points a piece, the bigs did come to work for the Jazz though. Paul Milsap had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Al Jefferson scored 10 points and grabbed 14 boards!! The duo combined for 5 blocks in this game, rookie big man Derek Favors provided 8 points and 7 rebounds off the bench. This loss dropped the Jazz record to 37-42, their next game is Saturday on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.

The Utah Jazz did what few people thought possible, they went into Los Angeles and beat the red-hot Lakers!! Utah  was short-handed as has been the case most of the season, as Devin Harris missed another game due to an injury. Utah beat the Lakers 86-85 despite Andrew Bynum’s big night on the boards, Bynum scored 12 points and pulled down 23 rebounds!!! Utah still out-rebounded the Lakers 52-49, no one other than Bynum grabbed more than 8 boards. Utah really fought the Lakers from tip off until the final buzzer sounded, even then if it weren’t for Kobe Bryant dropping a pass this might have turned out differently. Gordon Hayward must have been upset about his Alma-Matter Butler loosing to Uconn last night and took it out on the Lakers. The Rookie scored a career high 22 points as well as grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists!! Hayward really came up big this game, his free-throws put the Jazz up by 1 with 6 seconds left. Utah’s starting line up was different for this game, maybe the added size is what made the difference. Utah started Al Jefferson at center, Derek Favors at power forward, and Paul Milsap at small forward. That gave Utah more than enough size on the floor to battle the Lakers tall front line. Favors had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks!! Milsap had 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 swats!! Al Jefferson finished with 11 points, 11 boards, and 3 blocks. CJ Miles had a horrible game, that’s why Hayward’s contributions were so important!! Utah improved their season record to 37-41, their next game is Thursday. Utah plays host to the Portland Trailblazers, maybe they can build on this win against the Lakers, who knows??

The Uconn Huskies had enough gas left in the tank for one more, they rallied to beat the Butler Bulldogs to be crowned the 2011 Mens College Basketball Champions. The Huskies have won every game they played outside of their conference and in neutral sites, the streak continued from Maui in tournament settings this team is now 14-0!! Connecticut can now add Houston on to the end of  that Maui-Manhattan phrase. The old adage never rang more true, “Defense wins Championships.” This was an extremely sloppy game, I don’t know what people were expecting but this is how Butler makes teams play. They slow the game down to a crawl and force you to play their way, the problem for Butler was that they have never played a team as long as Uconn. Uconn’s defense is the reason they won in Maui, the reason they won the Big East Tournament, and the reason they won THIS game!! Uconn is able to really get after teams and challenge shots, seldom does setting just 1 pick do the job. Their were times during this game where Butler set picks and Uconn’s hedger kept their position long enough that it almost became a double-team. The Huskies challenged almost every shot, that’s what they did to Kentucky except people didn’t want to readily admit that. It’s what Uconn does, the stifle you defensively until they get going.

The first half was a perfect example, Butler had a clear advantage with Uconn in foul trouble. Kemba Walker, Jeremy Lamb, and Alex Oriahki were all on the bench with 2 fouls and Butler could only take a 3 point advantage!! When the starters returned in the 2nd half, Uconn suffocated Butler for 9 minutes and change while going on a 22-3 run!! Uconn held Butler to just 3 two point Field Goals!!! Think about that for a second, most of the talking heads on television aren’t going to let you know that. Butler had NO faith that it could generate ANY points in the paint, let alone inside the 3 point arch!! Uconn held a 41-28 advantage at that point and went on to win 53-41. Uconn got their offense on track in the 2nd half by finding Jeremy Lamb, he finished with 12 points with 11 of them coming in the 2nd half. Kemba Walker didn’t have a great night shooting(16 points on 5-19), but he grabbed 9 rebounds. Lamb also corralled 7 rebounds while providing GREAT defense on Butler Star Shelvin Mack. Shabazz Napier did a great job running the offense while he was in, but he also helped by grabbing 4 rebounds. This might not make it out there with what the perimeter guys did, but Alex Oriahki really imposed his will in this game. Oriahki had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 blocks. He helped Uconn OWN the paint and made Matt Howard an afterthought, Howard struggled finishing with 7 points on 1 of 13 shooting. Roscoe Smith also was a reason that the Huskies held a 51-40 rebounding edge. Roscoe didn’t impact the game offensively at all, on the defensive end he grabbed 4 rebounds, blocked 4 shots, and altered numerous other shot attempts. Even Neils Giffey got in on the action, the seldom used freshman scored 6 points and grabbed 4 rebounds. This was an outstanding team defensive effort by the Huskies, Butler shot 12 of 64 from the field and 9-33 from deep!! Congrats to Connecticut on their 3rd National Title!!!

This has been a long journey since the beginning of the season, I can’t sit up here and tell you that I knew this was going to happen the whole time because that would be a blatant lie. I CAN tell you that I had faith that this team wasn’t nearly as bad as most predicted it would be prior to the start of the season. I CAN also tell you that I’ve always been an advocate for how talented this freshman class was and how offended I was that many never gave them their due credit. I can also tell you that I KNEW if anyone was capable of molding and developing all of this young talent that Jim Calhoun was the perfect man for the job. I WAS a big Kemba Walker fan prior to his meteoric rise this season, I knew big things were going to happen for him this year when I heard the noise he made on the USA Select Team this past summer. This team has become my FAVORITE Uconn team thus far, purely because of how far they had to go to get here and the blatant lack of respect they were given. I enjoyed every part of this season, and most of all I enjoyed writing this blog all season long. What made this experience that much better is that I AM a Uconn fan and have been one since the days of Donyell Marshall. It was a shame that Kemba Walker didn’t get Player of the Year, but I will happily accept Uconn’s 3rd National Title instead!! Thank you all for reading, hopefully I’ll be able to cover Uconn again next year!!

-Kemba Walker named Final Four Most Outstanding Player and named to the Final Four All Tournament Team

-Jeremy Lamb named to the Final Four All Tournament Team(Jeremy also made All-Region)

-Uconn’s 3rd Championship, Jim Calhoun is the oldest Coach to ever win at 68 years of age

-Butler shot 18.8 percent the lowest in National Championship Game History

-Butler became the 4th team to lose consecutive title games

The Utah Jazz just lost their 6th game in a row, this game is a perfect example as to what their season has become. Utah lost to the Sacramento Kings, who have been struggling all year!! The Kings beat the Jazz 106-97 to get their 22nd victory of the year, the Kings led wire to wire in this one!! Utah has really fallen on some rough times, it’s  truly been a long year for the Jazz. They lost their Hall of Fame Coach and their All-Star Point Guard, they haven’t been the same since. Sacramento did as they pleased this game while facing little resistance from the Jazz. Tyreke Evans scored 24 points and dished out 10 assists. DeMarcus Cousins had 17 points, 9 boards, and 6 assists!! The Kings shot 51% from the field as a team, Utah did nothing. The Jazz were led by Paul Milsap with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Al Jefferson struggled. Big Al finished with just 11 points, he did grab 9 rebounds though. The only other 2 Jazz players with double-figures were recently signed Kyle Weaver who had 19 and Gordon Hayward who also scored 19. They got little to none in terms of contributions from the rest of the team!! Utah should be ashamed of themselves for loosing this game, they should go out fighting not like this!! Utah didn’t even look like they cared that the Kings were taking it to them, I think this team is ready for a fresh start. Better yet, the organization has to be ready for a fresh start! This year didn’t go well at all, it certainly didn’t get any better after Coach Sloan and Deron Williams departed. If the Jazz didn’t already feel low, they take on the Lakers Tuesday night!!

This Uconn team has done it again, the did what most of the world thought they couldn’t by making it to the Title game Monday Night. This was a very sloppy game with a great ending, the Huskies turned the ball over way to much and Kentucky couldn’t hit a free-throw when they needed it!! Uconn held on from wire to wire to beat the Kentucky Wildcats 56-55, the Huskies keep marching on under the leadership of Jim Calhoun and star pupil Kemba Walker. This game was a perfect example of how Uconn isn’t a one man team!! Uconn got help from everybody on the roster tonight, Kemba only had 18 points yet he accounted for 32 of Uconn’s 56 points. Walker also had 7 assists and 6 rebounds, he never really forced the issue and really ran the offense and trusted his teammates. Uconn’s defense is what go them this victory, they made Kentucky shoot 33% from the floor and 33% from deep as well. Kentucky did make enough threes to erase a 10 point deficit to give themselves more then a great chance of winning. This was a GREAT game, the difference in this game was mental toughness. Uconn has gotten very good at winning close games, they do the little things by not allowing penetration for their defense to get broken down. Kentucky lived on the perimeter down the stretch, well for the entire game actually. Kentucky’s guards were not able to get into the teeth of Uconn’s defense, where as Uconn routinely got into the lane to start trouble on the offensive end. Shabazz Napier could have been the goat for Uconn after turning the ball over, but due to Uconn’s outstanding D Shabazz grabbed a rebound, got fouled, and knocked down both free throws.  They confident youngster played big all game and especially down the stretch!! Napier had 4 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Jeremy Lamb made enough plays when asked to help his team, Lamb finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists. Uconn’s peremiter guys did a great job driving and dishing to the bug guys, Uconn out-scored the Wildcats in the paint. The big guys Alex Oriahki, Charles Okwandu, and Roscoe Smith did a great job on the boards and finishing in the paint. Oriahki had 8 points and 10 boards, Roscoe had 6 points and 7 boards, the Uconn Bigs helped the Huskies to a 38-35 rebounding margin!! One of the impressive things about this game for the Huskies was their ability to run their half-court offense, this was a weak point for them coming into this game according to the talking heads. Uconn really played at a slower pace than normal and excelled at it, this brings their record in Tournament settings to 13-0!! Uconn found a way to win and they WILL have their hands full against a sound Butler team Monday night, hopefully Uconn can again find a way to win!!

The LA Lakers are on a crazy run right now, they are 17-1 since the All-Star break after beating the Utah Jazz 96-85!!  Kobe Bryant went off for 21 points to lead his Lakers past the Jazz. The Utah Jazz had a few days off before this game with the Lakers, the Jazz came out on FIRE!! Utah was strong on D and did a great job getting open looks on offense. They really battled the Lakers on the boards in the first half, unfortunately the Jazz had trouble closing out the first half. The Lakers decided to roll up their sleeves and match their opponent’s work ethic by closing the half strong and cut a 17 point deficit to just 6!! As the second half began, the Lakers flexed their 2-time defending Championship muscles and took control. The Laker Bigs got going and the Lakers took off, Utah’s bigs got into foul trouble in the 3rd. Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap picked up their 3d and 4th fouls in the third quarter, going into the 4th quarter the Jazz were trailing. Utah did get a chance to look at it’s future with the younger guys all in the game together, Gordon Hayward, Jeremy Evans, and Derek Favors. The Lakers finished off what they started in the 3rd quarter by routing the Jazz in the 4th!! The Lakers went from down 17 to up 18, there’s a reason they’re the 2-time defending champs!! CJ Miles did have a fairly decent game against the Lakers, Miles finished with 24 points for the Jazz. Jefferson had 17 points and 10 rebounds to help the Jazz beat the Lakers on the boards 44-39. With Memphis winning last night, the Jazz were officially ruled out as a playoff contender. Utah still has a chance to finish at .500, there next game is Sunday on the road against the Kings.

The Washington Wizards just got their 2nd road win of the season, they will forever be grateful to the Utah Jazz!! The game went into overtime, but the Wizards went in to Salt Lake City and beat the Jazz 100-95! Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Jazz, THIS HAPPENS!! Utah has to be disgusted about the outcome of this game, this was the PERFECT opportunity for the Jazz to get back on track. The Wizards are THE worst road team in the ENTIRE league, the Wizards won behind a superb effort from John Wall. Wall had 28 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal! The Jazz started the game off well by out-scoring the Wizards 21-16 in the first quarter, then they fell behind as the Wizards put up 35 points in the 2nd quarter to Utah’s 22!! The Wizards had the lead up to as many as 12 before Utah’s young guys fueled  a rally. The game went into overtime and that’s when the Wizards regained their control on the game, they out-scored Utah 15-10 in the extra period. Wall took advantage of Utah’s injuries, with Devin Harris sidelined it left Earl Watson to try to defend the uber-athletic Wall. Wall did what one does when they feel they have a mismatch, he exploited it! Watson did have  a fairly decent game with 13 points, 7 boards, and 9 dimes. He just wasn’t able to match Wall’s physical gifts, the Wizards also got a big game out of Jordan Crawford who scored 25 points! As mentioned earlier, Utah’s younger guys really led the rally. Utah was led by Al Jefferson with 15 points and 16 rebounds, CJ Miles scored 17 points as well. Utah’s bench really contributed in this game, Jeremy Evans finished the game with 6 points and 3 rebounds. Gordon Hayward stuffed the stat sheet by scoring 12 points, grabbing 4 rebounds, dropping 4 dimes, garnering 2 steals, and earning 2 blocks!! Derek Favors also did his share of stat sheet stuffing recording 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks!! Utah has really struggled since the Deron Williams trade, I didn’t think it earlier but now I can accept that this season is not going to end with a post-season berth. Utah does need to think about how they plan to build this team and who they plan to build it around. The Jazz next play Friday when they host the SURGING Lakers, the Lakers have won 15 of their last 16 games!!