Meet
The Match Up Game
Posted by: Jeff Winget on May 1st, 2011
The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of the Utah Jazz.I don’t know about anyone else, but I was very surprised that the Memphis Grizzlies were able to upset the Spurs in their first round playoff series. My surprise is in no way an insult to Memphis. I think they are a fantastic team with a lot of young talent. However, they were playing the Spurs, one of the most successful franchises in the league over the last 10 years, who were coming off of a strong season. I thought the series would be competitive, but I thought the Spurs would win in 5 or 6 games.
The Spurs’ early exit from the playoffs brings up an interesting fact in the NBA that can’t be ignored if a team wants to contend for a championship: match ups matter. We learned this fact in 2007 when the number 1 seed Dallas Mavericks lost to Golden State in similar fashion as the Spurs lost to the Grizzlies. Back then, people said the same thing they are saying now, “It was a bad match up.”
The statement “It’s a bad match up” begs a question: How do championship teams avoid bad match ups? The answer seems to be that championship teams are flexible enough to exploit the weaknesses of the teams they play, no matter what those weaknesses are. Phil Jackson, love him or hate him, is very good at game planning for teams and exposing their weaknesses. Along with that game planning, he has been fortunate to have the pieces to be flexible in his planning. This flexibility and strategic use of it has to favor the Lakers going forward.
So, where do the Jazz stand in terms of flexibility? When healthy, the Jazz seem to be a very adaptable team. If they can pick up a shooter in the draft, they should be able to play several different styles and lineups in order to attack the teams they play. Playing Jefferson, Favors, and Millsap together makes the front line a nightmare to guard while at the same time playing Hayward, Miles, and our shooter-yet-to-be-drafted together allows the Jazz to go small and run a team out of the building. Of course, this scenario is all predicated on the team remaining healthy, which requires a little luck–another trait of championship teams.
Overall, I’m excited about the offseason and the draft, and I’m hopeful about the Jazz. I honestly feel they are a piece or two away from being a dangerous young team next year and a contender in a couple of years. The pieces are coming together, and Coach Corbin seems willing to be creative and adaptive to situations in order to best utilize those pieces. This young team could be a master of the match up game for years to come.
Replies: 12
Views: 670
12 Responses
When you look at the Spurs, and Magic both out it kind of softens the blow to the Jazz. Nuggs and Blazers also out. The Jazz will have versitile players next year to help with matchups.
The Spurs just didn’t have enough beef inside. If they had anyone who could help Duncan it would have been a different series. Blair was a total failure and McDyess was just overwhelmed. If they had one huge guy to push Gasol around (like Fes) I think the tone of those games would have been much more favorable towards the Spurs.
Nice post, I completely agree. I just hope the Jazz players can realize this concept as well, and not get butt hurt over riding the bench one game and starting the next. Mainly Paul Milsap.
It is going to be awesome to see Al, Paul and Favors starting together (because its going to be a *%&^ fest), but there is certainly going to be games when the Jazz will need to start a Defender at the 3, such as AK, and Favors is going to be a much better matchup defensively than Paul at the 4 in most cases.
Definitely agree that if we’re smart, we could play the matchup game well next year
Something that Sloan wasn’t really into as much, and Ty seems much more flexible toward. Great post.
I have always loved during the Williams years how flexible our team was.. we could grind it out with Houston in once series and out run the Warriors in the next. I feel this year before the trade we didn’t do that well. Now we are almost without an identity.
We have the pieces to be a versatile team I hope everyone can suck up their pride and do whats best for their team no matter who we are playing.
This is a bit off subject. (By the way, good blog) Did anyone notice that Boozer isn’t practicing again because of turf toe? Just something I wanted to mention if we are looking back at any past years playoffs.
Boozer got a papercut once and was out for three weeks, so I’m not surprised.
Not that I will ever change any of the thousands of Boozer hater fans on this site, Boozer is starting tonight against Atlanta. Do you all have similar problems with Heinrich being out probably the whole series, maybe he is afraid to face his old team?
Deb. Boozer sat out the mist important game last season versus the Suns. Winning would’ve given us the three seed and the easiest path to the Western Conference Finals while giving LA (our toughest matchup) two rounds of THEIR toughest matchups before we met them in the WCF.
He sat out with a RIB strain. We lost, got the fifth seed and got Denver then LA as our first two matchups. I’m sure his ribs hurt, but I doubt it’s not a hurt you can’t play through. Boozer sits if he’s not 100% perfect health, and that’s my problem with him. Important game and he’s only 95%? Not going to play. Turf toe? Rib Strain? Calf strain? Broken Pinky? You don’t see the pattern? Boozer putS himself above the team unnecessarily. He SAYS the right things, but his actions show he’s really all about two things: Carlos Boozer and money.
@KC: It was a strained obleke. Chicago fans are up in arms about Boozer. On their board, the overwhelming consensus is to trade him. But no one wants a half-assed player with a $75 million contract. LOL you get what you pay for, Chicago!!!
Scottie Pippen has also criticized Boozer’s lack of effort, and openly admits to not liking him.
I guess Chicago did get what it paid for by finshing with the best record in the NBA. Are these fans that are all over trading Boozer the same fans who were very anxious to trade Noah for Carmello Anthony last fall. WOnder where Chicago would have finished if they did not picked up Boozer and had traded Noah? Never been a big fan of Scottie Pippin, it did not look like he liked Stockton or Malone when he was involved with them either.
Let me quote from Kurt Kragthorpe at the Tribune who knows much more than I do “While missing 23 games with injuries, Boozer averaged 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds for a team that won 62 games. Boozer is a major reason the Bulls finished 62-20, the NBA’s best record. Boozer was particularly valuable during the 24 games that center Joakim Noah missed. Boozer is the only starter among the three former Jazz teammates now playing for the Bulls.”
I’m not so sure Boozer was any sort of key to the Bulls 62 wins. Plug almost any other starting Power Forward (many of them much less expensive) into that Bulls team, and I think the result is the same, if not better.