Rockets/Jazz - if only the playoffs started TODAY

With all the distractions of the Olympics and Rafer's drunken antics, I almost forgot that the Ron Artest trade should be official tomorrow. Which makes me "officially" wonder what the Rockets could have done last year if only we had the services of Crazy Pills during the playoffs.

My conclusion? There is no freakin' way the Jazz would have beat the Rockets in any of the two previous years if we had Artest on the roster. No freakin' way.

Yes, I know, the Rockets have lost to the Utah Jazz the last two years in the first round of the playoffs. Blah, blah, blah. It's not like Utah did anything thereafter. The Jazz are still o-for-forever on NBA Championship rings...

(haha, suck it, Utah!)


Ah, that taunt never gets old... but anyway...

Take a look at the rosters and matchups as they would exist today. Too many people think Utah might be one of the top 2 teams in the West right now. Those people would be wrong.

As of tomorrow, the Rockets roster/rotation will look like this:

PG: Rafer (sober, I hope)
SG: Tracy McGrady
SF: Ron Artest
PF: Luis Scola
C: Yao Ming

off the bench, we'll have the luxury of subbing in:

Shane Battier, Brent Barry, Carl Landry (I hope), Aaron Brooks and Chuck Hayes.

Which means we could have a 4th Q "finishing 5" of T-Mac, Crazy Pills, Battier, Scola and Yao. Would any team legitimately be able to expect to score more than 20 points in a quarter against that group? Even if the Rockets have trouble scoring on their own (which they won't), they are going to pose defensive matchup nightmares for every team they face. Close games are going to favor the Rockets. Finally.

Though, in the spirit of equal time, here's the rag-tag group the Jazz might throw out on the court next season in their continued effort to offend, insult and bore NBA fans nationwide:

PG: Deron Williams (okay, he's cool)
SG: Ronnie Brewer
SF: Andrei Kirilenko
PF: the guy who stabs blind guys in the front
C: Mehmet Okur

off the bench, the Jazz will have no choice but to turn to:

Ashton Korver, Matt Harpring (pwn3d, bitch!), C.J. Miles and Paul Millsap (unless they also want me to mention Jarron Collins and Brevin Knight, but I'm guessing "no" there).

Hmmm, let's see... starting lineup - definitely favors the Rockets. Major advantages at C and SG overcome Utah's only real advantage - which would be at the PG spot. But since Deron can't play the whole game, the Rockets' depth, size and experience would (and will) overwhelm Utah over the course of any game/series. And don't start with any "Boozer would kill Scola" arguments. Scola is a badass. Boozer is a coward. Scola already has a gold freakin' medal, while Boozer is playing the Christian Laettner role this year for the U.S. squad.

I am so ready for the 2008/2009 season to begin. Rockets v. Jazz, first matchup - Saturday, December 27, 2008 @ Houston. I'll take that belated Christmas gift, thank you very much. Ron Ron will have had 2 months to get acclimated to his new teammates. Correspondingly, the Rockets will have learned how to play as a team by then... uh oh!!!

Dave and I are men, and we lost a bet: Part 1

Dave and I made a bet with MyUtahJazz, that whoever won the series would get 2 posts on the other team's blog. This is Part 1 in the 2 part bet:

Here is a little update on what the Rockets have been up to:

Teacher: Welcome back class. How has everyone's Summer Vacation been so far?
Rockets players in semi-unison: Good teacher…
Teacher: Today I want to hear from some of you. Please stand up and give the team a quick report on how you've been spending your summer vacation up to this point. Tracy, why don't you go first…

T-Mac: Well, I went golfing with my cousin Vinnie. We tried to golf 18 holes…but after 15 holes I had no legs and couldn't finish. Um…what else…I bought a new Ferrari, just because I can. This was another great summer because I didn't miss my summer vacation I had planned in early May. That was nice.

Teacher: Thanks Tracy. It sounds like your summers are the same every year…lucky you. Who's next? Yao?
Yao: My foot still hurt. My government use special witchcraft to prepare me for Beijing Olympic team. Probably lose first round…want to be like Tracy. He my BFF. Carlos Boozer send me many 'Thank You' cards. I don't understand why.

Teacher: Thanks Yao. How about you Shane…
Shane: Well, I plan on going to Salt Lake this summer to hang with my old college buddy Carlos Boozer. He said if I mow his lawn and help around the house, he'll get me an interview with Coach Sloan and Larry Miller. I just want to get back to my winning ways and it seems like know what it takes up in Utah. Plus, Carlos said he would let me play some pick up games with he and Deron so I could see what it's like to play with a real unselfish superstar. I'm super excited!

Tracy: Lucky! I would go with you, but I'm just so tired. Plus, I would need some veteran leadership to show me around up there. I mean I'm only 30 and could easily get lost in a big city like Salt Lake.

Deke: Oh teacher…me! Me!
Teacher: Yes Deke.
Deke: I am Mormon now. Church ask me to do voiceover for new Bible on CD for members. Very excited.
Tracy: I was going to do a voiceover for them too…but I just got so tired…and why did they choose you over me? That was just a bad decision.

Teacher: Well thank you for the update everyone. I hope to hear from you later in the summer with some fun updates! Class dismissed…..Tracy, you can go now…..please stand up and go.

Tracy: I got no legs teach. I'm just so tired. Teacher rolls her eyes and walks out of the room and mumbles something about 2nd round virgins.

We're not going back to Utah!!!

Game 6. Tonight. 9:30pm.

If I see anything like this after the game... I am going to be very, very depressed.

I do want to see a lot of this though (and no, I'm not talkin' about Yao):

I am strangely confident that the Rockets will win tonight. I am not even the least bit nervous. Which is very rare for me. Or I could just be really, really drunk and not realize it.

Anyway, while Carlos Boozer failed to back up his statement that the Utah Jazz were "not coming back to Houston" - the Houston Rockets certainly are not going back to Utah after tonight's Game 6. Yes, I feel quite confident that no member of the Rockets will spend any amount of time in the state of Utah until the beginning of next season.

Of course, while the Rockets are in Utah for tonight - they might as well go to work, play hard, and come back to Houston with a victory. I'm just hoping beyond hope that the NBA sends referees that are also willing to go to work (and by "work" I mean "blow the freakin' whistle!"). Matt from HP cares not for my ref-based bitching, but he hasn't had to endure the Jazz/Rockets rivalry for the past 15-20 years. Refs are always an issue. Especially when Utah employed that thug Karl Malone.

(Yes, this is a photo of Tracy and Mr. Tim Donaghy. I am not subtle.)

Solution? Tracy - take the ball to the basket. Make the referees blow the whistle. Then - most importantly - make your freakin' free throws! All of them. No 4-8 performances tonight.

Also, Scola needs to make his layups in traffic, Rafer needs to shoot at least 35%, Luther Head needs to not play at all, Shane needs to make a couple 3s, Mutombo needs one big early finger-wag to piss off the crowd, Landry needs to get 5 offensive rebounds, Chuck/Scola/Landry need to NOT get in foul trouble, and Bobby Jackson must shoot better than 1-10. Is that asking for too much???

This thing is going 7 games.

Go Rockets!

On the Radio Today!

I guess it's my turn, so I will be on ESPN radio Los Angeles to discuss the blog, the Rockets and playoff stuff with Steve Mason at about 5PM CST. Dave did it last time, but I will take it over this go round.

Listen Live Here

I will be on with Kris from BasketballJohn, yet another Utah Jazz blog. I swear I had no idea there were so many Jazz fans out there, but it's well written and insightful. The main topic of conversation for the call will be: "Why would your team be a better match up for the Lakers in round 2?" It is an LA radio station after all, so a tie in to the Lakers is the goal.

I'd give away some of my talking points, but I don't want Kris to have them before the call.

Check out BasketballJohn here.

Where nobody knows your name

Go Rockets!

Let's Take This Thing to a 7th Game!

Last night was an absolutely wonderful experience. After complaining about the lack of fans in their seats prior to tip-off, by about 1 minute gone in the first the crowd was fully in place and rocking. I have been to Game 7 of the Finals, and to Game 3 of the Finals and it was not louder than it was last night. The arena was absolutely electric. Apparently only the real Rockets fans (and there are real Rockets fans that didn't make it) decided to show up for this game and I could not have been prouder of the fans for the first 46 minutes of the game. Utah Sucks chants (No, it's not classy, no I don't care), Let's Go Rockets, stomping and clapping left and right, it was a great experience. I do have to take a minute to whine about fans leaving early though. There is absolutely no advantage to leaving with 2 minutes to go in the game, none. Please, next time, sit your butt down and cheer for the team who just gave you your money's worth.

I'd also like to take a moment to say something to the guys over at MyUtahJazz and here goes: FU guys! FU completely! Stop being such nice, upstanding, good fans that I feel like I have to defend Jazz fans! I really liked living in my world that assumed all Jazz fans were a-holes, that whined incessantly and went home with their ugly wifes. Now I know that most Jazz fans are good people that just love their team and aren't any more irrational about it than I am with my team. Seriously, screw you guys.

I've ridden him a lot in 3 of the first 4 games, and I will praise him as he deserves it, but Tracy was incredible last night. He didn't really change where he shot the ball from, he changed how he shot the jumper instead. He didn't fall away from the basket, instead he used repeated spin moves and picks to shoot jumpers that he was able to step into or jump straight up for. It turned into his first non-sub 50% shooting night in 23 games. Good job Tracy! Instead of using his knee as a limiter, he drove just enough that the Jazz were forced to think about it. That opened him up to a decent amount of clean looks at the rim and it paid off. Good game overall and finally a good 4th quarter.

The team moved the ball well and played phenomenal defense, we even got a few favorable non-calls on some ridiculous flops by the Jazz. I loved every minute of being there last night.

Now we just have to take care of business in Utah to bring it home!

Game 5, Win or go Home

Why is it that I always get busy whenever the Rockets have something big going? Work has been nuts this week and while I have had a ton of thoughts, I haven't had the time to put them down on the blog. Pair that with the fact that my new laptop didn't get here until today, and my old one has decided to not allow typing on a consistent basis and you get a gap in posts. Luckily, or unluckily if you don't like emotional craziness (I happen to be amused by it), Dave has filled in during my absence, never skipping an F-Bomb laced, TMac not driving the lane hating, beat.

Tonight the Rockets take on the Jazz in Game 5 of the first round of the NBA playoffs. If they win, it's back to Utah, if they lose, it's back to the drawing medical ward to hope and pray Tracy and Yao can finally stay healthy for an entire season together. I will be there, live and in person, sitting all by myself screaming my head off. Dave is still trying to find out if he will get a ticket from a friend, but hopefully we will both be in the building.

If we win tonight (and I'll be honest, it will have to be a hard fough win), the Jazz better watch out because this series WILL go 7. And even though the Jazz are the better team with Yao out, they might not be able to win the series in that 7th game.

On a quick note: Tracy, suck it the fudge up, stop whining. Either you can play or you can't. If you can, I do not care one bit how much you have to go through to get there. That 19MM is a good soother of sore knees.

Rockets vs Jazz Game 4 Interactive Chat - Live Blog

Well how about THAT!

From a commenter this morning "Just about every questionable call went Utah's way, and the Rockets still pulled it out. "

I for one agree with that sentiment to a large extent. I had a unique perspective on the game last night as I went into the lion's den and tried to represent The Dream Shake on MyUtahJazz's live blog. (FYI, if they do it again, can some of y'all please come over and help me? Don't be jackasses, represent the Rockets fans well, but help me keep their heads out of the clouds.) And all game there was constant bitching about the officials and how the Jazz were not getting a fair shake in the game. Let me preface the rest of this with this tidbit: I have to give them credit that when I called them out on said bitching, they did watch replays and most of the time agreed with my assessment that either the proper call was made or the proper no call was made. I too ate crow a couple of times with my mis-analysis on the replays.

Okay, with that out of the way; every fan base thinks they are getting hosed. I for one cannot look at the free throw discrepancy and believe any Utah fan could think they didn't get the better of the calls last night. In that crazy fourth quarter stretch where the Jazz were called for 3 fouls on one series, they questioned every single one (Hell I would have too if it happened to the Rockets), but every single one was a completely legitimate call and I would have been furious if any of them were not called. For CB Jack, Ron Boone and UtesFan, read it back, y'all were crazy with a few last night. I don't point this out to say that there is anything wrong with the craziness, I just find it funny how different one can see it with Red or with Hideous Blue tinted glasses on.

Anyway, the Rockets played very well and didn't make mistakes. They only had a 22 game winning streak-esque 9 turnovers. And Rafer was a huge key to the game (He still sucks, don't worry loyal Dream Shake readers, I'm not going to jinx him!), his 5 assists to 1 turnover ratio was great and was exactly what the Rockets needed. Just to insure I don't jinx him, he did end the game on a 1-5 streak from behind the arc. He only played about 3 minutes of defense on Deron Williams, but honestly, that was probably the biggest key to the game. Locking up D-Will late turned the game in the Rockets favor. I liked that he didn't overexert the hamstring and used it when he absolutely had to.

Enough has been said about Tracy here lately, but it looked to me like he figured out how to properly help the team without killing himself through the first 3 quarters. He played defense in short spurts and didn't waste energy chasing someone unnecessarily, it really was pretty impressive. His fourth quarter was actually borderline good, mind you it didn't get all the way there, but it wasn't even in the realm of horrible like the first two games. His two last shots were not good (for the horrible almost missed everything last shot that is an understatement), but his defense on the other end made up for it both times immediately following the misses.

As Dave said earlier, Luis Landry is back! The Luis part hasn't gone anywhere, but the Landry part was a sight for sore eyes. He was everywhere, getting rebounds, chasing lose balls, willing the Rockets to a victory. Jazz fans that didn't get to see him during the streak, that is almost exactly what he was like every minute on the court. I say almost because his explosiveness isn't there yet, but he finally realized that he can still hustle and help the team.

All in all, I'm not getting my hopes up too much, but this is the Rockets team I thought would win the series in 7. A guy can still hope, right? Win Game 4 and I promise to bring my We Believe sign to the game!

Blogger Roundtable with MyUtahJazz

So, Tuesday night Lee and I took part in a blogger roundtable with the guys over at MyUtahJazz. Matt from Hardwood Paroxysm moderated... and led off with "hey, Dream Shake guys - so how screwed are the Rockets?" Needless to say... it was a "hey, salt - meet the wound" level of statement, but we rolled with the punches.

You can find the complete audio recording of the discussion here.

When the Rockets force Game 7, we've agreed to do this again.

Game 3: Rockets vs. Jazz

The Rockets go into the proverbial Lions den tonight, amidst, well...

Let's be honest. They're Mormon. And they're in Salt Lake. And there's nothing else there. ... You've got to smile and be happy all the time. This might be one opportunity for fans to get vicious."

Okay, so I don't agree with that sentiment at all. In fact, that was a really stupid thing to say by Bucher. I do believe they have the best home court advantage in all of the NBA however. Energy Solutions Arena is built so the fans are right on top of the players. The fans come in all the same color to the games and are loud and whiny the whole game. I truly believe it is one of the very few places that referees are actually swayed by the crowd. Every other place I believe that to be true is a college arena, there is no other NBA equivalent. The crowd in Utah is undeniably phenomenal for their team. Last year in the first round of the playoffs Golden State was able to pull that off, that was for one round, Utah does it every single game. My hat is off to those loud, whiny, dressing alike bastards.

Going into the game, Tracy is at it again, proving once again, you don't play with your mouth. The Rockets are down 2-0 and while, in an effort for full disclosure, we and just about everyone else have been harder on him than is probably necessary, he still is the "superstar" and needs to just suck it up. From Jonathan Feigen's article in the Chronicle today:

"It's my fault," McGrady said. "It's my fault we missed free throws. It's my fault we lost both games. Blame me. It's my fault we fouled to tie the game up. That's my fault. It's my fault they get easy layups. It's my fault we're not executing well on the offensive end. It's my fault a couple people in the stands ordered Heinekens and they got Budweiser. It's my fault. I'm sorry."

Told the beer reference might have revealed his straight-faced sarcasm, McGrady rolled on.

"I am serious," he said. "It's my fault. Everything is my fault. It's my fault. It's T-Mac's fault. "Everybody's blaming me. The Suns (for being down 2-0 to the Spurs). I mean, everybody. That's what it seems like. It's my fault. I'm out there by myself."

On the surface, what he said is hilarious. It just is. For instance, the Heineken part was pure gold. With any level of diving below that surface, it is truly tragic. Tracy simply does not get it. It's not his fault, I completely agree with that, but he doesn't even address that it is his problem. And as the 19MM per year player that he is, he gets to shoulder that blame. And again, for 19MM per year, in no way do I feel sorry for him. I loved his attitude before the playoffs last year, "It's on me". This year, he tried to deflect it to his teammates, which to me was his way of saying that you can't blame him if they fail. In the end, it's not about Tracy, it's about the team, so why does he always try to make it about what you can, or can't say about him?

Tonight's game will go a long way with me in determining if Tracy is just trying to bide his time with some words before he breaks out. I know he has a full four quarters of dominance in him. He's 28 years old and there is no way I believe he is so out of shape (NBA basketball superstar shape that is) that he can't go 4 quarters hard on 2.75 days of rest. To win this series, we have to have 4 full quarters, it's as simple as that. With a banged up team and only one of our two star players, it's on Tracy to get it done. He will need his teammates, but not nearly as much as they need him.

Yahoo allows us to break down Rockets/Jazz

Skeets over at Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie NBA blog was once again kind enough to delegate some writing responsibilties over to us. We naturally obliged. Like we're going to turn down the chance to further explain how much we hate the Utah Jazz??? Puh-leeze!

Rockets in 7, bitches.

The full article can be found here.

My Utah Jazz - The Least Sucky Thing about the Jazz

My Utah Jazz is, yep, you guessed it, a blog about the Utah Jazz. Tonight the Rockets will take on their beloved team and we did a Q&A session with Brock to get a little insight into the Jazz season. Check the site out here and leave a bunch of comments for them telling them how great their site is and how much we don't like their team!

Dream Shake: Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul, personally I take D-Will vs CP3 but CP3 vs everyone else. What make Deron that much better head to head, but a slight step behind the rest of the time?

My Utah Jazz: I don't know how far behind he really is. He has put up great numbers and carried his team to great heights just like CP3. As President of the "Stop the Media's Obsession with Chris Paul Fan Club" I honestly feel the NBA and all it's media outlets chose CP3 as their poster boy the day he was drafted and he will forever be given more attention than D-Will. That's alright though, as Jazz fans, we have a great amount of confidence in D-Will, even more so when he plays with a chip on his shoulder. Not only can he handle CP3, he hasn't done that bad against vets like Jason Kidd and Steve Nash. He is good. We just can't seem to get ESPN etc. to take notice.

Dream Shake: I saw a poll on your site a while back about biggest rival and noticed the Rockets were not their. I consider the Jazz our third biggest rival, and back in the day I would have said they were number one. Why such a drop off? Or do the Rockets really not hold any rivalry for Jazz fans?

My Utah Jazz: There is a good history there but I think it dwindled away when Stockton & Malone retired. Not that we haven't had great battles since then but as Jazz fans we tend to pick our rivals based on emotions. What does that mean? Well, we despise the Nuggets and the Lakers. DESPISE THEM. Losing to those teams is about as bad as it gets as a Jazz fan. However, if we have another epic battle between you guys in this years playoffs. I am guessing a rivalry is going to start brewing.

Dream Shake: Who is your pick for the "easiest" first round match up for the Jazz (With no mathematic way for them to take on Denver, Dallas or GS please pick from the top 6)? For the toughest?

My Utah Jazz: Personally, I believe it's N.O. We match up with them well and D-Will wants nothing more than to prove he can take CP3. We have had a lot of success with them in the past couple years and they are one of the top teams every Jazz fan can't wait to meet in the playoffs. I am not saying it will be a breeze, but I am confident we could win in 5-6 games.
The teams that make all Jazz fans curl up in the fetal position are the Lakers and Spurs. Our confidence is building with the Spurs but they still scare us. L.A. has worked us this year, and we want nothing to do with them this year. Does anyone?

Dream Shake: John Stockton or Karl Malone: Which player is most beloved for Utah fans, and no cop outs, you have to pick one? Which one is most hated outside of Utah? Personally, with Malone I don't even have respect for him on the court, with Stockton I at least respect how crafty he was. (I do have a lot of respect for Jazz fans, they have always been pretty classy in my book)

My Utah Jazz: Man, you are putting me on the spot. I know a lot of our My Utah Jazz bloggers have different oppinions on this. But, they don't have the floor so I am going to say Stockton. I had a chance to go to a NCAA Tourney game a couple years ago when it was here in SLC. During a timeout at a Gonzaga game they showed Stockton in the stands sitting with his family. The Utah Crowd stood and cheered for what felt like 20 minutes. He was a hard-nosed player that did not cause a lot of drama. He loved to play and he brought it day in and day out. He and Malone both rarely missed a game and you have to give them both credit for that. Had Karl not left to the Lakers before retiring I may feel differently. Stockton gets a bad wrap though because he wasn't a real community guy. He rarely showed his face while Karl would quite often. However, I was at a Little League Basket Ball even when Karl came to speak. Every little kid wanted to see him dunk the ball but he refused. Thanks Karl. Dunk the damn ball. That alone gives Stockton the edge.

Dream Shake: What's your favorite moment in Jazz history? And I think I'm setting myself up here...

My Utah Jazz: You totally set yourself up Lee. I remember exactly where I was, who I was with, what I was eating, and how bad I had to go to the bathroom. Stockton hitting that shot was the greatest moment in Jazz history. In fact,a few of us My Utah Jazz bloggers were together that day and video taped our reaction. Priceless. It should be a NBA "Where Fans get together and act like little children Happens." Some older Jazz fans may mention other moments but for all of us 20 and 30 something Jazz fans. It was certainly "The Shot" that earns the top spot.

I'll take a few please

I'm still ignoring last nights frustrating game for the most part, but I might find less anger later and post about it.

A few things were apparent last night. Yao has to be the focal point of the offense and when he is, the rest of the guys have less room for stupid shots.

So, I was checking out TrueHoop this morning and it contained a link to a Washington Times Article.

In it was this excerpt:

SEEN AND HEARD
In addition to a rigorous offseason training program, Wizards forward Caron Butler attributed his career-high 21.5 points and .481 shooting percentage to the work of shooting coach Dave Hopla, who joined Washington's coaching staff this season.
One of the elements of Hopla's expertise is shot charting, which is new to Butler and his teammates. It allows a player to see the spots on the floor from which he's shooting well — or poorly.
"It lets me know what I need to work on," Butler said. "And with the percentage now, I know from the floor, I'm shooting like 80 [percent] from 16 on in. It gives me confidence. I can come to a spot on the floor and know it's a good shot. I can be like 'Coach, I'm shooting 80! It was a good shot!' "

To which I have to say:

I so very much hate the Utah Jazz

It's been well documented here just how much I hate the Jazz. From their name to their past players to their coach to their arena even. My problem today? Past Carlos Boozer stabbing a blind man in the front, CJ Miles fucking over my Longhorns and Jerry Sloan I have absolutely no reason to dislike any current member of the Jazz. Deron Williams is the third best point guard in the league right now behind Paul and Nash (and yes in that order, no knock on Nash, who is a bad, bad man, I just think CP3 is better now). I don't even hate Boozer because I'm positive there is more to his story than got out. Ronnie Brewer is a dirty Razorback, but he's also a damn good dirty Razorback. AK47 is a player I would take every single second of every day on my team. Okay, I forgot about Okur, I do actually hate that guy. This, on the whole, is extremely disconcerting for me. So you know what I decided? Fuck it, I still hate the Jazz.

Utah has been an extremely poor match-up for the Rockets on defense in the last few years. There was no one that could guard Boozer, and it's unfair to ask Yao to do it. And it's idiotic to say that since Yao can't guard him that he is a poor defender. Yao is a 7'6 center, he's not supposed to guard a power forward, he's supposed to guard a center. The Jazz don't happen to have anyone for Yao to guard. I'm interested to see how much of a zone we run tonight and how much Yao guards Okur away from the basket. If he does, that leaves Scola and Landry to guard Boozer. Those two guys have been playing some pretty damn good defense as of late and are the reason I caveatted us matching up poorly in the last few years. I want to see what happens with him tonight. And I will say anything under 21 points is a successful guarding of him. We also have no one to guard Deron Williams. He's too fast for any of our guards but Aaron Brooks and he's way too strong for Brooks. I'd like to see us put Shane on him, but I have no idea who guards Ronnie Brewer or AK47 in that scenario.

On the flip side there is no one that can guard Yao or Tracy on the Jazz, no one. Boozer gets used even worse by Yao than Yao does by him. Again though, it is completely unfair to ask Boozer to guard Yao and wisely they don't try it too much. Unfortunately for them Okur has no business being on the same court as Yao. I guess Kirilenko has had extended stretches of "good" defense against TMac, but that was really more due to Tracy deciding he wanted to be a pussy and not drive on him. If Tracy drove every time down the court against the Jazz he would drop 60 on them. Sadly he may be deathly injured too if his injury history of late continues.

So where does this leave us? In a high scoring affair this evening at 6:00PM CST. One I think will be extremely entertaining.

Boozer's Hammy who lives in Afghanistan and works in accounting did a good review of what's upcoming for the Jazz in the second half : Here

And C.B. jack did a thorough mid-season review of the Jazz: Here

Both guys among like 50 other bloggers do a good job over at My Utah Jazz, though with that many bloggers shouldn't it have been "Our Utah Jazz"?

Let's Go Rockets, time to kick a new tune the Jazz way.