Who's that atop the Northwest?

[Uisce Beatha]

i think I could have coached  stockton/malone  to  700-800 wins

"uh hey john,  dribble around, and run a pick and roll with malone.  karl, when he gets it to you, go in for a dunk or draw a foul.  the rest of you guys... get out of the way, and play a little defense.  good job guys."

Perhaps you might have.  But by that logic we should disqualify Phil Jackson and others.

Sloan coached the Jazz to 40 wins in 2003-2004 with *nobody* on the team.  Remember, they were projected to win less than 10 games and were considered in the preseason to be the "worst team ever".  He came in second to Hubie Brown.

900 wins and two finals or a 300% outstripping of expectations, either way he should have had one somewhere along the way.

[Aske]

i think I could have coached  stockton/malone  to  700-800 wins

"uh hey john,  dribble around, and run a pick and roll with malone.  karl, when he gets it to you, go in for a dunk or draw a foul.  the rest of you guys... get out of the way, and play a little defense.  good job guys."

Perhaps you might have.  But by that logic we should disqualify Phil Jackson and others.

Sloan coached the Jazz to 40 wins in 2003-2004 with *nobody* on the team.  Remember, they were projected to win less than 10 games and were considered in the preseason to be the "worst team ever".  He came in second to Hubie Brown.

900 wins and two finals or a 300% outstripping of expectations, either way he should have had one somewhere along the way.

i know, just had to poke a little fun at the 'methodical' nature of how the jazz won.  boring, irritating, etc to the non-jazz-fan.... but undoubtedly successful.

[Uisce Beatha]

boring, irritating, etc to the non-jazz-fan

You're probably right.  Funny though, that's what made them enjoyable to me.  I admitted earlier that I'm a fair weather fan when it comes to the NBA.  The reason being it has become a fast break, slam dunk and three point contest.  No fundamentals and entirely based upon superstars going showtime.  Sure it's an impressive athletic display but it barely resembles basketball.  I haven't watched ten minutes of the NBA in the past five years.

$0.02 and worth less than half that.   

[Aske]

boring, irritating, etc to the non-jazz-fan

You're probably right.  Funny though, that's what made them enjoyable to me.  I admitted earlier that I'm a fair weather fan when it comes to the NBA.  The reason being it has become a fast break, slam dunk and three point contest.  No fundamentals and entirely based upon superstars going showtime.  Sure it's an impressive athletic display but it barely resembles basketball.  I haven't watched ten minutes of the NBA in the past five years.

$0.02 and worth less than half that.   

oh, i dislike me-ball and dunk-fests too.  i don't even watch the NBA much anymore either,  still like the spurs and mavs though, and both actually play some team ball.    the thing with the malone/stockton thing... it got annoying because you know its coming, the defense knows its coming, and they still don't stop it
 

[spacey]

The old Stockton/Malone offense was indeed effective, but I've always maintained that it had more to do with Stockton and Malone than the pick and roll. The biggest issue I have with Sloan is that he has, until this season, appeared unwilling to adapt to the modern game. He's always claimed that if it's a running contest, the Jazz won't compete. With Malone, Stockton, Hornacek, Ostertag, etc. he was probably right. He's now, with the exception of Matt Harpring, got a very young and athletic team who can run with the best of them. For the most part he appears to be letting them, and I'm impressed.

Look at the team stats so far, it's quite obviously still a team game as far as the Jazz are concerned. They're fun to watch this season and hopefully that doesn't change down the stretch. Plus they're winning without Kirilenko, which gives a lot of optimism about the future to this Jazz fan.

As far as "knowing it's coming but they can't stop it," Jazz fans have those frustrations too. Pay attention next time they play a team known for shooting 3s (Sacramento, Phoenix, Dallas, etc) and notice how the defense will always collapse to the inside to double team the guy in the lane, leaving the perimeter wide open, every damn time.

[dystopia]

WTF?  The Warriors beat the Jazz tonight?

Hmm, the Golden State bandwagon is starting to look pretty good....

[Aske]

WTF?  The Warriors beat the Jazz tonight?

Hmm, the Golden State bandwagon is starting to look pretty good....

 

[spacey]

I didn't get to watch the game last night, but it sounds like the Jazz weren't dancing with them what brung them.