Wolves 110, Jazz 103
Posted on March 31st, 2008 – 12:17 AMBy Jerry Zgoda
The Wolves ended the month with their seventh victory in March, and their first over a team with a winning record bound for the playoffs. They did it by winning for a fourth consecutive time after took a lead into the fourth quarter, a particularly troublesome situation for them earlier in the season when they lost eight of their first 13 games when they led after three quarters.
This time, they did it by hustling more and executing better than Jerry Sloan’s team, who have been known for execution and hustle in his 20 seasons in Utah.
“It’s a great lesson for people to see what happens when you stay within what you’re trying to do,” Sloan said. “They kept executing. They kept running their plays, running them hard. They kept setting screens and this is what we have always said is important for us. But we came out sort of lethargic and really never did get into a rhythm.”
The Jazz did, though, play without starters Andrei Kirilenko (calf injury) and Mehmet Okur (stomach virus).
“Those guys being out did nothing but help us,” Al Jefferson said.
The Jazz has beaten every team in the league this season (only Boston has also done that), but they’ve also lost to about every lousy team in the East except for Milwaukee and in the West they’ve lost to Sacramento, the Clippers, the Blazers three times and now to the Wolves twice.
Wolves coach Randy Wittman started Corey Brewer for Kirk Snyder at small forward for the first time since Brewer hurt his thigh against Seattle at the start of the month and Brewer matched his career high with 16 points on 6-for-9 shooting (yeah, believe it) with seven rebounds and three assists. And he didn’t play a second in the fourth quarter after Wittman stayed with Snyder, Rashad McCants and Marko Jaric (who he moved to the point to combat big Deron Williams) for the entire quarter and paired them with Jefferson and Ryan Gomes down the stretch.
The Wolves have beaten the Jazz twice at home in the past five weeks. On Tuesday night against Detroit, they start the second half of this six-game stretch where they play winning teams headed to the playoffs. They finish their season series with the Jazz by playing there Wednesday night.
BTW, did you catch Derrick Rose’s performance in Memphis’ rout of Texas (there goes my last chance at winning the office pool) in Houston this afternoon? Think he wouldn’t look in a Wolves uniform? Given what the Wolves this season have discovered they have with Al Jefferson inside, I’m not sure the Wolves wouldn’t be better off, if a miracle occurs and they actually do better in the lottery than they deserve and not, landing the draft’s No. 2 pick than No. 1.
15 Responses to "Wolves 110, Jazz 103"
The number two pick in this years draft would be great. We can take Rose or Beasley, i don’t think you can go wrong with either of those two studs. I personally wouldn’t mind taking Rose and not resigning Telfair but i could live with Beasley!!
Beasley is going #1, so if you want him the Wolves are going to have to get the #1 pick. I agree that Rose would be a great back up plan.
If the Wolves did get the #1 pick, I wonder if they would trade down with the #2 team so that they still got Rose?
Psssst,
mchale, taylor, wittman, maybe you should consider draft position.
The playoffs are a long shot.
These clowns could fall out of a boat, and miss the water.
Please sell the team or if you decide to continue this idiotic behavior, move this franchise from our great state.
Rose vs Augustin was no contest. I really hope we get a lucky break in the lottery so we can draft him.
I am really impressed with how the Wolves played in March, and I hope they keep it up!
Dave may rabid wolves bite your tongue. We do not need this team to keep this up. We need losses and lots of them.
I agree that Rose has improved a lot over the season. Unfortunately it looks like the Wolves are going to draft in the 4-7 range again, where there is not going to be a can’t miss player. (Read the Wolves will miss)
Dave,
How did you manage to see the wolves, I mean, I’m sure their sold out everynight…..right?
I’ll second Dave’s observations!!!
The club is on pace to win as many games as they did in their first season. How can’t we all be positive?
Keep up the great work, fellas.
Who would people want to draft if the Wolves pick outside the top 2?
How about trading the pick and Walker for something else? There will be a few teams looking to blow things up or make big changes in the offseason.
Trading a pick would require thought from McHale and Taylor. Bad idea.
Idiots.
Your preference: Brook Lopez or DeAndre Jordan?
Brook Lopez
Hansborough would be a solid pick if he comes out. Cut richards if smith leaves, is smith stays cut richards. gomes can move out to the 3, that would be a big line up. foye-mccants-gomes-hansborough-jefferson. telfair/brewer/smith/jaric off the bench. or have brewer start and get the d-assignement and then bring mccants off the bench.
all that youth..keep ‘em together. ouch.
I second taking Lopez over Jordan….I think even Hilbert would be better than Jordan….Jordan has project written all over him…
Doucho: and his last few trades haven’t been steals? absolute, complete–steals? hmmm…
yes what a horrible tought to trade green for snyder a 2nd round pick and cash. terrible i say.
davis/blount–for what again? the 1st round pick alone made that a steal.
I think your threshold for declaring a trade a “steal” is rather low.
But you don’t hold this team and its management to any sort of reasonable standard, so I guess I’m not surprised.
