National Basketball Association

Can the Jazz slow the surging Nuggets?

Published Apr. 17, 2010 1:00 a.m. ET

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How Denver won and how Utah lost quickly established a pattern that might well continue for the remainder of this series.

First and foremost, the Nuggets almost exclusively relied on the fact that their roster is appreciably more talented than Utah’s. And, given the absence of the injured Andrei Kirilenko, this discrepancy was most obvious whenever Carmelo Anthony touched the basketball in his team’s 126-113 win at the Pepsi Center.

‘Melo simply had one of those magical games that great scorers sometimes experience — 18-for-25 shooting and 42 points. Virtually all of his shots/points resulted from his being in isolation situations, but Utah’s defensive (or defenseless) game plan also had something to do with Anthony’s explosion.

Sans AK-47, the task of guarding him variously fell to C.J. Miles, Kyle Korver and Wesley Matthews. As part of their strategy, the Jazz positioned one of their big men adjacent to the strong-side paint area with the purpose of preventing Anthony from driving the ball to the rim. Unfortunately for Jerry Sloan’s crew, ‘Melo simply took one or two dribbles to his left on an acute angle away from the basket, and then launched jump shots — leaving the visitor’s big men in no man’s land.

Even when the Jazz attempted to double team Anthony on the catch, he repeated the same maneuver — dribbling away from the slow-footed incoming help and burying mid- and long-range springers.

What must Utah do to remedy this situation?

Besides Anthony’s early and late marksmanship, Chauncey Billups had a significant role in getting Denver off and scoring. On several first-quarter sequences, Billups powered his way to the hoop past Deron Williams and through whatever big men came to help.

Utah’s remedy?

If Billups and Anthony carried the offense for most of the contest, it was the emergence of J. R. Smith at the beginning of the fourth quarter that opened up the game. That’s when Smith registered eleven consecutive points, mostly on 3-pointers. After scoring only a deuce through the first three periods, Smith wound up tallying 18 points in the decisive fourth quarter.

Utah’s remedy?

While it’s true that Carlos Boozer played with a recently injured oblique muscle, his defense was atrocious. Nene took it to him several times with great success, and Boozer’s rotations were either late or non-existent.

Utah’s remedy?

Ty Lawson turned on the jets and got to the basket much too easily.

Utah’s remedy?

Kyle Korver’s defense was equally poor on the strong-side and on the weak-side.

Utah’s remedy?

When the Jazz had possession, neither Boozer nor Millsap had any presence in the paint. Virtually all of their attempts to score when they received the ball in the low-post were stymied. Indeed, Millsap resorted to taking jumpers when he assumed the proper position, while Boozer registered most of his points on mid-range jumpers.

Utah’s remedy?

Williams had a miserable first half and didn’t get rolling until after the intermission. On the other hand, Miles got the Jazz off to a good start by attacking the rim early in the game—but was rendered useless when he picked up a slew of fouls trying to guard Anthony.

Utah’s remedy?

Given that Okur and Kirilenko are out for the duration, none of the suggested fixes will suffice to overcome the huge advantages that Denver enjoys in talent, athleticism, size, and depth.

Utah’s remedy?

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