Utah Jazz: Was is just another loss?


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SALT LAKE CITY - The Jazz lost to the Warriors 94-83. The fallout of the game though appears that it might be time to panic, but for the team it has to be just another game.

After a loss at home to the Warriors the Jazz fans have started to go a little over-the-top with a need to rebuild, but the team is still .500 without its starting point guard and entering the easier part of their schedule. Maybe it really is just another loss.

"It's a loss," said head coach Tyrone Corbin. "However you want to call it whatever you want to call it. It's one loss on our home floor that we aren't happy with."

#poll

One loss in 82 isn't that bad, bound to happen and even at home a team can have a bad game. But this one felt a little different and from the sample size of worry that was racing through Twitter it seems like fans believe a change is necessary.

Here is a tweet from @Peter_J_Novak, "The Jazz are now 90-92 in the fundamentally flawed Millsap/Jefferson era...at what point is KOC let go for his mediocrity?#GSWatUTA"

This is from Dan Clayton, @Jazz1600AM, "If I were a Jazz opponent I would play nothing but zone defense. #gswatuta"

What fans seemed to be agreeing on is that the Jazz team, or maybe the starting lineup, is fundamentally flawed and it showed against a team that was built differently.

The Warriors have their scorer in Steph Curry, their go to big guy in David Lee, their shooter in Klay Thompson and two role players who work hard in Harrison Barnes and Festus Ezeli. Then on the bench they play just a few men rotation with Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry providing big minutes and Andris Biedrins providing backup minutes for the bigs.

Jazz guard Earl Watson, left, and center Al Jefferson react after a series of turnovers during the first half of the NBA basketball game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The Warriors won 94-83. (AP Photo/Deseret News, Ben Brewer)
Jazz guard Earl Watson, left, and center Al Jefferson react after a series of turnovers during the first half of the NBA basketball game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012. The Warriors won 94-83. (AP Photo/Deseret News, Ben Brewer)

The Jazz seem to lack an identity, and that is what is disturbing after 30 games.

"I just think we didn't play the basketball we are capable of playing tonight," said Gordon Hayward. "That's easy to fix we just got to be ourselves I think tonight we weren't ourselves. We let them dictate the pace of the game and the tempo of the game. So I think we just got to be ourselves."

How can the Jazz be themselves. If last season is the barometer, then it could involve more Al Jefferson. He had 15 shots last night in fewer minutes than normal, but his best ability is his scoring. Paul Millsap is the engine for the team, his production has been a pretty good indication of Jazz success and he only had 10 shots.

Contrast that with the Warriors first and second options, Curry and Lee, who had 18 and 16. Actually the Jazz player who took the second-most shots was Alec Burks.

The numbers were surprisingly close for both teams in most categories except one: fast break points. The Warriors had 25 to the Jazz's 5.

That is a 20-point differential in an 11-point game.

"They had their Christmas on our homecourt," said Randy Foye. "You always want to win. They came out and they earned it. We held them to 40 percent from the field. We just couldn't get nothing to go. There wasn't anything terrible we did other than turn the ball over. I just think that we didn't make shots."

Neither team shot very well, the Warriors were just over 40 percent while the Jazz shot 38.6. The second half the Jazz held them to 2-9 shooting from beyond the arc, but couldn't get anything to go themselves.

"You think about a lot of things," Corbin said. "When you don't get your performance, you don't get the effort you're looking for and you lose a tough game like you lost tonight. You think about whatever can get you going. Will it change or not, I don't know. We have to play better."

This might sum up the feelings for most or all Jazz fans regarding the lineup. This is from John English, @jermsguy on Twitter, "Won't be happy if it's the same starting lineup on Friday, let alone the same roster after the trade deadline. #GSWatUTA"

It was a loss, even a bad loss, but Jazz fans are panicked, while the Jazz believe it is simply 1 out of 82. Fans tend to overreact and the players have to believe that they are adequate to win. The truth might lie somewhere in between.

The next two games are against the top team in the West, the Clippers, that might be a better clue as to who they are and where they have to go.

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Jarom Moore

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