Howdy there ya outdoor enthusiasts!
Utah is home to some of the most beautiful National Parks and some of the most intense ski resorts in America. But thanks to the duckbill dinosaur, it’s also home to the biggest footprints in the world! That is, only until LeBron James and Co. come to town and leave a big, fat sole mark on the forehead of Carlos Boozer and the rest of those purple divas.
And here’s how it breaks down:
The Utah Jazz are looking for a little payback after the Cavaliers took ‘em down in the Q back in November. Cleveland has won four straight in the series and have taken four of the last six in Salt Lake City.
If not for the Minnesota Timberwolves the Jazz, who sit at 21-17, would be the cellar dwellers of the Northwest Conference. They are led by point guard Deron Williams who is averaging a team-best 19.8 points and 9.7 assists per game. He was inactive during the Cavs’ first run in with the Jazz. Carlos Boozer comes in averaging a double with 19.2 points and 10.4 rebounds a night. Mehmet Okur and Andre Kirlenko combine for better than 23 points and 10 boards a night for a Jazz team that is tough to beat at home.
What to Look For:
The Utah Jazz were without their All-Star point guard in the first meeting between these two teams but Cleveland was also lacking the support of the Big Fella inside. As we all have seen, having Shaquille O’Neal wandering around in the paint makes a huge difference on the defensive end. But without a big body to bang with O’Neal in the post, Utah has very few answers for the big man. Look for Shaq to post another night of solid numbers for Cleveland.
Delonte West was also inactive the last time these two teams met and is fresh off of a couple of solid performances. Look for Delonte to continue to be active on the defensive side of the ball and to use his quickness to get to the rim against the Utah Jazz on Thursday night.
Prediction:
It’s 21o and they’re calling for a little wintery precip Thursday night so ain’t nobody goin’ like bein’ outside today. That, my friends, is why the great game of basketball is played in heated arenas filled with about 20,000 fans who, on this particular night, will be screaming not-so-nice things at our beloved King. And that ain’t right!
But it’s okay ‘cause, to the King, it ain’t no thing but a chicken wing. Bron-Bron continues his aggressive play and nets 13 points in the opening quarter to go along with 5 assists as the Cavs lead 33-24 after one.
Cleveland has the best player in the NBA on their squad but Deron Williams isn’t too shabby himself. He helps Utah muscle their way back to a four point advantage heading into the break.
The Cavaliers come out with a little fire in the third period and the lead changes hands 11 times in the third quarter alone. But behind an impressive shooting clinic from Anthony Parker, Cleveland holds a one point advantage heading into the final period.
With his highness on the bench to open the final minutes, the Jazz pull out to an eight point lead and Mike Brown says, “Oh phooey!” and hands the game over to his young superstar. LeBron single-handedly outscores Utah over the next five minutes and has his team in a position to pick up the win with 45 seconds to play.
Having his team down a point doesn’t sit well in the stomach of Sir LeBron James and after an impressive block on one end, James carries the ball across half court with 22 seconds to play. LeBron dribbles left and waives off the screen from Anderson Varejao. He takes the ball into the lane and takes a peak at a HOT Anthony Parker camped out all alone in the corner. That quick peak gets the defender leaning and LeBron elevates and gives Carlos Boozer a taste of his knee caps as he flushes the two handed jam over the former Cavalier.
Wham with the right hand and aboard the bus they go! Cleveland wins 111-110 in the Energy Solutions Arena.