[Raji]

The big question: Different story for Jazz-Spurs Game 2?
Mon, May 21, 2007By Julian Dickinson

In Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the San Antonio Spurs looked like they were a different league.

For one half, anyway.

They were up by 18 on the Utah Jazz at halftime. They controlled the tempo, made their shots and even went Harlem Globetrotters on the Jazz as Tony Parker bounced a pass between the legs of a flat-footed Mehmet Okur.

It was all going down the tubes for the Jazz, but in the second half, they woke up and closed the gap to put a good scare into San Antonio supporters, who were laying 6 ½ points with San Antonio. In the end, it wasn’t enough and the Spurs squeaked out a 100-108 victory and held onto the cover by their fingertips.

Now, going into Game 2, you have to wonder if Utah can carry over the momentum from their impressive second half, or if San Antonio will play a full 48 minutes.

The thing many people don’t realize is that the Jazz actually match up well against the Spurs. Even though the Spurs would probably clean up in a popularity contest, the Jazz have the players on their roster to be more than a bump in the road to a Spurs appearance in the Finals.

Deron Williams isn’t quick enough to hang with Tony Parker on defense, but Parker will get out-muscled every time Williams has the ball. Carlos Boozer is a big, physical, athletic forward who is as good an answer to Tim Duncan as you can get. Even if you want to get into a shootout, Derek Fisher can match Robert Horry big shot for big shot.

"We're similar, as far as the makeup," Boozer told the Salt Lake Tribune earlier this week.

So going into Game 2, bettors have to ask themselves if they will see the Utah Jazz of the first half – the one that looked overmatched and out of its element – or the second-half version which transformed a blowout loss into a near-cover by outscoring the Spurs 64-54.

“This is not an easy call,” says Covers Expert David Malinsky. “We can expect them to be a little more relaxed than the tight group that we saw on Sunday, but there are some parts of the late-game rally that are unlikely to be duplicated, like the brilliant fourth quarter of Deron Williams.

“That means that the bottom line falls somewhere in the middle, but finding that middle ground out of such a roller coaster of a game is not easy to do.”

Malinsky cites some problems on the defensive end that could keep the Jazz from keeping the game close enough to cover the 6 ½ points in Game 2. He notes that this will be their fourth game in San Antonio this season and they have yet to cover against the Spurs at the AT&T Center.

In each of those games, the Utah defense was plundered, allowing more than 100 points and better than 50 percent shooting every time.

“Deron Williams has not been able to shut off Tony Parker’s penetration, Tim Duncan has had his way with Mehmet Okur and Carlos Boozer, and there has not been any answer for Manu Ginobili at all – he is too physical for their guards to match up with him, and too quick for their forwards.

“Do not be surprised if Jerry Sloan reaches back for some zone schemes, which might be his best way to at least slow them down a bit.”

The total for Game 2 is set at 187 ½.

Raji