Well, so much for A_3PO and I mocking Boozer in the other thread. He came out like a man on a mission tonight. Everything looked different: he was aggressive/assertive, motivated, involved in the huddles, body language was good and, hell, he even played a little defense. It could have been just a freak occurrence but he needed breakout game like this in the worst way. As for the Spurs, I think i'm starting to agree with the analysts on how they might need another 7-footer to play next to Duncan. Points in the paint seems to be an issue this year -- something that no matter how great Duncan is, the presence of a weakside shot blocker was always paramount to the Spurs' stellar interior defense. They've added some defensive bulldogs this year (Blair, McDyess, Ratliff) but not really any shot blocking -- well, shot blockers that are good enough to start I should say (reference to Ratliff). We'll see over the next few games if this turns into a trend, but the Spurs may want to look into acquiring another tree to pair Duncan with. P.S. Play Blair more!!
The Jazz HAD to win tonight and they played like it. I'm still not super-impressed. The Spurs didn't put up a good fight IMO. If the Jazz had played a team that was on a roll, they would have been in trouble. I wrote the Spurs off early during the year they won their last championship. I'll give them more time to make the pieces fit. But they looked bad and I expect them to lose in Portland, who is in the same position the Jazz were. The Blazers HAVE to win tonight or people will panic. They should play with some desperation.
