Spurs-Jazz Game 3: Utah Executes in the Clutch

Utah's win over San Antonio in Game Three of the Western Conference Finals came down to execution, concentration, and clutch play.

It was the same old tune for the Jazz offense early on: missed jump shots, forced fadeaways, and botched layups. Meanwhile, Utah defenders went under every screen involving Tony Parker, allowing him to hit two of three jumpers.

But then Jerry Sloan subbed in little-used Jarron Collins—and completely changed the complexion of the series.

While Duncan put up nice-looking numbers—6-9 FG 16 PTS 8 REB 2 BLK 1 STL—he never affected the dynamic of the game. His ball handling was especially lazy—whether it was guards poking in or Mehmet Okur reaching around, Duncan s dribbles were repeatedly slapped away by Utah defenders.

Down low, the Jazz were effective in funneling Duncan towards the middle. In two attempts to counter to the baseline, Duncan had a shot blocked by Okur and barreled into Collins for a charge.

This defensive game plan coaxed an unsightly eight turnovers out of Duncan. One second-quarter sequence summed up the story for the big man—on three consecutive possessions, he had a shot blocked by Okur, a dribble stripped by Deron Williams, and a dribble poked away by Okur.

When Duncan was out, Utah was quick to attack the hoop. The open middle translated into layups for Williams, Matt Harping, and Carlos Boozer from the second quarter on.

For the first time in the series, the Jazz had success running their offense from top to bottom. Boozer had an outstanding game: 12-19 FG 27 PTS 12 REB 2 STL 2 AST. He complemented his jumpers and drives off screen/rolls with two impressive fadeaways over Robert Horry, and was the main factor in a Utah rebounding effort that limited San Antonio to just three offensive boards.

Williams, meanwhile, was unguardable. His intelligence, patience, and toughness—to say nothing of his help defense on Duncan—were reminiscent of John Stockton. Even his incredible numbers—10-19 FG 4-5 3FG 7-8 FT 31 PTS 8 AST 2 TO 5 STL 1 BLK—don't indicate just how thoroughly he controlled the game.

As a finishing touch, a particularly nasty Williams crossover late in the fourth left Jacque Vaughn on the floor—literally.

Bruce Bowen makes his living bullying players on the perimeter, but Harpring was able to bully Bowen down low. Harpring drew fouls on Bowen and Manu Ginobli simply by cutting to the basket, and at one point in the second quarter hit a nifty reverse layup while getting fouled by Duncan.

Gordon Giricek exploited weak-side screens to the tune of 4-8 for 11 points. Giricek was also a solid creator, drawing crowds before dishing off to shooters or cutters. He finished with six assists.

Paul Millsap—8 PTS 2 REB 2 AST 3 STL was able to slip screens, fill lanes, grab rebounds, and finish strong around the basket. Derek Fisher finished with 11 points and played excellent defense on Ginobli.

The Spurs offense was in chaos for the duration. Ginobli struggled against double-teams and got stuck between defenders whenever he put the ball on the floor. Parker picked up some of the slack with his drives and dishes, but his 25 points and seven assists couldn t make up for the substandard performances of Ginobli and Duncan.

The bottom line: Utah won Game Three because of their crisp half-court execution and their effective game plan against the Spurs' stars. Don't expect Duncan to play so poorly in Game Four—and do expect San Antonio to come out with a Rocky Mountain worth of intensity. 

Also expect Gregg Popovich to concoct some sort of scheme to contain Williams. As long as Williams and Boozer continue to play at such an elite level, we should have one outstanding basketball series on our hands!