Valley of the Suns

Friday night's game in Phoenix between the Suns and the Jazz was confirmation of many of the things I've thought about these two teams. Some of them I've even put in writing.

• The Jazz are a much better team this season on the offensive end. They now seem to have the firepower to eradicate a 15-point deficit to get back into a game.
• The Suns are a live-and-let-live outfit that will let the other team get back into a game, if the other team is willing. The Suns gave up a 15-point third quarter lead and got out-boarded on the evening 48-32.
  
• The Jazz do not defend well from inside. Kurt Thomas was 5 of 6 from the floor.
• Andrei Kirilenko can be an all-pro if he produces points. His 17 points and 14 boards were key to the Jazz' 108-104 win.

2-0 is a great start for the Jazz. 3-0 when the lights go off Saturday night is a real possibility.

Rick Barry's assessment of the Utah Jazz

Wednesday on his Sirius satellite radio show Hall of Famer Rick Barry assessed the Utah Jazz, and observed:

• The Jazz are one of the few teams that play basketball instead of street ball. They pass, they defend, they set picks. This mindset is not as common as it used to be in the NBA.
• They should score a lot of points this season. Deron Williams, Derek Fisher and Carlos Boozer represent additions that should help the Jazz greatly at the offensive end of the floor.
• If Andrei Kirilenko could score consistently he'd be on the All-NBA first team.
  
• Kirilenko's tendency to let his man get past him so he can block their shot from behind must drive Jerry Sloan crazy.
• The Jazz' weakness is defending the middle. All the Jazz' centers, mainly Memet Okur, are soft on defense, and the Jazz' big men lack wingspan on defense.
• Deron Williams had a GREAT pre-season. If there were an all-league team for the pre-season, Williams would have been first team point guard.

All in all, Barry's observations seem fair. In the season opener the Jazz posted 107 points in beating the Rockets. Boozer, Williams and Fisher were all in double-figures. Yao Ming had 22 points on 8 for 12 from the floor.