*** Unreal. Part of me thinks this should stop after unreal and not post another work. Unreal. This team is just continuing to do things that we could never imagine. Tonight it was absurd hot shooting. The Jazz set a franchise record for 3’s in a quarter and a half and tied the franchise record with 15 in a game.
*** Maybe the most impressive part of the game was the Jazz hit 15 threes and never broke out of how they play the game. They never screwed with the game, never dropped their guard and let Charlotte get back in the game. That takes a level of mental toughness and respect for the game that very few teams are able to achieve.
*** The Jazz defense never blinked. Hornets had no chance of establishing the inside game of Al Jefferson and anything else they hoped to get started never materialized. They shot 29.5%, only hit 5 of 19 from 3 and scored the 2nd fewest points of any team in the NBA, 66. What the Jazz are doing to people is crazy. It is historic in fact.
*** For 16 games, some before the all-star break and the Kanter trade the Jazz are winning games by an average of 8.7 pts per game but the defense is the historic part. The Jazz are holding opponents to 39% shooting, 31% from three and 84 points per game. This is only for 16 games. But 16 games is 20% of an NBA season. 20% is beginning to be a very real sample size. The Jazz defensive rating over the last 16 games is 91.6.
*** The 1989-99 Spurs team with Robinson and Duncan is thought of as the best defensive team of all time with a defensive efficiency of 92.1. They surpassed that in 03-04 with a 91.6. The Jazz are playing Duncan/Robinson defense and have been for 16 games.
*** It’s only 13 games but since the all-star game the Jazz defensive rating is 89.7.
*** Over the past 37 years only 3 teams have won a championship with a defense ranking outside the top 10 in defensive efficiency and the Jazz are going to be a top 10 defensive team for the foreseeable future. I am not telling you a championship is arriving next year, but the foundation of a championship team has to be build with a top 10 defense and that part of the project is over.
*** Stretch it further out. The Jazz are 24-17 in their last 41 games. That is half a season. In that time the Jazz offense is 15th and the Jazz defense is 3rd and 5th overall in efficiency.
*** The coolest thing going on right now is Dante Exum and Rodney Hood playing as well as they are right now. Hood has a new career high in 3 of his last 4 games. Over the last 5 games Dante is averaging over 10 points a game and has hit on 13 of his last 25 from 3.
*** The player development that is taking place in this organization is mind boggling.
*** Today at shootaround one of the main focusses was better passes into players shooting pockets.
*** Be happy Jazz fans. Season tickets are flying out of the building. You want to be a part of this. Find a way to get as close to this as you can because what is taking place here is truly remarkable.