OVER 208
Golden State at Utah
UTAH JAZZ
Average Age: 25.4
Average Height: 6-6
Average Weight: 230
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
Average Age: 25.6
Average Height: 6-7
Average Weight: 226
Utah guard Derek Fisher has three NBA Championship rings
from being with the LA Lakers and he spent the last two
seasons with the Warriors. He was acquired by the Utah
Jazz on July 12, 2006 in a trade that sent Keith McLeod,
Andre Owens, and Devin Brown to the Golden State Warriors.
But Fisher is no real key piece to beating Golden State,
considering that when he was there, the coach and style
of play was different, as were many of the players. Look
at who he was traded for -- none of them are with the
Warriors today and it has been less than one year since
the trade.
Utah has a height advantage over the Golden State starters
but mostly because of their frontcourt players. Overall,
Golden State is actually a tad taller, which helps when
and if they get into the benches. Although Utah was able
to run with teams like Golden State and the similar
Phoenix Suns, the regular season series with the Warriors
produced 3 UNDERS and 1 OVER. But... Two of the UNDERS were
played in November. In the first one, long-departed Troy
Murphy, Mike Dunleavy and Ike Diogu saw serious minutes
for the Warriors. After suffering a beat-down, "They
pretty much had their way with us," said Baron Davis.
"We've got to find a way to become more aggressive team
and play with more energy."
Well, they did, eventually, by getting rid of those three
players. The second meeting was a 91-78 home win by Golden
State, accomplished when the Warriors played without injured
Davis and Michael Pietrus, and still had the stiff trio. By
the way, both the Warriors and the Jazz were playing the
second of back-to-back nights each time -- pacing is usually
markedly slower in that instance.
Then, on March 20 at Utah, things began to change between them.
Both sides had two days' rest. The 104-100 Jazz win went UNDER,
but not by much. Newcomers Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington
combined for 43 points for the Warriors, who hit 100 for the
first time in three tries in the matchup. On April 7, at Golden
State, the Warriors, finally jelling, beat the Jazz 126-102
when both sides had one day of rest. Kirilenko didn't play at
all for Utah, and Giricek sat the second half.
Yesterday, one day after beating the slow-paced Rockets, Utah
guard Deron Williams said, "We have to switch our gears and get
our track shoes on. They cause a lot of matchup problems..."
Both teams are in the Top 10 in Field Goal percentage, and in
the Top 5 in assists per game. Their opponents have been sent
to the free-throw line more frequently than anyone else in the
league. As you can see from the average ages up top, both are
very young. The tempo should be quick, the open looks plentiful,
second-chance points for Utah numerous, transition points for
the Warriors numerous, all the while with a lot of clock-stopping,
game-extending moments via fouls.
