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The Jazz know the Warriors’ pedigree — two-time defending NBA champions, winners of three of the past four NBA Finals, arguably the greatest offensive basketball team on the planet thanks to Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson.
And so they know what they’re up against tonight at 7 p.m. at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
At the pregame shootaround at Zions Bank Basketball Center on Wednesday morning, the Jazz were asked what gives them the best chance to be successful against an opponent that many consider a juggernaut.
“Last game, we were able to limit them from 3 to a certain degree,” said coach Quin Snyder. “With Curry, it’s hard to prevent him from getting his 3s because he moves back and he’s so good without the ball, it just really taxes your communication. Durant can get a shot — a lot of times you’ll do everything you can, and he’s capable of still making it. And obviously Klay is one of the premier pindown players and shooters in the game. They present problems all over the place, and it can’t be any one matchup, or really any three matchups — everybody’s got to be ready to help each other.”
Forward Kyle Korver, who wasn’t around for the Jazz’s 124-123 loss to Golden State in the team’s second game of the season, but who faced the Warriors with the Cavs in last season’s championship series, agreed that trying to keep this team from going haywire beyond the arc is crucial.
“You gotta take away 3s. Obviously, Steph, Klay and KD are tough. Sometimes you do all you can and you play ’em perfectly and they still score, they still get the 3 up,” Korver said. “You try to limit that, you try not to give them that two-, three-minute stretch where they hit three, four, five 3s in a row. You gotta try to be consistent with that. Turnovers are big, rebounding the ball, controlling the pace — you gotta do a lot of things right to beat these guys.”
Week in review
• The Warriors served as the opponent for the Jazz’s home opener in the team’s second game of the season. That first matchup was one of Utah’s better games this year, but what did it tell us about the games to come? [TRIB]
• A hot rumor going around the other day was that the Jazz had talked to the Bulls about a Derrick Favors-for-Jabari Parker swap. Andy Larsen talked to the Jazz about it, and they denied they’d had any such conversations. [TRIB]
• I took a turn on the red couch at FOX 13′s “Sports Page” this past Sunday, and talked with Jeff Rhineer about the Jazz’s recent struggles, their shooting woes, and Donovan Mitchell’s sophomore slump, among other things. [FOX 13]
• No team in the NBA has played more road games so far this season than the Jazz. And no team has played fewer home games than the Jazz, either. It’s been a tough schedule for the team to be sure. And it’s going to get harder in the near future, thanks to a murderer’s row of tough competition. [TRIB]
• Andy went to Mexico City to cover the Jazz’s game against the Magic. And while the game itself was no beauty to behold, the atmosphere surrounding it was at least entertaining. [TRIB]
• Speaking of the Mexico City game, Andy took a look into what exactly is meant to be playing a basketball game in a country obsessed with soccer, and how, if it all, it would compare to a typical road game. [TRIB]
• A recent ESPN report painted Vivint Smart Home Arena as having way too many serious health code violations by its food vendors. The Tribune’s Sean P. Means spoke to the Salt Lake County Health Department to get more in-depth info about whether you’re really risking more than a dent to your bank account by eating at The Viv. [TRIB]
Other voices
• If you want to check out that ESPN story analyzing the food risks at VSHA and elsewhere, here it is. [ESPN]
• Former @tribjazz Tony Jones’ latest article for The Athletic dives deeper into the Jazz’s rough schedule, and how the team’s offensive woes are exacerbating the issue. (Note: You need a free trial or a subscription to read Athletic content.) [Athletic]
• Another former @tribjazz, Aaron Falk, who is now a feature writer for the Jazz’s website, wrote a cool story about Ricky Rubio taking some kids from Utah Boys & Girls Clubs on a holiday shopping spree. [UtahJazz.com]
• Getting back to that Favors-Parker business, Ben Anderson of KSL.com examines not whether it will happen, but whether it even could or should. [KSL.com]
• NBA referees admitted on Twitter that they missed a traveling call on James Harden’s controversial double-stepback against the Jazz. The team, meanwhile, told The Deseret News’ Eric Woodyard that because the admission doesn’t change the outcome, they’re moving on. [DesNews]
• Speaking of Harden’s non-called travel, the Rockets guard conceded to ESPN.com’s Tim MacMahon he knew he’d committed a violation, but he wasn’t about to “tell on myself.” [ESPN]
• One more about the travel that wasn’t — it got plenty of attention from around the country, including from other NBA players. Denver’s Isaiah Thomas, for one, jokingly relished the idea of being able to get away with such a move. [Twitter]
• Tavan Parker of SLCdunk.com happened upon an interesting social media interaction between ex-Jazz point guard Deron Williams and a fan. Williams posted a video to Instagram highlighting his “few decent years,” prompting the fan to opine he wished the All-Star had never left Utah. Williams' response was interesting. [SLC Dunk]
Quote of the Week
Ricky Rubio apparently does not have Rudy Gobert’s proclivity for giving up some salary in order to get his point across to referees, as his exchange with the Trib’s Andy Larsen about that Harden non-call so clearly illustrates:
Up next
Tonight begins a pretty loaded five-game stretch for the Jazz, kicking off, as it does, with a home tilt against the Warriors. Naturally, it’s a one-off, as the team then flies out to Portland for a Friday matchup with the Blazers. Then they’re back at VSHA on Saturday — the second night of a back-to-back — against the Thunder. Beyond that, it’s a Christmas night rematch vs. the Blazers, and a Dec. 27 contest with the Sixers, also both at The Viv.
