My outlook on the Jazz' fledgling season is much improved these days. After the shaky start, the Jazz are officially on a tear, winning five in a row and all five home games. The team is executing well on defense, the backcourt is starting to make shots, and the defense has been been much better. It was so good during the Golden State game that Matt Harpring couldn't resist using his "Welcome to Swat Lake City" line, even though it was a road game.
Tonight the Lakers invade the ESA, and we'll be able to see how far the Jazz have come along since getting creamed by the Lakers on opening night. Tonight's rematch will show whether their recent success is more attributable to the weaker teams they have played or their own improvements.
I'm guardedly optimistic, mostly because the players are responding so well to Ty Corbin's excellent coaching. He's got an uncanny ability to put the right guys on the floor, and the team seems to be responding well, even though the bench doesn't know how long or when they will play. And even though they no longer have a point guard that averages 10 assists per game, each player is sharing the ball, except for Derrick Favors, who still has zero (zilch, el zippo, nada) assists for the season this far.
So, this group of guys is winning me over. I usually find myself getting attached to most Jazz players for some reason, even though I rarely get to see them play in person. I find myself missing Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer (but definitely not Carlos Boozer). I miss AK-47 and Deron Williams. I pine for the Stockton to Malone days, when Adam Keefe, Greg Foster, and Antoine Carr were doing the lunch pail stuff. I find this year's team equally engaging, and I even find myself overcoming my early reservations to Devin Harris as the starting PG.
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