JAZZSPIN

Sure, the Jazz could loose Game 6 at home to the Houston Rockets tonight and still win Game 7 in Houston on Sunday, however, they MUST WIN tonight.

They MUST WIN to restore their home court dominance.

They MUST WIN to avoid doubt.

They MUST WIN to live up to expectations.

They MUST WIN to avoid an off-season of questions.

They MUST WIN to mature as a team.

They MUST WIN to keep Tracey McGrady from the second round of the playoffs.

Get the Home Crowd into it Early

The ESA crowd was just waiting to explode during games 3 and 4 yet never really got the chance. The Rockets have been keeping the Jazz in a half-court offense with extremely limited running opportunities. If the Jazz can get up and down the floor just a little bit and make some of their key three pointers (0 for 14 in Game 4), then the crowd may be able to beat the Rockets on their own.

Aggression

Boozer, AK, D-Will, Memo - they all benefit from playing aggressive and driving toward the hoop rather than settling for outside jumpers. If Boozer can send a message early that he is being aggressive it should establish him for the entire game. When Booz gets off to a bad start, it is usually very hard for him to find his groove. Ditto for AK.

Keep Alston in Check

The Rockets play their best ball when Rafer Alston starts hitting 3’s. It opens their offense up and spreads the floor for T-Mac to drive. If T-Mac is driving with regularity, it could mean trouble for the Jazz.

Find the Offense

The Jazz have been and probably always will be a precision offensive team.  Timing is key.  When the timing is on, the Jazz usually pick apart the opponent’s defense and can score with the best of them.  When the timing is off, the passes are tipped away with regularity and blocked far more than normal.  I would say the the timing has not been there all series.  You have to give a lot of credit to the Rockets defense in disrupting the timing but you would hope that the Jazz could find their offensive grove at least once in a seven game series.

If you are not excited and extremely nervous for this one, then something must be wrong with you.  Yours truly will be at the game.  Let’s hope I return in a good mood.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)