Northwest Division

Utah Jazz Power Rankings - 2011-12

Power Ranking
WEEKRECORDRANKCOMMENT
Week 1734-3014If you're going to try to make the playoffs with an 11-22 road record, at least have the good sense (like Utah) to finish off your road schedule first. Tuesday's date with the Suns in SLC decides whether this Jazz makes it ... with a consolation prize courtesy of Golden State's lunacy likely waiting either way.
Week 1631-3016As the Jazz cling to the belief that they're still part of this playoff chase, with five winnable (but also must-win) games to go, it's hard not to look at the recent four-overtime loss in Atlanta as the turning point in their Cinderella season. Utah won six straight before that heartbreaker and is just 5-8 since.
Week 1529-2815There are realistically 19 teams still alive for 16 playoff slots. None of those 19 has a worse road record than Utah's 9-20 mark outside of SLC. So with four of the next six on the road, Utah surely won't protest if Pop decides Monday is one of those nights Tony, Timmy or Manu (or more than one) needs a night off.
Week 1427-2615Figures that Favors would throw up an 0-for-13 shooting night so soon after we touted him to the sky. Far less predictable: Just over a week removed from escaping with its third one-point W of the season (most since snagging four in '93-94) in Sactown, Utah loses a must-win game at home to the Kings by one.
Week 1326-2310Think we can pardon the Jazz for failing to finish off the Hawks in one of those four OTs after the six wins they just strung together, including Ws over the Lakers (away) and OKC (home). Favors has been especially impressive at both ends, which suggests Jefferson or Millsap is bound to be dealt sooner rather than later.
Week 1223-2214Al Jefferson was resting. And Enes Kanter and Alec Burks were doing the heavy lifting. So don't even pretend you had the road-shy Jazz becoming the first Western Conference team to beat the Lakers at Staples Center this season and use that breakthrough to clinch their first three-game winning streak since early January.
Week 1119-2117Remember trade deadline 2011, when Utah, without warning, dealt D-Will mere days after the stunning resignation of Jerry Sloan? The Jazz couldn't do something that dramatic if they tried at trade deadline 2012, but you'd be advised not to sleep on them this week. Rest assured they're working on something.
Week 1017-1917The justifiable euphoria generated by a one-point win over mighty Miami, with the winning margin coming from a three-point play from the forgotten Devin Harris, has to be tempered by the fact that Utah's subsequent loss in Dallas was its sixth straight on the road. Or maybe it doesn't. You tell us, Utahns.
Week 915-1720You inevitably wonder now, as playoff fantasies give way to the reality that Utah's home-heavy early schedule raised expectations to unrealistic levels, whether the Jazz will be able to find a trade taker for Devin Harris or maybe even try to move Al Jefferson before the deadline to open up more PT for Favors and Kanter.
Week 815-1519Two road games left in Utah's long, back-to-earth month. They're still a top-three team when it comes to points in the paint ... but likewise still a bottom-three team in 3-point shooting. Also troubling: Millsap's response to his All-Star snub has been a dip in scoring of nearly six ppg from January to February.
Week 714-1218Would have said so even without Sunday night's quality W in Memphis: Despite Utah's recent and expected 1-5 flutter back to Earth, I still have to hat-tip the Jazz for proactively dealing D-Will so early. One year removed from Jerry Sloan's shocking resignation, they already have a decent-looking future.
Week 613-915Point-margin devotees would tell you Utah's meager reading of +0.5, lowest among the 11 .500-or-better teams in the West, is cause for concern amid all the cautious optimism in the SLC. Ditto for the fact that the Jazz, with a third of the season gone, have played fewer road games (seven) than anyone else out West.
Week 511-717No one on Earth saw them taking a 10-4 record for the month into their final January game, but the committee's first up-close glimpse at this Jazz was (unfortunately for them) Friday's night drubbing in Big D in which they looked a lot like the team that played out last season's string with no gusto.
Week 410-514Right there with anything we've seen from a team whose only 2012 losses were inflicted by the Lakers and Mavs by six points combined: Utah just held Kevin Love to 15 and eight. Love's 15 straight double-doubles to start the season was the NBA's longest streak in 30 years.
Week 38-414Favorable early schedule or not, no one had this Jazz winning seven of eight in any stretch this season ... or getting this much out of Big Al and Millsap. But that's what they've done in 2012. As Raja Bell says: "8-4 is 8-4. You can't argue with that."
Week 25-318It's unquestionably surprising -- but also somewhat reassuring in terms of the world order -- to see the rebuilding, youth-infused Jazz stack up three straight home wins (including a quality W over Memphis) like the Jazz so often did in their Delta Center days.
Week 11-328Beating Philly at home enabled the rebuilding, our-kids-are-the-future Jazz to avoid their first 0-3 start since 1979-80. Only one team has a longer streak, FWIW: Milwaukee has gone 35 straight seasons without an 0-3 start dating to 1977-78.
Preseason39-4323You remember what Denver went through with Melo and you see what Orlando is going through now with DH12 and you have to believe that Utah, stockpiling young bigs and draft picks, is thrilled that it traded D-Will when it did.
Training Camp15-150Two road games left in Utah's long, back-to-earth month. They're still a top-three team when it comes to points in the paint ... but likewise still a bottom-three team in 3-point shooting. Also troubling: Millsap's response to his All-Star snub has been a dip in scoring of nearly six ppg from January to February.

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