Utah Jazz

Jacob Simmons
SJHS Staff Writer

They were knocked down last year in the Western Conference Semi Finals by the Los Angeles Lakers, so now the question becomes, can they pick themselves up? Can the willpower of the Utah Jazz send them on another great journey to the playoffs this year? Or will the reminder of the last two losses in the playoffs keep them down?

The Jazz look to be in good shape this year after their strong performance against the Denver Nuggets in their home opener. They won 98-94 without the help of their super point guard Deron Williams, or amazing bench player Matt Harpring. The high point man for the game was Carlos Boozer, who had 25 points and 15 rebounds.

As for what the students at SJHS think about this team, “They are awesome. If they play like a team, I think they will have a good shot at going all the way,” Jantzen Dalley, an eighth grade student at SJHS, said.

“They need to watch out for the Celtics, Lakers, and the Suns,” Jantzen continued. The Celtics were the NBA Champions last year, and the Lakers their competitors. Both teams have very deep benches and almost two people at every position. The Phoenix Suns are very tough as well. In the past years they have done very well and have been one of the top five teams in the NBA; however, there are many questions on their success this year with their new coach, the former Piston’s assistant, Terry Porter.

For the 2008-2009 NBA seasons, the Utah Jazz kept their two rising stars Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, the recently appointed captains of the team. Along with Williams and Boozer they added the twelve year point guard Brevin Knight. The Jazz also brought back most of their previous team including Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilinko, Ronnie Brewer, and Matt Harpring.