Jazz outgun Bucks from deep to set new franchise record for tries

The Jazz set a new franchise record tonight with 25 points from three points on 53 shots, which obscured their previous record of 22.

It makes sense. The Bucks have been the best defensive team in the league for the past two seasons due to a strategy that protects the rand at all costs. They have Brook Lopez down there to protect the edge, and Giannis Antetokounmpo plays free safety, protects the edge and usually uses his length to make a big impact anywhere on the floor.

But when the Bucks’ defense collapses low, there are 3-point opportunities; they also allowed the most three-point shots in the league. They get away with this because they are experts at helping the opposition’s worst three – point shooters, who are reluctant to take the look.

The Jazz have no bad three-point shooters. They have Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell and Bojan Bogdanovic and Royce O’Neale and Jordan Clarkson and Georges Niang, who can all score open tries with ease. So the Bucks have no one who can relax them, and that makes the Jazz very difficult to protect.

But the Jazz need to perform well to make that happen – in particular how they space the floor in the transition and when a teammate manages. Quin Snyder explained during the press conference after the game – he said: “Our space makes the biggest difference in the world”, and gives three examples of things he always wants to see, but has not always seen this season:

• “If we are not playing with our greats, it’s flat on the baseline.”

• “The wings are not six feet from the corner. They are literally in the corner. ”

• “The man in the high quadrant must be high so that the passes can be made.”

If the Jazz are sluggish, or if they turn the ball around a lot, spacing is a silent killer. But if the Jazz get it stuck, it’s a lot harder to protect.

Or as Snyder put it: ‘With the precision of our spacing, we can be more accurate with our demise. And I think you saw it tonight. ‘

For the first time since Derrick Favors returned to the Jazz, we had meaningful minutes with both Favors and Rudy Gobert on the floor. It’s like 2016 again!

And just like for the years and years we have seen this series, we have seen two things from it:

• The spacing was quite rough. Opponents felt comfortable leaving Favors to send more help to the strong side.

• It was absolutely defensively on fire.

Especially in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, the Bucks scored a total of zero points. If you keep your opponent without points for so long, you will win a lot of matches, and that was crucial.

Now, to be honest, Gobert and Favors did not watch the five minutes again. combine to create defense problems for the Bucks. Gobert sometimes protected the edge, and Favors did other times, but mostly the Bucks struggled with poor turnover and missed tries. It was not a swarming, constituent effect.

That said, I think this is a series that will give the Jazz the opportunity to use a little more. There will be games where it will only be 100% unplayable, especially at stretch five. But against teams like the Nets and the Knicks, I would have been curious to see if the Twin Tower series could have done better with the parade of rim efforts we saw.

I wrote way too much about Royce O’Neale in the Jazz’s early season. He’s not the biggest reason the Jazz win if they win, and he’s not the biggest reason they lose if they lose. And yet I also feel the duty to treat a player fairly. If I’m going to criticize him if he plays poorly, I have to indicate evenings where he makes a difference.

And man, he was fantastic tonight. He scored 18 points just by shooting three points – six of eight out of three were the only shots he took all night. This is a point of his career high.

While you like that he made the tries, you like that he took them. O’Neale has shot the ball only eight times or more in his career before. Two times! And yet, he plays a big role in the Jazz’s rotation and is definitely open enough to take eight tries on a regular basis; he usually just lets open looks pass. If he takes his open shots, the Jazz will be much better off.

Tonight, it looked like he was ready to take them, perhaps because Snyder knew what Milwaukee’s defensive strategy would be, and offered him the chance.

But he was also very good on the defensive side – he had three steals, one block and was a difference for the Jazz on Antetokounmpo in the second half (two of the steals were from the MVP). Once again, he shows his ability to protect bigger players with more ability than fast guards.

Here’s an example where he matches All-Star Khris Middleton. He stabs the ball from behind and gets the handle.

Now, does a guard give O’Neale this chance? Middleton is very good, but he will also dribble much higher and slower than a guard. A warden will get the whole screen around the screen and leave O’Neale in the dust, but Middleton leaves an opportunity that O’Neale can take advantage of.

I also want to point out that O’Neale is by far the best Royce in NBA history. There are indeed only two Royces in the long history of the league, and Royce White ended up playing just three games for the Sacramento Kings.

However, the name Royce has made a comeback in recent years as we see Royce rise through the ranks.

But it’s too soon to see another Royce, and we probably will not be half a decade or so. The only Royce in college basketball right now, Royce Hamm, plays only marginal minutes in Texas.

For now, Royce O’Neale is the Rolls Royce of Royces.