School should be out, my Jazz, and BYU

Not gonna lie, school should probably just be cancelled because it is not my idea of a good time anymore. Guess there's only 2 weeks or so left so after due contemplation I've decided not to withdraw and tough it out ;)

Jazz won, but it doesn't matter as much as the Lakers' victory and Hornets' downswing. I think we have a good chance against the Lakers but it won't be anywhere near the pushover series N.O. would have provided.

Keeping in the sports vein, BYU finished up spring workouts with their annual scrimmage. Starters were held out but that didn't stop D'Luigi(sp?) and a freshman tight end from impressing. Luigi has a good opportunity even though he's behind a formidable stable of backs because he can provide what the others can't: speed and quickness. I predict he'll get about 5 carries/game to keep defenses honest and give them a new look.

The Ankylosing Spondylitis Website: Update

I haven't mentioned it much, but I've been working on a website for Ankylosing Spondylitis and exercise. So far I've just use googlepages. The positives are that it's free. The negatives? WAY too many to list...ans it messed up my homepage for the (insert your choice of a positive integer here) time. Based on this and other faactors, I'm going to back what I've done so far on google and go ahead and begin building in earnest with a host. I don't think my time was wasted, however, but I'm not sure there's really much more to gain. I'll keep the updates coming.

The Rewards in Losing

So my Jazz went out and lost last night. Wasn't their greatest game, and they only stayed around because of the quality play of Okur and the Kirilenko. Williams helped out some in the 4th, but Boozer was non-existent and was the reason Novitzki got open.

Anyway, it's certainly unfortunate to lose a close one on the road (97-94) on a last second shot. However, this pretty much ensures the Jazz will finish in the 4th spot. Why is that better than 2 or 3? Because we know we can beat Houston even when they have Yao and homecourt advantage. This year they don't have Yao which will enable Okur to be a factor on offense -a big deal considering his play since the all-star break - and we still have an outside chance of getting homecourt. We play Houston once, so if we win that game and they lose once more the series could feasibly be a sweep...

The Hornets or Nuggets in round 2? Hornets have no bench, and the Nuggets have no D and Carmelo really struggles with Harpring. Pretty funny actually. The path to the conference finals seems about as groomed as it could be.

Jazz keep on tearing it up. With the win over the Hornets they held opponents under 70 points back-to-back for the 1st time in franchise history. The only problem is that with the Spurs losing to the Suns last night and LA square in the mix they might move up to #3 if they keep it up. Ironically that would be worse than ending #4. Why? Because we OWN everyone besides the Spurs and possibly Lakers. Houston or Phoenix in round 1 would be a breeze -especially if we had homecourt advantage - and N.O. or Denver/G.S. would be cake as well. Crazy thinking I know...It will be interesting to see how our recent road success factors in tonight vs. Dallas.

I'm continuing to work on my site for Exercise and Ankylosing Spondylitis, it's coming along. You can check it out at http://unstoppablemurri.googelpages.com Let me know what you think.

Monday...

After two convincing wins the Jazz followed it up with a resounding 90-64 walloping of the Spurs. How? DEFENSE. When Boozer and Co. put their minds to it they are a great defensive team. Holding the Spurs to 9 points in the 3rd quarter and a franchise-tying low in total points was a great way to begin the final 6 games.
While I picked UCLA to win it all, I was rooting for Memphis to pull off the "upset. " Well, Rose has become the replacement for Curry as the tourney's most prolific remaining scored. Memphis' fre throws also haven't been the issue they were in the regular season. If they can keep their bigs out of fould trouble they'll win comfortably. Otherwise look for Rose to have to take over to give them a chance. So glad Hansborough and the unending gushing by Dick Vitale are finally over.
Really enjoyed General Conference. In particular Elder Holland's talk was one that i felt did a great job of combining spiritual and academic knowledge into a holistic viewpoint. What's more, he did it assertively wihtout demeaning others' viewpoints.

I'm really impressed with the way my Jazz have come out in their last 2 games. Granted, they haven't exactly faced stellar competition in Washington and Minnesota(38-37 and 19-55) but the results have still been amazing! They blew out the Timberwolves by 47 points while breaking the franchise record for 3-pointers(previously 14) and then played Minnesota increasingly tough each quarter until the end of the 3rd and 4th quarters was just garbage time.

Why were these games so crucial? A couple reasons:

1. It's the West. Every game counts, as it's possible to be in 1st place and then lose a couple and be out of the playoff picture. The closest race ever, and it really underlines how weak the East is. Boston is the cream of a very withered crop followed by Detroit. The only other team with a chance are the Cavaliers-LeBron is just a beast.

2. The remaining schedule is brutal. With 2 games against San Antonio and the remaining4 split between the Hornets, Nuggets, Houston, and Dallas, the Jazz face probably the most difficult home stretch in history. A win is a win regardless of the competition(or lack thereof).

3. Winning despite injuries. With Kirilenko, Brewer, and Okur all missing time, the Jazz have still stayed atop the Northwest . Wining sans 3 starters? That's some serious depth that will become crucial come playoff time and in the coming 2 weeks. The resurgence of C.J. Miles shooting touch has to be a welcome sight as perimeter shooting and team defense have been the Jazz' two biggest weaknesses this season.

Shout out to Spenser and http://spondyville.com/ Check it out, there are weekly chats as well.