Utah- The Test

[JOzersky@aol.com]

One last word about the Antoine threads, now weaved tightly into a rope
strangling the life out of the list -- BORING!  Save this stuff for the off
season, I say!  we have bigger fish to fry.

I think Utah is the biggest test we will see of how good the new team is.
 Many people around the NBA haven't realized yet that this new team under
Kenny has been averaging more than the top offenses in the league.  We have
beaten the best team in the league in their place, blown out two bad teams
(and I mean blown out) and, after a loss on the road, beaten a top western
squad.  And here is what is often missed:  until we fell asleep in the fourth
quarter, we were BLOWING OUT Portland.  And this is a team that

a)  is full of proud players who two days earlier had suffered the most
humiliating loss of their careers; and 

b) had exactly what we were supposed to be vulnerable to, in powerful inside
people, a brilliant point to break our press, etc.

And we were blowing them out.  Tonight we face Utah, a team that seems custom
built to destroy us with inside crushing, tempo control, and experience in
the face of the press.  Can we beat them?  I think we can and will.  For one
thing, Pitino pointed out early in the season that he thought this team could
beat "veteran teams on the road late in the season, and teams on the second
night of back to backs."  Now, while I wouldn't be surprised to see Utah kill
us,  we can beat them.  I know we can.  And if we do, the hardest team on our
home stand is done.  Who can beat us then in the weeks to come?