HELL WEEK WASN’T LAST WEEK

The Jazz might be more scared of the Bobcats than the Lakers or Magic.

So much was made of last week’s schedule against the Spurs, Lakers and Magic as a measuring stick for the Jazz that you could hear collective sighs and cheers from the state of Utah when the Jazz went 3-1 and beat the defending champions on Saturday night.  Those cheers and sighs of relief turned quickly to grunts and tears when the Jazz blew Monday’s game at home to the Timberwolves.  But that inexcusable loss aside, last week wasn’t the real “Hell Week” that Jazz fans had been calling it.

No, that title should go to this week’s games because this week starts the annual Pre-Christmas road trip.  It’s no secret that the Jazz will have to learn to play better on the road if they want to be considered elite.  That was the message from the locker room after the loss to Minnesota.  Carlos Boozer called this road trip a “chance to get our swag back.”  But if the Jazz are looking to reclaim that swagger there is no better way to do it than by learning how to be successful on the road.

Over the last 4 years the Jazz have gone 7-12 on their pre-Christmas road trip.  That 37% winning percentage is especially paltry when you consider that at least half of those games have been against inferior opponents.  Take the Nets and Bobcats, for example, two teams the Jazz will play this road trip.  The Jazz are 1-3 against each of those teams the last four years.  And neither of those teams was very good and some of the losses weren’t even close games.  The Jazz can get blown out even by the bad teams on the road.

Over the same four year span, the Jazz are only 37-57 on road trips of 3 games or more.  It has been a problem for this team since the core have been together.  Even in 2006-2007 when the Jazz went to the Western Conference Finals, the team was 20-21 on the road that season.  That was the best road season in the last 5 years.  I think even the Jazz would take that record now.  With their home dominance a .500 road record would have netted them a top 4 seed each of the last 3 years.

It would be silly to ask this Jazz team to start winning a majority of their road games.   But I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a .500 record.  So this road trip will be the first real test.  If the Jazz can get 3 wins, I think it’s a big success.  Two wins is passable.  Anything less and I think it’s safe to say that the Jazz just don’t know how to win on the road.  At least not for now.