Thoughts on Game 1 loss

Some quick morning-after musings about Saturday night’s late Game 1 loss:

- The good news for the Jazz was that C.J. Miles hit a couple of 3-pointers and lit up the scoreboard in the first quarter with 13 points. His previous playoff career-high was only six points, by the way. But the bad news for the Jazz was that C.J. Miles hit a couple of 3-pointers and that he kept trying to light up the scoreboard from long range even after missing heat-checkers.

After hitting two 3-pointers in his fast start, Miles was off on four straight from downtown Denver. But his overall offensive game certainly gave the Jazz a lift, especially early on.

Plus, offense definitely wasn’t Utah’s biggest problem in this loss in which they scored 113 points. Well, offense was their problem: Denver’s offense, that is. The Nuggets forgot it was the playoffs and went off for 126 points on 57.1 percent shooting.

It’ll be interesting to hear at practice this afternoon what tweaks the Jazz intend to do with their defense. Also interesting that two of Utah’s biggest focuses of their game coming into the season – defense and playing better on the road – doomed them in the opener.

- It’s gotta be disheartening in the Jazz locker room to deal with all of these injuries. They finally get most of their team back and healthy after the All-Star break, and then the injury gods curse them. I can imagine how nervous the team is to get back the results of Okur’s MRI later today. He said after the game that he heard a pop in his previously tweaked Achilles tendon.

- Speaking of injuries, the Pepsi Center fans who booed while the P.A. announcer asked for their sympathetic cheers after Okur and Miles were obviously hurt should be ashamed of themselves.

- Speaking of enraged and embarrassing fans, c’mon Denver, you’re telling me “Utah Sucks!” is your best chant? Are you Laker fakers, because that cheer seems to be a playoff staple of the Staples Center crowd.

- Carmelo Anthony is good – really, really, really good.

- Another reminder we weren’t in Utah – beside the cocktail stands in the concourse: The “South Park” character Eric Theodore Cartman (thanks Wikipedia) was featured over and over on the video screen, trying to pump up the Denver fans.

- Man, J.R. Smith can shoot the lights out when he’s not punishing the rim from long range.