Three-point shooting (6-27)	Roy (33 pts. 8 boards)
Batum (0 points, again)	LA (22 pts. 6 boards, 4 assists)
Okur having his way with us (27/10)	Rebounding (43 total, 13 offensive)
Another stinkbomb on TNT	Plenty of reasons to hate the Jazz
Sergio (0 assists, 4 TOs)

Box Score

NBA.com Video Recap

Big game going down tonight in Utah, what better way to celebrate it then a question and answer session with bloguin's own True Blue Jazz?  Here is the Q & A we did with TBJ and if you head over to their website you'll find the interview with Bust a Bucket!

Bust a Bucket: Who do you consider to be your main rival? If not Portland, where do the Blazers rank in your minds? I'd like to believe that we are major rivals, especially considering we are in the same division.

True Blue Jazz: We actually voted on this last year and Denver ended up winning as our main rival mostly because Salt Lake and Denver are so close and have been in the same division for ever.  There is also the fact that the Nuggets employed every degenerate player in the league until they traded AI so it was easy to hate them.  As for the Blazers, I would consider them the biggest threat to the Jazz, but not a top 3 rival yet.  Over the next 5 to 10 years of classic battles for the division and conference crown that is sure to change.

Bust a Bucket: There is always a lot of talk about Deron Williams and Chris Paul. In your opinion, how do these two match-up? Might you consider Deron the better player?

True Blue Jazz: D-will vs. CP3 the never ending debate.  I really wish that they were not such good friends because you never hear anything but praise for the other guy from them.  There is no fun in that.  There is no doubt that we think D-Will is a better player than CP3.  Head to head Deron has owned Chris, Deron is a better shooter and a better on the ball defender as well.

Having said that, how do you go wrong with either guy?  The one who ends up with the most rings will ultimately win the debate.

Bust a Bucket: We pictured Deron to Boozer becoming the modern day version of Stockton to Malone. Is Boozer holding back this duo? Is Boozer a fan favorite? Can Milsap fill the Mailman roll better?

True Blue Jazz: Boozer is such an enigma around here.  I know a lot of people who love him and say that we need him around to be competitive and others are just sick of his act. For a guy that has posted a 20-10 for 3 or 4 strait years most of us feel that he is not worth the money it will take to keep him. So to answer your question, I don't think Boozer and Williams will be together much longer so yes he is the one holding them back.  As for Millsap, while Boozer has been out the last 12 games he has 8 strait double doubles so I think he would be able to fill in there nicely.

Bust a Bucket: What is the general perception in Utah about both the city of Portland and the Trail Blazers? For the Blazers, is Brandon Roy looked at as an elite guard? Is Greg Oden considered a bust?

True Blue Jazz: At least from my perspective the Blazers scare the hell out of me.  A deep pocketed owner, great city to live in, an all NBA player in Roy and a potential defensive player of the decade behind him in Oden.  What's not to like?  I don't think Oden is a bust; he just has an awful lot of hype to live up to.  Put it this way, if the Jazz had Oden instead of Boozer right now they would be the hands down favorites to win the title.  That is what he can do for a team just as a defensive stopper.

Bust a Bucket: As a Gonzaga grad, I'm a big fan of John Stockton (and his bar in Spokane "Jack and Dan's). Got any good Stockton stories for me?

True Blue Jazz: Stockton could run for Governor, mayor, judge or what ever else he felt like being here in Utah and win it in a landslide.  The dude could do no wrong here.  In reality though he was kind of a prickly guy with the media and fans, you could tell he hated every second of every interview he ever did. No one really knows him because he stayed out of the limelight and never complained or negotiated through the media ala Karl Malone.  For all we know he could be a complete jerk and a horrible dad, but he was smart and just did his job and did it damn well, in our eyes he is the greatest point guard to ever live.

Tuesday's loss to Orlando was gut wrenching, yet strangely deserving. The Blazers have already pulled off quite a few heroics this year and in the NBA that stuff usually comes full circle. I'll just look at it as we didn't deserve the Houston game and move on to one of our rivals, the Utah Jazz. Utah appears to be getting healthy and Boozer returning in just days.  The Northwest division is extremely tough right now and this game will go a long way in determining where we are in our own conference. It's going to be a hard fought battle and most likely it comes down to the very end. The Jazz are tough at home but the Magic gave us a big wake up call and I expect a man's game from Brandon Roy. For more on the Utah perspective AND an interview with your very own Bust a Bucket, check out True Blue Jazz.

BLAZERS	JAZZ	EDGE	COMMENT
			I'd love to pick Blake here but that would be silly.  Deron is probably a top 3 point guard in the league when healthy.  He appears to be back at full strength and has a tendency to give Portland trouble, especially with 26 assists in his last 2 games. Steve was in foul trouble and didn't play too well on Tuesday, this seems like a good game to give Bayless minutes to try and guard Williams.
			Roy's line from the Orlando game: 30 pts, 50% fg, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 turnover.  Heck of a game, he'd be the talk of the NBA if not for Hedo hitting the desperation 3.  Roy won't be slowing down tonight, we'll need him in Utah and he'll deliver the boost that keeps us in this game.
			C.J. Miles is to the Jazz what Nicolas Batum is to the Blazers.  Both aren't the best player at their position but they fit a role with the starting unit which helps their respective benches prosper. I have a good feeling about this match-up and this game, the Blazers lost horribly against Orlando and they are going to make up for it tonight.  It starts with Batum playing great defense and frustrating Miles.
			With Carlos Boozer out, you'd think things would get easier for LaMarcus.  Not so much.  Paul Millsap has been a freaking beast.  The guy is averaging 17 pts, 11+ rbs, 3.8 asts, & 2 stls this month, incredible. He bangs inside, doesn't demand the ball, just works hard and kills softer players. This will be a physical battle for LaMarcus, but with the way LA has been playing I'm confident he'll counter Millsap.
			Okur has also been playing some good ball.  His outside shot is falling and he is averaging nearly 10 rebounds per contest in December.  Greg has been playing a little soft lately, not looking for his, but hopefully this match-up will get him going.  I just hope he can get out and defend Okur's long range shots.
BENCH	BENCH		With Boozer out, the Utah bench get s a bit thinner but it's still very good. Andrei Kirilenko and Kyle Korver are filthy at times, they alone will give us a run for our money.  But on a night with some Euro ballers I see Rudy being the best of them all.  His outstanding performance Tuesday was overshadowed by the loss but I think he's rolling now.

Not to be a downer, but this post focuses on the heartache of Blazer losses.  If you're like me, games like the Magic game on Tuesday stay with you for a little bit.  I was pissed all night.

I was at the Orlando game on Tuesday, screaming my head off in section 221.  The game was great, the Rose Garden was going nuts, and we were well on our way to a 8-0 home record, a 16-7 overall record and a firm standing as the #2 team in the west.  After these recent years of running afoul of the law and holding lottery parties instead of playoff parties, this was a huge stepping-stone type of game against one of the league's top teams.  I felt it was important that we made a statement and we were about to make it.  Then Hedayet Türkoğlu banked in a three from the top of the key and pretty much punched 20,000 fans in the face.  It completely ruined my night. This loss is a Level III loss in Bill Simmons' Levels of Losing: the "stomach punch" (only with less damage because it's an early season game - but it still hurts nonetheless).

I was trying to figure out if this loss upset me more than the recent Boston loss.  Or the blown calls at the end of the Golden State game.  Or the embarassment of opening night.  Where does this rank among our worst losses this year?  Is this worse than opening night when we got blown out on national TV (in LA of all places) and lost Oden?  Or what about when Anthony Morrow molested Rudy, only to have the foul go against Fernandez, thus icing the game for the Warriors in Oakland?  What about when KG and the Celtics bullied us for another beatdown on national television.  And we can't forget about the times when we've given up healthy leads on the road to Phoenix and New Orleans.  Which loss hurts worst?  And what's your all-time worst Blazer loss?  Does Tuesday's Magic game rank anywhere on your list?  My list goes as follows (If you want to get really pissed and maybe break a few things out of frustration, click on the you tube reminder for each):

#1: 2000, Game 7 WCF vs. Lakers - MOTHERF*****!!!!! REMINDER

#2: 1991, Game 6 WCF vs. Lakers - Magic tosses the ball down the court to run the clock down to nothing, our league-best record goes down the drain.  The only time I cried after a game.  I was 9. REMINDER

Blazer's Edge now has a bat phone.  I think it's the best idea ever and I am going to use it.  I wish we had enough readers to have a bat phone!

Cuzoogle has 7 NBA movies opening for Christmas, Roy is a movie star!

Mike Barrett breaks down the loss last night as he saw it.

How about a Kellex post-game rant about Oden? I agree with him to a certain extent, I really want Oden to get aggressive, confident and a little angry.

According to Quick, Travis Outlaw is used to getting "Fussed at," McMillan was not happy with Trav last night.

Channing is accepting donations for a good cause, I really like this guy.

Deceptively Quick found some video of Von Wafer getting minutes and doing pretty good for himself.

Okay, Okay, it's probably weird to link to more links.  But Kobe Stoppers have put all the videos they have in one place, brilliant!

Hey, how about a link to the awesome new network we joined, from here you can see all the other bloguin sites, check it out!

Blowing 8 point lead in last 2 minutes	Roy 30 pts, 9 rebs, 5 assists, 2 blocks
Magic 11-20 on 3's in the 2nd half	LaMarcus stepping up big time (25 pts, 13 rebs, 2 steal, 2 blks)
Awful ending for a great crowd	Sergio! 14 points, 7 assists, 0 turnovers
First home loss :(	Spanish Connection! 2 more alley-oops
Batum's last 5 games...3 points	Bench Play (4 in double figure scoring)
Oden's early foul trouble against Superman	Joel playing DHoward very tough

Box Score

NBA.com Video Recap

BP BIG PLAY OF THE GAME

Batman vs. The Joker. Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Vince McMahon. Maggie Simpson vs. The Baby With One Eybrow. Portland vs. …

Finish that sentence.

A great team needs a great rival. They need someone to push them, someone to challenge them, someone to drive them to new heights through intense individual match-ups and scrappy, hard fought games. As fans we need a team that drives us nuts. We need a team that gets under our skin with every physical rebound and dagger from three point land. Losing to this team would be bitter and hard to swallow, but the wins would be sweeter than honey.

There are three teams that make pretty convincing cases, but when the dust settles there can be only one true rival.

HORNETS

The Hornets are a young team that has quickly risen to prominence by exceeding expectations and following the lead of their young superstar. Sound familiar?

Every game between these two teams is a battle. Chris Paul never stops competing, David West is an absolute beast and Tyson Chandler is a cheap shot artist who gets under everyone's skin. There may not be a lengthy history to draw on, but there have already been some pretty memorable games (27 point comeback comes to mind!), and I'm sure that there are plenty more to come.

JAZZ

I blame Jerry Sloan. He's been the Head Coach for 20 years, he knows how to build a competitive team, and he is so easy to hate that I think it infects the entire team. Their style of play has always resulted in dirty, physical match-ups full of dubious calls and flopping. It started with Stockton and Malone and the torch has been passed to Okur and Boozer (Deron Williams isn't especially physical or a flopper, he's just good).

LAKERS

Everyone hates the Lakers. If you don't hate the Lakers then you aren't a real basketball fan. But doesn't that mean that Laker fans aren't real basketball fans? Yes, yes it does. They are a smug, cocky squad that has been begging for calls since the Divac days. There is something so satisfying about beating the Lakers and their bandwagon fans, but they might be TOO hate-able. If everyone hates them and they know it, is there any room for them to hate us back?

YOU TELL ME, WHO DESERVES TO BE OUR #1 RIVAL? GO VOTE ON OUR POLL AT THE TOP, TELL US HOW YOU FEEL.