This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Golden State right now may be one of the best teams in the NBA.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are certainly one of the very best backcourts in the league.
All of that is understood. But what also must be understood is that the Utah Jazz still need to be more competitive than they were on Friday night.
That was a big message conveyed by Jazz coach Quin Snyder in the moments following a 101-88 loss to a Warriors team that truthfully played like the game was over in the second half. For the second consecutive game, Utah came out with a slow start. Unlike Tuesday night's win over Oklahoma City, no amount of screaming by Snyder at his team was going to salvage things.
"It's certainly something we need to be mindful of," Snyder said. "I think we just have to come out with a better mindset. We can't turn the ball over the way we did and expect to compete."
The Jazz must get better production from their backcourt. Trey Burke and Alec Burks combined for 11 points. Burke, three days after playing perhaps his best game of the season, particularly struggled on both ends.
The good news? The Jazz have another game, less than 24 hours later. In what should be an interesting matchup, Utah and the New Orleans Pelicans were both blowout victims on the road. Which one can end a slump and get back to its winning ways?
Tony Jones