RMR Game 5: Initial post-game thoughts

The Utah Jazz came back from their disappointing loss at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks (RMR Game 2, loss 72-63) to win game 5 83-78! It was a back and forth game where the Hawks gave their bench some more run, and the Jazz (this game coached by Ty Corbin) continued to play 14 guys. Kosta Koufos came off the bench and he had a really strong 2nd quarter and played well in the 2nd half. He was active, he got some playing time alone on the court playing center, with Fes on the bench, and the Ohio native looked waaay more comfortable playing the 5, instead of the 4.  He and Fes both had strong games (combined: 13 points off of 5-8 shooting, with 8 boards and 5 blocks) for the limited minutes they continue to play -- Koufos with 21:48 and Fesenko with only 12:48. [Btw, in games where Ty Corbin is the coach, Kyrylo gets about 14 mpg; alternatively, when Scott Layden is the coach, and Ty the assistant, Kyrylo gets about 20.5 mpg.] Aside from the young prospects, it was really the "Acie Law IV vs. Morris Almond show". They combined for 34 shots and 20 free throws -- fueling the offenses of both teams. Almond had 29 points -- and for those keeping score at home: so far in 5 games he has played 140:22 minutes, taken 63 shots, has 97 points (19.4 ppg) and a grand total of 1 assist. One. Uno. Ekh. Une. He has 12 turn overs though, so that makes him a very special player.

Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images