With the OKC-UT series on the brink we took the opportunity to interview one of the star performers from OKC, perhaps the series MVP, big man Jonas Valanciunas.

NI: So what gives Jonas, looks like you got this one in the bag?

JV: Well back in Lithuania we say if a tree is still left, you still have a forest.

NI: Ok, and umm please explain more?

JV: Well I have chopped down all the trees and I will keep chopping until there are none left.

NI: Right, so you are saying that WCS is a tree?

JV:  Well no not exactly. But if he was I would have chopped him down by now.

NI: Right.  So I can’t help but notice you were held to less than 20 points in game 3.

JV: Yes, well I wanted to give other players a chance to score.

NI: So Faried didn’t slow you down?

JV: Well who cares, we won the game anyway right, and now it’s 3-0.

NI: So you are confident that this thing is over, and you are going to finish them off in 3?

JV: Yes of course, I already have my broom out.

So there you have it, it seems that big Jonas is pretty confident going into game 4.  So is the series a foregone formality or is there still hope for the Jazz?  Well, a look back at recent NLL history shows that teams can come back from the brink of elimination – it’s never over ‘til it’s over.  All it takes is the right combination of adjustments.  The Jazz are at full strength now with Gordon back.  They have lots of firepower and it seems as if Faried-Randle up front did slow the OKC offensive rebounds a bit.  But they still have excellent depth and bench firepower.  One could argue game 3 was the closest yet though with really only a few made free throws separating the teams.

However, so far gm nenjabin has watched and waited and until he loses he is likely to continue to do so.  Why fix it, if it aint broke.  The Jazz really need to find a way to get a W to cast some doubt into their opponents mind.  Can gm merencio find a way to use Rose-Gordon-Oladipo more effectively?  Will he find a way to solve the next piece of the OKC puzzle before it’s too late?  Or will the OKC template of efficiency and depth be too much to overcome?

All will be revealed soon.  Game 4, Wednesday 10:30am – be there!