Can Orlando or Utah Get Back in the Mix?

Both teams find themselves down 2-0 in their respective series', and neither one of them has been within 8 points of getting a win. For the Jazz and the Magic, things don't look good.

I think we can go ahead and rule Orlando out. The only thing at all working in their favor is Detroit's arrogance. If the Pistons have a poor shooting night, the Magic might be able to feed off their home crowd to get energetic enough for one win. But four of the next give? It can't happen.

The Jazz, though, don't seem quite as dead, though they're also pretty close to life support. Utah beats a lot of teams with their willingness to work for their shots, and to dig in on defense. Against a team like Houston, though, which matches their intensity and responsibility, the difference in talent becomes evident.

Not that Utah isn't deep or talented ... but the Rockets just have to guys that the Jazz can't answer. I said before this game that Carlos Boozer had to play like a star for the Jazz to have a chance. And guess what? Booz had 41 last night, equaling his season high ... and it wasn't even close to enough.

I'm not totally ruling out a Jazz comeback, but the odds are stacked pretty high against them. Some suggestions after the jump.

• Aggressively double-team Yao. They've thrown some at him, but throw more, and get there quicker. I think Mehmet Okur does a pretty decent job against him one-on-one, but he's still averaging 27.5 for the series. Try making Houston beat you with perimeter shooting. It's worth a shot.

• Less Kirilenko, more Harpring. Actually, let me amend that: No Kirilenko, all Harpring. It's not helping Kirilenko or the team for him to be on the floor right now.

• Find a way to get Memo some looks. Post him up, run some pick-and-pops ... I don't know, but he's not producing anything offensively. Utah can't win without him.