BEAST MODE: How Utah Jazz UNLEASHED Lauri Markkanen’s Greatness & SOARING to Elite NBA Status

BEAST MODE: How Utah Jazz UNLEASHED Lauri Markkanen’s Greatness & SOARING to Elite NBA Status

The Utah Jazz have changed their approach with Lowry marketing and it’s made them an absolute beast. That plus the rest of Ask LoJ. Next on Locked on Jazzum. You are Locked on Jazz, your daily podcast on the Utah Jazz, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. How are you? I’m David Lock, radio voice Utah Jazz. Jazz NBA insider. This is Locked on Jazz, your daily podcast on the Utah Jazz. Give you insight, expertise, geeky numbers, and hopefully making it way better to be a Jazz fan each and every day. Thank you so much for making Locked on Jazz your first listen of the day. We are free and available on all podcasting apps as well as on YouTube. And thank you for making Locked On the number one sports podcast network. Everydayers, you’re the greatest. I appreciate you. Thanks so much. Big Ask LoJ edition. Two brand new sponsors on the show, one local and one super appropriate. Um, so big day, big, big day today on the program. Uh, let’s get right to it. Get to your questions. Incredible game last night. Uh, super fun. And in fact, that’s our first question. Was last night the most fun game of the year. Okay. Well, I asked this question. Uh, I did want to just start on last night’s game. I didn’t want to get lost in the midst of all the questions on an Ask LJ edition. Uh, I did think last night may have been as enjoyable a game. um two teams brilliantly coached um with high level offenses but not a marquee star and so collective basketball on both sides. Uh there were almost 80 assists in that game. There were 43 threes made uh by the two teams. Uh the two teams came close that both teams at one point were shooting over 50% over 45% from three. The Jazz then had a really bad fourth quarter. Um really this game has lost in three plays in a row if you want to know where it’s lost. Um Nerkach tries to hit uh Lowry on a back door cut. It’s it’s a one-point game. It’s like 109 108. Lowry’s hit a three um because he’s incredible. Um and Nerkach tries to throw a cut pass to Lowry. kind of a play that’s worked all night but pretty risky at that time of the game. Um and goes off the hands of Lowry out of bounds for a turnover and then um I think they score and then feels like we turned it over like three more possessions in a row like right after that. Um then uh I’m trying to see there’s a Kyle Philipowski miss three in there, but it felt like when I rewatched it last night that these all went back to back to back and um that and we just, you know, we just uh Keiante got picked by Nikquil Alexander Walker for a layup that went the other way that suddenly put us down. Um and there was one other turnover. Lowry throws a skip pass over the top and it gets intercepted. I really think it was three possessions in a row um where this took place. So, Nerkach, it was 118 119 118 actually at the time. Sorry. That is exactly what happened. I like just watch this. Um and we just got sloppy with the basketball. But otherwise, you know, Will was as positive after the game last night as I’ve heard him all year. And I actually thought he was as positive last night about the future of the team. Um there was he has not made a lot of comments. Not that he wasn’t positive. He just doesn’t try to look too far ahead. But I thought last night he really talked about he thought you know he’s seeing things out of Keonte, out of Isaiah Caller, out of Ace Bailey, out of Kyle Filipowski. Bryce Sensible hit some big shots last night. You know I think you um you’re seeing you’re seeing pieces of this coming together right now. Um and I think there’s a lot of excitement to that um from Will last night. Is Lowry market him better this year or the Jazz using him differently? So, the last year the Jazz really made an effort to try to expand Lowry’s skill set and have him play much more isolation, get him the ball at the elbow, have him kind of work the way Embiid does or some of the other Jason Tatum does or some of the marquee 101 players. And they’ve and they’ve really abandoned that this year. Um Lowry is at his best on the move coming off picks with size. When I talk to the coaches that are in town from the other teams have been in league for a long long time. That’s the number one thing they all talk about. They all talk about Lowry’s size and just how it’s impossible. And and then the added element of Lowry size is he is now doing an incredible job. He’s gotten stronger and more physical around the basket. And so last night, Atlanta tried to switch everything. Atlanta’s not a switch team. They’re a maintain team. They don’t usually switch. And last night, Atlanta decided they were going to switch everything one through five on Lowry. And that’s where Lowry got a bunch of these back door cuts because when you’re switching by and Lowry’s coming, this is the baseline. This is not going to work very well. Um, if you’re coming from the baseline and you’re heading to the top of the key, the pick is up above is on the route, right? So, you’re going from baseline to top of the key or baseline at top of the three-point circle. Sorry, let me make this more clear. You’re going from right corner baseline to top around the outside of the circle. If you’re on that route and they’re going to switch off a pick, it literally means that the guy is above you. So, Lowry starts that way, they switch, and he’s back door cutting. Th this is where Lowry has developed and it’s better. But also Lowry’s now getting that ball in traffic and able to finish. We’re seeing far more Lowry marketing Keonte George pick and roll partially because Walker’s out and we don’t have any other buddy we can play pick and roll with. But it means Lowry’s now on a roll to the basket catching at five to six, seven feet and having to make a play. Last night Lowry had six 15 field goals. 14 of them were assisted. That’s how he plays. That’s his brilliance. He doesn’t need dribbles. He’s able to make plays. He’s so big. He gets there fast. And the Jazz have gone away from trying to give him the ball and make him make a play. He didn’t own his space very well. He never did that great. And they’re find now late game. This will get interesting because this is where how you know the reason the Jazz were doing that is in a bunch of close games in the year prior, there was a bunch of moments where people complained that Lowry didn’t get the ball enough. And it’s hard when late in the game to go get Lowry Markin the ball when everyone knows he’s the one you’re trying to get the ball to and he doesn’t have the ball in his hands. Like if you just want to post him up and give him the ball, you can do that. But getting him off staggers, getting him off advantages and things like that um is hard. So, we’re seeing the Jazz using him differently than he’s been used the year before. And he is thriving. I mean, he’s the fifth leading scorer in the NBA right now. His shooting numbers are terrific. He’s at 48% from the field. He’s at 39% from three. The one that jumps out to me, he’s taking nine threes a game, which is the same amount as like Donovan and Tyresese Maxi. So, he’s really just a scoring shooting guard. I mean, literally Steph takes 11, Donovan takes 10, and Lowry takes nine. And that’s like Lowry’s a shooting guard. Think of Lowry as a 7 foot one shooting guard. And then he’s a shooting guard that goes to the free throw line seven times a game, which is exactly what Donovan and Steph do. And then he’s taking 10 or 11 twos, which is exactly what Donovan Murray and Steph Curry do. Like he literally has the exact same shot diet as Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell, Lowry Barkin, Tyrese Maxi. That’s it. Like those like I’m just trying to run through it right now. Th those that the exact same shot diet as Steph Curry, Donovan Mitchell, and Tyrese Maxi. He is a 7 foot one shooting guard. It’s incredible. Has Lowry improved play pushed him into being the second best player on a contending team? Maybe. Maybe. Which makes his $40 million contract actually tradable where if he’s the third best team, he’s actually not tradable, which is an interesting kind of aspect. Maybe he’s really playing great. Um, it’s a legitimate question. Um, and with the recent play, has his improved trade value pushed the Jazz to be more open to making a move? I don’t think so. Um, I still believe kind of what I’ve always believed is that when we’re going to be good, Lowry’s going to be on that playoff team. You you have to have some peace. The only thing I would say, and I got I’ve gotten this text from now more than the Jazz are too good to tank with Lowry. Um, and losing that draft pick is not good. Um, let’s just not hide that big elephant in the room. that trade is just handcuffing us again. Um, and so I don’t know the answer on that. Um, he’s really good and he makes us he makes us a real ch makes the Jazz a real real challenge every night. What do you think of starting? So, it obviously came out of nowhere. Steve is the one who um just kind of we our you know not even joke like we all talk about like he either starts and they played great. So truly what’s happened here is I don’t think the intention was for SV to start. Um, and then Speed has played great, like really great, and has been our best defensive player, has been the one guy who’s not getting abused regularly, has been guarding fabulously, and has been making shots until last night, and he’s still shooting 36% from three on a team that was 29th or 30 in the league in three-point shooting. Um, I think it’s a great story, frankly. And then, you know, we actually had a time with yesterday. He’s delightful. Um he’s an amazing story. He leaves home at 17 years old. Holly Row was in and did some asked some really great questions. So I want to make sure I give credit. Um so he left home at 17, went to Kansas, won national championship there. Um you know his parents live in the Ukraine. Um he was telling us about how their power is turned off every two hours. Um his dad is a college professor, his mom is a history teacher, I think he said. So one teaches at high school level, one teaches a college professor. They love their jobs, they love their lives, they don’t speak any English. And so C has been asking them, do you want to come to America? But they and get out of the war. And I think for all of us that seems like, well, of course you do, except for the fact that they would give up all their friends, their entire life, their jobs they love, the community they’re in. And so they’ve opted not to. Um, which has to be, you know, incredibly difficult for SVI. SVI did take his his longtime basketball coach and kind of who’s always trained him and he’s moved him to Washington DC. Um so he has he has moved him um out. So it was very real conversation. Holly Holly got some great stuff. Um I want to again give Holly credit. Um good to have a Hall of Famer in town. Um and she and it’s just you know what a real story there is with SI. Um and sharing kind of the you know without too much depth but openly about Yeah. Yeah, I mean I’d love my parents to come, but they have a live and they don’t want to come to America and not have speak any English and not know anyone and yeah, it’ probably be really isolating and really terrible. Your electricity would be on 24 hours in most places and that would be great, but it wouldn’t it’s still not like living and so very very interesting kind of real life human aspect of of Speed Mail. Um, but honestly, no one expected him to start. Wasn’t one name. He’s been great. Like anyone who can’t admit that he’s been really really good is just so biased against. And I honestly at this point don’t know who you would start. Like maybe it’s Isaiah Collier, but I don’t I kind of think Isaiah Collier’s play coming off the bench is the answer to a lot of this. He’s been great. Ace Bailey, is he changing his shot diet and altering the way he’s approaching the game? Next on Locked on Jazz. Today’s show is brought to you by the Murdochs. And usually I talk to you about Murdoch Hyundai right now, but I want to make sure you know about a new Murdoch property that’s really exciting. Uh the Murdochs have a new addition. It’s Murdoch Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Bountiful. That’s right. Murdoch Chrysler Dodge Jeep and Ram of Bountiful. Uh it’s at 755 North 500 West in West Bountiful. uh and 0% for years on for 6 years on the new Ram 1500. So when you walk through the doors, you’ll feel like family. It is Murdoch, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram of Bountiful. I get to introduce you to another new sponsor, one that only appropriate frankly is on this show and that is Drip Drop. And if you’ve noticed, if you watch the show on YouTube, I drink something every morning. And every morning, what I’m drinking is Drip Drop, creatin, and collagen. You don’t care about that. This is about drip drop. Drip drop is my daily hydration drink. I got it from Jack who is um one of our nutritionists and she handed it out on the Jazz plane and I started taking it and now I get a shipment and it comes and I take it every single day and Jack had one of the great lines. I’m not following any script here. Uh Jack gave me one of the great lines about Drip Drop and Drip Drop she’s like it tastes good. Our job is to keep our players hydrated and it tastes good and if we give it to them they’ll drink it because it tastes good. There might be other stuff that has different. It doesn’t taste good. So I am like my family jokes and calls me hydration boy because it impacts my focus, energy, mood, everything. And drip drop is what I do to keep hydrated. So it’s doctor developed hydration that keeps me running at full power. And no matter what my day looks like, it could it is not your average sports drink. 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Well, you can do it Wayfair without a lot of expense because the holiday season is right around the corner and getting your home ready, whatever that means, whether it’s seating, cozy new linens, serveware, whatever the holiday hosting needs are. Wayfair’s Black Friday sale is here to help you with make your space shine. And the best part, you don’t have to wait. Wayfair’s Black Friday deals are happening all month long with 70% off everything from sofas to spatulas. Don’t miss out on Black Friday deals. Head to wayfair.com now to shop Wayfair’s Black Friday sale up to 70% off. That’s wayfair.com. Sale ends December 7th at wayfair.com. Thanks so much for making Lockdown Jazz your first listen of the day and thank you for making Locked On the number one sports podcast network. Amazing. You guys are incredible. All right, let’s get back to your questions are great. Um, do you believe the Oreo cookie theory still? Do you have any fears that any of our young guys have been dunked too much? So, my old theory about the Oreo cookie is that young players are like Oreo cookies. They’re really, really awesome. Just by themselves, they’re awesome. And we’re trying to make them better. And so, you dip them in milk because the only reason you dip a nearly perfect um uh chemically created uh cookie that is perfection um is if put it in milk is to make it better. And so, when you put an Oreo cookie in milk, your goal is to make it better. But if you don’t dip it enough, then it doesn’t really have any impact at all. It’s just the same thing. But if you overdip the Oreo cookie and it crumbles in the bottom and it’s in the bottom of your cup and you’ve lost your Oreo cookie, super disappointing. And I think the development of young players is similar. You have to be really careful that you don’t overdip them, but you can’t under dip them either. So, um, I do still believe in this theory. Um, and I do think that young players actually need to be dipped. Like they need they need milk. Like they need to be like they need opportunities to play play play. Um, I thought Will Hardy had an interesting comment last night after the game that kind of relates to this. He talked about it in a different manner than I ever heard about it, which is they’re very being very intentional in how they’re playing Ace Bailey’s minutes. Um, and one of the things they’re doing with Ace Bailey is they’re playing him. He’s going to play like a five and a half or six minute stint on the court. And if it’s going well, they take him out even though it’s going well because they want him to get come off the court feeling good. The last thing they want to do is play Ace Bailey every single time. until he starts to make mistakes and then every time he comes off the floor he feels crappy about himself. But the confidence growing from having a five or six minute stint which things go well and then having him come off the floor and then come back in the game later with confidence is actually a really important developmental and not that’s kind of the same Oreo cookie theory inside of just an individual stint. So I think that is true. Um I do believe in this. I do wonder sometimes whether we overdipped Cody Williams last year. he was just so overwhelmed and I just think his confidence has to be shaky because of it. Um and so I do wonder about that. Um I thought we over dipped Trey Burke and then he just turned out to maybe not be very good either. Um I mean that also can be it right like like I don’t think you have to worry about over dipping Cooper Flag and I don’t think you’re going to have to really worry about overdipping VJ Edgecom though it feels like maybe a little bit right now. So I I think when you look at these players um some the ones yeah you know obviously the ones that are really great you probably don’t have to worry about it as much. Um but I thought it was really interesting that Will said thought of this kind of he doesn’t call theor cookie theory but um he does he kind of believes in the same concept inside of a playing stint. Are the Jazz having Ace take less mid-rangers? Seems like he shifted toward threes and the rim with each game. How many mid-range shots would you like him to see on average? It’s an interesting question. I agree 100%. Um, that is what you just wrote is 100% true. He does he has changed his shot diet since starting. Um, I think it has a little bit to do with whether he’s self-creating or whether he’s getting the ball from someone last night. He really played off of people. Um, he didn’t go make a lot of individual plays himself last night, which is just fine. Um, he caught and shoot, played catch and shoot, and he made a bunch of shots. It was really pretty awesome. Um, and the other times where I’ve seen him mid-range is when he tries to go one-on-one and then he pulls up in the mid-range, which is actually going to be totally fine. And the more he and probably going to go up because the weakness he has right now is that every single time he drives to the basket, he ends up getting just driving first great move and he’s in the air and there’s three guys around him and he has no idea where to go next and it’s all happening so dang fast and he’s just got no chance. Um, and the second and third help guy are coming faster than he’s ever imagined in his entire life. And as he begins to read that, what he’s going to do is he’s going to make a decision further out on the floor, which sometimes will lead to a pull-up mid-range jumper. So, I think you’ll actually see more of them a little bit as time goes on here than less. Um, I remember Gordy Chza was working with Luke Ridau for years in for a year in Seattle and I was there and after practice every day they would work on drills where Luke had to make the decision one step inside the free throw line. Um, and you know whatever and there would be a coach or two on the floor who would do something and he would have to make a decision. And that’s that’s the next step I think for Ace is where he makes his decisions. He’s gotten he’s a very good decision maker and he passes really well. The pass last night I think it was to Nerkage was in either Nerkish or Lowry on the right hand baseline drive and then a drop off is incredible. I mean he just does amazing stuff. The kids the kid’s real. Um and so we’ll be interesting to see but I think from a pure offensive standpoint the next step is he’ll actually start shooting more mid-rangers. Do you think even without Collier’s shooting shotmaking Billy his skill to run find his teammates push the tempo on both makes and misses provides the G Jazz needed offense? Yes. So the opening few nights of watching Isaiah Collier I will I will admit has been eye opening to me. Um I am hung up in the belief that everybody has to be able to shoot 35% from three or they cannot last in this league. I do believe that. uh particularly non-enters like it’s just the reality. You got to be able to shoot in this league now. Everyone can do it. They’ve made the they’ve changed the rules in this league that you can literally murder somebody when they’re trying to run a route and we don’t call it as a foul anymore. And yet we’re still scoring 140 points every day. Like they have changed the league rules. Player movement is gone. You can literally mug people the entire time. And last night Atlanta scored 132, FE scored 133, and Toronto scored 126. like the offensive skill set of the players are so incredible. So, you have to be able to shoot. But what Isaiah the impact Isaiah has the minute he checks in the game and how much he changes a game is really awesome and pretty undeniable and has been has been eyeopening to me on what an impact he really is h having on the game every night. Um, now I I will also just kind of stay in my lane and not lie. In 66 minutes, he’s taken two threes. Dyson Daniels, TJ McConnell. It’s like kind of it. There’s two other guys, I have to think of who who they were. We mentioned the other day, who do this there. There just are not a lot of guys that that can survive in this league and be guards and just not even take threes. Nonetheless, not make them. But yes, yes. Yes. His his brilliance is real. It’s really real. He’s pretty awesome. Anthony Davis, anybody in the Sacramento Kings fire sale? 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Thanks so much for listening to Lockdown Jazz. For you’ve not heard, we have in arena. You can listen with no lag actually. Um so stop by our booth at section 7. We’re trying to make it easy to see if we can get it done through the jazz app for you. Um you can listen in arena to the radio broadcast. No lag. kind of great. If Anthony Jazz get Anthony Davis for a bag of bread, is it even worth it? And if so, how much? I mean, the injury thing on Anthony Davis is so real. On the other end, I tell you all the time, it’s worth going to get Zion Williams and and his is more real. The only difference is that Anthony Davis is 32 years old, turns 33 this March 11th. Um, and I do think you have to be a little worried that like last year he played 51. His game plays is 36, 40, 56, 76, and 51. This would accelerate our timeline greatly. And I don’t know that it that’s truly someone who I don’t think is on our timeline. Boy, is he good. 10 time all-star, NBA champion. I mean, when he’s right, he is right. It is awesome. Um, I don’t think so. I just think we’re still three or four years away and you’re playing an you’re banking on Anthony Davis 33 to 36 years old to do that. I just don’t think it makes sense with the Kings looking to fire sales. Is anyone on their roster you would consider? Well, yeah. I mean, the one that’s interesting is Dematus Sabonis. He I still can’t figure out how good he is. So, I know what he’s great at. Three-time all-star, three-time rebounding champion, two-time AllNBA. I mean, massive numbers, right? Massive, massive numbers. 19 points, 14 rebounds a game. Their defense is always bad. And he is a 6’10 center that can’t get off the ground. He’s 29, will be for the whole season. That three-year difference makes him a little bit more appealing. He’s interesting. You’re running your whole offense through him, five out. He matches the way we want to play. He’s a good passer. Averages five assists a game. He can run. He matches how we play. The question is whether you can put enough rim protection, I think, around him and whether that rim protection can cover up his defensive weaknesses. But he’s pretty special. He aedaged six assists a game last year. He aed eight assists the year before that. He averaged seven assists the year before that. I mean, he if you’re going to get Damata Sabonis, he is the fulcrum of your offense, but that matches with the way Lowry plays really, really well. Like, you have Damas Sabonis playing a handoff with Lowry Markin and they switch it and now there’s a smaller guy on either of the two and you’re killing people. I You want to accelerate our timeline? I think that one gets interesting. um of whe whether you can get Sabonis in some combination. You’re playing him with Lowry. That’s your core. You’re now using all your draft picks and young players to come around those two. You’re going to win a lot of games. I don’t know that you win a title, but you’re going to win a lot of games. That one’s pretty intriguing to me. Ron was not in on it. Um but I am a little bit. It he he and Lowry are on the same timeline. you suddenly are building those two up while Ace develops. Um, you probably win too many games, you probably lose your pick. Um, it’s pretty interesting. That one’s interesting to me that just how much he could literally the the offense that we’re trying to run right now. He’s perfect. Perfect. Defensively is a real issue. I’ve been watching games lately. I know the guys are trying. How do you fix all the drives from the three-point line to the rim? is the scheme issue or more about personnel. So, the scheme is that there should be people shifted over into space near them to help with this. Um, it’s really hard. Like, there’s a lot of space in the NBA. One of the big switches that’s happened in the NBA is people were spacing five out and there’s not it’s actually hard to find driving lanes at five out because there’s too many guys. Now people are spacing five five G shooters but one of them’s now down in the dunker spot under the rim and then everyone’s rotating around and moving. So all of them can play five out and all of them will play somewhere out in the possession but one of them is down low which now is four drivers out and there’s just so much space. It’s really really hard for and it’s just then you’re really just driving and then once that guy comes to you you’re just kicking and that’s what Miami is doing right now and Haime Hakez is just beasting people. Um, and Atlanta does a little bit of this last night. Um, though they just played a lot of pick and pop. Um, so I, um, I think you’re trying to get help. You need help. It’s just too hard to guard right now. Even though you can do everything, particularly off ball, you can do everything. Um, but it’s hard to stand in front of guys. It’s just really, really, really hard. After four years of tanking, if the Jazz only put themselves in position for the number one pick one time, are they destined for mediocrity? The only way the Jazz can get a true star is the draft. Um, and this is if we lose our pick. Um, and the team is fun, but I hate the feeling of maybe losing our pick. What do you think the safe zone is? For those who don’t know, if we fall out of the top eight, we lose our pick to Oklahoma City. And Oklahoma City already has the Clippers pick. It’s crazy. Um, I don’t know how I feel about this. It’s real. I think that’s like it’s real. It’s a real concern. Like, we’re we’re 12 games into the season. We’re three and eight. So, it’s not like we’re lighting the house on fire, but we’re definitely competitive and it would be a monumental setback for us to not get our pick. Like, there’s just no other way to say it. So, yeah, that’s real. Um, and it’s sucks cuz it just jacks at being a fan and fs up how you feel about everything. So, it sucks as a fan. I’m just with you 100%. So, I am just enjoying every game and every night and the entertainment and kind of just letting the chips fall. Um, but I feel you and it is it is a fair accurate thought and it just sucks to have and so excited when it’s gone. On that happy note, have a great weekend and I will back be back with you Sunday with Ron B. It’s a six o’clock start. If you come to the game, make sure you know that you can listen in arena um and stop by our booth at section 7 to do so. Have a great one. I’ll hit you on a bunch of socials and do a bunch of stuff between now and then. See you which now we send you the first ever 247 national NBA channel locked on NBA plus check out game night every game every night after every game.

Utah Jazz unlock Lauri Markkanen’s potential with a revamped offensive strategy—he’s now dominating as a 7-foot-1 shooting guard, matching shot diets with NBA greats like Steph Curry and Donovan Mitchell. David Locke breaks down Markkanen’s explosive production, how the Jazz are leveraging his off-ball movement, and what this means for his trade value and the team’s future. Are the Jazz using Markkanen differently enough to make him the key piece of a playoff contender?

Locke also covers the rise of Svi Mykhailiuk as a surprise starter, Ace Bailey’s evolving shot selection, and Isaiah Collier’s game-changing impact without elite three-point shooting. The episode dives into Jazz player development, potential trade possibilities with stars like Domantas Sabonis and Anthony Davis, and the high stakes of their draft pick situation. Can Utah’s current approach push them toward contention or does missing out on a top draft pick threaten their long-term vision?

0:00 – Jazz Adjustments with Markkanen
12:45 – Jazz Young Player Development
25:34 – Trade Talk: Sabonis & Jazz Future

Locked On Jazz Podcast 💻 https://www.lockedonjazz.net

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#NBA #UtahJazz #WillHardy #jordanclarkson #laurimarkkanen

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