Great escape: Jazz take 2-0 series lead with dramatic victory over Warriors

Published: Thursday, May 10, 2007 12:09 a.m. MDT
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Drama does not do it justice.

What happened Wednesday night at EnergySolutions was theater of the highest order, with enough twists, turns and oozing emotion that all 19,911 watching developments unfold had to feel a part.

That the Jazz escaped with a 127-117 overtime playoff victory over Golden State was almost lost in the tale of how they got there, replete with one point guard going to the hospital with a neck injury and another flying cross-country to lift a terrifically drained team — but only after seeing his infant daughter through a combination of surgery and chemotherapy in her bout with a form of childhood cancer.

"There are so many storylines," said power forward Carlos Boozer, who helped champion those on the court as Utah took a 2-0 lead in its best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series with the Warriors.

Where, oh where, to start?

If the beginning is best in this instance, that would be when usual No. 3 point Dee Brown crashed hard into teammate Mehmet Okur.

He gingerly left the floor with assistance from two trainers, then was wheeled in a cart to a waiting ambulance for eventual tests that preliminarily indicated he should be okay.

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Brown was playing because starter Deron Williams got into early foul trouble with two quick first-quarter calls, and usual backup — and Jazz starting shooting guard — Derek Fisher spent most of Monday with his young daughter in a New York hospital.

When Fisher finally arrived late in the third quarter, the Jazz were up 83-80 — but seemingly wondering how much longer they could hold on against a Golden State club that got a game-high 36 points from point guard Baron Davis and another 27 from swingman Jason Richardson.

"I was surprised to see Fish," said forward Andrei Kirilenko, another of those who got things done on the court while others dealt with matters off. "I really get a little spark when he stepped on the floor."

Kirilenko was not alone as the Jazz won their fifth of five playoff games at home and their sixth of their last seven outings in the postseason.

Though the Jazz would squander their third-quarter lead and allow the Warriors to go up by as many as five points at 112-107 when Matt Barnes hit a 19-foot jumper with 52.9 seconds to go, Fisher was instrumental in helping Utah forcing a five-minute extra period.

He got Davis to step out of bounds with 27.4 seconds left and Golden State still up three, then watched as Okur made a foot-on-the-long-distance-line jumper to pull the Jazz to within one and — after Davis missed the second of two free throws — Williams knocked down a nifty 12-footer to make it 113-113 with 2.3 seconds remaining.

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Mike Terry, Deseret Morning News

Utah Jazz guard Derek Fisher after hitting a pivotal 3-pointer in overtime. The shot helped the Jazz prevail.

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