"It wasn't just this game," Giricek said. "We've shown throughout the whole two rounds, even against (first-round opponent) Houston, we keep our composure.

"I think it's a quality of this team this year," he added. "The last two-to-three seasons we couldn't manage to keep our composure, (but) probably we are more mature this season."

The Jazz did have their woes as well around the same time as Golden State late, but after Fisher hit a 3-pointer with 5:45 left that gave them a little bit of a cushion at 88-83.

They sealed the deal by hitting 10-of-12 free throws in the final 2:35, part of a 17-3 closing run capped by a game-closing bucket from Boozer.

The Jazz had a 32-15 edge on the boards heading into halftime, yet trailed 54-52.

That was due in large part to the play as second-year guard Monta Ellis, who got his first start of the series — and finished the opening half with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field as Warriors coach Don Nelson opened with a version of real-small ball featuring Ellis, point guard Baron Davis and usual swingmen Jason Richardson and Stephen Jackson.

The Jazz, meanwhile, stuck with their plan to attack inside and were rewarded early on with 12 first-half points (on 6-of-7 field shooting) from Boozer and another 11 from Okur.

Utah beat Golden State 34-24 in the paint during those first two periods, but the Jazz missed five of their six 3-point attempts.

The Jazz had a golden opportunity to put the Warriors away late in the third quarter, but squandered it with follies from the free-throw line and bad luck down low.

After Jackson sent Jazz reserve point Dee Brown to the floor with a cross-arm to the chest, he was tagged with a flagrant-1 foul. Jackson also wound up with the technical foul on the play for complaining to referee Bennett Salvatore.

But Giricek missed the technical freebie, and Brown — who had missed the past two games with a sprained neck — missed both of his free throws as well. And after Boozer turned the ball over on the possession resulting from the flagrant, there went five points kissed goodbye.

Boozer also missed a tip-in chance at the end of the third. He was yanked the floor on the rebound attempt by Matt Barnes, and that resulted in yet another technical.

Matt Harpring missed that freebie too, though, and that left Utah up 77-73 — when the Jazz could have easily had a double-digit advantage. Instead, Davis hit a jumper a short time later to tie it at 83 and a new game was on.

Until, that is, the Jazz decided it was game over, which left them two more series victories from an NBA title.

Dare they even think it?

Apparently so.

"We," a completely composed Boozer said, "have eight (victories) more now."

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com