Utah Jazz's best yet to come?
DWill says Rockets have yet to face 'the right stuff'
Deron Williams readily admits as much heading into Game 3 of a first-round, best-of-seven NBA series.
"I feel I haven't had a good game in the series yet, and I think Booz feels the same way," the Jazz's point guard said of himself and power forward Carlos Boozer. "So we feel like we're in a pretty good position, once we start clicking together."
That could come tonight at EnergySolutions Arena, where Utah will play its first postseason home game since it lost last year to San Antonio in the Western Conference finals.
Even if it doesn't, though, the Jazz feel good enough about their supporting cast that they don't sense a particular need to catch a hot star and ride him for the remainder of the postseason.
"It's nice ... if things aren't going well that somebody else picks up the slack," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, whose bench has outscored that of the Rockets 54-32 so far in the series.
"Booz has been in foul trouble both games, but we've had guys step in and it seems like we haven't missed a beat," Williams added. "That's what we've got to continue to have."
But the Jazz also had a team-high 21 points from starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko — 10 points more than his average during the regular season — and another 11 points from backup shooting guard Kyle Korver.
In Game 2, Boozer managed only 13 points and seven boards while Williams scored a team-high 22 points but dished just five assists.
Starting center Mehmet Okur, though, picked up the slack with a 16-point, 16-board double-double, while backup point guard Ronnie Price hit two key 3-pointers. Utah also got a personal playoff-high 10 points from starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer, who was scoreless in Game 1.
"We're deeper than what people think, man," Boozer said prior to practice Wednesday.
"I mean, (backup power forward) Paul (Millsap) came in and did a great job. Memo was phenomenal with his rebounding, and his shots at the end of (Game 2's first) half. Kyle was great, Ronnie. I mean, everybody played great that played in (Game 2)."
It's for that reason that the Jazz don't seem totally sold on the suggestion that someone — either Boozer, an All-Star the last two years, or Williams, a budding All-Star, or perhaps Okur, an All-Star last season — has to become a picture of perfect playoff production, even if not in this round then certainly down the postseason road.
Recent comments
CCLLLLLAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNKKKKKKK!!! Nice shooting Jazz! Very nice...
Official Jazz Sound in Game 3 | April 24, 2008 at 11:39 p.m.
Looks like Utah will be back in Houston... Sorry Boozy! GO ROCKETS...
Anonymous | April 24, 2008 at 11:23 p.m.
rockets beat the jazz on the jazz's home opener, back before...
Rockets victory | April 24, 2008 at 7:18 p.m.
