Even more bothersome than not getting his usual double-double — he's only grabbing 9.5 rebounds a game against L.A. as well — is the fact his team has fallen twice to the Lakers while his shots have fallen anywhere between Santa Monica Boulevard and Manhattan Beach but not often in the basket.

The pair of double-digit losses, Boozer said, "bothers me more than anything else."

Hearing the refs call his number so often is another big bother. Because of his foul woes, Boozer played less than seven minutes in the first quarter, just one series in the second quarter and 24:25 for the entire game. When he actually played, Boozer had more fouls (four) than baskets (three) in Game 2, and he fouled out of Game 1. Boozer said he tended to rush shots and was out of rhythm.

That, he knows, has to change if the Jazz hope to make a series out of this.

"I've got to stop getting in foul trouble, move my feet a little bit better, not let my teammates down by getting into foul trouble (and) not getting an opportunity to be on the court and help us win," Boozer said. "It's tough. I've been playing this way all year, but I've got to be able to adjust right now to the way the refs are calling the game."

Jerry Sloan doesn't want his All-NBA forward — Deron Williams also made second team, the NBA announced Thursday — to stop being aggressive. The Jazz coach just wants his Duke University product to start playing smarter.

"That's something he's got to overcome ... I think he's made too many silly fouls," Sloan said. "Silly fouls get you on the bench and then when you have to make the hard one, now you're in trouble. You've got to be careful of how you play and stay focused on doing the right thing."

Though Paul Millsap came in and gave the Jazz the spark Boozer didn't, the two-time All-Star said he doesn't want to watch from the sidelines. He still wants to be more aggressive on offense, but he might tone down his pursuit of offensive rebounds to avoid fouling so much.

"If I can stay out of foul trouble, I think I'll be all right. That's the biggest key for me this series," he said. "It's terrible to be on the bench, especially in the first half when you're trying to set a tone for the game, a tone for your teammates and a tone for the series, and you're not able to be out there and help them out. It's very frustrating."

Boozer said he and his team still trust in his talent. Being back home might help, too.

"I'm always going to be confident and believe in my abilities and my teammates' abilities ..." he said. "My teammates are telling me, 'You've got to keep being aggressive, it's going to fall."'