Players say Utah's 4-0 start legit

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — They still have their skeptics, even after beating Detroit on Monday night at the Delta Center.

And that's fine by point guard Deron Williams.

"We can stay under the radar," Williams said. "We're definitely happy with that."

In their minds, however, the Jazz do not doubt the 4-0 start they bring into a three-game Eastern road swing that begins tonight at New Jersey is legit.

Nor do they believe it's merely a favorable-schedule fluke aided by the fact three of those victories came at home, and two were over teams — Golden State and Houston — which were well under .500 last season.

"Of course we feel good to go out and continue to prove that we're a good team," veteran guard Derek Fisher said. "I think we already believed that — and that's why we're playing the way we're playing."

MORE PRAISE: Add Detroit's Flip Saunders to the growing list of NBA coaches with nice things to say about the Jazz after losing to Utah early this season.

"They're very athletic, very deep," Saunders said. "They're not just based on one or two guys. They've got a lot of players that can hurt you.

"They're going to be here for a while," the ex-Minnesota Timberwolves coach added, "and they're going to be good for a while."

Detroit's Tayshaun Prince and Chauncey Billups chimed in.

"It's always tough to come (to the Delta Center) trying to stop them from running their offense," Prince said after the Pistons lost for the fifth time in their last six meetings with the Jazz. "We know they're the most well-coached team in the league as far as running their offense up to a 'T' — all five guys."

"They are playing really well," Billups added. "We knew they were going to come in and push the tempo, play extremely hard, extremely physical — and they did all that."

BIG FAN: Billups also is a huge fan of Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko.

"He's one of my favorite players in the league," the Pistons point told the Detroit Free Press. "I love him, I love his game.

"It's not really his scoring that's the best part of his game. It's his energy, blocked shots, rebounds, defense. He's just an unbelievable player, period."

Billups and Kirilenko were among several NBA players who worked out and scrimmaged together in Las Vegas last September.

HE SAID IT: So just what was it that Detroit assistant coach Dave Cowens said that cost him and the Pistons a critical technical foul in the fourth quarter of Monday's loss to the Jazz?

According to Saunders, "All Dave said ... was, 'We're just trying to win the game."'

LIFE LESSON: The meaning of life, courtesy of Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, entry No. 2,031: "Our guys stood up and challenged (the Pistons), and didn't seem intimidated. You can't let anybody intimidate you. If you do, you're going to be intimidated the rest of your life."