At a loss: Kirilenko stewing over lack of playing time

HOUSTON — While Rockets All-Star Tracy McGrady was busy scoring 22 of his 23 points during Saturday night's second half of Game 1 in the first-round NBA playoff series between Houston and Utah, the Jazz's Andrei Kirilenko spent all but about seven minutes waiting on the bench.

Waiting to go back in.

And wondering.

Wondering why he sat for so long.

And stewing.

Oh, was he ever stewing.

Late Sunday morning, all the waiting and wondering and, yes, even the stewing, caught up with Kirilenko — so much so it began to seep out in a flood of emotion, tears welling and trickling too quickly for a towel to dab them all as he spoke about playing so little in the Jazz's 84-75 loss.

"I mean, when you don't play and when you can help your team," Kirilenko said, "it is disappointing."

If weeping is not permitted in the playoffs, it seems someone did not get the memo.

"When you play this kind of game, you're always ready to go into the game," said Kirilenko, disappointment oozing in his damp eyes. "Especially playoffs, especially (when) intensity of the game is really high and you expect yourself to play. But you can't control everything."

Equally frustrated these days with his inability to command Kirilenko's play — and perhaps even his feelings — is Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who expressed as much Sunday.

"I know it's very uncomfortable for him. It's very uncomfortable for me," Sloan said. "I'm not happy with it, but I don't know how to handle it. I'm not equipped."

So went the post-Game 1 meltdown for the Jazz, who were torched by the Rockets as McGrady and center Yao Ming combined for 51 of Houston's points Saturday.

Asked if he could have done anything to slow the flow from McGrady, who ignited a game-changing 18-4 Rockets run that began just as Utah's starting small forward from Russia exited in the third quarter, Kirilenko was quite candid.

"I don't know. He's a great player, and everybody knows that," he said. "I mean, on him, off him, I think I can be a much better contributor — on the floor. ... I think I can be valuable for the team — on the court."

Not, it went unsaid, off.