HOUSTON — Jazz management responded Monday with decidedly mixed feelings to reports that Toronto's Sam Mitchell — not the Jazz's own Jerry Sloan — has won 2006-07 NBA Coach of the Year honors.

"First, congratulations to Sam Mitchell — because I believe that he's done a terrific job coaching that team," Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor said prior to Monday's Game 2 first-round Western Conference playoff series loss by Utah to Houston. "And for me to say Jerry should have won it means I'm taking something away from Sam Mitchell, and I don't mean to do that.

"But when I look at things, and look at the improvement that this team has made over the last three years, from 26 wins to 41 wins to 51 wins ... it is really an impressive statistic," O'Connor added. "That's how we look at it."

Sloan — a contender this season along with Mitchell, Avery Johnson of Dallas and Houston's Jeff Van Gundy — has never won Coach of the Year honors from the NBA.

But it's reportedly Mitchell who will receive the prize when the league releases official media balloting results today.

According to the Toronto Star on Monday, "all signs point to" Mitchell being honored prior to tonight's Game 2 of Toronto's Eastern Conference playoff series with New Jersey.

"The league announced (Sunday) night it would announce the coach of the year winner (today)," the Star reported, "and the league likes to allow the various winners their moment in the sun in front of a home crowd.

"In the past the league has made sure the winner of any significant postseason award has been honored before his team plays. Neither the Jazz nor the Mavericks play (tonight)."

The National Post of Canada also reported Monday that unidentified league sources "have confirmed" Mitchell as the winner.

So be it, O'Connor suggested.

"I think we'd rather have 51 wins — Coach (Sloan) would feel this way — and not be Coach of the Year than to have us win 41 (like last season) and be Coach of the Year," he said. "You know, we're concerned with winning.

"However," O'Connor added, "I think over the past three seasons he's done an absolutely fabulous job of keeping this team in a position to be competitive almost every night — with the exception of one year when we were just decimated with injuries."

HE SAID IT: Sloan, asked if he's seen any playoff nerves from his young players: "Oh yeah. Yup. That's something they have to learn how to adjust to and learn how to play through. I had them when I first started playing, and I think everybody does."

MISC.: Jazz center Mehmet Okur blocked four shots Monday, matching his personal playoff high ... Jazz power forward Carlos Boozer has had a double-double in 5-of-6 games against Houston so far this season and postseason ... Jazz rookie guard Dee Brown, who did not play in Game 1, made his NBA playoff debut in Game 2's opening half ... So did ex-Jazz guard Kirk Snyder, one of Utah's 2004 first-round draft picks ... Jazz swingman C.J. Miles was inactive for a second straight postseason game.

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Contributing: Brad Rock

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com