Speculating not for Jazz before Game 7

HOUSTON — Now they can talk.

Try as they did early on, though, media members hoping to the get Jazz players to talk about what was then a potential second-round NBA playoff series with the Golden State Warriors went nowhere prior to Saturday's late-starting first-round Game 7 against Houston.

"I (haven't) thought about it," point guard Deron William said. "I watched the (Golden State-Dallas opening-round) games. I watch all the games. But we have to beat this team (Houston) first — there is no Golden State if we don't."

Even guard Derek Fisher, who spent two seasons with the Warriors before joining Utah in a trade last summer, would not bite.

"I've thought about it. But the business at hand is first and foremost," he said after Saturday's morning shootaround. "And I promise you guys there will be plenty of opportunity to speak about them if we face them."

Sure enough, Utah did beat Houston 103-99 on Saturday and will open its series with the Warriors on Monday night at EnergySolutions.

And after they did, the Jazz were more than happy to talk about Golden State.

"We have to switch gears and get our track shoes on," Williams said. "They cause a lot of match-up problems, and it will be a very tough series."

Curiously, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan did nibble at the hook Saturday morning — claiming he predicted the eighth-seeded Warriors would indeed upset the league-leading Mavericks.

"The way they were playing — we played them at the end of the year — I thought they would beat Dallas from the start," Sloan said.

Why?

"They've got a great point guard," he said with a reference to veteran Baron Davis, "and they've lot of great athletes around him."

ADIOS HOUSTON: After making five trips here this season, including three in the past two weeks, the Jazz may actually miss Houston.

They've gotten awfully accustomed to the place, after all. ... "We know where the locker room is now," Sloan joked. "That's helped us a little bit."

"Weather's nice," Fisher added when asked what he'll miss most. "You get to my age in this league, humidity's always a good thing. It helps the joints feel a little looser."

HE SAID IT: Sloan, when asked Saturday morning what made him most nervous about Game 7: "Knowing it could be over. That's a scary feeling."

MISC.: Williams and Mehmet Okur both recorded their first doubles-doubles of the series in Game 7, and Williams' game-high 14 assists were a personal playoff high. ... Jazz swingman C.J. Miles was inactive for the seventh straight time in the series. ... Fisher played, as expected, despite concerns over a family issue involving his children that kept him from taking part in the morning shootaround prior to Game 6. ... Saturday's Game 7 officiating crew included ex-Jazz guard and BYU product Bernie Fryer.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com