Family first: Fisher misses game

The Jazz played Golden State in Monday night's Game 1 of their second-round NBA playoff series without starting shooting guard Derek Fisher, who was excused for what the team would only call "personal reasons."

Without revealing details, Fisher — who won three NBA title rings with the Los Angeles Lakers, and played two seasons with Golden State before coming to Utah last year — expounded.

"I have some personal family things that we're dealing with right now involving one of my children," he said after Monday's morning shootaround, from which he also was excused. "When the time is appropriate, I'll be able to fully address it."

With Fisher out, backup Gordan Giricek got his first start of the current postseason.

Fisher won't practice today, according to a statement released by the team prior to Monday's game, and his status for Wednesday's Game 2 is uncertain.

"We'll address that when we know more," team spokeswoman Cindy Edman said.

Dealing with the same matter last week, Fisher also missed a shootaround before Game 6 of Utah's first-round series with Houston. He started Game 6, though, and traveled as well to Houston for Saturday's Game 7.

"The team's been great," Fisher said, "in allowing me to take care of things and to spend the time that I need to spend with my family."

Fisher and his wife, Candace, have four children, including twins born shortly before he was traded to the Jazz last summer.

JUST HAPPY: Even on the day of Game 1, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan — trying to set a tone for the series — went out of the way to paint the higher-seeded Jazz as underdogs.

"We're happy to be here, and have an opportunity to play," he said.

He practically colored the Warriors quite differently, however.

"They can do just about everything you would hope a team could be able to do," he said.

NO WHINING: Sloan suggested he was OK with the Jazz having only one day between Saturday's first-round series Game 7 win at Houston and Monday's second-round Game 1, while the Warriors had plenty of time to rest after upsetting Dallas.

"You don't worry about time," he said. "It's no excuse one way or the other, as far as I'm concerned.

"I hate to hear whiners," Sloan added. "Go play the game, see who wins."