From Deseret News archives:
2-0 lead? We've seen that before
Only difference is that last time it was the other way around.
And it cost the Houston Rockets their season.
In case the Jazz get the idea this series is over after a 127-117 overtime win over Golden State on Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena, they need only look one place. Jerry Sloan probably will install mirrors in everyone's lockers this morning.
That's how it happened in the last series. The Rockets jumped to a 2-0 lead in the series. It was all but over. Except it wasn't.
Sort of like ditching your little brother. Look around and there he is.
This is nothing the Jazz don't know. Sloan is a career skeptic; a fly-in-the-punchbowl kind of guy. No reason to get all smiley when you haven't done anything. He keeps himself and his team in a constant state of concern. Stopping to smell the roses isn't an option. Talk to him about his impressive career coaching record, his two trips to the NBA Finals, and he'll remind you irritably that he hasn't won a championship.
Whether it's the dangerous Golden State Warriors or the embarrassingly inept Atlanta Hawks, you'd think the Jazz were playing Russell's Celtics or Kareem's Lakers.
It's not exactly fear. Sloan wouldn't admit to fear. Let's just say it's a suspicion that calamity is waiting just around the corner.
So the Jazz are up 2-0 and trying to stay humble. With good reason. They sneaked past the Warriors on Monday with a 116-112 victory that wasn't decided until the final seven seconds. This time it took Deron Williams' running shot with two seconds left in regulation to send it into overtime. Then it was his 3-pointer that put the Jazz ahead by five. A string of uncharacteristic misses by the Warriors ended the threat.
If the Jazz were inclined to feel sorry for themselves, Wednesday would have been a good time. Guard Derek Fisher was missing his second straight game, attending to a family matter. Williams drew two fouls in the first minute. Backup Dee Brown did fine until a neck injury sent him to the hospital with five minutes left in the first quarter.
Still, they played with who they had. Part of that was Fisher, who arrived in time to play nine second-half minutes. He contributed five badly needed points.
About three weeks and a lifetime ago, things were reversed. All looked safe and secure for the Rockets. But there was that sneaking suspicion something was up with the Jazz. In the first game they hung with the Rockets into the early fourth quarter. But they thought they could have won. Two nights later, more of the same. They lost again, but they kept hanging around.
