OAKLAND — Because Andrei Kirilenko has been as confused and emotional as a pregnant teen this season, and because he is only now coming out of the funk that threatened to rob his spirit, this is probably a bad time to bring this up. But timing isn't my strong suit. I'm the kind of guy who sends flowers a day after Valentine's because they're half off.

Still, the message to Kirilenko is this: STOP SHOOTING 3'S!

Now. Before he hurts his team and really has something to cry about.

As if coach Jerry Sloan hasn't already said the same, except in more colorful language.

As the Jazz await tonight's Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals against Golden State, it is clear that Kirilenko is treading on treacherous ground. On one hand, he is a major part in the Jazz's postseason success. He is performing with abandon, which is the only way he is effective. Wednesday, Kirilenko was as close to his old self as he's been all year, with 20 points, five assists, nine rebounds, a steal and six blocks.

That's a line any player would cherish.

At the same time, that do-everything attitude can creep over into overconfidence. A guy is feeling good, his game is back, he's looking to do anything he can to win, and suddenly he tries something so random that even teammates cringe. He takes a hasty 3-point shot out of nowhere, and it almost costs them the game.

Confidence is one thing, recklessness is another.

Kirilenko has enough trouble with 12-foot jumpers, without trying 24-footers.

Locked into an excruciatingly close game, the Jazz had just seen a six-point lead vanish. The Warriors had gone ahead 108-107 on Jason Richardson's 3-pointer, one of five he made that night.

The Jazz brought the ball downcourt, and Kirilenko flashed out to the arc, took a pass and immediately unloaded an ill-advised trey, which missed badly with 1:52 left in regulation. It wasn't taken because the shot clock was running down; there were 10 seconds left when he let it fly. Nor was it because he was the best shooter available. Deron Williams, Matt Harpring and Mehmet Okur were on the court, too.

Just over a minute later he took another 3-pointer. That time it might have been excused, because the game clock was down to 43 seconds and the Jazz trailed by five. Still, 14 seconds remained on the shot clock. Why was he shooting instead of Williams or Derek Fisher?

In both cases, Kirilenko seemed so anxious to contribute that he forgot what he's supposed to be doing — slashing inside to take a pass, tipping a missed shot back to a teammate, picking up a loose ball, blocking shots.

That isn't to say Kirilenko is doing more damage than good.