The Jazz are far more dangerous when he is flying around, long arms poking at the ball. But then he goes outside. He is 1-for-5 beyond the arc in the postseason. In the regular season he made just 16 of 75 attempts.

Earlier in the playoffs he was asked by reporters about a jump shot he took near the end of a game. It was as close to irritation as Kirilenko ever gets. He replied: You media made me a jump shooter at the beginning of the season, but I've never been a jump shooter. I'm more of a driver, finish and go to the free-throw line."

In that case, why is he shooting from the 3-point arc?

Because it has taken Kirilenko until now to find his confidence, he shouldn't waste time with things he can't do. He's already the basketball equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. He reminds me of Dick Van Dyke in "Mary Poppins," playing music on the street: drums, horns, cymbals — a regular one-man band.

But if he truly wants to succeed, Kirilenko needs to remember that doing it all and trying everything out are two different things entirely.

---

E-mail: rock@desnews.com