Extreme emotions

OAKLAND — He woke up Wednesday morning in New York City. Saw his infant daughter through apparently successful surgery and chemotherapy to battle retinoblastoma, a rare childhood eye cancer. Caught a cross-country flight to Salt Lake City, wife and recovering baby in tow. Made it to EnergySolutions Arena in time to enter the Jazz's Game 2 NBA Western Conference semifinal series meeting with Golden State in the third quarter, then helped Utah beat the Warriors by hitting his only shot of the night, a 3-pointer in overtime.

By Thursday morning, Derek Fisher was flat-out tuckered.

"To be honest," he said when asked about tonight's Game 3 here in Oakland, "I have to try to get some rest first.

"You know, physically I'm OK," the Jazz's starting shooting guard and backup point guard said to a media mob after practice. "But mentally, and emotionally, just exhausted."

Fisher, who learned of his twin daughter's dire diagnosis just last week, is hardly alone.

After winning a high-stakes first-round Game 7 late last Saturday night in Houston, the Jazz made the long flight back home from Texas, then worked out Sunday in preparation for the start of their best-of-seven series with Golden State.

Utah won a frantic-paced Game 1 on Monday night, practiced again Tuesday morning, then made it through Wednesday night, when the Jazz dealt not only with the uncertainty of Fisher's availability but also a neck sprain sustained by Dee Brown that was serious enough to send the rookie point guard to a hospital in an ambulance.

They finally prevailed 127-117 by winning the five-minute overtime 14-4, but only after starting point Deron Williams — Brown's close friend and former teammate from the University of Illinois — hit a 12-footer with 2.3 seconds remaining in regulation to help rally the Jazz back from five points down and force overtime.

"I'm tired — and I didn't even play the first quarter," said Williams, who took an early seat after picking up two quick fouls in Game 2's first 59 seconds.

"I'm gonna tell you: Mentally, I was tired," starting power forward Carlos Boozer added after a 30-point, 13-rebound evening.

Veteran forward Matt Harpring — so jacked up after games he usually doesn't fall asleep until some time past 3 a.m. anyway — admitted to feeling especially drained Thursday morning.

"It was exhausting," Harpring said. "It was a tough game."

That left Jazz coach Jerry Sloan facing questions Thursday about just how much he thinks his team will have in it tonight when the Warriors return home for the first time since they upset the league-leading Dallas Mavericks in their first-round series.