Not that the Jazz — who have won three straight and six of their last seven games, including last Friday night's thumping of the defending NBA-champion Spurs — aren't riding a wagonload of confidence as it is.

For as much fuss as Sloan made recently about getting into the playoffs, after all, Sunday's actual clinching — by virtue of a Golden State loss at New Orleans — proved to be rather anticlimactic.

Said Boozer: "We knew we were gonna do it anyway."

Jazz at Hornets

New Orleans
Today, 6 p.m.
TV: FSN-UT

Playoff race

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Team ... W ... L ... Pct ... GB
New Orleans ... 54 ... 22 ... .711 ... —
L.A. Lakers ... 53 ... 24 ... .688 ... 1 1/2
San Antonio ... 53 ... 24 ... .688 ... 1 1/2
Utah ... 51 ... 26 ... .662 ... 3 1/2
Houston ... 52 ... 25 ... .675 ... 2 1/2
Phoenix ... 51 ... 26 ... .662 ... 3 1/2
Dallas ... 48 ... 29 ... .623 ... 6 1/2
Denver ... 46 ... 31 ... .597 ... 8 1/2
Golden State ... 46 ... 31 ... .597 ... 8 1/2

Today's games

Phoenix at Memphis, 6 p.m.
Utah at New Orleans, 6 p.m.
Seattle at Dallas, 6:30 p.m.
L.A. Lakers at Portland, 8 p.m.
Denver at L.A.C., 8:30 p.m.
Sac. at Golden State, 8:30 p.m.

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com