Utah Jazz: Boozer says Spurs are still the team to beat out West

SAN ANTONIO — Carlos Boozer was given an opportunity to name his postseason favorite in the NBA's Western Conference.

He could have easily chosen the Jazz, who finished the regular season 54-28 and open first-round play Saturday night at Houston.

Instead, Utah's All-Star power forward paid homage to the team that handed the Jazz their worst defeat of the regular season — a 29-point deficit, nine points more than in any other loss — in Wednesday's finale.

"I think the championship still goes through the Spurs," Boozer said of defending NBA-champion San Antonio. "I have a great deal of respect from them."

Boozer did, however, leave the door ajar just a tad for the Jazz and others.

"But there's definitely some good, talented teams out there," he added, "and I think everybody will have a chance to get to the championship series."

JAZZ FANS: Six-of-six ESPN.com contributors — J.A. Adande, Chris Broussard, Chad Ford, John Hollinger, Marc Stein and David Thorpe — predict the Jazz will win its first-round series with the Rockets.

All predicted the series would go six games except Broussard, who sees the series going a full seven games.

And on Yahoo.com, analyst Kenny Smith gives the advantage to the Jazz over the Rockets in 5-of-5 categories: backcourt, frontcourt, bench, coaching and intangibles.

Writes Smith of the Jazz: "Could be the best overall team in the West."

SURVEY: Voting is under way on USAToday.com for fans to pick the Jazz's five all-time greatest players, regardless of position.

The nominees: Thurl Bailey, Carlos Boozer, Adrian Dantley, Mark Eaton, Darrell Griffith, Jeff Hornacek, Jeff Malone, Karl Malone, Pete Maravich and John Stockton.

Results will be published in the national newspaper and on the paper's Web site Thursday.

CHILL, CHARLES: After ex-Jazz guard DeShawn Stevenson of the Washington Wizards called Cleveland star LeBron James "overrated," TNT analyst Charles Barkley called the Wizards — who for a third straight year will face the Cavaliers in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs — "the dumbest team in the history of civilization."