Utah Jazz: Mind games starting now for Rockets

Game 4 of the Jazz-Houston Rockets first-round NBA playoff series ended at 11:23 p.m. Saturday night.

But the gamesmanship — and even some internal bickering, on Houston's part — continued well past midnight.

It unfolded at the postgame news conference table in EnergySolutions Arena, where Houston Rockets head coach Rick Adelman took the microphone shortly after a Utah victory that put the Jazz up 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.

Adelman, his team on the brink of elimination, didn't waste much time before making a plea obviously intended to influence Tuesday night's Game 5 in Houston.

"We have to find a way," he said, "where maybe somehow, some way, they call it a little bit closer with the guys guarding (Rockets star) Tracy (McGrady)."

McGrady finished with 23 points in Game 4, but he took just one shot from the field in the fourth quarter.

Some of the burden for countering Utah's relative effectiveness on McGrady, Adelman did concede, rests with the Rockets.

"That hurts us, you know, when it's that physical," said Adelman, who suggested the Jazz's game plan was to "beat up" McGrady. "But we've got to find a way to respond to it.

"When a team is physical like Utah is, and they get after you, you can't panic. You really have to use your teammates," he added. "There were times I thought we really dribbled the clock out. You know, we kept it in one guys' hands for 15 seconds. I mean, you've got to make that team move defensively, and we didn't do that enough."

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who did not practice his club or address the media on Sunday, followed Adelman.

His best move was an attempted table flip.

"They're not gonna give it you. I'll tell you that right now," Sloan said. "You go to their place, they're gonna knock you around all night long and see if you can stand up to it. I think it's good basketball, myself. I like to see guys battle a little bit."

Then it was McGrady's turn.

First he commended the Jazz's physical defense. Then he reversed field, and discredited it.

"It wasn't effective at all," he said. "I was still pushing through it, getting my shots, making things happen."

Confused?

That was only the beginning.