They won Games 1 and 2 of this year's series here, and took Game 7 of last season's postseason series with the Rockets at the Toyota Center as well.

"We have confidence in their building," Boozer said.

"We know we can win there," William added. "That's the main thing. But they are facing elimination, so we know they are going to be ready."

Jazz players really wouldn't let their guard down Monday.

"We know what we have to do and how we have to play," center Mehmet Okur said. "We know it's not going to be easy for us."

"We need to go there and we need to get one more win to get to the next round. (But) it's not like we're going to go there, get an easy win and then go home," small forward Andrei Kirilenko added.

"It's going to be tough game. I always try to be very careful and respectful, because I think Houston is a very equal opponent."

The West's No. 1-seeded Lakers are bound to be even stronger, but the Jazz — for the most part, Boozer's comments being one exception — simply are not prepared to go there.

At least not yet.

"We can't think before it happens," Kirilenko said. "You can't think about next round series, because it could really give you bad (fate)."

So the Jazz — save for an exception or two — aren't even contemplating the Lakers, and all that entails.

And at least one claims not to even know whom, exactly, the next bend will bring.

Believe it, or not.

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Contributing: Loren Jorgensen

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com