Jazz faithful have plenty to worry about until Friday's game

Now that the Utah Jazz have let the Houston Rockets — and the drama — back into their first-round playoff series, here's what's going to happen in Jazzville during the next three days during the wait for Game 6.

Panic.

Brace yourself. Jazz fans will bombard the talk shows and the blogs with their angst, just as they do every spring with the ups and downs of playoff basketball.

They will find plenty to fret about in the wake of Tuesday night's 95-69 loss that was never close. Therapists are standing by now.

"It's not the end of the world," guard Deron Williams said after the game.

Hold that thought.

After the Jazz won the first two games on the road, this series seemed to be in the bag. The Rockets were done. But here it is a week later, the Jazz's series lead has shriveled to 3-2, and they are one loss away from a return trip to Houston and Game 7.

The NBA should start an investigation: Were the Rockets really that good, or were they playing with a sixth man on the floor?

The Rockets were playing with 35-year-old Bobby Jackson at guard.

They put 41-year-old (or older?) Dikembe Mutombo at center. He's got age spots that are older than Deron Williams.

Yao Ming was stuck where he couldn't hurt the Jazz — on the bench with an injury that has kept him sidelined most of the season.

The Rockets leaned heavily on two rookies — Luis Scola and Carl Landry.

And still the Rockets, who lost to the Jazz in seven games in last year's playoff after taking a 3-2 lead, overwhelmed the Jazz in Houston.

The Jazz said earlier in the week that they were eager to finish this series so they could rest for a few days before starting the next round against the Lakers.

Now the Lakers will rest and the Jazz will brawl with the Rockets this weekend.

Here's a handy clip-and-save list of things for Jazz fans to worry about until Friday's Game 6.

• Carlos Boozer finally showed signs of life in the second half, but by then it was too late. In the first half, while the Jazz were falling behind by 17, he was MIA. He committed a traveling violation, missed layups, bonked a foul shot, drew a technical and looked lost.