From Deseret News archives:
Utah Jazz: Here comes Hollywood and the Lakers
Here comes "Access Hollywood," and "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," too.
Make way for Phil the Amazing Zen Coach, shaman and mystic.
Farewell Houston Control, hello Simon, Paula, Randy, and a lot of filmmakers wearing black.
When you're playing the Lakers, everything goes Hollywood.
"It really does, in a lot of ways," said Jazz swingman Kyle Korver. "They are the Lakers."
The Jazz moved to the second round of the playoffs, Friday, by leveling Houston 113-91 in Game 6 at ESA. So the match-up with the stars is set. Small market vs. ginormous market. Sun vs. snow. Beaches vs. mountains. The league's best player (Kobe Bryant) vs. the league's most underrated player (Deron Williams).
Lakers vs. Jazz: Where opposites happen.
If this were a screenplay it would get rejected for being too formulaic. Derek Fisher, former Jazz player, now playing in Los Angeles. Kobe Bryant, the polarizing Lakers' star, soon to appear in what is considered the most "vicious" arena in the league.
And, of course, Lakers coach Phil Jackson vs. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, competing in the playoffs for the first time since the Bulls eliminated the Jazz in 1998.
All it took was wasting a 19-point lead against Houston, then getting it back, to secure a date with L.A.
After frittering away a 2-0 start on the series, and losing Game 5 by 26 points, momentum had clearly shifted away from the Jazz by Friday's contest. So much so that Jazz players spent most of the two days leading up to Game 6 answering questions about pressure — was it now on them, were they feeling it, etc.
"I think for this moment we have a little bit more chances," said Kirilenko on Thursday, "but, again, nobody going to give it to us."
Asked if Houston seemed the more confident team, he said, "Definitely. Definitely. After wins in Houston they definitely more confident. Right now they feel that they can beat us — they beat us like twice here this year, but, again, what we can do? We're going come and play."
HOW they were going to play was another matter. Would it be the confident Jazz team that won the first two games in Houston or the flat, disheveled Jazz that lost 95-69 on Tuesday? The team that overwhelmed the Rockets with its overall depth in the early games, or the bench that got only nine points in the last game — some after the outcome had long been decided?
As it turned out, the Jazz were both. They got contributions from numerous players and rolled, appearing ready to lock it up early. In the mid-second quarter they had a 19-point lead. But Houston is nothing if not determined. By the time the half was closing in, the Jazz lead had shrunk to one.
