Jazz prove 'no lead is safe' isn't just a cliche

But even a team that plays a deliberate pace can't just sit on its big cushion.

"In the NBA, you can't hold the ball and run the clock out. You've got to shoot it within 24 seconds, so there's a lot more possessions," Brooks said. "All it takes is five or six stops and four or five scores in those same stops and you're back in the ballgame. And then you're just playing from there on out."

And a lull doesn't have to be long.

"Whenever you play teams like the Orlandos or the Bostons or the Lakers or the Spurs of the world, you can't play half a game. You can't have 3-5 minutes of bad basketball, where you're turning the ball over or you're missing your defensive assignments," Nets coach Avery Johnson said. "These type of teams, they make you pay for those situations. Maybe some of the other teams, you can get away with it."

Certainly not against the Jazz.

"Jerry Sloan, he's tough and they don't give up. They don't quit," Brooks said. "That's crazy what they did."

AP Sports Writer Jeff Latzke in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.