"They push the pick-and-roll. Sometimes they push it toward the baseline," Boozer said. "What they always do is they bring a weak-side guy, or sometimes two weak-side men from the other side over, to try to eliminate me and D-Will's pick-and-roll, to make somebody else have to score the ball on that particular play."

"We run pick-and-rolls, they got everybody inside the lane," Williams added. "It's like they're trying to take that away from (Boozer) and make us do something else."

So the Jazz do.

Williams and Boozer set up for a two-man game on one side of the floor.

And on the other — Okur, a long distance-shooting big man — finds one of his favorite spots out on the perimeter. Shooting guard Kyle Korver, at the close of games, drifts to the corner. And Kirilenko cuts, waiting for a dish like the one Williams delivered with 35.5 seconds remaining in the extra session Sunday.

"If there are two people that are guarding one ball, that means somebody's wide open," Boozer said. "So we hit the open man, and they have to make a play.

"Other guys have to hit shots," he added. "We're gonna swing the ball to the open man."

Another option is for Boozer to slip early rather than hold the pick, and hope for a quick layup before rotation from the weak side can catch up.

On all fronts, it seemed to be working — not only Sunday, but also in last Friday's Game 3 victory for the Jazz.

Now if only they can carry it on tonight in L.A., Sloan will be even prouder than he already seems to be.

"If we do things right, and do the things that we would like to do and make the adjustments that we have to make as the game goes on," the Jazz coach said, "then I think they feel very confident.

"I feel very confident that we can play against anybody," Sloan added. "I think we've proven that all year long — if we do some things that we have to do."

Series tied 2-2

GAME 1 Lakers 109, Jazz 98
GAME 2 Lakers 120, Jazz 110
GAME 3 Jazz 104, Lakers 99
GAME 4 Jazz 123, Lakers 115 (OT)
GAME 5 Today, at L.A., 8:30 p.m.
GAME 6 Friday, at Utah, 8:30 p.m.,
GAME 7 May 19, at L.A., TNT*

* if necessary

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E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com