In the two previous games he did play — Nov. 11 and 12 — he scored only five and seven points. Wednesday, he was more his usual brilliant self: a flawless cross-court pass to Brewer for a slam; a double-clutch pass on a drive for an easy basket; an alley-oop to Paul Millsap for a slam; a stylish backhand flip to C.J. Miles for an jumper.

All was well. The Franchise had returned.

By all rights, he shouldn't be at full speed for a couple of weeks. The team's timing might still be off, though it was hard to tell on Wednesday. It was, after all, the 4-11 Grizzlies.

Whatever happens, they'll make the playoffs. Trouble is, the games they lost in November with Williams out will almost surely come back to torment them. Last year, they earned home-court advantage in the first round by one game. Yet they were just three games away from the No. 1 seed, Los Angeles. All that blather about every game counting in the NBA? It's true. In 2007, they lost home court advantage in the first round by one game.

If the playoffs had started Wednesday, the Jazz would have been a No. 6 seed, opening at Denver.

It's not like the Jazz don't know how much they've needed him. It's just that they may not truly feel the weight of his absence until next spring, when every game means a lot.

It was painfully obvious on Wednesday they mean a lot in November, too.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com