Utah Jazz: A victory at Dallas could help the Jazz avoid Lakers

DALLAS — With so little separating the pack, they're not alone.

But a loss tonight by Utah or Dallas could help doom either to the eighth and final playoff position in the NBA's Western Conference — and a guaranteed first-round postseason meeting with Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers, runaway leaders in the West.

With that very much in mind, a suggestion that the Jazz's visit with the Mavericks tonight amounts to an Avoid the Lakers Bowl was not exactly refuted following Utah's Sunday victory at New Orleans.

"I'm not scared to play anybody, but there's certain matchups, certain teams, you want to stay away from in the first round," point guard Deron Williams said. "They're definitely one of them."

"I hate to say that, but I think everyone's in that situation," starting shooting guard Ronnie Brewer added with a laugh. "You really don't want to go on the road in that eighth seed.

"I mean, they (the Lakers) are playing extremely well."

Like Williams' words, Brewer's comment came with a disclaimer.

"But you have confidence in your team," he said, "so it's not like you're trying to avoid any team."

Yet there the 46-31 Mavericks are in eighth, and there the 47-30 Jazz are just a game up on them (and controlling the series head-to-head tie-breaker, no matter who wins tonight) with five to go in their 2008-09 regular season, and neither team particularly likes where it is.

"They don't want to be in that eighth spot," Williams said of the Mavs, who seem well-positioned to fend off Phoenix for the final berth in the West — and could even catch one or two of the clubs currently ahead. "They want to try to climb up."

Ditto for the Jazz, who must win at least three of their final five in order to record a third straight season with 50 or more victories.

"We know we're in the playoffs," Brewer said. "We're trying to get better seeding."

They are, and that much was made abundantly clear prior to Tuesday's practice for tonight's ESPN-televised game.

By then, in fact, the whole notion of trying to avoid the Lakers was trumped by the thought of a still-possible rise in the standings.

"We don't worry about, 'Who are we going to play in the first round?' " starting center Mehmet Okur said.