Reader comments
Utah Jazz hold off Lakers in OT to even series

PowerHouse | 12:58 a.m. May 12, 2008

I told all of you laker fans.....

If the game is called fair, the Jazz will win the series.
Games 1, 2 & 3 the free throw advantage went to the lakers by a large margin.

This game went to Utah

I say, let them play....

Bring your best, and we will punish you fairly, not this cheap slam crap

Bob Sorenson | 1:04 a.m. May 12, 2008

Kobe guaranteed a finals apperance prior to game 2.
Now Phil says LA will quit messing around with the Jazz and will win in six.

I sure hope that Booz, Memo, AK and company will defend their honor on the road along side Williams who you know will be ready.

I'd give anything to send Kobe and Phil eating their words into an early off season

CB | 2:20 a.m. May 12, 2008

Didn't get to watch the game, just the highlights, but boy what a game and all the pundits could do was rave about the Lakers, but when it came down to it, had to admit it was the Jazz that came up with the shots and the win. Go Jazz, you can win this!

Comments continue below

205 E Union | 3:13 a.m. May 12, 2008

Booze was a no-show again in game 4. The Jazz can win without Booze in Salt Lake, but cannot win without him in LA.

Also, look for the massive free throw disparity to return when the series shifts to LA.

No Booze and the ref's will be too much for the Jazz to overcome. Lakers in 7.

Utah Spazz | 5:33 a.m. May 12, 2008

I have never lived anywhere but Utah, but I still don't like the Jazz. They can't win on the road, and they can't win a big game. Let them lose so we can move on to summer sports in the paper.

AJO | 7:16 a.m. May 12, 2008

Summer sports? Anxious to hear more news about the Stingers and the Owlz are we? I've got news for you, Spazz, the Jazz are the last bit of interesting sports news we have until football season.

Now, Jazz, you go to LA and push those pretty boy Lakers out of the gym. Go wipe the smirk of Kobe Bryant's face, and close this series out in Utah!

Jazz in 6

GO JAZZ!!! | 7:18 a.m. May 12, 2008

We all know the Jazz are a different team while playing at home than while playing on the road if the Jazz wanna win this series we need to steal ONE in L.A. that is the key

Korver.......................... | 7:24 a.m. May 12, 2008

............KICKS ..............!

GeorgiaJazzFan | 7:28 a.m. May 12, 2008

well, I've lived in Georgia for 16 years and I love the Jazz - been a fan since the Utah Stars were in SLC. I only go to one game a year - when the Jass play the Hawks in Atlanta - to cheer for the Jazz. You say they can't win the big game - well they never have one a title but no one could beat MJ - he lived on a different planet. With Utah being such a small market it's hard to find the right players, but we've had some great ones. If you are in SLC and not a Jazz fan, you are missing out on some great basketball. What an exciting team, but I dread the day Jerry Sloan retires. Anyone know where I can get an AK jersey?

Utah Jazz | 7:31 a.m. May 12, 2008

Hey Utah Spazz - The Jazz can't win on the road. What about Houston in the first round? You don't like the Jazz and you want to see summer sports in the paper. Yet you took the time to read this article and post a comment - Go Jazz and more DN articles.

WOODY WOODSIDE | 7:32 a.m. May 12, 2008

D'Will is d'man. (almost as good as Paul)
Memo is a deadly weapon who hoards the boards.
Harps is tougher than baling wire.
AK is looking like he fits his role. (47)
The PRICE IS RIGHT! (Ronie Ronie Ronie Ronie Roniee)
Korver is ICE WATER!
Brewer is flying high. (like Nique)
Milsap is a bound hog.
It's up to Booze now (Win or Looze).

Here we go | 7:43 a.m. May 12, 2008

Talking about the refs befoe the game eveen starts Did you guys learn that from church ball?.

re: Spazz | 7:43 a.m. May 12, 2008

You must be one who loves tee-ball and croquet. Those summer sports are sure a riot to watch!

Heaven forbid we cheer for our local team who has the best home record in the league and is in the second round of the playoffs.

Rich | 7:43 a.m. May 12, 2008

Utah Spazz, Perhaps you should watch the Jazz so that you can base your opinion on facts rather than your own preconceptions. Either you're totally unaware of the Jazz's recent success, or you're suffering from premature Alzheimer's, my friend. Have you forgotten that the Jazz beat the supposedly superior Houston Rockets twice in Texas during these very playoffs? They also beat Houston in the Rockets' home arena last year during the playoffs. Games really count in the playoffs, where last year the Jazz also won road games against Golden State before succumbing to the superior and eventual champions, the Spurs. In the pre-season the Jazz beat Detroit and the Lakers on the road. In the regular season Utah ON THE ROAD went on to beat playoff teams Cleveland, Toronto, Detroit, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington, Phoenix, Boston and New Orleans. Four of those teams are still vying for the championship. I don't have time to look it up, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Jazz have a better road record against teams that are still in the playoffs than any of those teams.

RR | 7:50 a.m. May 12, 2008

Those are some great photos with this article. The ones of bryant on the ground crying are classic. Thanks to whoever posted those. You know how to make us Jazz fans smile! Fans should check those out, they're great!

It felt good to know we sent those "stars" home to sing the blues to their just-lost hollywood team. Sing them a musical all the way back to LA. THAT should cheer them right up!

RE:rich | 8:04 a.m. May 12, 2008

lmao, funny how you think the jazz are any good by beating houston last year. that team had 2 bench players, head and old juan howard. and in the 2nd round? the 8th seeded warriors? beating 2 lower seeded team isnt a great accomplishment. if the mavs had beat the warriors last year, jazz would be easy to beat in the 2nd round. unfortunately the warriors matched up pretty good vs the mavs. jazz is a team that will be in the playoffs but they will never go anywhere.

Concerned | 8:17 a.m. May 12, 2008

Love everything about the Jazz and always have. Just one concern though-- quit cheating on help plays so much and stay home on your men a little more please. The Fakers were wide open too much, but just didn't knock down the shots they needed. Keep up the tough "D" on Gasol and Kobe they can't take it. Energy and pushing the ball will get it done. Go Jazz.

LB | 8:18 a.m. May 12, 2008

Great win!
Anybody notice Kobe playing up his hurt back?! I'm not saying he wasn't hurt but he sure wanted everyone in the country to know it, just to give himself an excuse for not winning. DWill has been hurt throughout the playoffs but you don't see him playing to the media with theatrics like lying on the floor, grimacing to the camera every chance he gets etc. etc. etc. No class--that's Kobe. I can't wait to hear his excuses when the Jazz win the series! Then there's Phil Jackson saying it was not a flagrant 2. He says "The kid was out of control and blah blah blah! The play was blown dead, THEN the flagrant 2 occurred. The Lakers? NO CLASS, NO CLASS AT ALL!

Re: LB | 8:36 a.m. May 12, 2008

Yeah, and Jackson saying this is a 6 game series, tearing his team down for not playing in the 4th, when in reality they did play in the 4th and sent it to OT. The man gives no credit, only excuses. I agree, that coach has zero class. I could never cheer for the Lakers just for that man alone.

If LA didn't have Bryant they would not be in the playoffs. Back problems can sometimes be the worst, because the back connects the whole body together.

Chukar | 8:42 a.m. May 12, 2008

Kobe playng up his owie reminds me of T-Mac being over dramatic. Next Kobe will go to half court and kneel down.
Awesome game Jazz
Keep rolling, keep driving, how about an AK's greatest blocks DVD

Bring the series back to UTAH 3-2 GO JAZZ

College ball fan | 9:19 a.m. May 12, 2008

Forgive me for not getting excited about the prima donnas of the NBA. I am a devoted college ball fan, but only sparingly watch or read about pro ball. I don't like what I see. I'm glad the Jazz fans stick with their team. I hope something works out, but I don't see the Jazz winning. Too many factors stacked against them, most important being their own mental weakness about playing on the road. Give me college ball where you don't see the fraud of the NBA officiating intervening to throw a game toward the best TV market.

David Standing | 9:29 a.m. May 12, 2008

All this ranting of fans back and forth and analyzing makes me mad because we fans aren't coaches and sometimes make about as much sense as nothing.
Jazz - win the dang game! Take it to the Laker and do it now. I am sick of see all this we should of this and thats. Sloan your the coach, if your players aren't up to snuff and not playing the way they should THEN GET AFTER THEM, YOUR THE COACH FOR HEAVEN SAKES!!! KILL THE LAKERS, DO IT NOW, THIS IS THE PLAYOFFS! YOU SHOULD PLAY LIKE YOU HAVE NO NEXT YEAR.
If they will play defense 100% of time, in a few games they have been, and won, if they will attack the basket, in a few recent games they have been, and won, they will continue to have success. If they don't do this, the past season has proven they will lose. Luckily in the past couple of interviews on the news it appears they have begun to realize this.

jazz rock!!!!!!! | 9:57 a.m. May 12, 2008

d-Will domiates Paul. Bring on NO after we dispose of Kobe and Jackson

SA JazzFan | 10:06 a.m. May 12, 2008

I agree with David Standing - Jazz, just WIN! The Jazz need to have a KILLER instinct, once you have your opponents by the throat, DO NOT let go, hang on through their death throes and then make sure they can't get back up. Over and over and over (ad nauseum for THIRTY YEARS) I have seen the Jazz get a team down by 10-20 with 5-10 mins left, only to let go and let their opponents back in the game. Please please PLEASE just suffocate the other team, stomp them, and stomp them until they can't even stand up... please...

Anonymous | 10:10 a.m. May 12, 2008

Absolutely awsome game. Keep playing the D you played last night and you will win the series. Why are all you fans down on Boozer? If you ever want to trade him to Houston give us a call. We'd take him in a heartbeat. Keep closing the lane and keep blocking those shots. I think Kobe's pride was hurt more than his back.

Houston Rockets Fan

Hugh G. Hater | 11:23 a.m. May 12, 2008

Ok, so I was wrong, we have a series.

Look to see kobe get escorted to the free throw line numerous times by the refs in game 5.

If boozer doesn't step up and our field goals don't drop on the road it is over.

Erod | 12:33 p.m. May 12, 2008

Typicaly LA fans, they are on this board when the Lakers are winning, when they drop a few games, they are no where to be found. Growing up in So Cal. I know how fair weathered these fans are, it's funny to me to not see any trash talking from the LA fans now. They Jazz can get one in LA, if they do it in Game 5, Game 6 is going to ge HUGE! GO Jazz!

David Stern | 12:48 p.m. May 12, 2008

Wait, the Jazz won both games? Oh well, looks like i'm gonna have to call my good friend Richard Bevetta and to see what we can do about this. We cant be having the Jazz in another Western Conference finals- we need the MVP there

D-will | 12:50 p.m. May 12, 2008

Williams almost gave me a heart-attack when he came within an inch of getting called for "back-court" towards the end of the game. And yet, if I remember correctly, after keeping control of the ball to avoid the backcourt call, he shot and nailed it.

That dude is AWESOME!

I agree that the disparity in foul shot attempts make you scratch your head and wonder..... If you look at that stat in the first 3 games, they all favored the Lakers and yet Sunday's game favored the Jazz by quite a bit. Like I said, makes you wonder....

Though Okur thought the Technical was fair, I thought it was bogus. Good grief!, he hardly did anything more than pump his fist once or twice and he certainly did NOT get in the ref's face.

I say if we can win Game 5 then we close out the series in Game 6 due to LA's shell-shock and our AWESOME fans.

Goooooooo Jazz!

Loved it! LOVED IT! | 1:02 p.m. May 12, 2008

That was SWEEEEET when Ronnie Price hustled his keister off and SMACKED the ball out of Luke Walton's hand from behind on Walton's (supposedly) uncontested fast-break lay-up.

AWESOME!

You could just see the intensity in Price's face CLEARLY saying, NOT IN MY HOUSE!!".

Amazing that without that hustle on that ONE play, we wouldn't have gone into overtime. 1-3 would have been way tough to climb out of.

Thanks Ronnie!!!

Jakarta Jazz: Bill Plaschke | 1:46 p.m. May 12, 2008

LA Times' Bill Plaschke:
"The Lakers survived regulation thanks to him, but lost in overtime seemingly because of him, and are now stuck in a frustrating two-games-apiece tie against a team that is fortunate to have lasted this long."

Funny, only Kobe gave credits to the Jazz (AK).
No one else in Lakers organization, not even the columnist gave credits to the Jazz.

Lakers won 57 games, Jazz won 54 games.
to call the Jazz "fortunate to have lasted this long"
is an insult and shows how little Plaschke knows about NBA.

I say: LA-Lakers is a team fortunate enough to somehow
got Gasol for free, otherwise Kobe wouldn't be MVP,
and he'd be asking for a trade this time aroung.

ZEKE | 3:17 p.m. May 12, 2008

The Bench played great. They helped build a twelve point lead in the fourth quarter. I thought they should have stayed in to finish as well as they were playing. The Jazz played great in the overtime I thought it was a great team effort. Now we go back on the road for game 5 hopefully the Jazz will get of to a good start I think if they do they will win the game.

Anonymous | 4:24 p.m. May 12, 2008

It's amazing the things Phil will say to try to influence the next game. What a jerk. Kobe could never have twisited and turned and jumped like he did with a hurt back. I've been there and you just can't do those things. Weren't most of our road losses to under 500 teams? Jazz step up to the competition. We just need each player to contribute. The team who can physically play and keep the mental stuff out will win. Please, let that be you, Jazz.

To anon rocket fan | 6:15 p.m. May 12, 2008

Will you take boozer for yao?

kim harris | 6:40 a.m. May 13, 2008

i wish coach would start kyle korver because he would be warmed up get us a lead then sit him to come in starting the third he is good defense and a quicker player then a few of the starters

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