The Jazz can only win a championship if they can improve defensively and develop the bloodthirsty attitude of a Championship team. Good teams go for the jugular when they smell fear, the Jazz go for the squeaker, as in lets squeak out a win and if it doesn't happen, we will just call it bad luck. The Jazz need some iron will. Once they get it, they will be unstoppable.

Common Rock- I am sick of reading your columns that make the Jazz look like they are mediocre at best. We have a very special team, most of which wont even hit their primes for another 3-5 years. This isn't a group of 30 somethings trying to sing their swan's song. We haven't plateued yet so stop writing articles with an undertone that suggests the Jazz are good but will never be great.It is really getting old...and I believe D-Will has that 'killer instinct' that only a few players in the league have...just give him and the rest of the team time to develop it as a unit and quit making your 'always a bridesmaid never a bride comments'. Seriously, get over it.

of a title in Utah when teams are no longer judged by the logo's on their jersey but by the character of their coach and the skills they display on the court. Basically when the NBA front office allows them to. That's what it boils down to, but I HAVE A DREAM

Da' Tara comes down the stretch -- wait, the ref calls a foul! Superstar Big Brown moves up! Oh! Another foul on Da'Tara. Wow, what a move by Big Brown -- a superstar up-and-under move! Ooooh! Another foul. Big Brown takes the lead! What a race! But seriously, the Jazz have a fantastic young team. If Boozer can develop the same attitude as Williams, and perform like him, the Jazz will be hard to stop -- even if the refs don't call fouls.

so becasue a long shot horse won a race somehow the Jazz are going to win the NBA championships. HAHA that's classic.

If you really believe the whole world is against you and you will never win because the rfs don't like you. You can alwasy just move the team, you guys don't deserve an NBA franchise anyway!. Your still crying about MJ pushing off.

The point is to say because long-shot and upsets happen who knows maybe the Jazz can win it all. The jazz had 12-1 odds (by Vegas) to get a title this year, that is more than 3 times better than Da'tara, sure they aren't the favorites but they are contenders. Brad Rock's take would be more on target if he said it about the Knicks or Hawks.

Lets not compare horse racing odds to NBA basketball. What a worthless article.

I've been saying this for years. The NBA is un-watchable because of the control and the total lack of accountability that the referees have. Now it is out in the media and the league just blows it off as "incredulous."

Until they are willing to allow coaches and players to speak about the officiating and allow officials to be interviewed, they will continue to follow the path of WWF Wrestling, we all know it is fake, but it is fun to watch.

I am a huge Jazz fan but just dont see us taking the title anytime soon. Not because we dont have the talent, because we do, but because the NBA doesnt want us to win a title. The ratings would be down, and that translates into less money for the NBA... Plus, the NBA is fixed. When this Donaghy mess is over, hopefully, the truth will come out.

I think Big Brown's jockey took a fall... Conspiracy!

I agree that the Donaghy mess is a major problem if you love the NBA; he is not the only one who has participated in this fixing thing. I don't think most officials are in on it; but it only takes a few. The sport suffers as a result. I think in some ways tennis or golf are better. Officials have less impact on the outcome of a Federer match. The refs can't blow that as much as they can blow a basketball game (even if they try hard not to call bad fouls). The perfect example of how the refs blow games is game 4 between the Lakers and Spurs this year. I'm not a fan of either team but they screwed the Spurs. Last year's suspensions by the league screwed the Suns. There is definitely no excuse for this kind of behavior from officials/administrators of the NBA.

Finally I think that the argument that the Jazz won't win because they are a small market team is B.S. How do you explain four championships (THAT's FOUR FREAKING CHAMPIONSHIPS) by the Spurs? They are a smaller market than Salt Lake I believe. The Jazz can get it done. Go Jazz!

Maybe the Jazz can audition for a new coach for
next year. Also, maybe we can get Bavetta to ref
as many games in SLC as possible. Does anyone find
it wierd that Bavetta seems to always ref these
important NBA playoff games, and here we go again
today we find out that Bavetta ref game 6 in the
Lakers kings game 6 in 2002.

FYI - San Antonio, despite what most of us think, is one of the ten biggest metropolitan areas in the US. Small market theory does not apply to San Antonio.

One of the reasons the Jazz are my favorite team is because of Jerry Sloan. He may be old school, but in a world of spoiled athletes that have no morals, no brains and nobody to hold them accountable, it is great to have a team with a coach that will not put up with that kind of crap! I wouldn't get rid of Sloan for any other coach in the NBA.

Steve from Las Vegas

Jazz will a championship when they get a star shooting guard, and he is featured in the offense, unlike horny who never had play run for him.

Just ask any championship team, they all had one.

As for sloan, who cares if he is old school, he had two greatest player of all time (if you believe those lists) and over twenty years to win championship (mostly due to the loyalty of the owner, other coaches probably would last long too if they had the support owners who don't care if win chamionship as long they a have winning season.) A few more years will not change that.

People who fault Sloan for not winning a championship with two of the greatest players of all time tend to gloss over the biggest reason the Jazz didn't win: the Bulls had one of the finest teams in the history of pro basketball, led by Pippen and Jordan, who were no slouches themselves. It's not like the Jazz got to the highest level and didn't put up a fight. They gave the Bulls a tougher time than anybody else (Phoenix and Portland completely folded against the Bulls, if I remember right).

It's not about crowning the anointed favorite, it's about the fact that even the lowest underdog always has some ghost of a chance. Dunno about anybody else, but this is why I watch sports.

Anybody watch the Super Bowl this year? Now that's what I'm talking about!

I like the direction this team is headed right now. One of these days the Jazz are going to win it all. Maybe it won't be too long before they do...you never know.

Jordan, admitted,the utah jazz was the most feared team they had to come up against. they were the only team that was mentally tough enough to beat them, said he. this was under the Stockman--Malone dynasty. in that era,we had men on that team that played good defense. not afraid to use their bodies. Antoine Carr was one example. the big dog!
boozer could and should rule in the paint. if he wants to be a malone, he better sharpen his elbows and knee-caps and apply a little of that killer instinct, then he will get a little respect!

I Think the Jazz are close to being the best, this writers saying its going to take a miracle?? based on the refereeing??