Jazz don't want center stage, so don't change your tune

[RonnieBrewer (急凍人布魯爾)]

Jazz don't want center stage, so don't change your tune

March 21, 2007
By Jamey Eisenberg
CBS SportsLine.com Staff Writer

MIAMI ---- The Utah Jazz are vanilla. They are a white piece of paper.
They are like watching bowling on TV.

In other words, boring.

The Jazz don't have the sexy names like Dirk, Nash, Duncan, Kobe or Yao. They
don't have long winning streaks this year like the Mavericks, Suns or Spurs.
They are just there. And they plan on being there in the Western Conference
playoffs.

The Jazz currently are the No. 4 seed thanks in part to playing in the weak
Northwest Division. Unless they catch the Spurs at No. 3 or somehow Denver
catches them in the standings, this is where the Jazz will finish. That means
playing host to a first-round playoff series.

The Jazz think they can go further than that. They feel disrespected because
of a lack of attention, and the players want to prove they belong with the
elite.

"I hope we get overlooked in the playoffs, too," power forward Carlos Boozer
said before a recent game against the Heat. "That's fine. Don't talk about
us. Let us go under the radar. We're going to come in and do our thing. We
know other teams have more wins. We don't have a problem being an underdog."

The Jazz haven't been to the playoffs since 2003, but Jerry Sloan has done a
good job in getting a young team to come together. This might actually be his
best coaching job, and he could win the Coach of the Year award that has
eluded him for so many years.

Sloan isn't touting this year's Jazz as a championship contender. He knows
the days of Karl Malone and John Stockton are in the past, but this team has
potential. Sloan just doesn't know how much because of their inexperience.

"We still have a long way to go," Sloan said. "With our team every game is
important to us. We're a young team trying to learn how to play and become a
better team."

The Jazz have been well balanced. Boozer is finally healthy and dominating
after dealing with hamstring and foot problems the past two years. Center
Mehmet Okur earned a trip to the All-Star Game because of his shooting and
rebounding. Deron Williams has been a surprise as a second-year point guard.
And there has been solid play from veterans Derek Fisher and Matt Harpring,
among others.

The only player not doing his part is forward Andrei Kirilenko, and the Jazz
hope he can turn things around before the playoffs.

"Believe me, I don't want to play bad," said Kirilenko, who is averaging
career-lows in points (8.4) and rebounds (4.9). "Whenever I step on the floor
I'm trying to do my best, I'm trying to hustle, I'm trying to make good plays
to help the team. It's been tough."

One player who has brought stability and veteran leadership is Fisher, who
won three NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02. Fisher said
the Jazz have enough talent to make a run in the playoffs.

Fisher just hopes his younger teammates don't get overwhelmed by the pressure.

"A lot of times you don't know until you're there," Fisher said. "With our
personnel, as well as the type of style we play, I think we'll be able to
manage games down the stretch."

The Jazz's style of play also has been questioned with regard to how it will
compare to Phoenix, Dallas or San Antonio. Utah isn't strictly pick-and-roll
like in the heyday of Stockton and Malone, but the offense is very precise
and regimented.

Williams, who averages 9.4 assists per game, has done a good job
orchestrating the offense and creating opportunities for Boozer and Okur.
Williams said the Jazz can play with the Suns, Mavericks and Spurs if they
play smart.

"We don't want to get into a track meet with those teams," he said. "We want
to make teams work and make them guard for most of the shot clock."

Said Fisher: "There's no throwing out the playbook and coming up with a new
way of playing. You do what got you there. And then you have to be able to
adjust when teams take things away from you."

Fisher said the only way Utah will gain respect is by advancing deep in the
playoffs. He said the Jazz need to show their style of play can work when it
counts.

Heat guard Eddie Jones, who played in the same division with Utah when he was
in Memphis earlier this season before getting a buyout, said the Jazz are a
sleeper. And by that, he doesn't mean they are putting people to sleep.

"They're going to scare some people," Jones said. "They're a great team. I
think they're going to do some things in the playoffs. People don't realize
the way they play the game is set for the playoffs. And they're a good
defensive team. I think they can do pretty good. I'm going to have my eye on
them in the playoffs."


                                http://cbs.sportsline.com/nba/story/10078725/

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