Jazz playoff run a beginning, not an end

[RonnieBrewer (Reverse Layup)]

Jazz playoff run a beginning, not an end
Thursday, May 31, 2007 10:58 PM CDT
Chuck Nunn/Jazz Session

The Utah Jazz were clearly hurting after Wednesday's loss in Game 5 of the
Western Conference finals.

The San Antonio Spurs came out and just snuffed the hope right out of them
from the opening tip en route to a 109-84 nuke blast that ended Utah's season
on a sour note.

It didn't help matters that some on Utah's roster apparently already had
vacation plans for the first week of June. That fact, justifiably, was under
the skin of Utah's Deron Williams after the game.

"There were some guys that were already on vacation," Williams charged.
"Point blank. On vacation. A long time ago."

Jazz forward Carlos Boozer was equally incensed, comparing the presumed
vacationers' mindset to that of veteran guard Derek Fisher, again crossing
the country after having his daughter Tatum treated for her retinoblastoma
to rejoin the team for the second half of Wednesday's game.

"It is sad to say that because where we are," Boozer lamented. "We are in
the Western Conference finals and we have guys that have vacation plans.

"On the other side of the spectrum, you see a guy like D-Fish who flew across
the country to make it back to the game. It is sad to have that. One guy on
vacation, some guys having real life stuff going on and trying to make it
back and give us everything he has. That's a problem and we need to get that
fixed this summer."

But who the offender or offenders are was not revealed in the comments of
either Boozer or Williams.

"I will never call out a teammate," Boozer said. "I will never say anything
negative directly to a teammate because I love my team and I believe in that
code. But we need guys that are always going to give everything they have.

"We need guys that have a championship vision. When you have your vacation
plans already, that's not a championship vision."

That's hard to argue against. But the fact is that somebody has already been
called out. And without Boozer or Williams saying who they were talking about,
it's now left to speculation ─ and y'all know how we media types love
speculation.

But that speculation may end up with someone getting tarred with somebody
else's brush. Pundits are pointing fingers at Mehmet Okur, Andrei Kirilenko
and Gordan Giricek, all of whom struggled throughout this series.

But Okur has defended two of the league"s best scoring big men ─ Yao Ming
and Tim Duncan ─ throughout these playoffs and done a fantastic job. It's
hard for me to imagine he's the focus of accusations of not laying it out
there, although to get to the next level, the Jazz will need his offense to
catch up to his defense in those situations.

If indeed one or more of these players was already on a beach somewhere in
his mind, that is truly something that he is going to have to reconsider
during the offseason.

But the rest of us need to be careful not to read something that isn't there
into the youthful outbursts of frustrated players who really did lay it out
on the line.

Boozer was the undeserving victim of such speculation the two seasons before
this one, when writers put forth the absurd notion that he overstated injuries
to his foot and hamstring because he really didn't want to be in Utah.

So I'll turn to the aforementioned Fisher, whose experience and wisdom
offers a more level-headed perspective.

"You know what? I can't comment on, you know, the makeup of individuals
outside of myself," Fisher said. "And you don't ever really have to say names.
Guys always know who they are, what they are capable of and what their purpose
is.

"It is unfortunate because we had a real chance to be the best team in the
league right now. So hopefully whoever that is that, you know, had other
plans for next week, then they'll be able to think about it for a long time
now. Hopefully they will enjoy it."

In the long run, it's good that Boozer and Williams are dissatisfied with
just making the Western Conference finals. It's going to be that hunger they
feel that is going to fuel Jazz playoff runs for seasons to come.

Again, Fisher gives the perspective that comes from experience.

"I feel like my leadership and what I can bring to this team, it is something
that I want to think long and hard about this offseason," Fisher said. "I'm
sure tonight will help. Our season ending for a lot of these guys will give
them a feel for how bad it feels to lose your last game. It is the worst
feeling in sports.

"And so hopefully we will take that into our offseason and, you know, see
where we can go from here. But it is very obvious we have some very good
pieces and a team that can be good for a long time."

Who wants to play and who doesn't will be something that the Jazz sort out
in the offseason, and they'll be fine. The course of business in the NBA may
change some faces on the roster, but the core of Williams, Boozer, Kirilenko,
Okur, Fisher and Matt Harpring should remain intact.

I've followed this franchise for 25 years as a fan and a few years as a
sportswriter. I've sweated drafts and free agency as if I owned the team,
and I really feel for this group of guys to go so far and fall short when
they might have gone all the way.

But like Fisher, I can see the long term, and as he said Wednesday, this is
the beginning for this Utah team, not the end.


http://www.southidahopress.com/articles/
2007/06/01/sports/local/jazzsess601.txt 

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好像沒啥特別的文章.. 

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◆ From: 59.41.44.34
→ sam369:?
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→ sam369: