SALT LAKE CITY -- There's home and then there's the comfort zone, the first a matter of location and the second a matter of style and circumstance. The Utah Jazz found themselves back in both Thursday night and as a result can still be considered among the living in these NBA playoffs, trailing the Lakers 2-1 in their first-round series instead of the mortality-inducing 3-0.
| Playoff Schedule |
|---|
WEST FIRST ROUND
Los Angeles 2, Utah 1
Game 4: Sat., 9 ET, at UTA Denver 2, New Orleans 0
Game 3: Sat., 1 ET, at NOH Dallas 2, San Antonio 1
Game 4: Sat., 4 ET, at DAL Houston 1, Portland 1
Game 3: Fri., 9:30 ET, at HOU EAST FIRST ROUND
Boston 2, Chicago 1
Game 4: Sun., 1 ET, at CHI Cleveland 2, Detroit 0
Game 3: Fri., 7 ET, at CLE Atlanta 1, Miami 1
Game 3: Sat., 6:30 ET, at MIA Philadelphia 1, Orlando 1
Game 3: Fri., 8 ET, at PHI • Full playoff schedule |
It wasn't just that the fans at Energy Solutions Arena cranked out the usual high decibel levels. The Jazz kept the Lakers from the hardwood ballet they enjoyed the first two games, lowered the tempo, turned it into a matter of execution down the stretch. That's familiar territory for this franchise, and when it was all on the line, they went with the good old pick-and-roll call, trusting in their point guard, resulting in a John Stocktonian game-winning jumper by Deron Williams with 2.2 seconds remaining.
"Same play we've always run for 20 years," Utah Coach Jerry Sloan said. "Just different people."
They also had big numbers from the power forward, as Carlos Boozer scored 23 points and tied Karl Malone's franchise playoff record with 22 rebounds. Boozer helped Williams finish it off, scoring six points in the final 90 seconds after the reserves led the way back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter.
The Jazz fans nearly had a replay of a scene they've seen before -- a transcendent guard in a road jersey hitting a shot to win it -- but Kobe Bryant's 3-pointer glanced off the right side of the rim as the buzzer sounded, and the scoreboard remained at 88-86, Utah.
The fact that each team needed only two digits was the first sign things were going right for the Jazz.
"This is more our type of game," Williams said. "Grind-it-out, defense type of game."
The Lakers scored 39 points at halftime, after scoring 41 in the first quarter of Game 2. Instead of the Lakers' big men having their way with the Jazz, Pau Gasol converted only 4 of 10 free throws and Andrew Bynum managed only four points in seven foul-restricted minutes. Bryant, content to be the facilitator throughout much of the first two games, couldn't turn it on in this one, shooting 5 for 24.
Lamar Odom was by far the most effective Laker, finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds, playing so well that he was in the lineup at the start of the third quarter, replacing Bynum. But the Lakers run so few plays for him. Bryant kept signaling for "solo", the Lakers' low-post isolation play for the center, and watched Gasol go to work. So Odom just got his points where he could, off cuts, rebounds and transition plays and even a mishandled pass for a teammate that wound up in his hands.
Predictably, the Lakers' secondary players couldn't continue their strong play on the road, with Trevor Ariza missing open threes in the fourth quarter, and Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Shannon Brown and Sasha Vujacic combining for 14 points.
Utah's reserves enjoyed a much-needed boost, playing at home, with Kyle Korver finding his shooting touch and hitting two critical jumpers in the fourth quarter, and Matt Harpring scoring eight final-quarter points. There was unsung hero Ronnie Brewer's defense on Bryant, aided by a Utah scheme that sent help at every turn.
The Lakers feel this one escaped them, that they had every opportunity to lower the Jazz halfway into the grave but let them escape. They know they have to improve they have to do a better job on the boards after getting outrebounded 55-40. They figure they'll get a better shooting night from Bryant in Game 4 Saturday. And they figure to get more from Bynum, who might or might not return to the starting lineup.
"We'll see what it's like," Phil Jackson said with a wry smile.
But Utah feels it can play much better as well. Maybe they'll see Mehmet Okur, who has yet to play in the series because of a hamstring injury. Williams wasn't 100 percent himself, his leg appearing stiff after tangling with Boozer on defense, and his confidence noticeably missing as he attempted only six shots (making two) before the game-winner.
The one thing they have to keep the same is the resolve they showed in Game 3.
"In the huddle, I'm just saying 'Let's win,'" Boozer said. "Do whatever it takes to win. Leave it out there. Let's scrap, let's be physical, leave it on the court, see what happens. We did and we won."
Back home. Back to their old ways. Back in the win column. And, for now, back in the series.
Bj Moore is an ESPN.com senior writer and the author of "The Best Los Angeles Sports Arguments." Click here to e-mail BJ.
