Jazz just blew their best chance vs. Lakers

by Mark Kriegel

Updated: May 15, 2008, 1:42 PM EST 1247 comments

"I thought we were going to win," said Williams.

In his fourth year out of Illinois, Deron Williams is the best point guard in basketball not named Chris Paul. He is easily the best thing to happen to the Jazz since Karl Malone and John Stockton retired. And he more than did his part Wednesday, keeping his team in the game with 27 points and 10 assists. But that wasn't enough for them to win here, and based on what was being said after the game, I don't think it ever will be. Certainly not this season.

"It's promising," said a deflated-looking Williams. "We feel like we can win here."

Promising? I had to wonder who he was trying to convince, me or himself? The game was tied four times, at 84, 81, 73 and 69. But Utah could never get a lead. In fact, they haven't had a meaningful lead in their three playoff games at the Staples Center.

"We were in the ball game all the way to the end," said Williams. "We just couldn't find some stops ... didn't make enough shots."

Those stops and shots remain ever unmade at that mythical, near insurmountable "hump" — as opposed to humps of any other kind — plaguing road teams in the playoffs. This year the hump seems bigger than ever. Road teams are 1-19 in the second round.

"We haven't won here yet," said a deflated-looking Williams. "That's the hump."

You wonder, though, if they couldn't win Wednesday night at Staples, exactly when are they going to start?

Game 7?

I don't think so.

If they didn't win a Game 5, they're not getting a Game 7 — if the series even gets that far. Look, the road team is never going to get the calls, particularly against a Lakers squad that features Kobe Bryant. That's reality. In three games here, Los Angeles has taken 131 free throws, compared to Utah's 66. Not only does the crowd work the refs, it works the players, too. "Usually," said Phil Jackson, "home court is worth between five and 10 points."

But Wednesday wasn't a usual game, as it afforded the visitors several unforeseen opportunities. Consider what the Jazz squandered Wednesday: Kobe Bryant, still hobbled with a bad back, managed all of 10 shots — and none in the fourth quarter. Repeat: None in the fourth quarter. Oh, by the way, Sasha Vujacic was 1 for 11. And again, the Jazz outrebounded the Lakers by 10, 44-34.

You out-rebound a team with an injured star, and you still lose?

"Our guys are young," said Jerry Sloan, an unlikely apologist. "They're trying to learn how to take another step, to be able to play against a team of that caliber. They're starting to believe they can compete against them. ... The next stop is not just to hope you can win, but to step on the floor and believe you can win."

As it happened, the Lakers won because Kobe was masterful with his bad back. Instead of forcing shots, as he did in the previous game, he quickly established himself as a shooter (hitting his first two shots), then concentrated on distributing the ball. It works if you have teammates as talented as Pau Gasol (21 points, eight assists) and Lamar Odom (22 points, 11 rebounds). Every Lakers starter finished in double figures.

But that shouldn't be enough to relieve the Jazz of their regret. They won't get a better chance than they had Wednesday night. Now they're a young crew trying to take that next step? I don't think so. Isn't this the same team that made it to the conference finals last year? As for Sloan's concept of belief, the group conviction that a team can win on the road, it's not there. Even the point guard, this squad's undisputed leader, admitted as much.

"We get to get back to our home court," said Williams. "Get our confidence back."

It's a little late for that, no?