Jazz not ready to soar with eagles

Three weeks into the NBA season, a couple of things are as clear as the diamond on DeShawn Stevenson's ear. First, the Jazz are better than even optimistic fans could have hoped. But second, they're still 25 rows back of the first-class cabin.

They're long on scrappy but short on experience. Prone to youthful mistakes but blessed with the vitality that goes with it.

In short, they're among the youngest teams in the NBA — and still playing like it.

Wednesday night at the Delta Center, the Jazz lost to Sacramento, 118-110. That makes it 18 losses in the last 22 games against the Kings, counting playoffs. So who's counting? Certainly not the Jazz. That's like comparing surgical scars: enlightening, maybe even entertaining, but not particularly useful.

"There's a number of things we either have to learn (from) or accept, I hope we don't accept it," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.

That's life in the new era.

Remember when the Kings were a joke and the Jazz a monster? At one time the Jazz won 14 straight over Sacramento. Now look. The Kings are again among the league's best and the Jazz, well, making the playoffs would be remarkable. Things change in a half-dozen years.

So far the Jazz have been a surprise. Even so, they have yet to win over an elite team. They've lost to Dallas, San Antonio and now Sacramento, by an average of 14 points. The latest loss was their first at home.

Isn't there an equivalent to a golf handicap in basketball?

With a 6-6 record, they have shown they can run with the pack, but so far haven't been able to soar with the eagles.

"They just picked us apart ... we couldn't sustain anything," said Sloan. "We looked like we were intimidated, quite frankly. When they did something out of their offense, made a nice pass or coming over for a nice shot, we felt sorry for ourselves and shook our heads halfway down the court. So to me, it looked like we were a great deal intimidated, and rightly so, because this is a great team. They just pick you apart."

Wednesday marked a milestone in the series. For years, the game pitted the young-and-wishful Kings — and later young-and-rising Kings — against the veteran Jazz. In recent years, the Kings grew up and the Jazz grew old. At times in the playoffs last year, it seemed the Kings actually felt sorry for them. Sacramento knew it was better and younger, and it could outlast the Jazz.

This year brought major changes. The Jazz moved from a predictable two-star team to one bent on using all its options, segueing from a select gourmet menu to an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord. And like most smorgasbord's, they present a lot of choices.

They are the roast beef, mashed potatoes and tapioca pudding of pro basketball.

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