Hard-luck Jazz still believe they can win series

By Tim Buckley
Deseret Morning News
Published: Wednesday, May 2, 2007 12:47 a.m. MDT
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As much as they were kicking themselves for what they let get away, the Jazz seemed anxious after Monday night's Game 5 loss in Houston to get on already with their first-round NBA playoff series against the Rockets.

"We're still confident," starting point guard Deron Williams said after Utah fell behind 3-2 in the best-of-seven showdown. "We're definitely still confident we can win the series."

"If we lose we're done," starting small forward Andrei Kirilenko added. "There is no bigger motivation ... So, let's go home, take care of business and get back (to Houston, for an if-necessary Game 7 that would be played Saturday night).

Unfortunately for the Jazz, however, Game 6 is not until Thursday night at EnergySolutions Arena. That's left plenty of time to ponder what might have been in a 96-92 loss that saw the Jazz fail to score on the final three possessions.

"We just have to let it go," starting center Mehmet Okur said, "and hopefully we learned something from the last few minutes."

The biggest lesson might have been one in opportunity wasted.

Not that that's a new one for the Jazz, starting shooting guard Derek Fisher suggested.

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"Yeah," Fisher said when asked if the Jazz thought they should have left Houston with a win, "but I think we felt that way the first game, the second game — and now the fifth game. So, it's not something we haven't felt before."

And that, both members of Utah's opening backcourt agreed, is all the more reason for the Jazz to go into Thursday's game acting as if Monday's visit to Houston was not their last of the postseason.

"We don't have a choice," Fisher said. "That's all we can do right now — give ourselves an opportunity to extend the series, then see what happens."

Williams concurred, though in doing revealed that perhaps that aforementioned confidence is on shakier ground than he initially was willing to admit.

"We just have to go home," he said, "win this one, (and) try to get our confidence back."

ACCORDING TO ELIAS: According to Elias Sports Bureau, Game 5 marked the first time since 1996 — when Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson did it for Phoenix, against San Antonio — that teammates each produced same-game playoff double-doubles of 20 and 15.

Houston star Tracy McGrady had 26 points and 16 assists, while Rockets center Yao Ming had 21 points and 15 boards.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Game 5 also was the first in the series in which Jazz starting power forward Carlos Boozer did not register a double-double.

Boozer scored a team-high 26 points but had only eight rebounds.

He had 53 doubles-doubles in the regular season, tied with Phoenix point guard Steve Nash for third-most in the NBA behind Minnesota's Kevin Garnett (66) and Orlando's Dwight Howard (60).

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