Utah's defensive tactic shocks T-Mac

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 26, 2008 | by Tim Buckley Deseret News

Tracy McGrady seemed blown away after Thursday's Game 3 that Andrei Kirilenko didn't get any help defending him.

That's in stark contrast to the first two games of the Jazz- Rockets first-round NBA playoff series, when McGrady's chief defender was getting so much help that the Houston star felt constantly double-teamed.

But circumstances, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan suggested prior to practice Friday, simply didn't allow otherwise.

"It's hard to slide over and leave people underneath the basket," Sloan said after McGrady finished with 28 points, including seven straight during a short but key final-quarter stretch in which Houston surged ahead.

"We want to try to give help, but a couple times Andrei was playing he let him go baseline. And you know we like to try to get guys in the middle, so we can have a little bit of help," Sloan added.

"But those are mistakes that everybody's trying to do the right thing. You're playing against a great player, and sometimes they'll make the play better than we can stop it. That's what makes him a great player."

Sloan's bigger concern seemed centered elsewhere.

"You're not gonna stop McGrady," he said, "but you can't give everybody else things by making defensive mistakes."

That in mind, the Jazz coach suggested he understood why the Rockets -- now down 1-2 in the best-of-seven series -- suddenly have a newfound confidence.

"If you do it out there on the floor, that's where you prove it," Sloan said. "They did it out there on the floor, and they have to believe after that."

HOSTILE ECHO: Prior to a sold-out Game 3, McGrady called EnergySolutions Arena, where the Jazz went an NBA-best 37-4 during the regular season, a "hostile environment."

Jazz players?

They don't necessarily think it's the absolute toughest place to play -- Carlos Boozer suggested San Antonio is to Utah much like Utah may be to Houston -- but they do say it's definitely one of the noisiest.

"We're loud," Matt Harpring said, "and I think the arena is set up (so) that it's a good place for the fans where when they get loud it somehow seems louder. It kind of echoes through the building."

Harpring, questioned earlier this week by a Houston reporter, compared the atmosphere to Sacramento back in the Kings' heyday.

"Our fans are passionate, yes, but I don't know if they're any more passionate than New York or Philly or other places around," he said. "But I think our fans might be more dedicated to coming out every game and helping us and screaming, and doing it every game and not just some of the games."

SO SATISFYING: ESPN The Magazine has ranked the Jazz 15th among all 122 franchises in America's four major professional sports leagues -- the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB -- on its 2008 "Fan Satisfaction" rankings list.

The Jazz were the fourth-highest ranked NBA team, and trailed only (in order) the NFL's No. 1 Indianapolis Colts, the NBA's San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Hornets, the NFL's Green Bay Packers, the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, MLB's Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers, the NBA's Detroit Pistons, the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks, the NFL's New England Patriots, the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, MLB's Milwaukee Brewers and the NHL's St. Louis Blues.

The NBA's New York Knicks finished last, just head of the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Rockets placed 33rd.

HE SAID IT: Jazz point guard Deron Williams, speaking Friday about losing Game 3: "We got a little stagnant, things weren't going right for us and we got away from doing what makes us special."

MISC.: After scoring the most points in a quarter during the series with 32 in the third of Game 3, the Jazz scored the least in a quarter with 16 in the fourth. ... Game 3 marked the first time in the series Houston has led after the first quarter. ... This is the third time Utah and Houston have met in consecutive postseasons (1994-95, 1997-98, 2007-08).

E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com