| Show s') V ryv o cwiMMi mil Uli'i— J WJHI ig ri t iikMj 23 Wednesday May 26 fi 1 NBA 999 Basketball Standard-Examin- TRAIL BLAZERS LOCKER ROOM Bnaai i N Portland takes a beating in many aspects the beating and ended up with six stitches above his nght eye courtesy of By JARED PAGE staff Standard-Examn- SALT LAKE CITY - The Delta Center crowd had a lot to say to the Portland Trail Blazers Tuesday night And most of it the Blazers say wasn’t very nice “It’s one thing to root for your team” said Portland’s Isaiah Rider “but I heard them say some things about Brian (Grant) and Rasheed (Wallace) that were crazy” But the abuse the Blazers endured from those 19911 Jazz fans was nothing compared to the beating they took on the basketball court 1 Utah's victory in Game 5 was the most lopsided win by either team in the best-of-- 7 W'estem Conference semifinal senes which sull favors Portland 2 Grant appeared to get the worst of not-so-m- 88-7- 3-- Karl Malone’s elbow “Physically mentally emotionally spiritually - you name it they outdid us” Blazers guard Greg Anthony said “They won every aspect of the game us tonight” They The Blazers looked nothing like the team that stole Game 2 in Salt Lake City and then took a commanding 1 lead in the senes with in Portland Ore They shot just 343 percent from the field and allowed numerous easy shots td Utah which hit 50 percent of its attempts Rider led the Blazers with 16 points Rasheed Wallace added 15 and Damon Stoudamire added 12 Portland got little help from Grant who scored just eight shooting and left the points on Delta Center without talking to the me 3-- back-to-ba- vic-ton- es “TheyTe a great basketball team” Anthony said “They’re not going to go quiedy They have a lot of heart They had (the pressure) on them tonigh and obviously they displayed a grfca deal of ability and heart The pressure is now on our shoulders and that’s a chal-- t lenge that I would imagine every man hi this locker room is willing ready and § ' able to accept” A win Thursday would send the Blazf ers to San Antonio to meet the Spurs i: the Western Conference finals A loss would force them to return t Salt Lake City on Saturday for a Garni 7 to meet the Jazz and the hostile Dclti Center crowd “We want to get it at home” Rid said “We don’t want to play Game The only thing we can do is get it & home so we don’t have to deal with this negative atmosphere and these people? dia “We were a drastically different team but I think that had something to do with (the Jazz)” Anthony said “They played a better basketball game” Still the Blazers weren’t discouraged loss And here’s following the why “We’re going home” Rider said “They’ve got to win two games we’ve got to win one” The Blazers can close out the Jazz on Thursday in Game 6 which tips oil at 7 pm MST at the Rose Garden “We’ve got to get this next game” Stoudamire said The Blazers boast a 22-- 3 record on their home court and have beaten the Jazz 10 consecutive times in Portland in the playoffs But Portland knows it will take more than a little home cooking to knock of the veteran Jazz nt in JAZZ LOCKER ROOM TORT DUCEStandarJ-Examine-r if d Mailman Grant rivalry builds steam By TOM McEACHIN StandartLExammer staff SALT LAKE CITY - Brian Grant and Karl Malone don't like each other The said so In no uncertain terms "He said he didn’t like me and I said I didn’t rt like him" Malone said of their colorful exchange in the fourth quarter "We established that we know where each other’s coming from and that’s the way it is ” Grant refused to talk with reporters after the game I ver since Malone was fined $10000 by the NBA for elbowing Grant in Game 1 of the playoff senes the two have staged a personal duel They have battled each other defensively fought for rebounds and worked hard to assert themselves in the games There was more of the same on Tuesday Malone went up for a rebound m the first quarter and caught Grant on the forehead with an elbow on the way down Grant was cut and needed six stitches before returning to the game “When you go up for a rebound” Malone said “you go up to get it ” Grant returned early in the second quarter and his temper was simmering the rest of the night eventually boiling over early in the fourth quarter He grabbed a rebound with left then swung his elbows high in both directions to room was out no one There around to dear connect with but it is still a violation to throw elbows so the ball was given to the Jazz On Utah's next miss 20 seconds later Grant like he grabbed that rebound then pump-fake- d was going to throw the ball at Malone's head Malone was already heading down court and never saw it but the referees did and hit Grant with a technical foul Portland coach Mike Dunleavy then erupted and chased after the officials onto the court and was hit with both a technical foul and an ejection Grant then jumped in Malone’s face going nose to nose with him jawing at him for about 10 seconds with the entire scene captured on the arena's JumboTron Malone simply stared at Grant and grinned “If you don t like me get in line” Malone said “A lot of people don’t like Karl Malone I understand that I don't play this game for you to like me ” GAME 5 UTAH 88 PORTLAND 71 BEST PLAY S: As Karl Malone battles Brian Grant in the low post Greg Ostertag slips behind the defense and Malone flips him an underhand pass for a dunk Shandon Anderson’s desperation jumper to beat the shot clock misses but he hits the run to reset the clock and Bryon Russell tips in the miss WORST CALL: Rasheed Wallace hooks Russell's arm and Hips him but both players are called for fouls BEST SIGNS: “TNT Teamwork Not Tattoos” "We need ya Tag” and from a man dressed as Llvis Presley "I Isis & the Jazz still alive ” Kt 1 STkTS: The Jazz shoot 63 percent in Utah outrebounds Ponland the first half 45-3- 1 John Stockton has 14 assists the enure Portland roster has 10 Mil KN I OM : The Jazz improve to 6--1 in plaYoll elimination games over the past two seasons IK HNK AL Mil IS: Grant for taunting Malone Ponland coach Mike Dunleavy for protesting Grant’s technical Dunleavy also is ejected INJI I' Y Rl I’OR T: Grant gets six stitches from Man c s elbow I P N1 XT Game 6 is Thursday in Portland (7 pm on KJZZ and TNT) Utah gets' offensive from starts From IB and they had 24 assists to Portland’s 10 But perhaps most telling was Utah’s turnovers After averaging 173 in their three losses to Portland the Jazz had just 1 1 45-3- 1 on Tuesday - i and three of those came on offensive fouls for setting hard screens a component lacking from their offense in recent games “We’re screening a lot better” Malone said “We’re putting some meat on guys and giving our guards opportuni- Standard Examiner staff SALT LAKE CITY - Aft! spending a few days missing action the pick and roll returned and was rolling again Tues day night And so thankfully were th8 Utah Jazz Utah’s famed half-couof fense which sputtered through a pair of sub-pa- r performance! in Portland last weekend and helped put the Jazz in a despers-at- e 1 playoff hole came out m aching like a smooth-runnin- g in Game 5 of their Wester With their entire season riding on the outcome - one loss and they’re done for the year -the Jazz jumped out to a lead in the game’s opening minutes and the Trail Blazers never caught up A 13-- 0 run early in the second half made sure of that The Jazz played under control and with confidence especially Malone who was scoring in double-figure- s less than five minutes into the game to get the Jazz rolling But the Jazz got that effort from just about everyone In addition to the 23 points and eight rebounds Malone finished with Bryon Russell had 22 points and nine rebounds Jeff Homacek had 14 points and seven rebounds John Stockton had 14 assists to go with his six points and Shandon Anderson had 1 1 points of the bench Even Ostertag had a productive 38 minutes with nine re- rt 10-po- A 6 MiSf' 0 A 625-426- na u y -- H $ hr r in 5 h i I- ' Jit ' v iK ‘V’ Jf '1 M p- dj4' nt ‘j’ti Cr ht V Russell's drive makes it 6-- 0 Ostertag’s dunk olT a great pass from Malone makes it 12-- 4 Wallace who scores Portland s first six points makes it 14-- 6 with his jumper Homacck sinks a pair of quick jumpers to make k baskets by Jackson cut it 20-- 8 it to 22-- 1 6 hisley's 3 makes it 30-- 1 8 Sloudamire's hook cuts it to 30-2- 0 at the end of the quarter V - ±4 ? ? ' v- - V & V s' f ' i ' £t i Nf -- ' 3: s tc f sn Ji Second Anderson’s free throws make it 34-2- 0 Wallace's three-poiplay cuts it to 34-2- 5 dunks by Keefe and Anderson make it 42-3- 0 Wallace s Homaoek's flip makes it 46-3- 6 dunk cuts it to 49-4- 2 at halftime Third Malone's dunk o(T his own steal makes it 4 Homacck's flip ofTSiockton s steal run to makes it 57-4- 4 Russell's 3 caps a make it 62-4- 4 Homacek's 3 gives the Jazz Rider their biggest lead of the game 67-4- 8 scores seven points in a 9-- 0 run to cut it to 67 57 Utah leads 69-5at the end of the quarter Fourth TIM SCHOOMStoidaKlExarTwwr Utah's John Stockton tries to maintain control of the ball after Portland's Damon Stoudamire falls into him dunng Tuesday's NBA playoff game at the Delta Center The Jazz won 88-7but Portland still leads the senes 3--2 II SCHOONyStandard-Examme- r From IB court Not here Not now Not on this night “If we did not expect them to come out with a lot of fire and intensity then that is a disrespect to them” Portland guard Greg Anthony said “They are a great basketball team they are not going to go quietly TTiey’ve got a lot of heart and we have to commend them on that “All credit goes to them My hat’s off to them they played a great basketball Portland coach Mike Dunleavy who was ejected followtechnical ing a fourth-quartfoul agreed “Give the Jazz a lot of credit” he said “They came out and did what they had to do Give them credit for what they were able to accomplish” Indeed what they accomplished was getting their stagnant offense back in gear not committing costly turnovers -they only had tune on the night - playing tough physical defense and beating the Blazers on the backboards by a decisive 45-3- 1 margin “The Jazz finally remembered how to shoot” guard Jeff Homacck said “Maybe that’s a good sign” It was Speaking of good signs most Jazz fans were waving ones which read “Yes We Can!” If they didn’t quite believe it before Tuesday’s game they certainly must have had their faith restored by this convincing victory No there was no way this proud Jazz ballJub was going to lose Not here Not now Not on this night But the way the Jazz came out Thursday night - fired up focused intense and yet relaxed - there was no way the Blazers were going to walk out of the Delta Center with a win Nope not here Not now Not on this night “We prolonged it at least one more game” Malone said “That’s what we wanted to do We don’t want to go home yet “We had (Monday) off and we kicked back and sat around and told ourselves we had to win this ballgamc If you come out tight in a game like this you’re gonna lose We tried to 19 -1 Hollis them” dim imi kVJ come out loose and relaxed and establish some momentum “They are not going to give up in this senes” Blazers’ forward Jimmy Jackson said “We are going to have to beat Tittiii 1 r- game” 1 y TIM - & i Portland coach Mike Dunleavy looking on Utah's Thurl Baley leaps out of bounds to tp the ball back to a teammate during NBA playoff action at the Delta Center V TUMBLE TIME: $ v WHATEVER IT TAXES: With V' XL V LI 1 j ai fc j£ w P te y h b Tc P ft U N K E early” er Randy Hollis is the sports of the StamlarJ--l xammer He can he rcai hed at 9 or rhollts a standard net 625-426- v o L d b 88-7- - 7 111 k ‘i lV i! First Ti f - m if- 'K--i ON TOE WEB Chock out the 1999 'NBA Playoffs at www standard net ” S AT “iV Jr- 1 first-quart- er k'’ f Tom McEaihin covers the Utah Jazz and the NBA for the BY THE QUARTERS In a makes it 72-5- 8 Malone's posl-u- p span of 8 seconds Grant and Dunleavy get technicals Dunleavy u ejected and Malone is called for a flagrant foul Referee Dick Bavetu calls an official s time out to cool things ofT Russell s 3 Anderson's 3 makes it 77-6- 4 makes it 85-6- 7 to seal the victory K-mMr- against the Trail Blazers Utah poured in 30 points shot over 63 percent m the first half and committed only nine turnovers in a game the Jazz absolutely had to win to avoid postseason elimination It all added up to an 1 wm at the Delta Center which keeps the Jazz alive and sends back to Portthe land for Game 6 on Thursday night “The start of the game is always very important You always want to start out strong” Jazz point guard John Stockton outsaid of his team’s burst in the opening period “It gives you confidence “We made some shots and executed a bttle better tonight Whenever you make shots it always looks like you’re executing better” The Jazz connected on attempts from the field in the first quarter then hit 1 in the second period to finish the first half at 633 percent It was a far cry from Utah’s first four games of this senes when the Jazz averaged just 14 points including a best-of-sen- es other” 2 reai fu d at standard net V' A “We had a little bit more confidence in what we were trying to do” Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said “ No 1 you have to have confidence in each other We weren’t afraid to pass the ball to different people and set screens to try to help each He can he or tmceai in gl Conference semifinal series shots r y 3-- bounds and three blocked Standard-Examine- tt ir By RANDY HOLDS ties” re o b h u n K ti tl ii n a s tl ii n t ri tl n o b J V first-quart- er pair of nt nightmares shot well under 30 percent in the first penod and turned the ball an average of 1 5 times per gome “We had a little more energy to start off tonight than what we’ve had” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said “We executed a little bit better because we put ii o s h n b ! more energy into trying to make something happen We got a couple easy baskets because of it And we handled the basketball better today “We had a little more confidence in what we were trying to do more confidence in each other and we set better screens and rebounded better” The Jazz who built a 30-2- 0 lead after the first quarter the Blazers by a 45-- 3 1 margin on the night “We were too soft tonight” Portland coach Mike Dunleavy said “We let them run their stuff too easily “We let them get some offensive rebounds and transition baskets and that’s a bad combination against this team” Malone said the difference between Game 5 and their past failures against Portland was that the Jazz rebounded better played better defensively and ran the offense the way they’re supposed to “We had open looks and we started taking those shots and knocking them down and we got it going” Malone said When they do that the pick and roll turns into a potent weapon and it causes something they used to do on Hee-HaPitkin’ and gnnnin’ ed POOF |
