| Show FIRST-ROUN-D c NBA i wFF Standard Examiner April 21 2001 r of playoffs time for that popular television that sends 16 hopeful contestants against each other in a war of wits stamina and determination with one glorious grand prize awaiting the ultimate winner No we’re not talking about It’s "Survivor" We’re talking about the annual NBA playoffs that annual rite of passage which starts every spring and lasts until summertime Yes the NBA playoffs where a field of 16 teams will steadily be whittled away until one champion emerges to stand tall and proud above the rest The coveted prize here isn't a million dollars - heck that'd be walking-arounmoney for most of these guys - but ‘ instead it's the Larry O’Brien Trophy and a championship ring to wear on their fingers for the rest of their lives And although these 16 contestants won't be required to chomp down any gigantic insects or dive off any cliffs or wrestle any alligators or wander around a deserted island wearing nothing but a loin cioth and a smile this year’s playoffs may very well seem like the "Survivor" series before they’re through Indeed with perhaps the strongest Western Conference field ever assembled - seven of the eight teams in the West "tribe" won SI or more games - this year’s playoffs will truly become a survival of the fittest before they're through And the obstacles which loom ahead for the Utah Jazz might make some of those difficult challenges you’d see on "Survivor" seem like a tea d party Heck if this was simply a mutter of surviving on a deserted island you'd have to like Karl Malone's chances The Mailman after all is a rugged outdoorsman who would probably enjoy chomping down all kinds of critters - cooking 'em of course would be optional And all his female fans who bought that "Butt and Gut” workout video of his would no doubt love seeing him wander around wearing nothing but a loin cloth and a smile Of course the NBA playoffs are much more than that Malone and Co must be at their absolute best to avoid getting bumped off the NBA's postseason island where there's no tribal council or immunity idol anywhere to be found The Jazz will face a young hungry and talented Dallas Mavericks team in' the opening round of the playoffs with Game 1 tipping off today at the Delta Center And Utah must hope that its veteran lineup and vast postseason experience will pave the way for a victory over the Mavs Malone and his longtime Jazz running mate John Stockton each have far more playoff experience than the entire Mavericks' team combined For that matter Utah's Bryon Russell John Starks and Greg Ostertag have each appeared in more NBA postseason games than almost any member of the Mavs After all the bulk of the Mavericks' playoff experience belongs to none other than guard Howard Elslcy who got all of that experience (79 games) as a member of the Jazz for the previous five seasons When the Mavs' Michael Finley Dirk Nowitzki and Shawn Bradley take the floor today it will mark the first See SURVIVEeC first-roun- d Subplots aplenty as Mavs Jazz tangle once again second half when Donyell Marshall’s frustration boiled over in a flagrant foul on Dirk Nowitzki April 27 2001 at Dallas: Nowitzki and Olden Polynice swapped flagrant fouls about a minute apart in the first By TOM McEACHIN Standard Examiner staff LAKE CITY - If Vince ever decides to start a basketball league s the playoff series would make a good one to scout In eight games between these two teams over the past two seasons they have piled up a lengthy rap sheet: 23 technical fouls four flagrant fouls five ejections and two suspensions And it started even before the Mavericks signed Dennis Rodman last season - although Rodman did bring his share of mayhem to the court Among the series lowlights: Jan 6 2000 at Dallas: The memorable moment from this gume was Dallas coach Don Nelson and Jazz star Karl Malone Jawing on the sidelines Nelson fed up with Malone's roughhousing of Shawn Bradley and Malone fed up with Nelson’s incessant whining Nelson was suspended and Malone was fined ' Feb 24 2000 at Dallas: Rodman who once took on Malone in a pro event lasted wrestling Just 12 games with the Mavericks but it was long enough to get ejected from this one Nov 20 2000 at the Delta Center Malone clipped Dallas center Christian SALT Utah-Dulla- Utah vs Dallas Today's game KFNZ-A- Dallas at Utah 1320) 1 pm (NBC Tuesday's game KFNZ-A- Dallas at Utah 8:30 1320) pm (TNT Saturday's game KFNZ-A- Utah at Dallas 1320) 1 pm (NBC Tuesday May 1 if necessary Thursday May 3 at Utah TBD if necessary Utah at Dallas TBD nosc-to-nos- e Dallas liicttner with what the NBA deemed a "blow to the head" resulting in a e suspension for Malone one-gam- f March 26 2001 at the Delta Center: As the Jazz rolled in the first half Nelson's frustrations boiled over and he was ejected The Mavericks regrouped though and rallied In the quarter Sideshows like that have to be appreciated by someone like McMahon who unleashed the World Wrestling Federation and the XFL on an unsuspecting world but he isn't the only one taking notice "You're definitely going to be ready for it" Marshall said "I’m sure there are going to be times I'm going to be laughing at certain situations and there are probably going to be times I'll be in the situations but that's the excitement "During the playoffs you don't know how many games you have to play and you have to go out there and put it on the line every day and sometimes people's emotions just get into it" For the most part though the Jazz are kxiking to downplay elements that detract from the game and more importantly distract them from the task at hand "I don't know how intriguing it Is" said Malone trying till week to downplay any sort of brewing controversy "This is the time in the playoffs if you wanted to have -- sideshows you could have them very easily by saying something or doing something “(Reporters) are probably going to get it stirred up and then if we say something it escalates and we're not going to get into all of that” Coach Jerry Sloan agrees "I hope it's something that doesn't happen" Sloan said "We're not looking to have those things happen We don’t try to teach that sort of things "But in the game of basketball there are going to be some things come up that you don't like" Sloan said the Mavericks play a physical aggressive style But then so do a lot of other teams "They do some things but not any more than some of the other teams we play" Sloan said "They can frustrate you too” The Mavericks haven't been in the playoffs since 1990 and they haven't faced the Jazz since a first round victory In 19S6 but this appears to have all the ingredients of a budding rivalry Jazz newcomer John Starks who spent the bulk of his career with the New York Knlcks knows something about rivalries And the key he said is to stay focused on the basketball See JAZZ2C |
