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SI.com: Brian Hendrickson: Spurs dive deep into bench to sweep Jazz with well-rounded Game 4 winupdated: Tue May 08 2012 00:37:00

These are the stats that should make San Antonio's future playoff opponents quiver after the Spurs closed out their four-game sweep of Utah Monday night with an 87-81 win at EnergySolutions Arena: None of San Antonio's starters shot better than 40 percent from the field in Game 4. None scored more than 11 points, and the starting frontcourt combined to shoot just 5-of-18 from the field. And yet the Spurs dominated most of the game. They led for the final 36 minutes. They were up as much as 21 points on the road against a team desperate to avoid elimination. And they did it with nine players seeing 20 or more minutes of action, with a bench that became their most productive unit. Now, as the Spurs move further in the playoffs, whoever they end up facing may look at Monday's game and question how any team can keep pace with such a lethal wave of weapons.

SI.com: Matt Dollinger: Spurs serve reminder of their depth, take 2-0 lead on Jazzupdated: Thu May 03 2012 10:22:00

Heavy lied the crown last season as the top-seeded Spurs suffered one of the worst first-round upsets in playoff history. This year, they're the ones dishing out the embarrassment in their opening matchup. The Spurs cruised past the Jazz 114-83 in Game 2 on Wednesday in San Antonio to take a 2-0 lead, leaving little doubt as to how this series should end.

SI.com: Zach Lowe: First-round preview: No 1. Spurs vs. No. 8 Jazzupdated: Fri Apr 27 2012 10:04:00

Two weeks ago, this would have felt like a San Antonio walkover. The Spurs have destroyed the league of late, outscoring opponents by nearly 16 points per 100 possessions -- an unthinkable number -- over their last 20 games and generally peaking at the right time. The Jazz have been a nice story, but they are the worst defensive team among all playoff clubs, precisely the kind of slow-footed group the Spurs slice apart with fast-moving pick-and-rolls, quick passes and gobs of three-pointers. The Spurs scored well and rained threes in taking three of four from the Jazz, and their only loss came in a late-season game in which Gregg Popovich rested Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili.

SI.com: Alexis Harper: Jazz topple Nash & Co. to secure final playoff spot in Westupdated: Wed Apr 25 2012 09:43:00

In the first elimination game of the season, four days before the playoffs are even set to begin, the Utah Jazz have advanced while the Phoenix Suns head home for another long summer.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Corbin turning young Jazz team into threatening force down lowupdated: Thu Mar 29 2012 15:13:00

BOSTON -- "I call them 'meaningful games,' " said Kevin O'Connor, the general manager of the Utah Jazz. "This is a meaningful game tonight."

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Utah's 2011 trade of Williams offers lessons ahead of deadlineupdated: Sat Mar 03 2012 11:22:00

BOSTON -- To deal or not to deal? When the Nets met the Celtics here Friday, the rumors of impending moves carried more importance than the outcome of the game. The Celtics' 107-94 victory wasn't so intriguing as the speculation around Boston's stars or the odd coupling of New Jersey center Brook Lopez and point guard Deron Williams, in which the former may be offered in a package to Orlando for Dwight Howard in hope of convincing the latter to re-sign with the Nets.

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Must-see NBA games of 2011-12updated: Wed Dec 07 2011 00:34:00

The NBA is back. On Tuesday, the league released its compacted 66-game schedule, filled with enough back-to-back-to-backs (42 overall, compared to 64 in the 50-game 1998-99 season) to make players groan and coach-class-flying beat writers groan even louder. Here's a look at a 10 interesting dates:

SI.com: NBA parity? History shows new labor deals achieve the oppositeupdated: Wed Sep 07 2011 14:50:00

It was March 7, two weeks after the Knicks had acquired Carmelo Anthony and 20 minutes since they'd faced the Utah Jazz. Having recently lost their two best players, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, to free agency and trades, the beleaguered Jazz were no match for New York, who rode a 65-point performance from their new dynamic duo of Amar'e Stoudemire and Anthony to a 22-point win. After the easy rout of the Jazz, the Summer of LeBron and a bevy of big trades, Stoudemire was asked what everyone had long been wondering about the NBA: Is it turning into an unbalanced league of big-market haves and small-market have-nots?

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Winners, losers of '11 NBA draftupdated: Fri Jun 24 2011 02:08:00

NEWARK, N.J. -- Four foreign-born lottery picks for the first time, the fourth straight year a John Calipari-coached point guard (Brandon Knight) lands in the top eight and a ninth straight year the son of a former NBA player (Klay Thompson) has had his name called. Let's break down the 2011 NBA Draft.

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Rebuilding may be necessary for Jazz in post-Sloan eraupdated: Tue Mar 08 2011 17:00:00

NEW YORK -- It was both sad and pathetic, revealing and ominous. Watching the Utah Jazz wilt under a barrage of three-pointers from the Knicks on Monday -- most of which were of the uncontested variety -- was like watching a model franchise unravel in real time.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Williams trade reflects extreme times in NBA right nowupdated: Thu Feb 24 2011 02:08:00

If you held any hope the NBA could avoid a summer lockout, then this day marks the death of your optimism. On this day the Utah Jazz traded arguably the best point guard in basketball -- the second coming of John Stockton -- in a preemptive move that highlights, underlines and altogether exposes everything that most of the owners have grown to hate about the current system.

SI.com: Lee Jenkins: With elite game, Williams now more famous for dustup with Sloanupdated: Wed Feb 23 2011 18:40:00

The play is called "22," and when the Utah Jazz run it, they always start on the left side of the court. But against the Chicago Bulls on Feb. 9, when Jerry Sloan signaled for 22, Deron Williams decided to start on the right side instead. "That was it," Williams said, and while nobody is implying that one play in the middle of a regular-season game precipitated the departure of a Hall of Fame coach and an All-Star point guard, it was the final act in a team's undoing.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: With Sloan gone, Jazz at risk of becoming another small-market teamupdated: Fri Feb 11 2011 17:34:00

Eight years ago, Jerry Sloan walked out of the gym during a Utah Jazz practice. He was upset over the divisiveness within his team. The belief among several members of the organization was that some players were rallying around backup point guard Mark Jackson at the expense of starter John Stockton. That's why Sloan threatened to retire then and there.

SI.com: Sloan resigns as Jazz coach after 23 yearsupdated: Thu Feb 10 2011 19:22:00

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan stepped down Thursday after 23 seasons and 1,127 wins at the helm of the Utah Jazz, saying he simply ran out of energy to coach anymore.

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Utah's lack of effort troubles coachupdated: Sat Jan 22 2011 00:53:00

BOSTON -- Deron Williams sat slumped in his locker, uniform still on, ice bags wrapped tightly around both knees. Splashed across his face was the bewildered look of a man who recognizes a problem yet couldn't quite pinpoint how to fix it. Friday night's 110-86 loss to the Celtics was Utah's third straight, one that followed back-to-back defeats to the woeful Wizards and Nets.

SI.com: Britt Robson: Once a go-to guy, Jefferson adapts to life as role player in Utahupdated: Mon Jan 03 2011 09:38:00

Al Jefferson broke the 30-point barrier for the first time this season on Wednesday, leading the Jazz over the Clippers in Utah. Eclipsing 30 points was a fairly regular occurrence for Jefferson during his two healthy years in Minnesota, covering 2007-08 and 50 games of 2008-09, when he accomplished the feat 18 times and was a 20-point, 10-rebound mainstay for the Timberwolves.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Utah forward Millsap quietly fulfills higher expectations for Jazzupdated: Tue Dec 14 2010 17:53:00

While other young players explode, Paul Millsap simmers. He improves steadily. He surprises routinely.

SI.com: Lee Jenkins: Millsap proves he's ready to leadupdated: Wed Nov 10 2010 10:24:00

MIAMI -- By the fifth and final day of the 2006 pre-draft camp in Orlando, most of the scouts and coaches had gone home. The Utah Jazz contingent remained, hoping for one more look at a chunky power forward nobody else seemed to want. Through the first four days of camp, Paul Millsap appeared out of shape and out of place, unable to create his shot or hold his position. But on the last day, Millsap began to assert himself, demonstrating how he led the nation in rebounding two years in a row at Louisiana Tech. The Jazz staff reasoned that Millsap was not the kind of player built for pre-draft camps, which tend to showcase shooters and drivers. He needed a system.

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Lakers' experience, crunch-time cool simply too much for Jazzupdated: Tue May 11 2010 09:18:00

After looking vulnerable in their first-round series against the Thunder, the Lakers left little doubt about their elite level of play after dominating the Jazz in their Western Conference semifinal series. With Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol looking virtually unstoppable, the Lakers swept the undersized Jazz out of the playoffs with a 111-96 victory Monday in Salt Lake City, setting up a conference final with the Suns.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Fast Breaks: Lakers vs. Jazz, Game 3updated: Mon May 10 2010 17:23:00

A potential game-ending tip-in by Wesley Matthews bounced out of the hoop, sealing Utah's 111-110 loss to the Lakers in Game 3 of the Western semifinals Saturday night. Now down 3-0, the Jazz face the kind of comeback no team has ever accomplished in the NBA. And with the Lakers coming off a game in which Kobe Bryant got more help from outside than inside for a change, the Jazz aren't likely to be the first.

SI.com: Britt Robson: Magic emerge as team to beatupdated: Mon May 10 2010 12:24:00

While the Cavaliers and the Celtics take turns grinding on each other's muscles and nerves in their deadlocked second-round series, the Magic are methodically dismantling their playoff foes. Stan Van Gundy's crew won ugly against Charlotte in the first round, with Vince Carter mostly AWOL and Dwight Howard benching himself with heedless fouls. Now Orlando is winning pretty against Atlanta, making more than half its shots in the first three games while holding the Hawks to an average of 81 points.

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Fast Breaks: Lakers-Jazz Game 2updated: Wed May 05 2010 02:19:00

The Lakers are clearly much bigger. For now, they are much better. And after two games, they hold a dominating lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series, defeating the Jazz for the 16th consecutive time at the Staples Center with a 111-103 decision Tuesday.

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Fast Breaks: Lakers-Jazz, Game 1updated: Sun May 02 2010 19:46:00

The Los Angeles Lakers continue to delicately walk a tightrope. They also continue to remain upright. Despite getting a scare from the Utah Jazz in Game 1 of their best-of-7 Western Conference semifinal series, the Lakers walked out of Staples Center with a hard-fought 104-99 victory Sunday afternoon for a number of different reasons.

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Fast Breaks: Jazz-Nuggets, Game 5updated: Thu Apr 29 2010 09:25:00

Fighting off a first-round upset, Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony finally got the assistance for which he begged, and it resulted in a 116-102 victory over the Jazz on Wednesday. The Jazz still lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and could close out in Salt Lake City on Friday. But they still have some work to do since Denver got back a modicum of confidence.

SI.com: Britt Robson: Stories shaping the first roundupdated: Mon Apr 26 2010 12:10:00

Home court has indeed been an advantage early in the playoffs, with the host team posting a 23-7 record through Sunday. Even when the games moved to the court of the lower-seeded clubs, the home teams were 10-4.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Fast Breaks: Jazz-Nuggets, Game 4updated: Mon Apr 26 2010 09:57:00

Carmelo Anthony was brilliant in scoring 39 points in Game 4 against the Jazz, but he got little help for the second straight game as the Nuggets fell 117-106 to a Utah team that played the way playoff teams are supposed to play. A home date Wednesday may allow the Nuggets to extend the series, but with the passive manner in which they've played, a win in Game 5 would only delay their now-inevitable series loss. Let's take a peek at how the Jazz went up 3-1 Sunday night.

SI.com: Britt Robson: Jazz vs. Nuggets, Game 3updated: Sat Apr 24 2010 11:19:00

The Utah Jazz may be short-handed but the Denver Nuggets are the ones groping for solutions after the Jazz pasted them -- 105-93 in a contest that wasn't that close -- to take a 2-1 lead in their best of-seven first-round series.

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Anthony's size, physical play complicate officials' jobsupdated: Thu Apr 22 2010 17:39:00

DENVER -- Carmelo Anthony hadn't even crossed the three-point line when he first felt the contact. It was early in the second quarter of Monday's game against Utah and Anthony was drifting toward the paint, looking to position himself on the left block. Before he could get there -- or anywhere close, for that matter -- he was met by Jazz forward C.J. Miles, who leveled his shoulder into the chest of the Nuggets' star and gradually lowered it to the point where he was pushing Anthony backward. It was a lineman drill, and Anthony was the sled. A smiling Anthony cast an exasperated glance over at referee Ken Mauer, who looked back and allowed the play to continue.

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Fast Breaks: Jazz-Nuggets, Game 2updated: Tue Apr 20 2010 07:35:00

DENVER -- Who said injuries were an issue in the NBA playoffs? One day after the Trail Blazers stunned the Suns in Phoenix, banged up Utah pulled off an upset of their own, outlasting Denver 114-111 to tie their first-round series.

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Bulls, Jazz up against tough odds in Game 2updated: Mon Apr 19 2010 13:19:00

Two days into the playoffs and we've already had a brawl, a suspension and an upset. In the East, a late-game dustup between the Heat and Celtics resulted in an ejection and one-game ban for Kevin Garnett, while the Trail Blazers -- without Brandon Roy and playing in Phoenix -- prevailed over the Suns.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Nuggets put aside Karl worries for Game 1 winupdated: Sun Apr 18 2010 10:02:00

The Nuggets put aside their worries of playing without George Karl for at least one night to take Game 1 from Jazz, 126-113. In addition to little defense and a lot of sharp-shooting (the teams combined to shoot 56 percent), the first-round matchup ended with another Jazz player on the injured list and Denver's Carmelo Anthony showing his best and worst sides. Consider the following:

SI.com: Frank Hughes: Health concerns still weigh on Jazzupdated: Fri Apr 16 2010 14:35:00

This is not where the Utah Jazz anticipated being.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Much at stake in season's last dayupdated: Wed Apr 14 2010 13:41:00

Before 16 teams prepare for the start of the postseason Saturday, nine teams have to figure out their seedings on the last day of the regular season. Here's what to watch for during Wednesday's key games. (All stats and records are through April 13; all times Eastern.)

SI.com: Frank Hughes: West race comes down to the wireupdated: Wed Apr 07 2010 18:17:00

Every coach preaches the vital importance of every game, whether it is played in the first week of the season or the last. And while players typically nod in collective assent, most fail to understand that a loss in November is just as costly as one a week before the playoffs.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: After season ripe with criticism, Boozer becomes Jazz's high noteupdated: Wed Mar 24 2010 18:01:00

Carlos Boozer chooses to hold some grudges, and others he lets go. He still remembers being stranded until the second round of the draft eight years ago.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Best, worst bangs for the buckupdated: Wed Jan 06 2010 15:41:00

Balancing payroll with productivity is a never-ending struggle for NBA front offices. For every bargain found off the waiver wire, there is an overpaid free agent signed in hopes of playoff success.

SI.com: Britt Robson: Notes: Big men lift surprising Grizzliesupdated: Wed Jan 06 2010 15:13:00

Now that the Grizzlies have climbed above .500 and Lionel Hollins has been named Western Conference Coach of the Month for December, the bandwagon is rolling for power forward Zach Randolph to be named to the All-Star team.

SI.com: Brian Hendrickson: Boozer returns to All-Star form, but few care to noticeupdated: Tue Dec 22 2009 16:55:00

You could point to Carlos Boozer's impressive stats and Utah's key victories as evidence of his All-Star-caliber season. The 18 double-doubles that rank third in the NBA, the 21.3 points and 10.9 rebounds he's averaged since mid-November, the Jazz's 16-12 record despite injuries to several key players -- yep, all appear reason enough to dub Boozer an All-Star. Again.

SI.com: Arash Markazi: Millsap, Boozer thrown for a loopupdated: Mon Oct 19 2009 15:32:00

LOS ANGELES -- This wasn't the way the season was supposed to begin for Paul Millsap. It's about a week before Utah's season opener and Millsap is sitting in the middle of the bench, his arms folded, as the Jazz tip off a preseason game against the Clippers. In the offseason, Millsap signed a four-year, $32 million offer sheet with the Trail Blazers, and after Utah matched it, he hoped he would be the Jazz's new starting power forward.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: Free agency, Twitter will help shape 2009-10 seasonupdated: Tue Sep 15 2009 20:53:00

With the possible exception of the NL West, baseball's division races have nothing on the NBA in the dwindling days of September in terms of urgency, suspense and unresolved issues. Here are some biggies looming over the pro hoops landscape as players and coaches prepare for their close-ups on media day:

SI.com: Jazz to match Blazers' offer for Millsapupdated: Fri Jul 17 2009 08:54:00

The Jazz have officially decided to match the Trail Blazers' offer for Paul Millsap, thus committing to keep the 6-foot-8 power forward in Utah, a league source told SI.com on Thursday.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: Signing bonus throws wrinkle into free agencyupdated: Wed Jul 15 2009 17:51:00

With baseball's Aug. 17 signing deadline fast approaching and the Nationals barely communicating with No. 1 draft pick Stephen Strasburg -- agent Scott Boras' alleged target price of a $50 million signing bonus could have something to do with that -- commissioner Bud Selig didn't sound worried Tuesday. "They're very sincere about signing Strasburg,'' Selig told reporters at the All-Star Game, "and I'm hopeful they will, and I know they are going to make him a very meaningful offer.'' In other words, business as usual.

SI.com: Arash Markazi: Lakers' sloppy play may ultimately ruin title shotupdated: Tue Apr 28 2009 09:18:00

There will be teams that will make their layups down the stretch. There will be teams that will not fall apart after turning a 22-point deficit into a two-possession game. There will be teams that can and will beat the Lakers if they continue to play the same way they did in eliminating the Jazz 107-96 (BOX | RECAP) in five games Monday night.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Boozer makes Jazz's decision tougher, more observationsupdated: Fri Apr 24 2009 10:23:00

Five NBA playoff observations from a night that featured a pair of unexpected blowouts and an escape act in Salt Lake City:

SI.com: Arash Markazi: Familiar story for Lakers, Jazzupdated: Wed Apr 22 2009 09:17:00

LOS ANGELES -- Second verse, same as the first.

SI.com: Arash Markazi: Just as Sloan had feared, Jazz appear to be no match for mighty Lakersupdated: Mon Apr 20 2009 09:00:00

LOS ANGELES -- Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan has been around this game long enough that he doesn't need to sugarcoat anything, not that he ever has during his 21 years in Salt Lake City.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: Lakers-Jazz series breakdownupdated: Fri Apr 17 2009 14:34:00

OVERVIEW: These teams met last spring, too, when the talent and achievement gaps between them were narrower, and the Lakers won the second-round series in six games. Phil Jackson and his players have been doing their duty in touting the opponents' strengths, but few are probably picking up what they're putting down. "There are all kinds of matchup situations that are a strong advantage [for Utah] in most sequences that we all recognize,'' the Lakers' coach said. The Lakers were runaway winners in the West, while the Jazz slid into this matchup mess by losing seven of their final nine. And they have the worst road record (15-26) of the eight West playoff teams

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Economic downturn altering every aspect of NBA businessupdated: Fri Mar 20 2009 09:16:00

Because who wants to talk about the economy?

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Jazz putting their pieces togetherupdated: Mon Mar 09 2009 18:54:00

For a guy who's won more than 1,000 games as an NBA coach, Jerry Sloan makes the process sound so easy.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: NBA's rich history vital part of its presentupdated: Sat Feb 28 2009 10:15:00

The NBA is widely considered to be a young league, owing mostly to the age of its players and the target of so much of its marketing. That's how we get 19-year-old franchise players, edgy footwear commercials, "tweets'' from the office of a commissioner who fondly remembers 45-rpm records (maybe even 78s) and, until a couple of years ago, team scouts squeezing elbow-to-elbow into the bleachers of cramped, sweaty high school gyms, lusting and fretting all at once over their clubs' next big draft gambles.

SI.com: Jazz F Harpring out with bruised backupdated: Wed Feb 25 2009 20:53:00

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Utah Jazz forward Matt Harpring is out of Wednesday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a bruised back.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Millsap's emergence complicates Jazz's futureupdated: Thu Dec 18 2008 13:48:00

There can be no better value in the NBA than Utah power forward Paul Millsap, who among players on the Jazz's active roster ranks first in rebounds (8.7), second in points (14.4) and blocks (1.2), and last in salary ($797,581). All three numbers should climb after Millsap becomes a restricted free agent next summer, earning him more money and a larger role.

SI.com: Jack McCallum: Jazz season previewupdated: Thu Oct 16 2008 13:54:00

SI.com will analyze each of the NBA's 30 teams as regular-season tip-off approaches. For a complete list of team-by-team breakdowns, click here. The information in the "Go figure" category below is provided by Roland Beech of 82games.com.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: Northwest summer report cardupdated: Fri Aug 29 2008 14:34:00

The Northwest Division is the home of identity crises this offseason.

SI.com: Paul Forrester: Scout's take on keys to Jazz-Lakers seriesupdated: Wed May 14 2008 11:57:00

As the Lakers and Jazz prepare to settle their second-round series over the next two or three games, SI.com asked an NBA scout to assess what factors will determine which team advances to the Western Conference finals. With the 2-2 series resuming Wednesday in Los Angeles, the scout identified these five keys:

SI.com: Chris Mannix: Korver is Mr. Popularity in Salt Lake Cityupdated: Wed Apr 09 2008 15:35:00

He enters the game to the sound of high-pitched screams, the kind of reception usually reserved for teeny-bopper stars like Zac Efron or Miley Cyrus. (Then again, some of the screamers are probably fans of all three.) Signs bearing marriage proposals are scattered throughout Utah's EnergySolutions Arena, and mothers and daughters alike swoon with his every move.

SI.com: Marty Burns: Jazz's road woes could prove fatalupdated: Thu Mar 13 2008 17:08:00

It's one of the great mysteries of the NBA this season, right up there with the Rockets continuing to soar without Yao Ming, the Bulls' misplaced mojo and Isiah Thomas keeping his job.

SI.com: Marty Burns: NBA Power Rankingsupdated: Tue Feb 12 2008 08:43:00

The NBA All-Star Game will take place this weekend in New Orleans. While much of the focus will be on the host Hornets, there is another team with a tie to the Big Easy making sweet music these days. The Jazz -- a franchise that moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City in 1979 -- might be the NBA's hottest team heading into the break.

SI.com: Steve Aschburner: Western Conference race will be a doozyupdated: Tue Jan 22 2008 22:15:00

The NBA might want to consider, if only for this season, adding an extra "wild'' to the familiar (and ripped-off classic TV title) description of the left half of its competition. As in, the wild, wild, wild West.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Most improved players, the Bulls' future, moreupdated: Mon Dec 10 2007 11:08:00

Five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... Each week we'll take a look at five intriguing topics around the NBA, from the front office to the court.

SI.com: Ian Thomsen: Spurs grind out testy Game 4 winupdated: Tue May 29 2007 03:11:00

SALT LAKE CITY -- For awhile this felt a lot like a European playoff game in one of those Greek or Spanish arenas where the fans never shut up and every basket is greeted as a tragedy or a miracle. Manu Ginobili learned to play in this kind of setting, and he looked entirely comfortable while bulling his way to the foul line for 15 fourth-quarter points to turn a tight Game 4 into a 91-79 Spurs rout.

SI.com: How The West Will Be Wonupdated: Tue May 22 2007 09:52:00

No, the Utah Jazz has not disbanded since John Stockton and Karl Malone took their short shorts and their pick-and-roll precision into retirement. Quite the contrary. The Jazz has reached the Western Conference finals, its furthest incursion into the postseason since 1998, when S&M lost to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Finals.

SI.com: No time to wasteupdated: Tue May 22 2007 09:49:00

SAN ANTONIO -- Are the Utah Jazz too young to win the championship this year? We'll find out Tuesday night.

SI.com: Hollow victoryupdated: Sun May 20 2007 20:23:00

SAN ANTONIO -- The Spurs held home-court advantage Sunday with their 108-100 opening win in the Western finals, but that result seemed of secondary importance as Gregg Popovich and Jerry Sloan fumed afterwards. They were like two old pals each claiming indignation and fury based on what they'd seen.

SI.com: Dog-fighting not a 'character issue'updated: Thu May 17 2007 12:27:00

Humpty Dumpty: When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less.

SI.com: "He's Barry, But He's Our Barry"updated: Tue May 15 2007 08:59:00

It is warm, way too warm for spring in San Francisco. At seven in the evening in May, it's 70-something and sunny, like some Al Gore nightmare come to life. People arrive at AT&T Park suspicious of the weather, in jeans and a sweatshirt, fleece and khakis, as if this were the old Candlestick and winter might descend in a moment.

SI.com: Mettle menupdated: Mon May 14 2007 00:59:00

Pointing to a team's mettle, its ability to rise above pressure and execute with everything seeming ready to fall apart, seems like a cop-out. Most of the time, it's a fanciful notion used to hide an observer's inability or unwillingness to point out the real reasons (rebounds, free throws, turnovers) one team won and one team lost.

SI.com: Hey Mom, is that you?updated: Fri May 11 2007 18:00:00

In recognition of Mother's Day, here's a look at the impact of the Top 10 mothers in sports.

SI.com: Credit where credit is dueupdated: Fri May 11 2007 11:24:00

Also in this column: • Importance of the regular season? • Doc's extension a good move • NBA players help one of their own

SI.com: Kings for a day ...updated: Thu May 10 2007 17:28:00

These days I use my old baseball cards as bookmarks. I had collected cards as a kid, and I still have a shoebox of them in my apartment. When I start reading a new book, I blindly reach into the shoebox, root around and pull one out. The cards get bent and frayed -- but at least this way I get to see them.

SI.com: Sweet surpriseupdated: Thu May 10 2007 01:23:00

Matt Barnes is a first bus kind of guy.

SI.com: Roy, Bargnani lead All-Rookie teamupdated: Tue May 08 2007 15:58:00

NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Guard Brandon Roy of the Portland Trail Blazers and forward Andrea Bargnani of the Toronto Raptors headline the NBA All-Rookie Team, which was announced on Tuesday.

SI.com: Hurt so goodupdated: Tue May 08 2007 12:57:00

I got a kick out of Peyton Manning's Mastercard commerical where the guy serving coffee gets knocked over by a blast of steam in the face and Manning urges him to "rub some dirt on it." In this age of pitch counts and other bubblewrap training techniques and long preventative shut-downs, it can be hard to believe that the athlete's credo once resembled the black knight who loses assorted limbs in Monty Python & The Holy Grail and keeps fighting while insisting, "Come on, it's only a flesh wound!"

SI.com: Need for speedupdated: Tue May 08 2007 02:25:00

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The line formed at Temple Square and it flowed in only one direction. Thousands of Jazz fans buzzing with intensity (or was it alcohol?) piled into the cozy confines of EnergySolutions Arena, a facility that better resembles a college venue (the fans courtside are literally on top of the players) than your run of the mill NBA viewing station.

SI.com: Scout's Takeupdated: Mon May 07 2007 10:23:00

SI.com's Ian Thomsen interviewed an NBA advance scout to break down the Jazz-Warriors matchup.

SI.com: Time to shineupdated: Fri May 04 2007 20:07:00

I had to ask the question. As Tracy McGrady sat at the podium in the bowels of EnergySolutions Arena, barely 30 minutes removed from a crushing Game 6 defeat, he answered questions ranging from the Rockets' shaky performance to Andrei Kirilenko's pesky defense. Then, the thought occurred to me: is Saturday's Game Seven the biggest game of McGrady's career?

SI.com: One fine messupdated: Fri May 04 2007 10:59:00

This is one of the best things ever to happen in the NBA.

SI.com: The missing 'Lenkupdated: Fri May 04 2007 00:59:00

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- The signs were everywhere, like a series of mirages. Perhaps they were not visible to the outsider, but for Jazz fans they were as clear to see as the Wasatch Mountains.

SI.com: Political basketballupdated: Tue May 01 2007 13:21:00

As I watched a replay of last week's absurdly overcrowded, absurdly premature Democratic presidential debate at South Carolina State University, my thoughts suddenly turned to the NBA playoffs.

SI.com: Best NBA stories of '06-07updated: Mon Apr 30 2007 16:10:00

As we did last season, and the previous year, it's time for our third annual trip through some of my favorite stories from the previous NBA season.

SI.com: Observation Deckupdated: Mon Apr 30 2007 11:40:00

There's just something about a 6-9, weepy millionaire that turns the rest of us into pop psychologists. I'm sure I'm not the only one who spent the first week of the playoffs wondering why Utah's Andrei Kirilenko was so frustrated, and why his play has been so off for most of 2006-07. AK's team is flourishing, finally, but his production has tailed off: he established career-lows in points, rebounds, and steals in his sixth season, playing his third-lowest minutes per game mark (29.1).

SI.com: Holding courtupdated: Tue Apr 24 2007 00:24:00

HOUSTON (AP) -- Each of the Houston Rockets have to make 10 consecutive free throws before they are allowed to leave the practice floor every day.

SI.com: Film at 3 a.m.updated: Wed Apr 18 2007 09:29:00

As he leads his Cavaliers into the playoffs against the Washington Wizards on Sunday, Cleveland coach Mike Brown will measure the moment against his NBA beginnings in 1992, when he broke in as a video guy with the Denver Nuggets. He equipped a cubicle off the weight room in McNichols Arena with a pillow, toothbrush and change of clothes, and grabbed catnaps on the training table. When he finished an edit he'd taxi the tapes out to the houses of coaches, who might slip him a twenty as a thank you. "I was going 'deck-to-deck,' all by myself," says Brown, referring to the clunky technology of that era. "But I wouldn't swap the experience for anything. There's been a carryover to everything I've done in this business. Breaking down tapes, I had to be meticulous."

SI.com: Picking the Postseasonupdated: Tue Apr 17 2007 08:56:00

With apologies to John Lennon: Imagine there's no conference/It's easy if you try.... In such a world, NBA playoff teams would be seeded 1 through 16 without regard to conference affiliation, meaning that the top-seeded Dallas Mavericks could meet the Phoenix Suns or the San Antonio Spurs (the second and third seeds, respectively) for the NBA championship. In such a world, we would not have to concern ourselves with the likes of the New Jersey Nets and the Orlando Magic, the bottom-feeders of the (L)Eastern Conference bracket.

SI.com: Best and worst of the seasonupdated: Fri Apr 13 2007 06:57:00

Thursday we submitted our official NBA awards ballots, but those results only begin to explain what's gone on this season. Let's try to make further sense of the last six months, shall we?

SI.com: Coming attractionsupdated: Tue Apr 10 2007 14:07:00

Nicolas Batum has long arms, leaps high and speaks with a French accent. He will be playing in an NBA city within three years -- or maybe next season.

SI.com: Observation Deckupdated: Tue Apr 10 2007 13:02:00

For all those angry Indiana Pacers fans who consider their team's 37-win pace to be an outright embarrassment this season, understand this: It really isn't much of a drop-off from what you should have expected. If you had higher expectations going into the season, then you were misguided.

SI.com: The Evolution of Yao updated: Tue Apr 10 2007 08:44:00

It happened two nights before Christmas. Six minutes into a game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets center Yao Ming jumped to block a shot. As he did, teammate Chuck Hayes toppled toward him. Yao remembers a great weight bearing down on his right leg, then a sharp pain. He sank to the floor at Houston's Toyota Center, clutching his right knee.

SI.com: What we learnedupdated: Sun Apr 01 2007 19:25:00

As previewed by Ian Thomsen on Friday, Sunday afternoon was quite the afternoon for pro hoops. Here's what we learned ... 1. More than any other team, the Detroit Pistons are a walking (not running) example of some of the worst stereotypes regarding NBA basketball.

SI.com: Advantage, Jazz?updated: Thu Mar 29 2007 13:11:00

The Mavs play at Phoenix on Sunday afternoon in a matchup of the teams with the best records. But it's no April Fools' joke to suggest that it won't be the biggest game on the NBA slate that day. The Jazz-Rockets contest in Houston could feature even greater playoff intensity.

CNNMoney: Don't bet on pro sports coming to Vegasupdated: Fri Mar 23 2007 13:01:00

There's a lot of talk lately about either the National Basketball Association or National Hockey League moving a team to Las Vegas.

SI.com: Role of a lifetimeupdated: Mon Mar 19 2007 10:23:00

There doesn't seem to be a shortage of candidates for the NBA's Most Improved Player award this season.

SI.com: Pacers worried about O'Neal's kneeupdated: Thu Mar 08 2007 13:07:00

SALT LAKE CITY (Ticker) -- The Indiana Pacers may have more urgent worries than their long losing skid.

SI.com: Little General's shot at historyupdated: Wed Mar 07 2007 12:25:00

In any other year, it would be a no-brainer. Coach of the Year? Obviously it has to go to Avery Johnson.

SI.com: Best of the bestupdated: Wed Mar 07 2007 09:59:00

As the Dallas Mavericks quietly chase history -- emphasis on quietly because they are the least-noticed great team in quite a while -- thoughts turn to the best teams of all time. Could the Mavs, 51-9 as this is written, join that list? Old-timers may demur, but what Dallas is doing this season is remarkable. Even if you dismiss the Eastern Conference -- and please do -- take a look at the West, against which the Mavs have a 32-6 mark.

SI.com: February's finestupdated: Fri Mar 02 2007 01:08:00

Dirk Nowitzki was rewarded for lifting the Dallas Mavericks to the top of the NBA.

SI.com: Observation Deckupdated: Tue Feb 27 2007 11:20:00

It was truly sad (and a little nausea-inducing) to see the Clippers' Shaun Livingston go down Monday with a dislocated left kneecap that will sideline the third-year point guard for the rest of the season. Another significant injury means the Clippers will have to wait even longer for Livingston to truly emerge.

SI.com: The best deadline dealsupdated: Mon Feb 19 2007 11:47:00

The year was 1992. Another NBA trade deadline day was in full swing. My phone rang every five minutes with another rumor, some fantastical and others with an element of truth. A few calls came from people inside the league who had very good information, and others were from my basketball fanatic friends, who had absolutely no information, but plenty of imagination.

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