Game recap from NBA.com

SALT LAKE CITY, April 26 (Ticker) -- With the Utah Jazz fighting for their playoff lives, Greg Ostertag had the game of his life. Ostertag had a playoff career-high 22 points along with 12 rebounds and five blocks to lead the Jazz to a 107-104 victory over the Sacramento Kings in Game Three of their Western Conference first-round series. Utah lost the first two games of the series and avoided falling into a 3-0 hole, which no team ever has recovered from in the NBA postseason. "We had to win this one," Utah point guard John Stockton said. "I think everybody realized it would be one insurmountable lead if they went up 3-0." Karl Malone had 20 points and 11 rebounds but it was Ostertag who made an unlikely difference. The eight-year veteran, who has had a tumultuous career with Utah, made 6-of-16 shots from the floor and 10-of-14 free throws. He shot just 51 percent from the line during the regular season. "Right place, right time," Ostertag said. "Most of my points came off passes from guys and I was getting the open shots. For the most part guys were finding me and it was a team effort." "Greg played tremendous, he was alive, he went after the ball," said Utah coach Jerry Sloan, who was ejected for arguing late in the third quarter. "It's great for him. He deserves the credit he is getting because he is playing so hard. I don't think I've seen him play this hard in his career." Ostertag turned his ankle early in the fourth quarter but shook of the injury to score 10 points in the decisive period. He made 1-of-2 free throws to give the Jazz their largest lead at 83-76 with 10:42 remaining. But the Kings scored 12 of the next 15 points, highlighted by five from Bobby Jackson, and took an 88-86 lead on a dunk by Keon Clark with 6:50 remaining. The teams exchanged the lead twice and were tied three times before Utah took the lead for good at 92-90 on a jumper by Matt Harpring with 5:14 left. Harpring finished with 11 points. Andrei Kirilenko made two free throws and, after Sacramento's Chris Webber made 1-of-2 from the line, Malone buried a jumper for a 96-91 lead with 4:08 remaining. Ostertag made two free throws for a 98-93 lead with 3:47 left. Utah buried 7-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes, including 4-of-4 by Stockton. "It was a big game but in the series you have to win four," Ostertag said. "We have to come back with the same energy and the same intensity we come with tonight." "The series wasn't over, that is all I heard about," Sacramento coach Rick Adelman said. "We knew they were going to come out and attack us and we were going to have to respond and we didn't do it." Stockton and Calbert Cheaney scored 15 points apiece for the Jazz, who benefited from questionable officiating. Utah outscored Sacramento, 35-20, at the line as it attempted 49 free throws. The Kings saw Webber and Jackson foul out in the final two minutes. "The refs need to see both sides of the game," Jackson said. "They can play physical, but we can't play physical. It's ridiculous. I'd rather have high school refs than NBA refs." "The aggressive team gets the plays and gets they calls and (the Jazz) are agressors," Adelman said. "They shot 20 free throws in the fourth quarter. That just goes to show they were working hard. They kept getting to the line and we couldn't make the stops." Mike Bibby scored 23 points and Webber had 24 points and 11 rebounds after being questionable for the game with a sore lower back. "I was real tentative before the game. It was like walking on egg shells," he said. "I was able to play and take some hits and keep playing. I think I could've gotten a lot more rebounds tonight." Peja Stojakovic scored five of his 19 points in the opening five minutes as the Kings jumped out to their largest lead at 15-6. But Cheaney scored nine points in the first quarter, which the Jazz closed with a 24-11 run. Utah reeled off 10 straight points bridging the first two quarters and took its largest lead at 36-26 on Mark Jackson's 3-pointer with 10:19 to go. Webber scored 10 points in the second quarter as Sacramento pulled within 59-55 at halftime.

Deseret news article

Mailman opts to deliver in Los Angeles instead of Utah By Brad Rock Deseret Morning News In the end it resembled a telephone call that lingers too long. The conversation wanes, you fumble for a smooth exit line and suddenly it becomes clear that it's best to just say goodbye. There's nothing left to add. Karl Malone's departure to the Los Angeles Lakers was no surprise. It was reported for days that he was considering leaving. He said publicly that he wanted to play for a contender. That eliminated the Jazz right off. Yet it wasn't all about Malone abandoning the Jazz. The team never did make a formal contract offer. Management talked about wanting him back, but it was mostly lip service. Both sides knew his show in Utah had run its course. It was a great trip: 18 seasons, two NBA Finals, two MVP awards, 14 All-Star Game invitations. But like a failed marriage, neither could offer what the other truly needed. The Jazz knew Malone's staying would only delay their transition to the future. Malone knew remaining in Utah would end his dream of winning a championship. So they parted. At some future date, maybe two years from now, there will likely be a ceremony to honor Malone's contribution to the franchise. By then the awkwardness will be gone. It will be a night of fond memories. For now, there is mostly a bittersweet air about the whole affair. Too bad he couldn't have finished up in Utah. Too bad he didn't really want to. Too bad the Jazz didn't really want him. Too bad, too bad, too bad . . . Crazy thing is they both got what was they wanted. That's not a tragedy. It's a gift. Now they can each do what is always best after a divorce — concentrate on what's ahead. For a time it seemed the parting would be more spectacular. There were interesting periods during the spring and early summer in which the sides clashed. Malone angered owner Larry H. Miller by talking prematurely about free agency and scouting out other cities. After the season ended, Miller stated the team's No. 1 priority was finding Malone's eventual replacement. Neither phoned the other. This was different than their normal disagreement for two reasons. Malone was a free agent and could go where he pleased. Meanwhile, Miller knew Malone's staying wouldn't enhance the Jazz's chances of lasting longer in the playoffs. They were playing for keeps. Yet the breakup didn't have the sense of betrayal it might have. This wasn't Miller vs. Malone in a battle to the death. It was a gradual realization on both sides. Some say Malone showed what was really most important — a ring, rather than a scoring title — by "putting his money where his mouth is." He will earn less money to play for the Lakers than the Jazz could have paid him. Yet it's debatable how much choice he actualactually had. The Jazz never did say they absolutely had to keep him. It wasn't what they said, it's what they didn't say. Still, it never was a matter of good guys vs. bad guys. It was about two decent people going different directions. Miller kept the Jazz in Salt Lake through years when he could have made millions by selling out. Malone played for less than market value and overcame the weak areas of his game. Both spent their millions doing good things: Miller supporting charities and athletic programs throughout the state, Malone showing up unannounced at peoples' homes to pay off their medical bills, mortgages and leave behind new cars. Malone was more vocal and hence less popular than John Stockton, who retired this spring. At the same time, he was never guilty of anything more serious than occasionally childish behavior. He didn't strangle his coach, assault a spouse or get arrested for drugs. He just spoke his mind, same as Miller. In that sense, Malone and Miller should feel fine about the separation. Deep down they understand one another. Both cried when Malone phoned in the news on Thursday. They're two of a kind — competitive, driven, given to outbursts of emotion. And both are still seeking a championship. Same dream, different means and methods. It's not good riddance. Just a good idea.

Deseret News article

Sloan to stay with Jazz until '06 Longtime coach agrees to a new 2-year extension By Tim Buckley Deseret News sports writer Jerry Sloan will be back. But not just next season. Sloan, who earlier this month ended his 15th season as head coach of the Jazz saying he did not know if he would return for No. 16, has agreed not only to return but also to sign a two-year contract extension that will employ him through the 2005-06 NBA season. He does so in the midst of a period of transition for the Jazz, who after the recent announcement of veteran point guard John Stockton's retirement are in a full-fledged rebuilding mode — one that may threaten their streak of 20 straight playoff appearances.       "I think the bottom line," Sloan said, "is what kind of players can we put out there, and what kind of effort can we get out of them?       "The wins and losses," he added, "pretty much take care of themselves."       Jazz president Denny Haslam called Sloan "the right guy" for the job "considering the changes we have been going through and will be going through."       The franchise, basketball operations vice president Kevin O'Connor said, considers "continuity" and "stability" critical.       "Certainly," O'Connor said, "Jerry brings both of those to the table."       Sloan said he is "very excited" about "challenges we have ahead," and he is prepared for what is bound to be both ups and down in the seasons to come.       "Everybody knows it's going to be a tough time," said Sloan, who succeeded Frank Layden as the Jazz's head coach in December 1988 and since has become tenured longer than any active coach or manager in a major American professional sports league.       "We probably won't be as good. John (Stockton) decided to retire, and we have to go forward," Sloan added. "(But) it doesn't always boil down to wins and losses. It does in the long run, but (learning how to play, and play together) are the things that are going to allow our team to get better."       Sloan also said he is prepared to focus more on playing youngsters than on winning and losing; the former has at times taken a back seat to the latter for a team that played in both the 1997 and '98 NBA Finals.       Playing time, however, will depend mostly on "who plays the hardest.       "Who's gonna step up," Sloan asked, "and accept the challenge, and become a little bit more of a leader?       "I've always believed you just go play as hard as you can every day," Sloan added, "and hopefully you'll come together as a group of guys."       Sloan learned that as an NBA rookie with the 1965-66 Baltimore Bullets, an expansion team that wasn't expected to win 10 games but wound up winning 38 of 80 and advancing to postseason play.       "Yeah, we're going to suffer some hardships sometimes," Sloan said. "But, hey, you can win 60 games and still suffer through some tough times."       Echoing recent comments by Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, Sloan also suggested he realizes times will perhaps be trying for a fan base accustomed to supporting a winning, successful team.       "We have to be realistic," he said, "and understand who we are."       That could be a club that loses more than it wins.       But Sloan, whose Jazz teams always have finished above .500, isn't about to predict how good, or for that matter bad, Utah will be in 2003-04.       After all, he never has harped on expectations as to how many games his teams will, or should, win.       Doing so now may only further frustrate fans during the rebuilding process.       "I would never put the numbers on a young team," he said.       Sloan was a rather frustrated coach himself this past season, especially in late January, when the NBA suspended him for seven games for shoving referee Courtney Kirkland.       At times, the 61-year-old grandfather even considered quitting and returning home to his McLeansboro, Ill., farm.       He felt "beat up."       But Sloan stuck in instead, and saw the Jazz into a first-round, best-of-seven playoff series with Sacramento that the Kings clinched in five games.       Afterward, he made no commitment about honoring the final season of a four-year contract.       "I was very concerned," Sloan said, "whether I would be able to put the energy into it."       After taking a week-and-a-half off, though, to drive home, plow a few fields and ponder his future, the man usually seen under a John Deere tractor cap decided not to "run and hide.       "I think if you have any fight in you," Sloan said, "you want come back and try it again.       "I look forward," he added, "to digging in and going after it again."       The challenge of coaching a team not run by Stockton may be even more inviting to Sloan than watching the NBA's all-time assists and steals leader work his magic.       Combine that with uncertainty over the future of free agent Karl Malone — some feel Sloan's contract extension may help entice the league's No. 2 all-time scorer to stay, though Sloan said he will not interfere with Malone's decision — and the longtime Jazz coach couldn't resist returning.       "I've never coached without John and Karl there," Sloan said.       So when the Jazz raised the possibility of a contract extension, one that could be worth about $10 million for the extra two seasons, Sloan said he "just felt like that was the right thing to do."       Offering it, vice president O'Connor said, also was right — especially in light of how many struggling NBA teams, including the likes of Cleveland and the Los Angeles Clippers, currently are looking for new head coaches.       "If Jerry Sloan was on the open market," O'Connor asked, "do you think . . . would he be their first candidate?       "I think he would."

Deseret News article

Stock gives fans another good night By Brad Rock Deseret News sports columnist    The crowd rose to its feet as John Stockton materialized from behind a haze of smoke and a wall of pulsating music. It was a lot like a pro wrestling entrance. But, of course, it wasn't. Stockton came in dress slacks, linen shirt and loafers, not Spandex. And he didn't pound his chest or call anyone out.       He waved weakly to the crowd, clearly uncomfortable with the situation. As he would say later, "Now that it's over, it's great. Kind of like a hard workout."       Still, that was only the second of several standing ovations Saturday night at the "Salute to Stockton." The first was when longtime announcer Dan Roberts boomed, "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Delta Center." The place went nuts. Fans came wanting the Jazz to pull out all the stops and they did. Former teammates and coaches were there. Karl Malone and Jerry Sloan were moved to tears, speaking of their careers together with Stockton. Larry H. Miller was moved to tears, too. (Of course, someone offering rock chip repair is enough to get Miller started.)       Still, it was as sentimental and/or bloated as any card-carrying Stockton fan could have hoped.       "We always played to a full house and it has been a blast," Stockton said.       That, as expected, drew another roar from the crowd.       For anyone hoping to see Stockton let down his guard, Saturday night might have been a disappointment. Yet he did offer more humor than usual. Recounting personal concerns over whether he could stick in the league, he recounted renting "the cheapest one-bedroom apartment in the City of Salt Lake. I never turned on the heat." He bought chili by the case at a discount store to save money.       This from a player who once said that after he got his first paycheck from the Jazz "the rest was gravy."       He also drew laughter when he noted former coach Frank Layden advising him to never change. "And I haven't changed a thing," said Stockton. "I haven't even changed the length of my shorts."       His eyes glistened when Malone and Sloan emotionally paid tribute. But he never lost control. That would have been out of character. When introduced for his remarks, at the end of the ceremony, another standing ovation ensued. True to form, Stockton cut it off after 30 seconds. He then directed the attention away from himself, talking mostly of Sloan, Miller and Malone.       If he learned anything in 19 pro seasons, it was to pass first.       In spite of Stockton's desire to keep the event low key, the tribute ended up having the buildup of a playoff game. Outside the arena, Stockton posters sold for $20, with tees going for $36 and jerseys for $45. A highlight film of his career was played on the JumboTron. Naturally, the biggest cheer came when his game-winning shot against Houston in the 1997 playoffs was shown. It remains the single most memorable moment in Stockton's career.       Still, why would nearly 20,000 fans drive to downtown Salt Lake to pay tribute to Stockton? In part, it's because of the usual reasons: his work ethic, commitment and the quality of play. And because it wasn't what he said, but what he did that counted.       But in reality, it's more than that. In a city that tends to divide itself along religious, ethnic and political lines, Stockton and his Jazz teammates were someone everyone could follow.       Stockton was a part of some of the best times in people's lives. He (and his teammates) gave shut-ins and elderly something to look forward to. He gave families a reason to gather. He gave good friends an excuse to order pizza and turn on the TV. People who wouldn't normally even nod to each other engaged in conversations about the Jazz.       He gave everyone something cheer about.       Stockton gave great basketball, true. But more than that, he gave people a reason to be happy.       After that, the rest was gravy.       T H A N K S , J O H N

Game recap from NBA.com

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 29 (Ticker) -- The Utah Jazz began life without John Stockton and Karl Malone in rousing fashion. Carlos Arroyo scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and added a career-high 13 assists as the Jazz erased a six-point fourth-quarter deficit in a 99-92 triumph over the Portland Trail Blazers. After enjoying the productivity of future Hall of Famers Malone and Stockton for nearly two decades, Utah is facing a potentially long season with an influx of at least five new faces. "I thought our guys played really hard, especially down the stretch," said Utah coach Jerry Sloan, who is beginning his 16th season with the club. "It looked like we had a little bit of an idea of what we were trying to do. ... and the guys played well." Among those expected to take on added responsibility is the 24-year-old Arroyo, a journeyman point guard from Puerto Rico who averaged 2.8 points in 44 games last season as the third-stringer behind Stockton and Mark Jackson, who are 1-2 on the all-time assists list. But Arroyo took over in the fourth quarter, making a series of good decisions down the stretch. "I think we did a great job as a team," Arroyo said. "We can never give up and that's the most important thing. We can be down and we're not going to give up, we're going to keep on fighting and that is what happened tonight." Andrei Kirilenko chipped in 16 points, including a key dunk with 1:47 remaining. Swingman Raja Bell, one of the offseason acquisitions, tied a career high with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting off the bench. "Carlos I thought played terrific, Raja did a terrific job for us, Andre was sensational down the stretch," Sloan added. "It was fun to get a win; that is what you play this game for." "That's the makeup of our team," Bell said. "We got to play hard and we got to play hard from the jump on until the last whistle in order to have a chance in games. I think when we do that a lot of teams don't play hard most of the game, so we'll have chance to get back into the game and pull them out at the end." Zach Randolph scored 22 points and Rasheed Wallace 21 for the Trail Blazers, who allowed Utah to shoot 57.5 percent (42-of-73) from the field. Portland led by 13 with just over six minutes left in the third quarter but was clinging to an 81-78 lead with 6:37 to go. Bell, who eclipsed his previous career high of 16 points, made a 3-pointer 35 seconds later to tie the game and had a layup with 5:35 left to give the Jazz the lead for good. Kirilenko followed with a layup and another jumper by Bell gave Utah an 87-81 edge with 4:08 remaining. The second of two free throws by Randolph got Portland within 87-85 with 2:55 to go but Arroyo answered with a jumper with just over two minutes to go. Arroyo and Kirilenko sealed the win with four points apiece down the stretch. Utah made all six of its free throw in the final quarter. "I played with Carlos in college so I know his game and I know he'll come every night and he's very capable so I'm not surprised by his 13 assists," Bell said. "I don't know at what point we lost it," Portland coach Maurice Cheeks said. "We had a timeout, up six points, and then just played a terrible fourth quarter. Our whole game let up, not just the rebounding, our whole game. Our team looked uncomfortable out there, and just let up." Utah first-round draft pick Aleksandar Pavlovic, a 6-7 forward from Serbia and Montenegro -- had an impressive debut with 14 points and two blocks in 21 minutes. Damon Stoudamire had a solid game for Portland, making 7-of-12 shots and collecting 16 points, six assists and two turnovers in 41 minutes. Portland, which has lost seven of its last eight meetings with Utah, shot just 43 percent (36-of-84). "Once they got into a rhythm we started rushing our shots," Cheeks said. "Pretty much the whole game we had easy shots, we just started rushing them." "We're a team that's got to play hard every night," Stoudamire said. "We didn't play hard for four quarters, and they kept on playing hard, and it seem that they outwilled us."