Empty the Bench

That was one helluva five-game series, and it’s just too bad that the Warriors ultimately had no answer for the size, strength, and smarts of the Jazz. With the exception of the Game 3 blowout, every one of these contests could have gone either way. In the end, the Jazz simply made the big plays and went on the big runs when they needed to, and the Warriors couldn’t answer. Let’s face it, the Jazz are going to present a much tougher challenge to either the Suns or Spurs in the Conference Finals than the Warriors would have, but it still would have been fun to watch Don Nelson’s crew try to pull off a third upset. There’s always next year.

As for Utah, from here on out we’ve marked them as our team to root for in the West. The long-overdue renaissance of this franchise has been brought about by a well-balanced approach to the concept of teamwork, which in today’s star-crossed NBA can never be taken for granted. You have a second-year point guard in Deron Williams who’s turning into a perennial All-Star right before our eyes. A guy named Carlos Boozer who up until now was mostly thought of as “that guy who totally fu%*ed over the Cavaliers.” A Russian who was crying two weeks ago, but now isn’t letting anything discourage him (not even an ass in his face). And, of course, there’s Rafael Araujo. That’s right, Rafael Araujo.

We’ll have plenty to say about the Jazz once their opponent reveals itself, but for now, we’ll take a quick look back at the series that was between the Jazz and Warriors. It’s our tearful goodbye, our solemn remembrance of days gone daddy gone. Ohh, gawd, where’s my hanky?

- Baron Davis proved a few things: he’s a prime-time baller, a prime-time talker, and a prime-time dunker. That slam in Kirilenko’s face prompted the word “posterization” to officially be added to the English dictionary.

- There’s nothing Derek Fisher can’t do. After missing the first game and a half to be with his family while his daughter underwent emergency surgery for a life-threatening, rare form of cancer, he makes a grand entrance in the second half of Game 2, gives his team a needed jolt of emotion, and promptly nails a key three-pointer. In the series clincher, he could almost do no wrong.

- Stephen Jackson, proving once and for all that his basketball skills are *almost* as effective as the demons in his head are destructive. There were times when America’s Player looked like he was 5 seconds away from doing something really, really dangerous. In the waning moments of last night’s game, I was nervous about him finally flipping out and hurting somebody, anybody, he could get his hands on, so it was nice to see him run over and congratulate Jerry Sloan and the rest of the Jazz. That he did it through gritted teeth is irrelevant.

- The redemption of AK-47 was just remarkable. He was all over the court, blocking shots like a 7-footer, grabbing loose balls, tipping passes, dunking basketballs, sinking jumpers, and whipping up mean batches of pre-game borshch for the local media (not really, but it’d be sweet if he was). Very fitting–and probably incredibly gratifying for him personally–when he swiped a late inbounds pass last night from Golden State, putting the final nail in their coffin.

- Matt Barnes proving that he belongs in the NBA after nearly calling it quits last year and, I think, considering an NFL tryout (?). TNT’s Mike Fratello made a great comment about Barnes’ impending free agency, stating that Barnes has been successful this season because he’s found a system he fits into. Will he go for the “big bucks” and offer his services to the highest bidder, or stay on a team that maximizes his skill set?

- Paul Millsap, another rookie that’s flourishing in fits and spurts during the postseason. This kid has a bright, bright future ahead of him, and I think I even heard one of the announcers last night liken him to a young Moses Malone. Let’s not go overboard just yet, but the second-rounder hasn’t reached his full potential yet by a longshot.

- Andris Biedrins, proving that just because you have the *ugliest* form for shooting free throws, it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t make any. Okay, 53% isn’t exactly something to be proud of, but when you watch him shoot from the line, all you can do is cringe and duck.

- Mehmet Okur bouncing back from a mostly horrible series against the Rockets to turn in a solid performance against the Warriors. Okur earned a championship ring back in ‘04 as a member of the Detroit Pistons, but back then he was relegated to the bench and certainly wasn’t counted on as much as he is now. He’s still not what I’d consider a pressure playoff performer, but this experience is invaluable for his future, which is key because this team isn’t going anywhere for a long time.

- Don Nelson becoming the only head coach in NBA history, as far as I know, to grace a t-shirt that fans actually wouldn’t be embarassed of owning/wearing.

- No, we didn’t forget about Carlos Boozer, who looked absolutely unstoppable against the Warriors and has no doubt left Lebron James feeling sad, lonely, and rich back in Cleveland. Here’s all you need to know about Boozer’s performance during these five games: 24.2 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.2 steals, 60% FG, 73% FT, and under 3 personal fouls a night. Wow.

- Finally, we’d be remiss at forgetting to acknowledge the rowdy fans that turned out for both team’s home games and really gave us viewers at home a real glimpse of what it must have been like to actually be there. It was deafeningly loud, it was passionate, it was what every playoff game atmosphere should be like.

Lots of other highlights and (c’mere, stranger, I need a shoulder to cry on) memories from this series, but these were late games and our memory starts to fade after 11pm. Great series, good show Warriors, and let’s go Jazz.