Worth Getting Jazzed About

OK, it’s official: them again.

This is where Magic Johnson had his spat with Paul Westhead, where Kobe Bryant launched his four airballs. This is where the Lakers will open the NBA’s Western Conference finals against their new best rivals, the Utah Jazz, who waltzed what was left of the San Antonio Spurs off to summer Tuesday night, winning the game, 87-77, and the series, 4-1.

“Looks to me like the best team is going on,” San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said. “and we’ve got some work to do.”

The series wasn’t as one-sided as the final score indicated, but it started heading that way when the Spurs’ phenom, Tim Duncan, sprained an ankle and the offense ground to a halt, scoring 73 points in Game 4, and 51 in the first three quarters of Game 5, by which time they were marked for extinction.

The Jazz had its own problems.

Its veterans had to dig themselves out of a 1-2 hole against Houston, almost lost Games 1 and 2 of this series here, were smoked in Game 3 in San Antonio and obliged to come right back the next day, which wasn’t ideal for 36-year-old John Stockton and 35-year-old Karl Malone.

Of course, what could anyone say when Malone scored 34 points in Game 4 without taking a free throw, making 17 of 28 shots--with 14 baskets coming from outside 15 feet?

With Duncan hobbled, Popovich had to turn back to his old franchise player, David Robinson, who was just settling into his new role of defender/rebounder. He scored 15 in Game 4 and even the adoring San Antonio press zinged him, calling him “Addressee unknown.”

It didn’t get any better for Mr. Robinson in someone else’s neighborhood Tuesday.

Duncan’s ankle swelled up again on the plane ride here. By game time, he was a statue. He managed 11 points and 10 rebounds but threw up two airballs.

“Let me state that Utah won because they’re a better basketball team, not because Tim Duncan was hurt,” Popovich said. “I don’t want anyone to interpret it that way.

“But I was surprised, though. He’s been getting better every day. Really what got him was the plane ride. It’s something you don’t think about much, but there was no other way to get him here. It really swelled up on the plane. He had less mobility tonight than he’s had the last three, four days.”

So the offense started going back through the 7-foot-1 Robinson, guarded by the 260-pound Malone, a matchup the Spur likes as much as a flamingo would like being nudged by a truck.

When Robinson went inside, Malone would bump him on his shots, enough to make him miss but not enough to draw fouls.

When Robinson tried to shoot over him, he missed.

After three quarters, Robinson was three for nine from the floor and had 10 points. Malone had 21 and the Jazz a 10-point lead that stayed double figures the rest of the way.

Not that the Spurs didn’t lay a glove on them. Late in the game, Robinson turned into Stockton and hit him in the mouth with what looked like an unintentional elbow--similar to the one Malone laid Robinson out with last month--knocking the little guy down so hard, his head bounced off the floor.

Robinson then stepped over Stockton, never looking down at him. Unfortunately for the Spurs, gestures were as good as it got.

“We got to be a better defensive team inside,” Sloan said later, looking forward to the Lakers. “That’s a scary thought. . . .

“We have not been great defensively inside. This series, you saw what big guys were able to do to us. They got us down in the paint. Once you get teams down in the paint like that, if you can’t get ‘em out, then you’re going to get beat most of the time.”

And all the Spurs had was willowy big guys. The Lakers have Shaquille O’Neal.

“Well,” Greg Foster said, “he’s 350 pounds. I’m 250 pounds, so you could start there.”