As Usual, Spurs Are Good Enough
Game 4 Victory Over Jazz Puts Them on Brink of Finals: Spurs 91, Jazz 79

By Michael Wilbon
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

SALT LAKE CITY, May 28 -- Several times the Utah Jazz came tantalizingly close to taking the lead and putting serious pressure on the San Antonio Spurs. But every time the Spurs would fend off the challenge in resourceful ways champions usually find.

A Tim Duncan basket here, a Manu Ginobili three-pointer there and ultimately the Spurs found a way to wrestle control of the game and therefore the series. The Spurs didn't put together a vintage performance in a 91-79 victory in Game 4; they made just 40.6 percent of their shots. But San Antonio was relentless on defense, forcing the Jazz into a ton of mistakes on its way to taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Utah Coach Jerry Sloan and guard Derek Fisher were ejected as the Jazz got physical with the Spurs late in the game. No doubt they were frustrated with San Antonio's 41-20 advantage in free throws. It appeared Tony Parker was hit with something thrown from the crowd as the Spurs were exiting the court; fans also chanted insults at the referees as they left the court.

Asked about the two technical fouls that meant automatic ejection, Sloan said, "I don't talk about those because all that does is give me more trouble."

It was the first time in team history the Spurs won a playoff game in Salt Lake City, and it sets them up for a series clincher Wednesday night back in San Antonio. It was the first home loss in eight games this postseason for the Jazz, which needs to win three straight games to upset San Antonio.

Utah did a very nice job, again, on Duncan, who missed 7 of 13 shots. But the Jazz nullified its own good defense by committing 17 turnovers (to San Antonio's 11) and wasting five chances to take the lead after fighting back within a point on three occasions.

Ginobili scored 15 of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter.

Duncan had 19 points and nine rebounds, and the big surprise was San Antonio getting 11 points and 11 rebounds from center Fabricio Oberto.

Utah's stars, Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, played as they usually do. Boozer fought Duncan to a statistical standstill, with 18 points and nine rebounds. And Williams scored a game-high 27 points to go with 10 assists. The problem for Utah was that its support players were a no-show. Center Mehmet Okur, who was the team's second-leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, scored seven points in Game 4, after failing to score in Game 3.

While Boozer and Williams combined for 20 baskets, the rest of Utah's players produced a total of 12.

The initial drama of the day involved Williams, and food poisoning. Or perhaps it was stomach flu. Not even Williams knew, though he had to miss practice Sunday and the team's morning shoot-around before Monday night 's game. Williams couldn't keep anything down, and had to be fed and hydrated intravenously in the hours before the game. Only an hour before tip-off, the Jazz's players still weren't sure their best player would be able to play.

Of course, there's precedent for having a great game in this building in the face of illness. It was nearly 10 years ago, on June 11, 1997, when Michael Jordan had food poisoning or stomach flu and lit up the Jazz for 38 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.

One of Jordan's signature games, it will forever be known in Chicago as the "The Sick Game."

Williams played the first half like he was having a sick game. He hit 7 of 11 shots, 4 of 5 free throws, handed out four assists and scored 18 points before intermission. While Williams played like he'd never felt better, Kirilenko and Okur played like they were the ones suffering flu-like symptoms.

Still, Utah fought back from a 50-42 halftime deficit to get within 63-62 at the end of three quarters. Duncan, coming off his foul-plagued, 16-point Game 3, was the player many (including the Jazz) expected to erupt in Game 4. Sloan would accept no credit for Duncan not having a great game Saturday. But Monday night, he and his players used creative and varying double-teams to strip Duncan of the ball five times in the first half.

But Duncan, with Utah threatening, made four straight free throws (after missing four straight). Ginobili started bulling his way inside for baskets or drawing fouls (he made 11 free throws in the quarter). And the Spurs, who have trouble battling the Jazz for rebounds, actually out-rebounded Utah, 39-38, and used 12 offensive rebounds to score 12 second-chance points that helped doom the Jazz.