Utah Jazz players not happy about lost chances
They loved parts of it. Except the ending. People in Tinseltown might have enjoyed how it wrapped up, but the Jazz hated it — as a viewing audience and as players. "It" being the video of Utah's 111-104 Game 5 loss and its frustrating finish, of course.
"I watched the film (of Game 5) on the flight home and it was a little disappointing," Williams said, "because we had so many chances where we could have took control of the game and just couldn't get over that hump."
Kyle Korver said he watched over the shoulders of Williams and Boozer, who sit next to each other on the team plane.
"Yeah, it was painful," Korver said. "There are definitely some plays that we'd like to have back."
While the Jazz can't ask the director for a new take — reshooting those half-dozen misses when they had a chance to take the lead sure would be nice, though — they can turn the next installment of the saga into a feel-good story when the Western Conference semifinals continue tonight at EnergySolutions Arena.
A loss will give the Jazz, who trail the Lakers in this best-of-seven series 3-2, several months off to watch all the movies and shoot all the family vacation films they want.
Though frustrated with how they botched an opportunity to win Game 5, the Jazz say they aren't discouraged or dejected about their chances of fighting off elimination.
"The biggest thing to do is wipe it off, get ready to go (tonight) and let's rock and roll and see what happens," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. "The most important thing is that you don't have to win two (tonight). You just have to win one game, and that's the focus you have to have. I think it's exciting myself. I always have loved to be in those situations."
So, too, do his players.
"We have all the confidence in the world that we're going to have a Game 7," Korver said.
"These are the types of games you dream about playing when you're a kid. We're doing that right now," Williams added. "We've got to get two more victories."
This scenario isn't new for most Jazz players, who were forced to win at home and then on the road in Game 7 in the first round last year after falling behind 3-2 to Houston.
"For us, there's one game left and that's (tonight). We win that game, there's one game left after that. And that's how we looked at Houston last year," Boozer said. "We were in the exact same position a year ago. If we can learn anything from that (it's) just to be focused and put everything — all our energy, all our eggs — into (tonight's) game."
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