Laker coach Del Harris sounded like he'd be rooting for the Jazz for the remainder of the postseason.
Asked about Utah's chances to go all the way, he said, "They have a shot at it. Houston, if they win, will be a major hurdle. They have some Dream Team players, too, and they're going to get to the foul line, too. That's not to belittle Seattle; they could come back, but my feeling is they won't.Noting that he considers Jazz coach Jerry Sloan a friend, Harris said, "I think the Jazz have a good chance and I always wish them well."
RAH-RAH: Sloan handed out rare praise to center Greg Ostertag after the Jazz's series-clinching victory over the Lakers.
"Greg was very active," Sloan said. "He's been more active in this series than he was in the other series (the Clippers). He played hard. That's a real tough assignment."
"That" referred to Laker center Shaquille O'Neal, of course, who is a real tough assignment, not the least because he's allowed to back defenders into the paint mercilessly. Ostertag did a solid job of holding his ground against O'Neal, especially considering he was giving up at least 40 pounds.
Sloan said the playoffs have been a good experience for Ostertag.
"You grow up a lot in the playoffs," he noted.
COACHSPEAK: Perhaps because his job is rumored to be in jeopardy, Harris went out of his way to put positive spin on his team's playoff ouster.
"We probably played about as well as we can play and shoot 38 percent," he said. "If they'd have told me ahead of time we were going to shoot 38 percent, I think I would have gotten thrown out when Robert (Horry) did."
Asked if his team suffered from inexperience, he said: "We didn't make bad plays down the stretch. It wasn't so much our inexperience as the Jazz's experience, their ability to do so many little things so well."
Harris also hinted that the Jazz had a big free-throw advantage.
"We did a good job (defensively), except at keeping people off the foul line," he said.
MIXED FEELINGS: The early close-out of the Lakers allowed the Jazz to take Tuesday off, but they returned to practice on Wednesday. Karl Malone, for one, said he hoped for a quick resolution of the Houston-Seattle matchup, because he wasn't excited about the prospect of hard practices between series.
"I would like to get right to it, because I know we're going to have boot camp again, because it worked for this series," he said.
Asked if he'd like to face Houston because that way either he or his friend, Charles Barkley, will reach the NBA Finals, Malone said, "I prefer me going, if you really want to know the truth. I like Charles and all . . . but I'd rather it was me."
SHORT STUFF: Russell, told that Harris had said he was the difference in the series, said, "They shouldn't have taken me lightly, if I was the difference." He was referring to the Lakers' defensive strategy of forcing Russell to beat them, which he did.
Malone said he didn't think O'Neal's head-hunting foul would put a dent in the friendship they formed as teammates at last summer's Olympics. "It's a game, and just because something happened in the game I'm still good friends with him. He fouled me hard as (heck), but that's the kind of thing that happens in a game."
Malone also said he was never worried that Laker youngster Kobe Bryant would score over Russell on the end-of-regulation clear-out play that resulted in a Bryant air three.
"Bryon Russell wasn't going to let an 18-year-old kid show him up on national television," Malone said.
THOUGHTS TO PONDER: Can anyone imagine Sloan putting a playoff game in the hands of an 18-year-old?
Did anyone notice that when O'Neal was on the floor, Elden Campbell looked like he didn't know what he was supposed to do?
Do you seriously think Nick Van Exel is going to get along with any coach?