PORTLAND -- It was only 11 minutes -- not even enough time to get a lube, oil and filter on the Chevy at one of those quickie service stations. It even takes longer than that for kids to ask "Are we there yet?" at the start of a cross-country drive. Meals at McDonald's take more time.
But to Jerry Sloan and the Utah Jazz, it seemed like an eternity.The Jazz went 11 minutes -- actually 11:18, to be exact -- without scoring a bucket Saturday afternoon in the Rose Garden.
As a result, the Jazz are two games away from summer vacation, and the state of Utah is two games away from having its annual playoff fever epidemic wiped out.
The Portland Trail Blazers used a 25-2 run midway through the first half -- with Utah's only points coming on a pair of Greg Ostertag foul shots -- to put the Jazz away early. NBA commissioner David Stern, who was in the building, insisted that the final 2 1/2 quarters be played, citing league rules, despite the fact the outcome was no longer in question. The real reason, however may have been so that NBC could get all their commercials in for its upcoming high-quality programming like "The Jesse Ventura Story."
The Jazz closed the gap a little in the fourth quarter to make the final score look respectable -- Portland 97, Utah 87. But, make no mistake, it was a big-time blowout.
"The Blazers kicked our rear ends right from the beginning," said Sloan. "Portland had all the energy. We just showed up. I can't accept that."
The Jazz won't have to wait long to see if they can do better the next time out. Game 4 of the best-of-seven series is set for this evening at 6:30. The Blazers could take a commanding 3-1 lead.
Then again, the Jazz could tie the series back up with a win and, in the process, regain home-court advantage.
"We've bounced back before," said Karl Malone, "and I think we can do it again."
Not if they go 11-plus minutes without a bucket, though.
The Jazz actually got off to a decent start. Utah was up 14-9 after a John Stockton driving layup with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter.
That's about the time Stockton left the game. He was replaced by Howard Eisley with 5:29 remaining in the opening quarter. By the time Stockton returned with 8:33 remaining in the half, the Jazz were down 29-16. The Portland run continued until it led 34-16.
Finally, Todd Fuller, of all people, ended the Jazz's field goal futility with a three-footer off a Stockton pass with 6:50 left in the first half.
The Jazz missed their fair share of shots during the 11-minute drought, to be sure, but that wasn't even the biggest problem. Hanging on to the ball long enough to even get a shot attempted was even more frustrating. The Jazz turned the ball over eight times during the stretch, including seven times in five minutes.
"It looked like we'd never played with each other," said Sloan.
Portland back-up point guard Greg Anthony gave the Jazz fits, getting four steals himself and wreaking havoc everywhere on the court for Utah. It wasn't just Anthony, however. The rest of the Blazers picked up the defensive intensity too.
"The last eight minutes of the first quarter and into the second quarter was, defensively, as good a stretch as we've had," said Anthony.
Sloan agreed.
"I don't know if I've ever played against a better defensive effort," the Jazz coach said. ". . . If they hadn't let down a little bit and quit playing a little bit, they could have probably beat us by 50 points."
Portland led by as many as 21 points in the first half, and it was not like the Blazers were shooting lights out, either. In fact, they led by 17 at the half despite only making just 33 percent of their attempts. The main difference in the half was that the Blazers had taken 17 more free throws than the Jazz (26 to 9) and made 12 more.
Utah went on a couple of mini-rallies in the second half, but every time the Jazz looked like they would pull within double figures, the Blazers would hit a big shot -- usually of the 3-point variety. Portland made six treys for the game, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc in the second half.
Finally, with just 1:23 remaining, down by 12 and with Portland shooting free throws, Sloan waved the white flag. He cleared the bench. Malone, Stockton and the other starters were done for the game.
That didn't mean, however, that Sloan was about to just allow the clock to expire. He had the team foul to kill the clock each time the Blazers got the ball -- giving Portland 14 free throw attempts in the final 90 seconds. Sloan even called two timeouts in the final 20 seconds when it was clear that there was no chance for the Jazz to win.
The game came to a merciful conclusion -- some 2 1/2 quarters after it was over.
The Blazers had seven players score nine or more points, led by Rasheed Wallace's 20. Brian Grant had another huge game with 16 points and 15 boards, while Arvydas Sabonis added 15. J.R. Rider, a player not known for his unselfishness, had eight assists -- his all-time high in that area -- to go along with 13 points.
Malone was solid, as usual, for the Jazz. He scored 25 points with 14 rebounds, but had little help. Adam Keefe was perhaps the only other bright spot, with 10 points and three boards in 27 minutes off the bench. Keefe played more than usual as both Shandon Anderson and Bryon Russell were in foul trouble for much of the afternoon.
The Jazz are looking forward to getting another crack at the Blazers in short order. The Blazers, however, realize the importance of Game 4, too.
"The next game is the pivotal one," said Anthony. "We go 2-2 and then everything we've worked for and all the momentum we've created thus far is out the door."