LOS ANGELES — Really, it's no biggie.
He's not the one who brought it up in the first place.
The only truly big deal would be if Deron Williams didn't play in today's semifinal playoff opener against the Lakers. But don't plan on that happening.
He didn't get his attitude sitting on the sidelines.
Williams raised eyebrows this past week when asked by reporters whether he thought he was the best point guard in the NBA, to which he replied, "Duh!"
That's not an exact quote, but it should have been. He said, "I feel like I'm the best point guard in the league."
Don't get your socks in a knot. This is the NBA, where attitude is all.
It may sound cocky, and it might not be the way Mr. Short Shorts would have handled it, but it's not bragging if you've done it. And there's no doubt about that, during this postseason. The Jazz guard is averaging 26 points and 11 assists, having become the first player in history to start a series with five straight games of at least 20 points and 10 assists.
Asked if there's a reason for his sterling self-assessment, Williams replied, "No reason. I just think I'm the best."
You can't blame a guy for that. Is there anyone, when asked about their job skills, says, "I'm below average"?
Now all he has to do is match what he's been doing, beginning today at the Staples Center. Though Williams said Saturday he will be fine, after bruising his arm at the end of Game 6 on Friday against Denver, he's being listed as a game-time decision.
To date, his only average night was the foul-plagued but still decent 14-point, 10-assist effort in Game 6.
A guy can't be perfect, though it was debatable before then.
Trouble with bragging is there aren't many professions where you can prove you're the best. You might think you're the best teller at the bank, but how does anyone know? Is it your computing skills? Your customer service abilities? Your grooming?
Talk is cheap, but stats don't lie. Williams was shooting 51 percent from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range in the postseason going into Friday's game. He never got fully in sync in that game, getting three early fouls. He finished the contest clutching his arm after crashing with Denver's Chris Andersen.
Now comes the Lakers, who eliminated the Jazz in the playoffs the last two years.
"Third time's a charm, man, that what they say?" he said. "It's always going to be tough until somebody beats them."
The difference between Williams and most people is that they have a blind spot in self-evaluation. They're in an admiration club of one — two counting Mom. Get a minor promotion at work and they start thinking they're a Da Vinci in their field.
Williams noted that Steve Nash and Chris Paul probably feel they're the best, too. His boldness is a different approach from John Stockton's, who refused to rate himself. Asked if he was the best point guard in basketball, Stockton once replied, "My kids think so, but they think I'm the best at everything."
Guard superiority wouldn't have even come up except that Williams is having such a great postseason. In Game 2 of the playoffs, he scored 33 points and added 14 assists to become the only player besides Oscar Robertson to get as many points and assists in a road playoff game.
The man has been bodacious.
That's not to say he's a trend setter. Muhammad Ali set the standard for self-evaluation, decades ago, calling himself "The Greatest." He also labeled himself the prettiest, fastest and smartest.
You didn't have to ask, he just told you.
Reggie Jackson, Michael Irvin, Deion Sanders, Shaquille O'Neal, Terrell Owens and Charles Barkley are among others who alluded to their overall "me-ness."
It wasn't exactly sackcloth and ashes, but it was always entertaining, in part because they truly were so exceptional.
If there's anything better than seeing a braggart fail, it's watching him succeed, because he's so good at it.
It's not like Williams is a loudmouth. When asked a simple question, he gave an honest answer. He didn't talk about floating butterflies and stinging bees. He didn't go Joe Namath and guarantee a victory. He just said, yeah, he thinks he's best.
Give the guy some credit.
That adage about walking the walk?
His footprints are all over the place.
e-mail: rock@desnews.com