By Dave Archer

April 20, 2007 | All is well in Jazz land . . . well, sort of, anyway.

For the first time since 2003, when Karl Malone and John Stockton still donned the purple and white, the Utah Jazz are in the NBA playoffs. Three agonizing seasons passed between now and the last Jazz playoff squad that saw the lights of the then-Delta Center dark in April and May with team members hitting the local links much earlier than usual. After reaching the playoffs for 20 consecutive seasons between 1983-84 and 2002-03, the three-year drought without a playoff appearance was agonizing for the team's fans.

This season, however, saw the team finish with a 51-31 record, which was the highest win total since 2000-01, when the team won 53 games. They became the early surpise of the season, jumping out to a league best 12-1 record over their first 13 games. There was also had a stretch between late-January and mid-March that saw the team win 14 of 16 games, all but securing the Northwest Division crown and a return to the playoffs.

Individually, Carlos Boozer became one of the game's premier power forwards, bouncing back from two injury-plagued seasons with the Jazz to average 20.9 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Point guard Deron Williams also made huge strides this season, as the second-year player averaged 16.2 and 9.3 assists per contest. Mehmet Okur also had another strong season, as the 6-11 center averaged 17.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 46 percent from the field, including 38 percent from behind the 3-point arc.

Despite the successes the team had, however, the last two months of the season saw the proverbial wheels come off, as the team crashed into the fourth seed in the Western Conference and lost home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Jazz skidded to a 6-12 record from mid-March to mid-April before finishing the season by winning two meaningless games at home against a depleted Portland Trailblazers squad and an unmotivated Houston Rockets team that had secured home court advantage against the Jazz in the playoffs just two nights before.

The Jazz must now deal with Houston's two-headed monster of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming, who pose serious threats to any chances the Jazz have of moving past the first round. Although both McGrady and Ming missed a number of games due to injury this season, the Rockets were 30-11 overall in the 41 games the two played together. Unfortunately for Jazz fans, both are healthy and ready to go for the playoffs.

McGrady had one of the best overall seasons of his career, averaging 24.6 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game. It's McGrady's versatility that presents problems for the Jazz, as he is capable of going off for 50 or more points at any given time. The Jazz have proven that they have trouble stopping the league's elite scorers, giving up 50-plus points to an individual on multiple occasions to similar players like Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen and Gilbert Arenas. McGrady torched the Jazz for 44 points during the Rockets 100-86 victory over Utah in January. For the Jazz to have any shot at winning the series, they must be able to keep McGrady in check and not allow him to take over the game.

Ming also presents the Jazz with a serious problem, as the 7-6 center towers over anybody the Jazz can throw at him. The fourth-year player has finally adjusted to the physical style of the NBA and dominated the paint for the Rockets, averaging 25.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. The Jazz will likely struggle to control Ming, as both Boozer and Okur are definitely not known as being lock down defenders.

The Jazz do pose a number of threats to Houston, however. Williams has turned into the back court leader that the franchise has lacked since Stockton retired in 2003. His vision and ability to hit open teammates makes the Jazz offense a tough one to stop. The inside/outside tandem of Boozer and Okur will also create problems for the Rockets, as Okur's range forces teams to either leave him open to double Boozer in the paint or leave Boozer to abuse his man one-on-one.

Overall, the series should be one of the best the first round has to offer. Both teams play similar styles, relying on half-court sets and execution to score the bulk of their points. Given the way each team finished the season (the Rockets won 13 of their last 18 games while the Jazz were slumping) and the fact that Houston has the home court advantage, the Rockets should be able to squeak past a tough Utah squad. Prediction: Rockets in seven

In other first-round match-ups:

Dallas vs. Golden State
This could be one of the most exciting match-ups of the first round, as each team averaged over 100+ points per game over the course of the regular season (Dallas averaged 100.0 while Golden State averaged 106.5). Defensively, however, is where Dallas sets itself apart from the Warriors. Golden State gives up just about as much as they score (106.2) while the Mavericks are capable of locking down anyone on any given night, as they allowed opponents to score just 92.8 points per game. The Mavericks are hungry for a return to the NBA Finals and have too many weapons in Josh Howard, Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse, not to mention MVP candidate Dirk Nowitzki, for Golden State to keep up with. Prediction: Mavericks in five

Phoenix vs. Los Angeles
While there's no doubt that Kobe Bryant is the game's best pure scorer since Michael Jordan, the Lakers have little else to offer. It was Bryant's nine 50+ points games this season that helped the team hang on to a playoff spot. Phoenix, on the other hand, has the most talented eight man rotation in the league, led by two-time MVP Steve Nash. With the all-around game of Shawn Marion, a healthy Amare Stoudemire and defensive stopper Raja Bell, the Suns should no problem taking care of the Lakers. Prediction: Suns in five

San Antonio vs. Denver
The Nuggets boast the league's top 1-2 scoring punch in Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. The superstar duo finally gelled towards the end of the regular season, helping Denver to win 10 of their last 11 games of the season. San Antonio will counter with two-time MVP Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the bulk of their scoring, and will also rely on defensive specialist Bruce Bowen to try and slow down Denver's potent offense. Prediction: San Antonio in six

Detroit vs. Orlando
Detroit has been the model of consistency in the East over the past decade, having reached the playoffs nine of the past 11 seasons. They also still have Chauncy Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace, all key members of their 2004 World Championship team. Orlando, despite having one of the game's premier young centers in Dwight Howard, will struggle to win even one game against the East's best. Prediction: Detroit in four

Cleveland vs. Washington
For most of the season, Washington was considered one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference. The Wizards boasted a potent offensive lineup that featured Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. However, after Arenas and Butler suffered season-ending injuries late in the season, the team slid all the way to the seventh seed, barely hanging on to a playoff spot. Cleveland, led by LeBron James, should be able to easily handle the short-handed Wizards. Prediction: Cleveland in four

Toronto vs. New Jersey
Toronto has been the league's biggest surprise this year, turning what was a 27-55 team a season ago into a 47-35 division champion. The Raptors possess one of the league's brightest young stars in Chris Bosh, along with an underrated supporting cast consisting of T.J. Ford, Morris Peterson and rookie Andrea Bargnani. The Nets big three of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson have the ability to do some major damage and give the Nets a very good chance at pulling off the upset. Prediction: Nets in seven

Miami vs. Chicago
The defending champion Heat struggled early on this season, stumbling out of the gates to a 13-19 record in November and December. From that point, however, Miami went 31-19, led by last year's Finals MVP Dwayne Wade and a resurgent Shaquille O'Neal, who bounced back from an early-season injury to average 17.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. The Bulls also struggled early on but bounced back to finish with the conference's third best record. Chicago's young stars (Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Luol Deng) should give the aging Heat all that they can handle. Prediction: Bulls in seven

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