Well, to my returning three readers, I’m back.  What’s up Hong Kong, Turkey, and Utah?  Couldn’t comment on game 3.  I didn’t think they would win that one, but didn’t quite think they’d get blown out like that.  Make yesterday’s win that much better. 

That could be the last time the Jazz have to swim in the urine bowl.  The slow and steady turtle plodded along until midway in the fourth when the Jazz turned it on, hitting 3 three pointers and beat  the Golden State Thugs, 115-101.  Came across this game thread on FanIQ.com dominated by GS fans.  You can see the comments change starting on page 3 from arrogant to #@&!*.  Carlos Boozer (who looks more and more like a bargain every day) once again took it to GS putting up 34&12.  Fisher and Okur helped finish them off with 12 & 14 repectively in fourth.

The big talk after the game of course were the two flagrants and elbow from Golden State.  Now the Jazz may be considered physical or dirty or whatever you want to call it.  But you would never see bush-league hits from them like you did from Baron Davis and Jason Richardson.  Yes, the game is physical and the playoffs even more so, but a cheap elbow to the head from Davis and the flagrant head-hunting of Richardson are inexcusable.  There’s no explanation for Davis’ elbow.  I can at least see what Richardson was coming from with Okur trying to dunk at then end of a decided game, but all you have to say is what about BD’s dunk on AK at the end of game 4?  Now whether either are suspended, we’ll have to see.  I don’t think Emperor Stern will allow it.  Perhaps he executed order 66 and Davis and Richardson were just following orders?  He’s probably a little ticked that GS most likely won’t advance and so he took out hits on the two Jazz men.  That makes me scared for Williams and Boozer tomorrow night especially if GS doesn’t have their back-court for the game and they really don’t have anything to lose.

Now if the Jazz can (and should) finish off the Warriors in game 5, it would be the first return to the conference finals since ‘98.  If Karl Malone were dead, I would have thought Boozer was channeling him in last night’s post-game interview.  The way he said “My teammates got me the ball,” sounds exactly like the Mailman.  Is Boozer looking like Karl right now?  Absolutely.  To me, if Boozer can have Malone’s longevity (which up to now has looked impossible), he will be one of the all-time greats.  Bill Simmons does his annual NBA best players where he ranks them according to several things, but basically it comes down to if someone offered you the #3 player on the list for a #5 player, you would make the deal.  So if someone offers you Wade for Dirk, you make the trade.  He throws out salary cap and other factors.  Anyway, getting to my point, is there anyone in the playoffs right now that if you were offered them for Boozer, you’d pull the trigger?  Anyone?  The only one that even comes to mind is Lebron.  And even then, you hesitated, right?

Game 5 tomorrow night.  I can’t imagine what is will be like at the ESA.  And if the Jazz move on to the conference finals, it will be a real Cinderella run.  No one could have expected this, especially the way the Jazz limped into the playoffs.  It reminds me of the Utes’ NCAA run in the men’s basketball tournament where I just couldn’t believe that they were doing that well.  They were good, but they beat teams along the way like Arizona and North Carolina.  They lost in the final 5 minutes to Kentucky (a perpetual thorn in their side) in the championship.  Let’s hope this Jazz run doesn’t end, it feels too good.