Mike Finger: Boozer's load proves heavier than he anticipated
Mike Finger: Boozer's load proves heavier than he anticipated
Web Posted: 05/20/2007 10:39 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News
Jerry Sloan tried to caution everyone about this. But as his Utah Jazz rolled through the playoffs and Carlos Boozer bullied his way to the brink of superstar territory, there was no stopping the hyperbole.
First came the inevitable comparisons of Boozer to Karl Malone, the standard by which all brawny Utah power forwards are judged. Then, with the Spurs looming in the Western Conference finals, Boozer found himself in the same big-man conversation as Tim Duncan. And when someone made an even bigger leap and asked him how he'd handle an NBA Finals trip to Cleveland, the city he once spurned?
Boozer didn't flinch.
"Have you seen my shoulders?" he said. "I can shoulder anything."
Anything, maybe, except for the burden on him now.
The Jazz aren't finished yet, but if the Spurs' 108-100 Game 1 victory Sunday proved anything, it's that Sloan was right when he said comparing his young workhorse to Malone or Duncan was "unfair."
As wide as Boozer's shoulders may be, they aren't strong enough to push the Spurs around the way they did against the Rockets in the first round or the Warriors in the conference semifinals. Sunday morning, there might have been a feeling that the power forward matchup in the Spurs-Jazz series would turn out to be reasonably close.
That theory was obliterated by the end of the first half, during which Boozer was twice whistled for traveling, clanged five of his six shots — including two that missed so badly they looked like they'd been hip-checked out of the air by Robert Horry — and looked overmatched against a man who wasn't named a three-time NBA Finals MVP for nothing.
Utah has its reasons to be encouraged because Boozer — electing to settle for high-post jumpers in the second half — still finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and also because he bounced back from a horrible game in Game 1 against Houston to dominate the Rockets the rest of the series.
If the Jazz have any hope of competing in this series, they'll need Boozer to come up with a similar resurgence.
"That's what you learn to do," Sloan said. "If you want to be recognized in this league and be there every day, that's what it's all about. You have a bad game, you jump right back into it and go at it again. Nobody cares. You have to do it yourself."
On Sunday, the only Utah player doing it himself was Deron Williams, the dazzling second-year point guard who racked up 34 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and might have single-handedly prevented David Stern from stepping in and deciding to let Phoenix and Golden State play the rest of the series.
Chances are, Williams won't put up those kind of numbers again, especially because 16 of his points and five of his assists came while the Spurs were mailing in the fourth quarter. So unless Rafael Araujo somehow becomes an unlikely savior, or Derek Fisher suddenly starts shooting as well in the AT&T Center in the first 47:59.6 of games as he does in the final 0.4 seconds, the Jazz will require more from Boozer.
Boozer said his first-half problems can be rectified, and Sloan expects nothing less. Although he's tried to protect Boozer and Williams from unrealistic expectations leading up to the series, Sunday evening he criticized his players for shaking their heads at each other and looking intimidated and barked, "I don't want to hear any more about being young."
Some of those words were no doubt directed at Boozer. Now everyone will find out whether he can shoulder them.
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Boozer's defense is his weakness. When Elson can go to the hoop against Boozwe for six points on virtually uncontested layups, you know the weakness has been exposed.
This could be a close series of games, but Boozer has yet to prove he can put this team into a championship game. We'll see.
You are right. Boozers D is his weakness. He has his moments where he does alright, but I have yet to see him play 48 minutes of decent D.
He has become a pretty darn good PF in the league, and has garnered a lot of respect...but he isn't, nor will he ever be the PF that Tim Duncan is. You guys have something special with him. He is a class act and a first rate player.
Manu busted a huge load on booz and the jazz yesterday.
Hopefully 48 hours rest is enough for Manu to reload (please stay away from your wife, Manu).
Boozer is still relatively young. This is his first season in a few years where he has actually played almost the entire year. I think 5 years from now, people are going to be asking themselves "How do we stop Boozer?" as the Jazz make it back to the WCF and NBA Finals a few times. However, Sloan is due to retire soon and that could totally screw up the Jazz organization.
There was a lot of love from the media for Boozer as of late and it was deserved, but this series should tell which power forward is better. No doubt in my mind it is Tim Duncan. Boozer is good though. I like the way he uses his left.
The first and second halves of the first sentence shouldn't be connected with a "but." Sure the media is showing Booz love, but nobody is claiming that he's even close to Tim Duncan. There is no argument or debate going on at all. It's not just your mind that doesn't have a doubt, it's everyone mind.
There is NO DOUBT in my mind that Tim Duncan is far superior.
I am a huge Jazz fan and a huge Boozer fan, but TD is much better.
I think Boozer (if he stays healthy) is one of the up and coming
PF's and hopefully one of the best ones out there in a few years,
but as for right now...NO COMPARISON!
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