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No Comments [ Add Comment ]Brown provides key spark for Jazz
By Jim BurtonRookie point guard lives up to tattoo of 'one-man fast break'
SALT LAKE CITY -- The tattoo on his chest pretty much says it all: One man fast break.
Jazz rookie Dee Brown is exactly that.
The speedy backup point guard proved as much Monday night, playing against the Golden State Warriors.
Because guard Derek Fisher, who starts at the shooting guard position and also backs up Deron Williams at point guard, missed the game to tend to a family matter, Brown saw more than 12 minutes of action in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
And in that time he went 3-for-5 from the field and had a rebound and three assists.
Brown scored what may well have been the game's most exciting basket, too, with just over four minutes left in the game.
Trailing by two at the time, Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko stripped the ball away from Golden State's Jason Richardson and flipped it ahead to Brown, who did that one-man fast break thing, racing down the floor past Baron Davis and Stephen Jackson for a layup that tied the game at 102-all.
"When I get on the fast break, man, it's over," Brown joked after the game. "I don't care who's in front of me, who's with me, I'm going for it all."
Brown, a former college teammate of Williams at Illinois, never seemed to struggle with the pressure of the playoffs, even with Illini coach Bruce Weber sitting in the stands.
Perhaps that's because even though he often sits on the bench, he never rests.
"This is a business, this is my job," he said. "I love basketball so I'm always going to be ready."
It's a good thing for the Jazz that Brown was ready when his name was called. Earlier in the day, the team learned that Fisher would not be available, which meant Brown was going to be called upon to help out when Williams needed a rest or got into foul trouble.
When Williams picked up his fifth foul in the fourth quarter, Brown stepped in against Davis, an All-Star.
"Dee came in and played great when I was out," Williams said.
"I got an opportunity to guard one of the best point guards in the league in Baron Davis, which is a great experience for me being a young guy," Brown said. "Whatever my team needs me to do, I'm there."
While Brown came up with some big baskets Monday, he insists scoring isn't his focus.
"No matter what buckets I score, I just want to go in there and be productive," he said.
Deron or Baron?
Jazz coach Jerry Sloan may be getting tired of questions regarding star point guards Deron Williams and Baron Davis.
The two are built similarly and have similar styles on the court.
Much has been made in the national media about the two players going up against one another.
"We're not trying to beat Baron Davis," Sloan said. "We're trying to beat the Golden State Warriors. That's what we've told all of our players. If we're going to try to beat an individual, then we might as well forget about that."
Williams, who is five years younger than Davis, sounds a lot like his coach.
When asked if he is taking the matchup as a personal challenge, Williams scoffed at the idea.
"I'm just competing, I'm just trying to get a win," he said. "It's not me against Baron Davis, it's the Golden State Warriors against the Utah Jazz. That's what that matchup is, it's not anything personal."
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