Power forward combo pays off for Jazz News New York Knicks

Know that guy in your neighborhood who seems to have all the toys ? the speed boat, recreation vehicles for every season and surface, a swimming pool, the RV trailer, the cabin on the lake ? but has to make a difficult decision each weekend because he can't use all of them at once? Well, Carlos Boozer didn't use that exact comparison in regards to his coach's situation, but pretty close.

Just substitute the expensive toys for NBA players ? specifically the big guys in this case ? and it works all the same. Once again, the usual rotation of big men was thrown out the EnergySolutions Arena window in Monday night's game. On Saturday night, it was Boozer who sat a bunch down the stretch. Often ? at least often when Boozer's healthy ? it's Paul Millsap who takes on the role of bench supporter in crunch time. In Utah's closer-than-expected 112-104 win over the New York Knicks, it was foul-plagued Mehmet Okur's turn to sit. Problem? Only for the Knicks. The Jazz gave up the 3-point threat, but upped their interior presence. "We've got a good team, man. Whoever's out there is going to play and play good for us," Boozer said. "We've got guys that have stepped (up) in big situations and played in my absence and other guys' absence and have got confidence. "So," he added, "it's a good problem for coach to have ? to have so many guys that can compete at the end of the game." A good problem, indeed. So many players for Sloan to play, so little playing time to spread out. Other NBA coaches must envy him like some might covet that neighbor's list of luxury items. Turns out, Utah's paired-up power forwards provided some much-needed defensive energy in the final seven minutes when New York rallied to take a one-point lead after trailing by 24 in the third quarter. Millsap, who played all but eight seconds of the fourth quarter, ended the game on a tear with five points, two steals and two rebounds after the 6:45 mark as Utah turned a one-point deficit into a 15th straight home victory. His steal after a Boozer turnover led to a Deron Williams layup that gave Utah the lead for good. Boozer didn't exactly shred the nets after replacing Okur with nine minutes to go when the Turkish center picked up his fifth foul. But he picked up the defensive intensity as the game wound down as well, also snatching a couple of steals in the final four minutes. Boozer finished with a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds to go with four steals in 41-1/2 minutes. Millsap added 12 points, seven rebounds, three steals and three assists. Okur only played 21 minutes and had eight points. Millsap credited the Jazz's late defense for helping them regain the Big Mo and win what seemed like was going to be a blowout. "That's what it takes. When we get a lot of deflections, a lot of transition points, we're pretty much unstoppable," Millsap said. "But it all starts on the defensive end." "We play really good 'D' because we're so active," Boozer added. After sitting out all of the overtime session Saturday, Boozer was happy his coach chose to play him in the end again. "I'm back. I'm ready to assume the role that I've been used to my whole career and I think coach knows," he said. "I think he was trying to work me back into it so I can have the confidence back in the fourth quarter and I've got it now and I'm here to stay." Which would be another good problem for Sloan to deal with. E-mail: jody@desnews.com