This time, the fouls
went to the big men
If Utah guard Deron Williams was confused as to what constituted a foul and what did not after the first three games of the Jazz’s Western Conference semifinal playoff series with the Warriors, he wasn’t alone Sunday in Game4.
Williams had complained to the media after early fouls in Games2 and 3 limited his minutes. But while Williams played all but two minutes of the first half Sunday, Utah big men Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur and Paul Millsap all had picked up three fouls before intermission.
After not drawing a single free throw in the first quarter, Golden State went to the line 16 times in the second on calls by the officiating crew of Tony Brothers, Mike Callahan and Tom Washington.
The Warriors would have loved to see Williams, who dominated in Game1 with 31 points, eight assists and five rebounds, knocked out again, but they had no such luck.
“I think it’s really a difficult thing to plan to get somebody in foul trouble in the NBA,” Warriors assistant coach Larry Riley said. “I think if it happens, that’s fine. There’s no question if there’s a guy that’s picked up a couple of fouls, it’s good to go at him. Baron (Davis) is strong enough to force a couple.
“But you can’t get distracted with your entire game plan just by saying, Oh, we’re going to get the third foul on this guy in the first half, because you might run off seven or eight possessions trying to do that and it becomes a little less fruitful and the rest of the team doesn’t stay quite as involved.”
For the Warriors, starters Al Harrington and Andris Biedrins picked up two fouls in the first quarter, but unlike Jazz Coach Jerry Sloan, the Warriors’ Don Nelson once again gave his players carrying fouls more leeway than most.
Harrington stayed in for 2 minutes, 17 seconds after getting his second foul, and checked back in for the final 1:02 of the quarter. Biedrins played five more minutes before hitting the bench.
“I’ve seen too many situations where they never get that fourth or fifth (foul), and sometimes you lose a ballgame being too conservative,” Nelson said. “As long as he’s not a foul-prone guy… I normally don’t worry about them, unless it’s just too obvious.”
Jackson said he and fellow veterans chipped in to get guard Monta Ellis a watch in honor of his being named the NBA’s most improved player. In the interest of locker-room harmony, Jackson ponied up for a couple of more timepieces, for Josh Powell and Kelenna Azubuike.
With all the frontcourt foul trouble for Utah, Stanford alum Jarron Collins got into just his second game in this series. He finished with a rebound, a turnover and three fouls in six minutes.
Actress Jessica Alba was back in her courtside seat (sporting a “We Believe” T-shirt after the half), and the mothers of seven Warriors - Azubuike, Davis, Ellis, Harrington, Jackson, Matt Barnes and Jason Richardson - received flowers from their sons in a pregame Mother’s Day ceremony at midcourt.
-GEOFF LEPPER, MEDIANEWS