Utah Jazz Notes

A two-hour session with a local chiropractor Wednesday afternoon will be enough to get Deron Williams back on the court for tonight’s game against the Celtics.

Williams sat out the Jazz’s pregame shootaround in the morning and complained that his strained back had gotten worse, but Williams reported improvement after he returned to TD Garden and went through warmups.

“It’s still stiff, but better,” Williams said, adding: “I was probably going to play the whole time, I just like talking. You know how many games I’ve said I was going to sit out in my career and never did?”

The Jazz still will play without backup point guard Ronnie Price, who continues to be bothered by the sprained left big toe he suffered in the second quarter of Monday’s victory over New York.

Williams said he undergoes treatment before every home game with a Jazz-affiliated chiropractor as well as on regular off days. “He should be on this trip,” Williams joked, hoping that general manager Kevin O’Connor would hear his plea.

Williams added that he’d pinpointed the play on which he strained his back in Monday’s game - - a foul at the end of the first half in which Chris Duhon came down on him - - and that resting in bed the past two days might have been the worst thing for his back.

“After I worked with [the chiropractor], I haven’t really laid down or anything,” Williams said. “I’ve just been moving around and stretching it. I thought resting it was the best thing for it.”

Williams said after Monday’s game that he wouldn’t have returned in the second half had Price not gotten injured. He was asked if the same applied for the game against the Celtics.

“I was going to see how it felt anyway,” Williams said. “I’m not just going to rule myself out automatically, but I have no clue.”

Had Williams not been able to play, the Jazz would have started rookie Eric Maynor and been left to battle the 7-1 Celtics with only nine players. Jazz coach Jerry Sloan had made contingency plans for Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer to share in ball-handling duties.

Price, meanwhile, reported little improvement in his sprained toe, though he will remain with the Jazz for the final two games of this trip.

“I can’t lie,” Price said. “It’s still sore. It’s a sensitive spot, from the edge of my foot to the corner of my foot. My shoes rub against it when I walk, so I constantly feel it.”

“Hopefully, I’ll wake up one of these mornings and it’ll just go away,” Price added.

--Ross Siler

As you’d probably expect, the Jazz went over their zone defense principles at practice Tuesday, though it was far from the only subject they covered. The Jazz also went over their normal plays, did some shooting and running, and played a little three-on-three.

After seeing zone defenses from both Sacramento and New York their past two games, the Jazz could be in for more of the same. Or they might not against a Celtics team that ranks first in the NBA in points allowed and fourth in field-goal percentage defense.

“I think Boston’s going to play their game regardless,” Deron Williams said.

The Jazz, as Williams noted after Monday’s game, devote little practice time to breaking zone defenses and play few zones themselves, which provides some insight into why teams can be so effective springing it on them.

Yet Carlos Boozer said the Jazz should be equipped to handle zones. “For the most part, we’ve got a high enough basketball IQ to learn on the fly during the game and figure out what to do,” Boozer said.

“The more we play, the more we get familiar with it . . . our movements, our passing, people knowing where to be at the right places,” Boozer added. “That’s why I said it’s early, we’re going to get better at it. We’re going to get better at it.”

* * *

The Jazz have enjoyed success against the Celtics both home and away in recent seasons, but their previous trip to Boston was not especially pleasant. The Celtics cruised to a 100-91 victory last December that left coach Jerry Sloan critical of his club.

Sloan described the Jazz as being intimidated by the Celtics, afraid of getting hurt and looking scared as they fell behind 28-16 in the first quarter. How concerned is Sloan about the Jazz suffering a similar fate again?

“Obviously, they’re a great team, but I think you’ve got to just go play,” Sloan said. “If you don’t want to be intimidated, don’t get in this league. There’s a lot of guys that’ll intimidate you. A lot of teams can intimidate you because there’s a lot of really good teams. 

“But you should learn how to play in that and learn how to get better.”

Carlos Boozer also downplayed the intimidation factor in coming back to Boston.

“We know they’re a very good team, we respect them and of course we want what they had a couple years ago,” Boozer said. “But at the same time, for us, we’re on a mission ourselves of trying to find out how good this team is going to be, trying to get to .500 and go beyond it. 

“We keep flirting with it. So for us, we want to get a win and we’re going to attack them and I’m sure they’re going to attack us, too. They’ve got a great crowd, they’ll be ready to play, but we will, too.”

--Ross Siler

The Jazz are preparing to be without Deron Williams for tonight’s game against the Boston Celtics after Williams sat out the team’s pregame shootaround Wednesday morning and said his strained back had gotten worse.

The Jazz already have ruled out Ronnie Price with the sprained left big toe he suffered in Monday’s victory over New York. Without Williams or Price, the Jazz would be down to just one point guard in rookie Eric Maynor and nine total players.

The Jazz end shootaround by dividing into big men and guards to shoot at opposite baskets. With Williams and Price both sitting along the baseline in warmups, the guards numbered just three in Maynor, Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Brewer.

“That’s why I might play,” Williams said. He will see a chiropractor this afternoon, but said the tightness had moved up his back. Asked if he would play if he felt the same tonight, Williams said, “No, probably not.”

“I just don’t want to affect the team in a negative way,” Williams added. “That’s my main concern if I’m not out there full strength. When I’m on the court, people look for me to score and not only get people open but create shots. I couldn’t really do that last game.”

Maynor, meanwhile, would be making his first NBA start after having played just 16 minutes this season. He had been third on the Jazz’s depth chart at point guard behind Williams and Price.

“It’s a tough situation to be in,” Williams said. “Your first game you’re going to get big minutes in, to be on the road in Boston against the Celtics. But he’s a solid player, so he’ll be all right.”

The Celtics have opened the season 7-1 and might be the NBA’s best defensive team, giving up just 84.4 points a game on 42.1 percent shooting. Maynor said he was focused on playing hard and doing the things coach Jerry Sloan wants to see.

“That’s the nature of this league,” Maynor said. “That happens, and you’ve got to be ready when your number is called. My number was called, so I’m going to be ready.”

Sloan also would have Andrei Kirilenko and Ronnie Brewer handle the ball if necessary. Maynor did average 22 minutes a game in the preseason, along with 8.8 points and 4.1 assists.

“I think it helped a lot,” Maynor said, “and that’s why I think I’m ready. Just being out there and getting a feel for it. I feel like I’ll be ready tonight, I’m going to be ready to go.”

“I kind of was in the same boat as a rookie,” Sloan added, “never got to play and then all of a sudden, a couple guys get hurt, I started the first six or seven games of the season right off the bat. It scared me to death.”

--Ross Siler

In the eight years since the NBA changed its rules and allowed teams to play zone defenses, I have never seen what I witnessed during the Jazz-Knicks game on Monday night.

After the Jazz made eight of their first 12 shots and scored 22 points in the first seven minutes, the Knicks switched to a zone.

They stayed in it almost exclusively.

Over the next 41 minutes, the Jazz made 29 of 69 shots. That's 42 percent. They scored a total of 73 points.

The Knicks' zone was effective because it was basically designed to take Deron Williams and Memo Okur out of the offense and crowd Carlos Boozer inside.

If Williams or Okur got the ball at the three-point line, the Knicks contested the shot. If Andrei Kirilenko, Ronnie Brewer or Wesley Mathews got the ball at the three-point line, they were invited to shoot.

Yes, Kirilenko made five three-pointers and the Jazz would not have won without him. But he was also scoreless in the fourth quarter, when the percentages caught up with him.

With less than a minute to go and the Jazz needing a basket to expand a 95-93 lead, the Knicks got exactly what they wanted from their zone on consecutive possessions -- a three-pointer by Kirilenko and a 20-footer by Brewer.

Those two shots missed, but the Knicks missed their final three shots, too.

So the Jazz survived.

Word of Utah's problems against the Knicks will spread quickly, however, the Jazz are likely to see a a lot of zones until they (1). figure out how to get Boozer more involved, (2). help Williams get into the heart of the defense so he can create open shots for himself and others and (3). get Kyle Korver and C.J. Miles back from injury.

If Korver and Miles are on the wings instead of Brewer and Kirilenko, opponents can't go exclusively with a zone. If the Jazz play Boozer inside a zone and station Williams, Okur, Korver and Miles around the perimeter, a zone would likely be ineffective. Too many good three-point shooters, too many open shots.

One other thought: Paul Millsap might be the Jazz player most impacted by a zone.  His game is predicated on movement, finding seams inside and outworking his opponent for the basketball.

Against a man-to-man defense, Millsap has room to operate and be at his best. But against a zone, those seams close because of greater congestion and his effectiveness is minimized because he has a harder time playing close to the basket.

Against New York, Millsap had four points and five rebounds in 24 minutes. He was 1-for-5 from the field.

More than any of his teammates, Millsap will be happy when Korver and Miles are healthy again.

-- Steve Luhm

Not only did the Jazz fly to Boston after Monday’s game in New York, they’re also going to stay over after Wednesday’s game against the Celtics and hold practice here Thursday before leaving for Philadelphia.

That means we’ll spend the better part of three days in Boston on this trip. There’s no complaints on my part: We were able to walk from our hotel to practice at Suffolk University near Beacon Hill, passing by the Old State House along the way.

The Jazz’s ranks were thinned again by injuries as Deron Williams and Ronnie Price both sat out practice. If neither can play, the Jazz would have to start rookie Eric Maynor against the Celtics and would have just nine available players for the game.

Williams has been bothered by the strained back he suffered Monday against the Knicks as well as by a bruised left calf. He can play through the calf, but the back is problematic because of how difficult it makes it for Williams to move.

If you remember last season’s game in Boston, Rajon Rondo torched Williams and the Jazz for a near triple-double: 25 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. At the time, Williams was still recovering from the sprained ankle he suffered in the preseason.

“A lot of people took advantage of me last year when I was trying to get back in shape,” Williams said. “It happens.” Asked if he was interested in a little payback against Rondo, Williams answered, “If I can play.”

My guess after watching Williams walk across the court after practice Tuesday is that he’ll find a way to play against the Celtics, though he won’t log close to the 40.3 minutes a game he’s been averaging so far.

Of course, we won’t know for sure until the Jazz’s morning shootaround and possibly until game time.

* * *

Carlos Boozer joked about having already watched the Celtics play twice this season. After all, they’re sort of on TNT and ESPN a lot. From what he’s seen, Boozer called the Celtics “as good as anybody” in the NBA.

Asked if the 7-1 Celtics were Eastern Conference favorites, Boozer answered: “I’d have to say so. People can talk about Orlando, maybe Cleveland, but Boston looks like to be the head of the class early.”

--Ross Siler