Utah Jazz used to boost Jim Jackson gives opponents

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) Jerry Sloan had seen this act before.

In fact, so had several of the Utah Jazz players.

Entering the best-of-seven-game series with the Sacramento Kings, the Jazz coach cautioned his team against the impact veteran Jim Jackson could make off the bench. Sloan has become quite the prophet.

Jackson made a strong impression in Game 1, connecting on two 3-pointers as part of a 13-0 run that gave Sacramento the lead for good. He finished with 15 points in 30 minutes.

It was Jackson also giving the Kings a lift in Monday night's Game 2, when the bench was once again a huge factor in Sacramento's lopsided 108-95 victory.

Jackson scored 11 points and added three rebounds and two assists, giving Sacramento a 2-0 series lead heading into Saturday night's game in Utah.

``He does a little bit of everything,'' Sloan said. ``He gives them another experienced player who has a good knowledge of the game. We've had trouble with him over the years. This isn't the first time.''

Although with his ninth team in 11 seasons, Jackson has only one year where his team made a playoff run before this one. On his way to the Western Conference finals in 1999, Jackson played a solid role in leading the Portland Trail Blazers past Utah in a rough six-game series.

``My role with Portland was similar to the one I have now,'' Jackson said. ``I provide energy off the bench and try to give the team a lift.''

A free agent acquisition when injuries hit the Kings early in the season, Jackson quickly earned a spot in coach Rick Adelman's rotation, eventually replacing popular Hedo Turkoglu. Although he averaged 7.7 points, 4.2 rebounds and nearly two assists per game, Jackson was still anxious to show his new teammates he could produce in the playoffs as well.

``I wanted to show I could be trusted,'' Jackson said.

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A BREAK FOR MALONE: Although nearing his 40th birthday, Karl Malone is still one of the best power forwards in the league.

Still, he warrants a little more delicate care these days.

A concession during the playoffs against Sacramento is not matching Malone defensively against Chris Webber, who he has typically guarded in past years.

Utah center Greg Ostertag drew that assignment until the second quarter of Game 2, when Webber left after straining his back.

``Karl is no longer 19 years old,'' Sloan said. ``It takes the pressure off him. Webber is very active, he can go inside, outside. Karl still amazes you as old as he is.''

An old-school coach who was a fearless defender in his playing days, Sloan apparently has passed along that work ethic to his two aging stars.

``These guys have played hard the last 18 years,'' he said of Malone and point guard John Stockton. ``And I'm not talking once in a while, I'm talking about every night.''

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POLLARD NOT CONTENT: After watching all Game 1 from the bench, Scot Pollard became a factor in Game 2 when Webber gingerly left the court. A somewhat forgotten player this year, Pollard made an immediate impact, scoring 21 seconds after entering the game.

Pollard, who finished with eight points, six rebounds and two blocks, is hoping complacency doesn't set in for the Kings, who lead a series 2-0 for the first time in the team's Sacramento era.

``It's not like we're going to sit back and just win the games at home and try to take the series in seven games,'' Pollard said.

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NOTES: The Kings shot 61 percent in the first half of the second game, their 57 points being 19 more than in Game 1. ... Two years ago in the playoffs against Utah, Webber severely sprained an ankle. ... In the two games, all-time assist leader Stockton has just five in 55 minutes. ... Vlade Divac responded with Webber out of the lineup for much of Game 2, going for 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)