Sonics Brace For Utah After Breezing Past Rockets, Seattle Expects A Tougher Fight From Jazz

One team, the SuperSonics, is fast and loose. The other, the Utah Jazz, is deliberate and staid. It’s hard to imagine two more different teams in a conference finals showdown.

It might not be pretty.

After a breezy, 4-0 sweep of the defending-champion Houston Rockets in the semifinals, it might not even be comfortable.

“I don’t expect it to be,” Sonics shooting guard Hersey Hawkins said. “Their style of play is so much different than Houston’s. The Rockets wanted to play a transition game, which we like. The Jazz (are) a great passing team; they execute their offense so well. They’re physical, they slow things down and make it a possession game.

“It’s odd. They have such a unique style to prepare for.”

Utah is a stable team. Fiery Jerry Sloan has been coach for eight years. Superstars Karl Malone and John Stockton have played together for 11.

Because of the familiarity forged by this threesome, the Jazz’s execution is considered the best in the NBA. It is a team that knows its stuff in a half-court game, at both ends of the court.

On offense, the Jazz revolve around Stockton out front and Malone in the post. They might have their best supporting cast, with Jeff Hornacek and Chris Morris providing outside explosiveness, maturing David Benoit and Bryon Russell some athleticism, and Felton Spencer, Adam Keefe and Antoine Carr inside muscle.

At the defensive end, the Jazz will crowd the lane with their assortment of wide bodies, with their guards gambling for steals on the perimeter.

Seattle and Utah do share one thing - a long record of regular-season success that hasn’t been followed up similarly in the postseason.

“Without a doubt, we’re similar,” Malone said near the end of the regular season. “People really don’t care about what we do in the regular season. It’s what we do in the playoffs that counts.” The Jazz’s measured approach has made for an interesting rivalry against the more volatile Sonics in recent years. Since Utah’s 4-1 Western Conference semifinal series victory in 1992, the Sonics have won 12 of 21 games between the two. That includes a 3-2 first-round playoff victory in 1993.

“Very seldom do we blow them out,” Sonics coach George Karl said. “They blow us out more.”

Seattle won the regular-season series 3-1 this year, but two of the victories, both at KeyArena, were by a combined three points.

The Sonics have won the past three meetings. Before that, the Jazz won four straight, all by 10 or more points. The Sonics, surprisingly, have won four of the past 10 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

“It has to be a conscious effort with that crew,” Sonics co-captain Sam Perkins said. “They execute so well and run their options so well, you can’t fall asleep on them.

“We haven’t beaten them 13 times in a row (like Houston). That right there tells you they’re a difficult team to play.”