Stockton Outplays Payton

With 20,000 fans at the Delta Center chanting his name in derision, Gary Payton drove hard into the key, and into a waiting windmill of arms from a Jazz double-team.

The ball squirted loose, forcing a hurried desperation miss by Nate McMillan as time ran out in the third quarter and Utah leading by 19.

It was Payton’s game in microcosm.

So dominant in his previous matchups with John Stockton in the Western Conference finals, Payton had his worst game of the series Thursday night in Seattle’s 108-83 loss to the Jazz.

“We got blown out, period,” Payton snapped. “Now we’ve got one more game to see what we’re going to do.”

Payton, who had averaged 23 points in Games 1-5, finished with just 10 on 3-for-7 shooting and seven assists. With Utah evening the best-of-seven series at 3-3 forcing Game 7 Sunday in Seattle, Stockton finally got the best of his nemesis: 14 points and 12 assists.

Payton, who had five of Seattle’s 23 turnovers - and repeatedly was forced to give up the ball as the Jazz defense collapsed on him in the paint - also drew a technical, his frustration spilling over midway through Utah’s runaway fourth quarter.

The chant from the crowd only grew louder.

“That don’t bother me,” he said. “Taunt me; I don’t care. They can do whatever they want to do.”

Payton did credit Utah’s defense, but only to a point.

“They did a lot of doubling and everything else,” he said. “But I wasn’t physical tonight, I wasn’t aggressive enough… . I don’t have any excuses.”

Stockton, constantly reminded of Payton’s dominance, was pleased with the turnabout. But he emphasized it was team defense - not his - that made the difference.

“We’re not a great team on defense, individually,” he said. “But we’re not bad when we work together, dig in and help each other. That’s how we lay it out there.”

Utah’s Bryon Russell, who finished with 12 points off the bench, said the key was Seattle’s many blunders - the Jazz scored 36 of their points off turnovers.

“Mistakes. If they’re going to keep making them, we’re going to keep taking advantage of them,” he said.

Payton, for one, is determined to disappoint Russell come Sunday in the Key Arena.

“It’s over now and we’ve got one more game,” Payton said. “But we’re in our building, and hopefully it will work out to our advantage. It’s what we worked for all season.”