The Jazz moved into fourth place in the Western Conference playoff race Friday night, and if you think an early December blowout against last-place Memphis doesn't carry postseason implications, you don't understand Jerry Sloan.
   
"Every game is important," the Jazz coach preached after Utah's 104-71 walkover of the 2-18 Grizzlies in a library-quiet Delta Center, and his team played like it agreed. Five players scored between 15 and 13 points, Utah shot 55.6 percent as a team, and the Jazz used smothering defense -- OK, and a weary and short-handed opponent -- to collect their ninth victory in 10 games.
   
Opponents like the toothless Grizzlies are easy to overlook, especially sandwiched between a pair of games with the world champion Lakers, and Sloan knows it better than most. The Jazz lost three of their four games to Memphis last season -- a fact that came up once or twice Friday.
   
Once or twice? Per hour, maybe.
   
"Two times at [the morning] shootaround, two times during shootaround, two times after shootaround, two times before the game, two times during the game, two times at halftime . . . " said forward Scott Padgett, who made six of his seven shots for 14 points. "Those three games last year probably stuck in Jerry's . . . what would he say, craw?"
   
Yes, he would say that.