Tim Buckley writes of the Utah Jazz's recent victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers and their pending matchup with the Clippers.

'It was a win,' says ambivalent Sloan...

He didn't like how his team played defense, particularly in the second quarter. Didn't care his stars got good rest, either.

Otherwise, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan had to be happy with a 112-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday night at the Delta Center.

Didn't he?

After all, the 40-32 Jazz only led all the way, increasing their advantage from 10 points after one quarter to 12 at halftime, 24 after three quarters and a game-high 30 when reserve shooting guard John Starks' 3-pointer made it 108-78 with just more than four minutes to go.

Branson Wright gives the recap:

"How the West wasn't fun is the theme of the Cavaliers' two trips out West this season.

The Cavs finish the season winless out West. They lost six straight in January and their latest venture produced four straight defeats. Now you have a team ready to come home, especially after a last night's margin of defeat along with being undermanned because of the number of players out with injuries. Home can only be sweeter."

Tom McEachin writes that the Jazz's bench had plenty of playing time Thursday night.

"The Jazz got the formalities of beating the Cleveland Cavaliers out of the way early Thursday night.

That"s how, on a night when all eyes were focused on the point guard matchup between all-time great John Stockton and star-in-the-making Andre Miller, it was DeShawn Stevenson who managed to shine the brightest.

With the outcome settled early -- the Jazz won 112-91 at the Delta Center -- Stevenson got a chance to play key minutes for the second straight game and take a big step in his career development.

""I"ve put him in situations," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said, ""to give him a chance to broaden his scope a little more, see the floor a little bit more. The thing about DeShawn, his visibility has only been himself until he gets in the open floor. . . . If you"re thinking along those terms, you can make yourself a better player."

Dick Rosetta writes:

"Ex-Ute Andre Miller returned "home" Thursday night.
   
It was a shame he couldn't persuade his Cleveland Cavalier teammates -- what few remain -- into helping him enjoy the moment at the Delta Center as much as his 40-year-old point guard counterpart did.
   
Not that there were a lot of highlights for Miller, either. There were none for the rest of the Cavs, who represent the worst of what the NBA can be for a team with nothing to play for except the season's merciful end.
   
On a night full of promise for a classic age-vs.-youth showdown between Miller and the Jazz's John Stockton, Cleveland sold out Miller while the Jazz senior statesman had just another night at the office -- actually, a rare restful one as Utah cruised, 112-91."

Steve Luhm reports on Utah's 112-91 victory over the Cleveland Cavs, and what DeShawn Stevenson would be doing now if he went to college.

"In a perfect world, DeShawn Stevenson would be in Atlanta this weekend, playing for Kansas in the Final Four as one of the top collegiate players in the country with the NBA draft lottery in his future.
   
In the real world, Stevenson is a second-year guard with the Utah Jazz. He hasn't played much; he still has much to learn. But he's getting there, as Cleveland discovered Thursday night at the Delta Center.
   
In 29 minutes, Stevenson finished with 12 points, eight assists, three rebounds and two steals in a 112-91 victory."

Injury Notes and All-Time Series Records.

Many are comparing former University of Utah star to the comedian Richard Pryor.

Now that someone's mentioned that, you have to laugh at the resemblence.

"A fan yelled from the sideline that I looked like Richard Pryor," Miller told The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer. "I had never heard that before then. During our last visit to Indiana, while shooting free throws, a fan held up a sign that said: 'Richard Pryor and Andre Miller were separated at birth.' That made me laugh."

The Jazz will host the Cavaliers at the Delta Center tonight. The Jazz have not lost to Cleveland at the Delta Center, ever.

Los Angeles native Andre Miller, of the Cleveland Cavs, is a restricted free agent at the end of the year and the Clippers have to be thinking about making a run for him as their biggest need is at the point guard position.

Miller would be perfect for the Clippers if they can't work things out with Jeff McInnis, who will be a free agent this summer. The Cavaliers have an option for Miller's contract next year, then it's up to them if they want to extend his contract. They'd be foolish not to. But they might also be willing to think of a trade if the Clippers were offering Lamar Odom or Corey Maggette and Keyon Dooling.  

Miller, Olowokandi, Quentin Richardson, Elton Brand, Darius Miles. Nothing wrong with that five.

There is no doubt that game-winning clutch shots make one feel like a hero.  Ask Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, or even John Paxson or Steve Kerr.  But what if that heroic moment should never have taken place?  What if that big shot happened as a direct result to mistakes my the referee, just as it happened with Chicago's Jalen Rose and Cleveland's Lamond Murray last week?  It is NBA policy that officials are prevented from seeing the television replay monitors that everyone else analyse, but what if these two moments occured deep in the NBA finals with a championship on the line?

Mike Wise of the New York Times reports that support for replays to aid officials may be growing. Specifically, there is concern about shot clock situations at the end of the game.

In three games last week involving shots at the end of the game, Nets Coach Byron Scott said that only once did the league "get the call right," referring to Kobe Bryant's game-winning shot in the final seconds against Charlotte. In two other games, shots made after the game was over were allowed to count.

There have been instances where the officials have got some close calls correct, such as Kobe Bryant's game-winning attempt against Boston that didn't count and Steve Francis' attempt against the Cavaliers.  But this does not help the Nets, currently fighting for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, who stormed the court in protest after replays showed that the clock had not started until Murray was releasing the ball.

The umpires did confer at center court, but they then left the court without reversing the call.  They certainly would have if there were allowed to view the replay.

"Go out there and find out what happened at the end of the game," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich said. "Let's leave the arena getting it right. We don't have to look at everything. We're not talking about judgment calls. We don't want to slow up the game. But that's not the case when the game is over. Let's get it right. This isn't going to hold up anything. Let's get it right."