Throughout the regular season, the Jazz were one of the worst turnover-committing teams in the NBA, committing an average of 16.5 per game.

In their final game of the postseason, Monday's first-round Game 4 playoff loss to the Sacramento Kings, miscues again doomed the Jazz.

Utah committed 21 turnovers in all, and the Kings converted them into 30 points in a 91-86 victory.

"Any time you play a team that is this talented (and commit that many turnovers) you don't have much of a chance to win," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said.

Having finally put away a Utah Jazz team that simply refused to expire on command, Sacramento Kings forward Chris Webber wasn't sure what to make of the experience.

"It was tough, but it wasn't that tough," Webber said after his team's series-clinching, 91-86 Game 4 victory Monday night at the Delta Center. "We made it tough on ourselves." A couple of minutes later, Webber said, "I look at this series as a blessing, playing Utah. They frustrate you, they make you be patient . . . you're either going to be patient or you're going to lose."

So it was a blessing, even though it wasn't that tough. And the only real obstacle was the Kings' own impatience, not the scrappy Jazz defense that all but brought the high-powered Sacramento offense to a halt.

If you squinted just right ? or hoped enough ? while watching Monday night's NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings, you could sense some similarities to the last time a bright spotlight shone on a Delta Center sporting event.

Think of the Kings as the heavily favored Russian figure skating pair of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze from the 2002 Winter Olympics nine weeks ago. Envision the Jazz as Sale and Pelletier, the energetic and enthusiastic Canadian couple that wowed the Delta Center crowd.

And if you're cynical enough, consider the game's referees as figure skating judges whose scoring the gold for the Russians resulted in the "Skategate" controversy and eventually a second set of first-place medals for the Canadians.

After Game 1, Vlade Divac declared the Jazz "done."

Three more-than-they-bargained-for postseason games later, including Monday night's 91-86 series-ending victory by Divac's Sacramento Kings, Utah indeed is finished.

The question, however, is with what? Just another season, their 19th straight in the playoffs, or an entire era?

Weird thing is, it was interesting.

Weird thing is that after all was said and done, it took a desperation three-point heave by Vlade Divac to drive a stake through the Jazz's heart. It took John Stockton's last-second shot in Game 1 to rim out, or maybe Scott Padgett's basket interference. It took Stockton fouling out in Game 3 and leaving Rusty LaRue to roll the dice.

It took shining moments by Padgett, Quincy Lewis, Donyell Marshall and even Greg Ostertag to make it turn out the way it did.

The Mavericks have proven all season that an up-tempo, fast-breaking, high-scoring game is both successful and entertaining.

So have the Sacramento Kings.

The battle between two of the league's most similar styles will begin at 5:30 p.m. Saturday when Sacramento hosts the Mavericks in Game 1 at Arco Arena.

The Mavericks learned their second-round opponent late Monday night when the Kings topped Utah, 91-86, to complete their 3-1 first-round series triumph. The Kings didn't exactly streak to the second round; they won three games against Utah by an average of 3.6 points.
The Mavericks, meanwhile, swept Minnesota 3-0, winning by an average of 10.7 points.

All along, Vlade Divac believed the Sacramento Kings would outlast the Utah Jazz. The 7-foot-1 center made sure it happened when he swished a dramatic 3-pointer from 28 feet.

Predrag Stojakovic broke out of a shooting slump with 30 points, and Chris Webber scored 23 as the Kings advanced to the Western Conference semifinals with a 91-86 victory Monday night.

Divac, who predicted the Jazz were "done" after Sacramento's victory in Game 1, backed up his claim with his 3-pointer with 1:29 to play, giving the Kings an 87-81 lead.

Vroom, vroom. Out go the lights.

The Utah Jazz stuck to traditions Monday night, right down to Bear the mascot riding on to the court before the game on a motorcycle, cranking the handle several times to rev the engine enough to shake tiles from the roof, just like he used to do to drive poor Phil Jackson nuts when the Bulls would come through for the Finals. The crowd, doing its part, pushed the decibels as if these were still the glory days, fireworks went off as each home player was introduced during starting lineup, and AC/DC rocked over the loudspeaker.

For those into reality checks, they also played "I'm a Believer," the Monkees tune covered by Smash Mouth and the reminder of longshot chances facing the locals: Win now or summer vacation starts before the night is out, and with another first-round elimination at that. The other Utah Jazz tradition.

The first time he shot the ball. The first three-pointer from the right corner. That's when he knew.

After three nights that seemed to stretch into forever, Peja Stojakovic connected early and often, finally, mercifully, found his way back ... and away from the troublesome tentacles of young Andrei Kirilenko.

A three from the corner.

Chris Webber: "I'm not taking any negatives from this series."

Vlade Divac: "We didn't play like we're supposed to play."

These contrasting viewpoints brought to you by the Dallas Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks: Tan. Rested. Ready.

And this just in: Next.