The first game of the playoff series between the Jazz and the Warriors kicked off on April 19th.
Right from the start, as expected, the Jazz decided to push the pace. Kyle Korver, who the seasoned coach Jerry Sloan brought in mid-season from the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Gordan Giricek and a future draft pick, turned out to be the Jazz's X-factor in the first quarter. Korver, later known as "the purest shooter on Earth," drained three three-pointers out of four attempts in that single quarter.
If the Warriors' paint, guarded by Brown and Zack, was still that formidable no-fly zone, then the biggest difference for this short-handed Warriors team compared to the past was their inability to effectively shut down the opponent's outside shooting. Sloan had already seen this coming during the regular season. That's why, in their first playoff game against the Warriors, he didn't hesitate to put Korver, whose defense was currently a known weakness, into the starting lineup.
Korver's excellent play opened up tons of offensive space for the entire Jazz team. But hey, if the Jazz had an X-factor, the Warriors had key players step up in that first quarter too.
Jarrett Jack, who'd had many matchups with Chris Paul since their college days, looked like he was toying with Paul multiple times for scores and assists. In this fast-paced offensive and defensive battle, it made Zack instinctively feel like this was still the Warriors with Baron Davis.
Actually, if you look at Paul and Jack's career matchup records later on, it's pretty clear Jack was never really intimidated by the "Point God." Whether in the ACC conference or the NBA, when he got enough playing time, Jack often played Paul to a standstill. And get this: Jack, who's genuinely over 190 cm tall and weighs almost 95 kg, had the kind of physical strength that let him switch onto shooting guards without missing a beat. So, unless you could outspeed him, you just had to accept that there'd be a sticky flypaper attached to you.
Originally, with his improved ball-handling skills, Paul had a "rhythm pull-up" move to break through against these tank-like guards. But since Jack and Paul's "rivalry" went all the way back to college, Jack naturally knew all about Paul's changes of pace.
In this game, with Jack stepping up, Zack and Brown decided to aggressively hard-hedge on the Jazz's high screen-and-rolls, opting for no "show" defense. Charles Barkley on TNT commented, "The Warriors are absolutely committed to letting Jarrett Jack handle the high pick-and-roll defense by himself. This frees up Messiah and Kwame Brown to deal with the Jazz's twin towers in the paint."
While the Warriors inevitably left Paul open when defending the high pick-and-roll, Jack, thanks to his understanding of Paul, managed to defuse dangerous situations multiple times. Zack noticed that Jack would often apply strong physical pressure on Paul during the Jazz's offensive setup phase. This meant that even if Paul got a three-point look off a screen, his shooting percentage would be tough to guarantee. Then, without any help from teammates on the "show" defense, Jack consistently anticipated Paul's driving lanes through early positioning. In the first quarter, Jack's success rate in predicting Paul's drives was an astonishing 100%. He was like a worm in Paul's stomach. No matter where the "Little Mongoose" tried to squirm, Jack was right there with him.
Without a doubt, this kind of play from Jack made Paul's life on the court incredibly tough. Even though in the following game, Paul, with his exceptional court vision, assisted his teammates for scores multiple times and got some revenge on Jack with his developing rhythm pull-up jumpers, for a Warriors team without Davis, Paul's performance of 14 points, 8 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals on 5-of-14 shooting (0-for-3 from three, 4-for-4 from the line) was clearly not good enough.
Jack, on the other hand, who played Paul to a draw in this game, ended up with 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. Jack's stellar performance meant that Kirilenko, who Sloan essentially "sacrificed" in the game, took a beating from Zack for the entire game for nothing. Kirilenko had enviable height and wingspan, and his foot speed could keep up with Zack, but once Zack got into the low post... even the powerful "AK47" couldn't pierce the heavy armor of Zack, the human tank.
After the game, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan commented on Zack's outstanding 36-point, 14-rebound performance for the Warriors: "I felt like Andrei could stop him on every possession, but every time I thought that, he'd somehow put the ball in the hoop the very next moment."
The Warriors, thanks to Zack's dominant inside play, won their first game against the Jazz.
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However, just one day later, the highly adaptable Sloan increased Paul Millsap's playing time in Game 2. Brown's reduced weight had expanded his defensive range, making it difficult for Mehmet Okur to have the impact Sloan wanted against these Warriors. So, Sloan opted to intentionally lower his team's inside height, and in Game 2, he successfully unleashed the fast-paced basketball he desired.
Millsap consistently trailed on the Jazz's fast breaks, gobbling up easy buckets. Ronnie Brewer, who replaced Korver in the starting lineup, was also a fast-break specialist. Even though the Jazz's inside height dropped, leading to Zack single-handedly tearing through their paint in Game 2, Sloan's counterintuitive approach once again confirmed his earlier regular season hunch. Since this short-handed Warriors team couldn't get Zack enough rest during rotation like before, and Zack's stamina in the playoffs this season was clearly not as good as the past two years, if the Jazz played fast enough, they could wear down Zack's stamina through more game possessions.
And so, Paul, who scored 12 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds for the Jazz in Game 2, dramatically secured his first career playoff victory against Zack through a "carried" win.
This was a game that utterly infuriated Zack. Because he was constantly double-teamed on the strong side by the Jazz, not only did he put up an astonishing 39 points for the Warriors, but he also dished out tons of amazing passes to his outside teammates. Yet... the assist numbers that ultimately showed up on Zack's stat sheet were a mere 7. And Paul, who played so terribly, even had the nerve to talk trash after the game, "A winner is a winner. No matter how flashy the stats, a loser never has the right to hold their head high in front of a winner."
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Game 3 moved to the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. To earn the right to hold his head high in front of Paul, Zack, who had been stewing for two days, put in a ton of three-point shooting practice before the game. Zack knew very well that relying solely on inside dominance, he was bound to be limited by the traditional big man's style of play. Only by further optimizing his shot selection could he ensure that when his teammates were "undercover agents" (playing poorly), he could use his individual skill to inflict greater damage on the Jazz.
On the court, in the very first offensive possession, after faking a Sam Cassell-style scissor dribble, Zack quickly pulled the ball back and stepped away to the other side. Kirilenko, who had been used to Zack using his physical advantage to bully him in the previous two games, was caught off guard and could only watch as Zack pulled up from above the right wing. Swish!
Then, two possessions later, Zack, who had already settled into the low post, suddenly used Brown's screen to take a big step back to the right corner. This "teleportation" move, which caught Kirilenko completely off guard, gave Zack a perfect firing opportunity from his most reliable three-point hot zone in his entire career. Swish!
On CCTV, Zhang Weiping commented on Zack's two made threes: "Zack is truly clutch! In Salt Lake City, at this high-altitude home court, he immediately drains two threes. Jerry Sloan has to make an adjustment now!"
Would Sloan adjust his defensive scheme because of these two threes? On the Jazz bench, the veteran coach Sloan made a decision in the following game that was exactly the opposite of what Zhang Weiping predicted. Zack's three-point shooting could be scary when he was hot. But since the Jazz were a team with limited defensive resources, Sloan had no choice but to gamble that Zack, having changed his offensive approach, would miss those threes under Kirilenko's intense pressure.
In the first quarter, Sloan seemed to have gambled correctly. Because Zack's other three three-point attempts in the first quarter all bounced out. However, the Jazz's self-imposed lower inside height and Brown's improved athleticism meant the Jazz didn't capitalize on Zack's missed threes by getting fast breaks after securing defensive rebounds to keep pressuring the Warriors. Instead, the Warriors successfully slowed down the Jazz's fast breaks through second-chance points grabbed by Brown.
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Moreover, as Zack found his shooting touch again in the second quarter... Kirilenko was forced to extend his defensive range, even full-court pressing Zack from the half-court line at times, trying to prevent him from receiving the ball. However... unlike traditional big men who rely heavily on teammates' passes, Zack, with his exceptional ball-handling and absurd length, could always receive the ball at the high post using screens. If in the low post, defenders could front or double-team to constantly increase the difficulty of traditional big men receiving the ball, then from beyond the three-point line, tens of thousands of miles away from the low post, even Kirilenko couldn't prevent Zack from successfully receiving the ball in that almost infinite space.
On the court, Zack, who had rediscovered his touch, launched seven three-point attempts in the second quarter, making four of them. Zack's outside finesse in the first half put unprecedented pressure on Kirilenko. Because he was always wary of Zack's strong inside game... when facing opportunities for threes created by Zack's individual dribbling rhythm and sheer height advantage, Kirilenko's defense clearly showed hesitation. In fact, in one defensive possession, watching Zack, who always found a shooting angle on offense, Kirilenko felt like Zack could just keep shooting in his face if he wanted to.
So, after halftime, to prevent Zack from just shooting whenever he pleased, Kirilenko gritted his teeth and aggressively closed out on Zack's outside shots. This "AK47's" outside defense in the second half was successful. Because of his relentless defense, Zack, who had two three-point attempts bounce out in the third quarter, decided to show respect to this top-tier defender by launching a furious assault on the Jazz's paint.
The benefit of optimizing shot selection is precisely this. As long as Zack's three-point shooting could serve as a warning shot, the Jazz's interior, lacking height and rim protection, would be directly exposed to Zack, the human tank. While this style of play—first striking with a cold shot from the perimeter, then attacking the paint aggressively—might remind people of LeBron James, the difference with Zack is that his attacks, executed with timing and rhythm, are not only more sustainable. Moreover, Zack, who can finish with various techniques like pull-up jumpers off the dribble, spin moves, and floaters, has a richer scoring repertoire. Of course, James has also showcased these skills in many games. But just like you can't consider an occasional dumpling meal as eating dumplings every day, Zack's unparalleled ball-handling ability makes his pure scoring prowess truly in a league of its own in this era.
The final score: 114 to 95. Zack, who put up 58 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and 2 steals for the Warriors, not only set a new personal career high against Paul but also, compared to other numbers, Zack believed he would remember those 58 points for the Warriors in this game for a lifetime.
"Where's my good buddy Chris Paul?" Zack arrogantly looked around the Delta Center after the game. Seeing this, Kirilenko, who had always had a "don't know, don't learn, don't practice" attitude towards English, heard Zack shout Paul's name and helpfully pointed to the Jazz's player tunnel.
"Heh, I thought you'd be more defiant than that!" On the court, watching the back of "that 183cm man" sprinting back to the Jazz locker room, Zack scoffed in his mind.
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Two days later, Chris Paul, desperate to get one back on Zack, had another absolutely terrible game. Our "CP3" completely fell apart, shooting 3-for-11 from the field, 0-for-3 from three, and 2-for-4 from the line, ending up with only 8 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 5 turnovers. For a top-tier point guard whose career average is just 2.3 turnovers per game, four of Paul's five turnovers in this game were related to Zack. By perfectly anticipating Paul's passing lanes four times in the game, Zack successfully helped his good buddy Paul achieve a truly "perfect" stat line. And this time, Zack grabbed Paul right after the game, not giving the "183cm man" a chance to sprint back to the locker room.
"You always just run away when you lose, Chris. Can't you be a little more ambitious?" After the game, facing Zack's soul-searching question, Paul exasperatedly shot back, "If the refs hadn't kept letting Jarrett use all those illegal little tricks, how could you guys have stopped me?"
Zack never expected... in this playoff series, Paul, a protégé of John Stockton, would actually have the nerve to play the victim first. So he immediately "opened court": "Who was the one who almost made Jarrett play butt naked in the first quarter?"
"I was just trying to make a tactical foul, but I accidentally used too much force..." The defendant Paul defended himself, "Anyway, I definitely didn't intentionally pull Jarrett's shorts."
Unflustered, Zack continued to present Paul's evidence: "Jarrett said that as of now, you've accidentally hit his groin at least ten times."
"I have to apologize to Jarrett for my clumsy poke-away attempts," Paul said, his face red. "But I'm absolutely not the type of player who intentionally harms others. Believe me, I just accidentally touched Jarrett's body while trying to poke the ball away."
After a pause, Paul immediately counter-attacked with a spiral of accusations: "And why does Jarrett get to say that about me? In this series, which game did he not hit me hard? Just this game alone, he kneed me in the groin at least three times! Do you know how painful it is to get kneed there by an opponent?"
Hearing this, Zack, knowing that Jack only looked honest on the surface, had to temporarily suspend his judgment on Paul. After all... considering that Jack had indeed used various methods to retaliate against Paul... this was a judgment where it was truly difficult for Judge Zack to rule who the true "villain" was.
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One day later, with his big brothers on the court stepping up big time, Paul, who scored 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 12 assists for the Jazz, successfully got his revenge at Oracle Arena.
Both Game 3 and Game 4, where the Warriors had to rely on Zack's high scoring to conquer the high-altitude home court in Salt Lake City, found them falling back into their old habit of taking things lightly, despite being up 3-1 and holding match point. But this time, Zack, who didn't understand what right his championship teammates had to be complacent, fumed after the game, "The Jazz's defensive intentions are already obvious. Because you guys just can't make shots, they can freely double-team me from all over the court."
"I don't want to say you're all useless, but the Jazz have already shown you with their defense that in their eyes, you are useless."
Zack's outburst had an immediate effect. In Game 6, at the Delta Center, the Warriors played with a rare offensive efficiency, with six players scoring in double digits, and they closed out the series with a 125-104 victory on the road.
Compared to last year, Zack knew very well that the Warriors' dominance had significantly declined. But Zack, who was about to lead his team to challenge the Sonics in the upcoming Western Conference Semifinals, still firmly stated after the game, "I never fear any opponent. I only fear opponents who aren't strong enough."
Unlike the Warriors, who needed six games to eliminate the Jazz, the Sonics easily swept the Spurs 4-0, even though Al Jefferson on the Spurs had always been a tough matchup for Yao Ming. This "Derby" about to unfold in the Western Conference Semifinals might very well be the first series since Zack entered the league where the Warriors are at a complete disadvantage in all aspects.
As the league's top team this year, the Sonics will have home-court advantage in this Western Conference Semifinals. And because the current short-handed Warriors can't push the pace like before, they are destined to try and break through in the upcoming Western Conference Semifinals through the Sonics' preferred half-court game. Plus, the Sonics, having advanced easily, will have even more time to prepare for the Warriors' challenge.
Without a doubt, Zack is now facing the most severe test of his life.
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