"I think we're physical, but I don't think we're a dirty team," the Jazz's Deron Williams said. "I don't think anybody on this team would try to hurt somebody intentionally."

The Jazz have long endured the "dirty" reputation, dating to their years of success with the relentless John Stockton and Karl Malone. And though McGrady said he meant the remark as a compliment - "absolutely," he said - the Jazz did not seem particularly interested in being flattered in that way.

"I do not think we're a cheap-shot team," forward Carlos Boozer said. "None of our guys is dirty."

McGrady had mentioned forward Matt Harpring specifically.

"He's a nasty player on the defensive end," McGrady told the Houston Chronicle. "They've got a couple. Taking cheap shots at times, sometimes getting away with it, sometimes not, taking hard fouls. But that's part of the game. They allow it. It's something we can deal with. ... They're really good at it. That's been Jerry Sloan's teams for years."

Harpring insisted he doesn't play dirty, but McGrady wasn't having it. "I must not be on the same court as him," McGrady said later. "That's his rep. ... [But] I respect the way he plays."

Coach Jerry Sloan said he wasn't surprised to hear the familiar refrain, but added that he "doesn't see that" in his team. "They're looking for an edge," he said. "I understand why he said that."