The literal description also could have applied for Deron Williams. There was no looking back to the bench by the Jazz's third-year point guard, as coach Jerry Sloan called plays on just two of the 20 offensive possessions while Williams was in the game.

More than he ever did with John Stockton, Sloan has given Williams both the freedom and responsibility to direct the Jazz's offense. It's perhaps the greatest testament on the trust the soon-to-be 66-year-old coach has in his 23-year-old star.

How often does what Williams is thinking with the ball in his hands correspond to what Sloan is thinking on the Jazz bench?

"Pretty close,'' said Sloan, whose team will try to break the Boston Celtics' 10-game winning streak tonight. "That's the amazing thing about it. You watch and see what he does, that's why I've said all along he's a very smart basketball player.

"He has a feel what we're trying to accomplish, I think, with our team. He's been here through 2 1/2 years. He's gone through some ups and downs with it. I've gotten in his way a few times. He's fought out of it."

Williams said Sloan has largely allowed him to call plays since the middle of last season. Sloan still reserves the right to step in at any time, as he did in the second half of Wednesday's game, rarely letting more than two possessions go by without a call.

"Sometimes he just lets me go,'' Williams said. "There's been games where he barely calls any plays. There's been games where he calls the whole game. It's just a feeling out there."

Williams has had an incredible March so far, averaging 19.4 points and 14.9 assists in seven games, and said he feels confident in knowing how to mix up plays and get the ball to hot shooters.

"I can tell when we've taken too many outside shots and we need to get it inside," Williams said, "we haven't ran a play in a while and think it might work or you see a mismatch and you want to attack some person. There's just things you look for out there as a point guard on the floor."

Sloan drew the distinction between Stockton and Williams in a Chicago Tribune story this week, saying Williams "has the tremendous luxury to run the team, probably more so than anyone I've ever coached."

"It seemed [Stockton] wanted us to call plays, so we did,'' Sloan added. "Deron, he calls an awful lot. It's different personalities. He looks at us a little, but basically he sees what's going on."

With the Jazz trying to put away the Bucks in the second half, Sloan was out of his seat and made calls eight times in the third quarter, whether it was specific plays or encouraging Williams to push the ball.

In the first quarter, one of the few plays Sloan called was a double high screen that resulted in a layup for Carlos Boozer. In the third quarter, Sloan took control, calling plays designed for everyone from Boozer to Andrei Kirilenko to Williams.

The freedom Williams has does not extend to backup Ronnie Price. When Price spells Williams at the end of the first and third quarters, Sloan resumes calling plays, especially when the Jazz are playing the two-for-one possession game.

"He's a great point guard,'' Price said of Williams, "and when you're in the middle of the game, you know what plays are working and you know who needs a touch at a certain time."

For his part, Boozer said the Jazz were better served the more plays Williams was able to call on his own. "I hate looking back at the bench because then everybody knows our play,'' Boozer said. "The other team has time to react, if they've done their homework scouting.

"Running down the court, we might miss something," Boozer added, "especially the way he's passing the ball. If you're [not] looking at him, he might hit you in the back of the head with the ball. For us, it's better that he's quarterbacking the team."

rsiler@sltrib.com

Jazz at Celtics

5:30 p.m., FSN

Point break

Deron Williams has had a sensational month for the Jazz, averaging 19.4 points and 14.8 assists. A look at Williams' numbers month by month this season:

Month Games Pts Ast

Oct./Nov. 17 19.0 8.7

Dec. 16 19.8 8.8

Jan. 13 18.2 11.6

Feb. 13 19.7 10.5

March 7 19.4 14.9