"The world's not over," Boozer said. "It's not going to cave in on us."

Maybe not, but all of Jazzland certainly awakened to a changing landscape in this playoff series with Houston, thanks to the Rockets' 94-92 victory Thursday.

It was the kind of game that everybody keeps playing over and over, to the degree that everything becomes distorted. Boozer, for instance, kept saying how Carl Landry's block of Deron Williams' driving shot in the last couple of seconds prevented overtime.

In reality, the Jazz trailed by one point at that moment; a Houston free throw provided the final margin.

Guessing what will happen in tonight's Game 4 at EnergySolutions Arena is even tougher than remembering what happened Thursday.

At this point in the proceedings, there's no handy script to follow.

A year after these teams staged a seven-game series that was five minutes away from having the home team win every game, the home team has lost every game this time. So now what?

Take your pick:

* Planets stop colliding, and the Jazz restore the home-court dominance and fourth-quarter finishing ability they have demonstrated all season, maintaining control of the series.

* Tracy McGrady continues his personal comeback, the Jazz never recover from the devastating ending of Game 3 and they crumble, losing the series in a way nobody could have imagined.

Your thoughts, Jerry Sloan?

"We'll see," the Jazz coach said before Friday's practice, and that's about all anybody can say for sure until late tonight.

I know this: As much as it would seem that one game spills over to the next in a playoff series, it hardly ever happens.

There's no such thing as momentum or any kind of lasting swing, because emotions are so variable. While the Rockets altered the series outlook in Game 3, they did not permanently affect the outcome - yet.

Just look at the Jazz-Golden State series last spring: After the Jazz's emotional victory featuring Derek Fisher's late arrival and Williams' overtime-forcing shot in Game 2, they were crushed in Game 3.

Riding the vibes of Baron Davis' posterizing dunk over Andrei Kirilenko at the end of that game, the Warriors turned around and lost Game 4 at home, effectively ending the series.

That's why Boozer could say of Thursday's defeat, "It's one game. We have to continue to stay confident, stay poised."

That's not to say all the paranoia in town is unjustified. Now that the Jazz's home-court aura is punctured, McGrady's fourth-quarter failings have been reversed and the return from injury of point guard Rafer Alston has lifted the Rockets, this series suddenly has a much different feel.

While it's true the Jazz would have taken two wins in the first three games, no questions asked, the way they arrived here is hardly the expected route. So where do we go from here?

Tonight's game is the 21st playoff contest over two years for the modern-era Jazzmen, and there's no blueprint for it. It's not a close-out game or an elimination game, but it's in the same area code. And anybody who witnessed the Jazz's fourth-quarter performance Thursday would have to wonder what they'll do tonight, under tougher circumstances.

"Our offense got a little stagnant," Williams said. "I think we felt the pressure a little bit, I guess."

In Game 4, there will be even more heat. How the Jazz respond will say a lot about where's they're headed, and not just in this series.

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* KURT KRAGTHORPE can be reached at kkragthorpe@sltrib.com. To write a letter about this or any sports topic, send an e-mail to sportseditor@sltrib.com.