One thing opposing fans (and even some players) say over and over again is the Jazz play dirty. It was heard again during the Jazz-Rockets series. That opinion seems as consistent as the Jazz's won-loss record. So I'll put it to you experts. In your opinion, do the Jazz play dirty or do they just play hard?

-- A Jazz fan for over 20 years

Answer:

Over the years, I think the Jazz have played hard, not dirty.

There is a difference that will require a little explanation.

Ever since John Stockton knocked the wind out of David Robinson with a legal back screen many years ago and a sheepish Admiral had to explain to reporters why he had been floored by a 175-pound point guard, the Jazz have had to live with accusations that they are dirty.

I believe Robinson's complaint was the first time I ever heard an opposing player accuse Stockton or the Jazz of being dirty. After Robinson's comments, however, others quickly parroted the notion to the point that it became fact in the minds of many.

I remember another center, Scott Hastings, complaining about Stockton's screens during the 1994 playoffs between Denver and Utah. I also remember thinking Hastings talked far more than he played and he would likely end up as a TV analyst.

It happened, of course.

Frankly, I think Stockton's willingness to set screens is one of the most amazing aspects of his amazing career. Every night for 19 seasons, he was called upon to set cross screens for Karl Malone and others, which meant getting his teeth rattled by players who often outweighed him by 100 pounds.

I've always thought it was easy to accuse a team or a player of being dirty when they routinely embarrass you. It takes your shortcomings out of the spotlight and puts the attention on something else. In my opinion, that's what happened to Stockton and the Jazz over the years, to come extent.

Hey, if the coach is yelling at you for getting screened by the other team's point guard, cry "foul" and hope everyone believes you.

I remember one night in a game at Houston, Stockton was bringing the ball up the floor against heavy pressure by a young point guard Matt Maloney. As he crossed halfcourt, Stockton threw out his arm to create some space and he accidentally smacked Maloney in the face.

Stockton was called for a foul on the play, and rightfully so. But is that a dirty play?

I don't think so. It was a basketball play, like Carlos Boozer's unintentional smack to the face that cost Houston's Carl Landry a tooth in the first round of the playoffs.

When a player intentionally tries to injure another player, that's what I consider a dirty play.

- Like Chris Webber clothes-lining Stockton with a forearm across the sternum in the opening 10 seconds of a Utah-Sacramento playoff game because, he admitted later, Webber didn't like the way the Jazz had physically dominated Game 1 and that he wanted to set a different tone.

- Like Dennis Rodman undercutting Tom Chambers from behind on a rebound attempt. Chambers crashed to the floor on his back and tailbone at the Alamodome but somehow avoided serious injury.

- Like Kenyon Martin racing in from behind and shoving Karl Malone who, after running at top speed, was in the air on a layup attempt. Malone crashed into the backboard support in the final moments of a Jazz win at New Jersey in 2001 but was unhurt.

Those are dirty plays.

Stockton's accidental shot to Maloney's face does not fall into the same category as Webber's clothesline, Rodman's undercut or Martin's full-speed push in the back.

Remember, there is a difference between basketball plays and dirty plays.

I know one of Malone's most infamous moments came in 1991. Detroit's Isiah Thomas drove to the basket, caught an elbow above the eye and suffered a bloody six-stitch gash (Urban legend has it that Thomas' cut required 40 stitches, but that's not true. I know because I have talked to the doctor who stitched him up).

For years, Detroit fans and those around the league who disliked Malone and Utah have pointed to this play as a prime example of the Jazz being a dirty team.

I can tell you what I saw, and I have watched the tape at least 50 times over the years. I saw Thomas drive and I saw Malone come to meet him. I saw Thomas raise the ball over his head and start to shoot a layup. At the last second, I saw Thomas make a slight double-pump with the ball, apparently as he tried to avoid having the shot blocked. I saw Malone, who without a doubt was prepared to commit a hard foul on the play, adjust and make a swipe at the ball. At that point, his elbow dropped slightly and it smacks into Thomas' forehead.

Significantly, a routine foul was the original call. The officials did not see anything out of the ordinary while the play was happening. The foul was called flagrant only after the Pistons - most notably Bill Laimbeer, Darrell Walker and Rodman - started jumping around and yelling at the referees.

Did Malone commit a hard foul with bloody results? No question.

But did Malone line up Thomas, make no attempt to make a basketball play and simply try to knock his head off? Was it premeditated, as the Pistons claimed?

Not from what I could tell.

One more thing about the question of the Jazz being dirty.

I know Jerry Sloan fairly well. I have watched his teams play for 20 years. I know the respect he has for the game of basketball and I know how appreciative he is of what it's done for him and his family. Despite what some might think, Sloan would never tolerate blatant unsportsmanlike conduct by anyone on his team. If a Jazz player tried to intentionally injure an opponent, he would have to deal with Sloan before facing the wrath of the NBA.

During his career, Sloan played with ferocity. He even threw a punch or two. But it was a different time and a different NBA - survival of the fittest, actually.

Since he's been coaching the Jazz, Sloan demands aggressiveness and toughness from his players. He expects them to give every ounce of energy they have to win basketball games. But he does not preach or tolerate dirty play.

There is a difference between playing hard and playing dirty ... between setting a solid screen and tripping an opponent as he runs up the floor ... between boxing out on a rebound and undercutting an opponent from behind.