Yeah, he would have too.
"That guy, he made the score very simple for Minnesota," Kirilenko said, as though not quite certain who this Eddie Griffin character is. "He wouldn't stop and we couldn't stop him. . . . As you see, I'm still a little struggle."
Everything was a little struggle for the Jazz against the Wolves, who handed Utah a 91-77 defeat made all the more crushing by its relative ease against a team that, in the wake of a feel-good win in Portland one night earlier, believed it was ready to put up a fight.
Instead, the Jazz reverted to their volleyball ways under the basket, missing a dozen layups and slogging to a 37.7 shooting percentage. And when the Jazz appeared in position to steal a victory they really hadn't earned, trailing by just five with four minutes left, the Timberwolves simply released the hounds, blitzing Utah with 12 points in a minute and a half, dropping the Jazz to a dismal 2-7 at home, and dismaying the hero of the previous night's win.
"It's not acceptable," declared point guard Milt Palacio, who found Minnesota's interior defense quite a bit stingier than Portland's. "It's frustrating for me because I see some guys putting their heads down a little bit when things get tough and they miss shots."
Griffin had something to do with that, missing a dominating triple-double by just two blocks. The 6-foot-10 forward racked up a season-high 14 points, 11 rebounds, 8 blocked shots and a handful of "Who is this guy?" head shakes from Jazz shooters.
"He's a beast," marveled Wally Szczerbiak, who wasn't bad himself on the offensive end, finishing with 26 points, including a couple of three-point daggers in the fourth quarter. "That guy has just been incredible. . . . He's blocking every shot and getting every rebound, rotating superbly on defense."
The Jazz used to have a guy like that, an amiable Russian fellow who turned into the Iron Curtain when unleashed on opposing offenses. But Kirilenko isn't the same player since returning a week ago from a sprained ankle. Physically, he's having no problem. Mentally, though, as he puts it, "I'm a little not in control yet."
Kirilenko made only three of 10 shots, bringing his shooting since his return to 9-for-29, or 31.0 percent, and his season mark to a sorry 34.3. He blocked four shots, grabbed nine rebounds and seemed comfortable defensively. Offensively, though, he's a mess - forcing bad passes, dribbling into traffic, and missing even open jumpers.
"I still can't find my game. All my shots are a little different than last year. I don't have position for layups for some reason. I probably need to talk to coach a little bit to do something different.
Part of the problem, he said, is he feels lost on the floor, neglected and confused.
"I'm kind of running in the offense, I'm playing, playing, playing, and like, for three or four times, I don't touch the ball. It's hard to play without touching the ball," Kirilenko said earnestly. "At the beginning of the season, I pass much more than right now. I just don't get the ball - that's the most problem. I don't mean, 'Give me the ball and everybody get away and I have to shoot.' I mean, sometimes involve me. [I will] touch the ball, probably swing the ball, run a play. Sometimes I don't feel involved in the set. It's hard."
A lot of things are hard for the Jazz these days, at least when the Trail Blazers aren't in the building. Even their old standby - when Mehmet Okur takes 15 shots, the Jazz win - couldn't save them from a Wolves attack that mixes Szczerbiak outside with Kevin Garnett (21 points and six boards) inside. Okur took 19 shots, but one night after nailing outside jumpers, he couldn't even make the short ones. Okur missed seven shots from inside 10 feet, and nobody but Jarron Collins (4-for-5, 10 points and seven boards) could make up the difference.
Or stop Griffin, for that matter.
pmiller@sltrib.com
T-wolves 91,
Jazz 77
IN SHORT - The good feelings produced by a victory in Portland were dashed by Utah's inability to contain Eddie Griffin inside and Wally Szczerbiak outside.
KEY STAT - The Jazz committed just seven turnovers through the first three periods - then six more in the fourth quarter alone.
KEY MOMENT - The Jazz were in position for a fourth-quarter push, trailing by five with four minutes to play. But Szczerbiak, left wide open by the Jazz defense, hit a three-pointer that sparked a 9-0 run that took just 65 seconds.
