And finally, amid all the tributes and congratulations, Jerry Sloan could hold back no longer. After the Jazz's 101-79 thrashing of the Mavericks was complete and his 1,000th victory was official, Sloan addressed the players who had earned it for him.
"He said, 'Practice tomorrow at 10 o'clock,' '' recounted Carlos Boozer.
That sentimental softy.
But if the forever stoic Sloan seemed something less than dazzled by his own personal achievement - he is only the fifth coach ever to join the 1,000-victory club - he still had plenty of reason to be proud on Monday.
Or at least impressed by his team. Facing a talented, rested opponent on a hot streak, the Jazz, for at least one night, resembled the juggernaut their 16-5 record suggests. Boozer was unstoppable around the basket, scoring 31 points with 11 rebounds, Deron Williams was electric offensively with 18 points and seven assists, and Matt Harpring's 13-point second quarter allowed the Jazz to stretch their lead into double figures, where it stayed for all but 53 seconds the rest of the night.
Meanwhile the Jazz, mixing in a dense zone with energetic man-to-man coverage, limited Dallas to a series of outside shots that fell only occasionally, dominated the glass against a decent rebounding team, and held the 14-7 Mavericks to a season-worst 37.7 percent shooting.
"We did a good job defensively," said Sloan, notoriously skeptical of each of his 1,000 wins. "We defended like we meant to stop them, and that's half the battle."
Against Dallas, stopping Dirk Nowitzki is more like three-fourths of the battle, at least for the often-burned Jazz. Maybe it was the history in the air, because never has Nowitzki inflicted a more harmless 26 points on Utah. He got to the free-throw line nine times in the first quarter, when referees awarded the game's first 18 free throws to Dallas, and the veteran All-Star appeared primed for another big night.
But he stuck to perimeter shots for long stretches and made only 9 of 19 shots. Even his 12-point second quarter didn't matter, not with his teammates producing 3-for-15 shooting around him. "We had to have a lot of help. You don't play against him without a tremendous amount of help," Sloan said. "He didn't shoot the ball like he usually does."
The most damage Nowitzki ended up inflicting was on Derek Fisher's head, when the pair's skulls collided after being knocked to the floor. Both players recovered, but the Mavs really never did.
Nowitzki hit a driving layup midway through the second quarter, but Harpring was already on a roll that Dallas couldn't counter. In a little more than three minutes, Harpring hit a fast-break layup, a nifty reverse layup on the run, three free throws, and a spinning drive to the basket that the Mavs simply stood and watched.
From there, the game was never in doubt, given that the Jazz have now won 33 straight games they led entering the fourth quarter. And given that Boozer was abusing an interior defense that often seemed nonexistent.
"He was able to get shots in there for a period of time," said Sloan. "I don't have a problem going back to him over and over."
No, the problems were all Dallas', for a change. The Mavs had won seven of the last eight meetings, mostly because of Nowitzki. Now the Jazz have a bruising forward of their own to counter with.
"You get it to Carlos and he's taking it right to the hole," said Williams, who nearly matched Dallas' total of eight assists all by himself. "Really, you can't stop him with one guy."
And when the Jazz play like that - it's been a few weeks, hasn't it? - there haven't been many teams able to stop the Jazz, either. Nor their coach from reaching NBA history.
"It was great for him to hear the fans [chanting] while the game was continuing," Boozer said. "We are very proud of him and we are glad to be a part of it."
Doesn't seem like he was, though.
"I'm glad all that's behind us," said the guest of honor.
pmiller@sltrib.com
