Every time he turns around, it seems, the Jazz's Deron Williams is having to insist that his team's NBA Western Conference semifinal playoff series against Golden State does not depend on how he plays against counterpart Baron Davis.

But he might be the only one who believes it.

Many of his teammates and opponents - even Davis himself - said they believe the best-of-seven series that continues with Game 2 tonight at EnergySolutions Arena ultimately will be determined by which of the bullish point guards can get the better of the other.

"I think so," Davis said. "Both teams rely heavily on their point guards to score and to make plays, so that's going to be overall deciding factor of the series, I think."

And if the series opener is any indication, the game within the game is going to be riveting theater.

A second-year pro, Williams scored a playoff-high 31 points to lead the Jazz to an exhausting and dramatic 116-112 victory in Game 1, fearlessly challenging the veteran Davis practically from the opening tip.

Yet Davis hardly backed down, scoring 24 points even if he couldn't quite keep up at the end while nursing a sore hamstring and fighting a cold.

"It's not about me and Baron," Williams said for probably the thousandth time in the past few days. "I just have to play well for us to have a chance, you know? I'm just going to keep being aggressive, as far as that's concerned."

Aggressive?

Yeah, Williams certainly managed that.

In fact, the opening minutes provided as exhilarating a preview as anyone would need of what was to come - Williams putting his head down and driving hard past Davis to pick up a foul and free throws, but Davis viciously rejecting his shot when Williams tried the same move on the next possession.

"Those are probably two of the top five point guards in the league, and they're going to be battling it out the whole series," the Jazz's Carlos Boozer said. "I would say Willy won the first battle, and I know Davis is going to be ready for Game 2 and I expect Willy to play the same - be aggressive, attack. If he ends up shooting 20 shots a night, that's what he has to do. It's going to be that kind of series. It's a guard-oriented series, and I know Willy's up for the challenge."

Looked like it, for sure.

On and on through Game 1, Williams bulled past Davis, absorbing his body checks and twisting him around on the fast break, and only occasionally letting one of the most highly regarded players in the league get loose for an open jumper or a fast-break lay-up. All of it was crucial for a Jazz team playing without veteran guard Derek Fisher, who missed Game 1 for family reasons and could miss Game 2, as well.

Williams "played big," Golden State's Jason Richardson said. "He won the game for them. We can't let him have big games like that, where he's just scoring and dishing the ball out. . . . We have to slow him down."

That was one of the few things the Warriors could talk about at practice Tuesday, finding a way to contain Williams.

"He's very crafty," Golden State's Al Harrington said. "He can get his own shot any time he wants. And he's strong. He's the only guy I've ever seen back down Baron."

The funny thing is, though, the Warriors seemed to do a wonderful job of corralling Williams during the regular season, when Williams averaged just nine points per game and shot only 28.9 percent. Williams shrugged off the difference, saying he's simply shooting better now, hitting 53.3 percent in his past three games, including 6 for 13 from three-point range.

But Boozer said the playoffs and the challenge of facing Davis are bringing out the best in his teammate.

"He thrives in a situation like this, when all the stakes are on the table," Boozer said. "You really do win or go home. We have seven games to beat this team and guys step up, and he definitely did a great job of that."

It wasn't just the scoring, either.

Williams handed out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds, and helped the Jazz slow the pace at least somewhat in the second half after being prodded into a run-and-gun first half whose pace favored the Warriors.

Now, all he has to do is be ready for Davis to come back at him hard - though he definitely has his coach's blessing to deal with it however he sees fit.

"He's the point guard and he can play how he feels like," coach Jerry Sloan said. "If he needs to go to the basket, go ahead and go. If he needs to pass and back out if things get tight, he has that luxury. You can't handcuff a guy and tell him to stay on the three-point line. He is a smart player and tries to keep things under control, that is the most important thing."

mcl@sltrib.com

Turning it up

The Jazz's Deron Williams did not feast on Golden State in the regular season the way he did in Game 1 of the NBA's Western Conference semifinals:

Date Pts FG Rebs Assts Result

Nov. 4 8 3-9 4 4 Jazz, 106-82

Nov. 25 14 5-14 3 8 Warriors, 91-78

March 20 10 4-14 5 17 Jazz, 104-100

April 9 4 1-8 4 3 Warriors, 126-102