But after riding Boozer's strong play to the Western Conference finals, the Jazz watched Game 1 against San Antonio slip away in the first half Sunday, when Boozer made just 1 of 6 shots and his team fell behind by as many as 19 points.

"My first half was terrible," Boozer said. "They did a great job taking me out a little bit. Got a couple fouls and that second quarter, they really took it to us."

Boozer scored 16 of his 20 points in the second half as the Jazz made a game of it after trailing by as many as 19 in the second half. Even in the fourth quarter, Boozer still missed a 13-footer with the chance to close to 95-89 with 2:08 left.

It was overall a maddening game for Boozer, who like so many of his teammates was playing in the conference finals for the first time. He picked up the two early fouls and didn't score his first basket until the 3:32 mark of the second quarter.

By then, the Jazz already trailed by 14 points. Boozer got the bulk of his points thanks to offensive rebounds, struggled with his jumper and played the last 7:57 with five personals after crashing into Bruce Bowen and drawing a charging foul.

He took several awkward shots, including a spinning jumper to open the third quarter, and also committed five turnovers. The Jazz were outscored 34-10 on points in the paint in the first half, normally Boozer's department.

Once again it came back to the first-quarter foul trouble, a subject with which the Jazz have been all too familiar in the playoffs.

"I just got to be a little bit more aggressive," Boozer said, "Some of (the fouls) came, I was trying to help out and I got back slower. I got to be able to trust my teammates where if I go, somebody's going to take my man."

"Regardless of foul trouble," Boozer added, "you've just got to go out there and play, lay it out there and somebody else will have your back."

The featured matchup between Boozer and San Antonio's Tim Duncan, arguably the two best post players in these playoffs, failed to materialize. But Boozer and the Jazz have experienced games like Sunday's already in these playoffs.

Boozer made just 4 of 17 shots in the Jazz's playoff opener against Houston, then matched his career high by scoring 41 points in Game 2. The Jazz can only hope Boozer responds in the same way in Game 2 against San Antonio on Tuesday.

"That's what you learn to do," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "If you want to be recognized in this league and be there every day, that's what it is all about. You have a bad game, you jump right back into it and go at it again."

It also was Boozer who offered the Jazz encouragement after they suffered a second-quarter blowout in Game 3 of the conference semifinals against Golden State. Boozer pointed to the strong second half the Jazz played that night as reason for confidence.

The Jazz lost the second quarter 36-21 Sunday but outplayed the Spurs in the second half, which they won 64-54. "If we can rectify that in Game 2," Boozer said, "and play four solid quarters, we'll have a better chance."