Boozer not bothered by boos from Jazz fans
The irony wasn’t lost on Carlos Boozer. After so many years and hundreds of games spent on the receiving end of Deron Williams’ pick-and-roll passes, Boozer picked one off at a key moment in Wednesday’s game at Utah.
The steal occurred with about 34 seconds left, while the Bulls clung to a 1-point lead. It led to a pair of Derrick Rose free throws as the Bulls went on to defeat the Jazz 91-86.
“D-Will’s one of the best passers in the game, by far,” Boozer said. “He was hitting pocket passes all over the place. At the end of the game, we did a better job of shrinking the floor, trying to get hands on it.”
Boozer’s return to Utah was the dominant story Wednesday, and Jazz fans booed the high-scoring power forward at every opportunity. He didn’t play his best game, finishing with 14 points and 6 rebounds.
“When the whole arena is booing you, it has to be tough,” Rose said.
Boozer tried to take the high road by claiming he loved the six years he spent in Utah. In three of those seasons he missed at least 30 games because of injuries, which didn’t sit well in Salt Lake.
“It’s just part of the game,” Boozer said. “Sometimes you change teams and come back to the arena you’d been in for six years. It’s not a monster game or the biggest game of the season. It’s just another game and we’ve got to keep winning.”
In one sense, the frustration of Jazz fans was validated in the fact that Boozer’s two replacements had big nights. Ex-Minnesota center Al Jefferson scored 26 points, while Paul Millsap added 20.
This came two days after Portland center LaMarcus Aldridge scored a career-high 42 points against the Bulls. The return of Joakim Noah could solve many of those issues, but it has been clear that Boozer is far from the best individual defender in the game.
The Bulls are one of the league’s best defensive teams, though, and so was Utah when Boozer played there. So it’s clear that he can fit into a strong defensive scheme.
Asked about Boozer’s defense, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau seemed to choose his words carefully.
“The thing is, he’s one of the best rebounders in the league and that’s a big part of defense,” Thibodeau said before the Utah game. “Right now our defense is not tied together. We have to get back to that. Guys are going to look bad individually if you don’t have the proper and appropriate help.
“Every night you’re going to be facing two or three star players that are going to be difficult to guard individually and your help defense has to be great.”
Jerry Sloan surprised the NBA world by stepping down as Utah’s head coach Thursday. A day earlier it seemed to be business as usual when he commented on Boozer’s defensive performance with the Jazz.
“He’s a team basketball player,” Sloan said. “I never thought he was a selfish guy. We ran a lot of post-ups and things like that for him because that’s where he was very effective.
“Offensively, if you’re selfish, I think that carries over into the defense, too. But I never thought he was a selfish player.”