Nathan (Richmond, UT):: What chance do you give the Jazz winning both games in Salt Lake City, and who has to be the key factor for them to win.

J.A. Adande: (3:06 PM ET ) A great chance to win one, but I really don't see them winning both. The Lakers have been in control the entire series so far. Utah needs Deron Williams to carry over that aggressiveness he showed at the end of Game 2, and they need something, anything resembling a star night from Carlos Boozer. Which leads us to...

DR (UT): Why do you think Carlos Boozer has been struggling so much lately?

J.A. Adande: (3:08 PM ET ) I think his back is bothering him much more than Utah is letting on. He has a heat pad wrapped around it before games, and on the sidelines when he comes out. it doesn't help that he's been stuck on the bench with foul trouble, so he can't get up and down the court to get loose. But the Jazz don't talk about that stuff. I think Jerry Sloan would give a beatdown to anyone who complains about an injury

Kelly, CA: Hey J.A.! Hope you have a great weekend buddy. My question for you is: Do you believe Steve Nash and Dirk Nowizki were really worth the MVP award? I'm not a hater of either, but it just seems to me that an MVP should be someone who makes a difference on both ends of the floor. That's one thing people have said about this years MVP Kobe Bryant, how he affects the game on offense and defense. It just seems to me that as great as Nash and Nowitzki are on offense, I don't think they've played a day of defense in their life.

J.A. Adande: (3:12 PM ET ) I don't have a problem with Dirk and Nash's MVPs. Part of value to a team is executing the system, and I don't think either of their defense was vital to the way those teams played. It didn't keep them from having 60-win seasons. Shaq was a worthy MVP when he couldn't make free throws. And there have been weaknesses in Kobe's defense as well. It's pretty rare when you have an MVP nominee who's also a candidate for defensive player of the year

Ken (Logan, UT): Many Jazz fans believe (I do not) there is a conspriracy to get the Lakers and Celtics together in the finals. Looking at the amount of foul shots the lakers took vs. the jazz could there be some truth to there concerns?

J.A. Adande: (3:27 PM ET ) Or there could just be some truth to the fact that the Jazz foul a lot and the Lakers are going to get those calls at home. the Lakers don't expect to go to the line that much in Utah. And please stop with the conspiracy theories, unless you're willing to apply them to other sports just as equally. That being said, I'm not sure if I'm the league I'd have "The Bourne Conspiracy" as a sponsor. Given the way people feel about the NBA, is it really wise to have the word "conspiracy" anywhere near the product

DR (San Jose, CA): My comment is in regards to Derek Fisher and his leaving of the Jazz. I respect Derek Fisher and who he is as a person; however, I am bothered that he continues to say that he left Salt Lake for better medical care for his daughter. I don't buy that at all. I work in the medical field, and Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City is one of the finest in the world. In my opinion he wanted out of his contract for more playing time at the point, and he used his daughter to get out of his contract. And then there is the Jazz. You don't just let someone of Fisher's caliber out of their contract. There was no attempt to trade him to a city that had so called better medical care.

J.A. Adande: (3:32 PM ET ) Of course there are great doctors in Utah, but are there specialists in his daughter's rare eye cancer? Derek says the No. 1 guy is in New York, and the No. 2 guy who works closely with the top guy is in L.A. Plus his wife is from California. Instead of criticizing Fisher, why don't we give the Jazz credit for letting him out.

Ben (NYC): JA!!! Stuck in the rut of finals (and rainy NY weather). Answering a question would definitely lighten up the day. What do you expect out of Bynum next year? How formidable would the Lakers be with as a result of his addition?

J.A. Adande: (3:39 PM ET ) There's no way to know how he'll fit in with Gasol there, how he'll come back from this injury. Fortunately I'm not the one who has to make $50 million or so decision on this like the Lakers do. They can extend his contract this summer, but do they have enough evidence to convince them to do so? Would it throw the team out of whack to have Bynum playing for a contract next season? For a team that's as set as the Lakers appear to be right now, this is one major issue

Mike (SLC): Whether you want to believe Fisher or not, I take the view that Derek said it was for family reasons, so take it at face value and move on. (Now if he would just start shooting about 20%)


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Adam Forgie (Columbia, MO): I'm a huge Jazz fan, I'm from Utah. I was at the 'Derek Fisher' playoff game last year when he came back from NYC. It really bothers me that other Jazz fans would boo him. It was the best moment of Utah's season last year, and the greatest live sporting event I've ever seen! Way to ruin it Jazz fans!


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Andy (Newport Beach): Is there anything Kobe can do to galvanize his status as GOAT? If he wins 4 more rings, at least one more MVP, and is MVP of the Finals on at least 3 out of the 4 times they win - does that put him firmly in the discussion with his airness?

J.A. Adande: (3:43 PM ET ) That's pretty much the criteria. For now, I'd still take MJ, although I'll say this: I'd rather have Kobe take the last shot.


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Jon (NC): the Lakers should pay Bynum the max and avoid the contract issue.

Danny Tulare, CA: If the Lakers were to win or even make the NBA finals without Andrew Bynum. Would it make sense to trade him for say a Shawn Marion. I feel Lamar is better suited to play the four spot and with Andrew back; Lamar would creat spacing issues because he is not an outside shooter. Andrew is still a few years from realizing his full potential and getting Marion in his prime would make a scary line up for opponets: PG Fisher SG-Bryant SF-Marion PF-Odom C- Gasol

J.A. Adande: (3:55 PM ET ) That would be a good move because Marion would help the defense and he showed in Phoenix he could be effective surviving on the scraps leftover from the other players and not having his number called. And in the triangle offense he'd get more touches.

Jason (Brooklyn): You'd only have Kobe shooting that shot because you've seen him back to back series against teams that won't double him in key situations and you haven't seen 29 year old Jordan in 15 years. Watch the 93 finals again, and I bet you change your tune.

J.A. Adande: (3:58 PM ET ) No, I saw Kobe hit those two crazy shots in Portland at the end of '04, and have come to the conclusion he's the greatest tough shot maker in NBA history. Of course, part of Jordan's genius is that he could create easy shots, sometimes out of nothing. But if I'm in a situation with 1 second left, not enough time to really make a move, I'd go with Kobe. (If there's .4 seconds left I'm running a play for Derek Fisher)


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RL: Utah fans seem to ignore the fact that Fisher gave up close to $7mm to move to LA, and that LA was in complete disarray when he joined the team. Why would he do that if not for his daughters well-being?

J.A. Adande: (3:59 PM ET ) I'd say one thing is that he had the chance to get his big-money contract with Golden State, then didn't get to play in the playoffs and wound up bakcing up Baron Davis. So he was at a point where money wasn't the primary factor


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Tom (MPLS): The biggest shot of Derek Fisher's career?? How about when he hit the prayer against San Antonio with .4 seconds left in game 5 of the western conference finals in 2004?

J.A. Adande: (4:01 PM ET ) Read my story. he explains why

Spurs Not Lakers, (austin, tx): J.A. rate my next comment on a scale of 1-10 in craziness. The Conference Finals will be Spurs vs. Lakers and the Cavs vs. Magic. I wont go any further in my prediction box as to not embarass myself anymore. How crazy am I to think that could still happen?

J.A. Adande: (4:05 PM ET ) That's an 11. You're calling on 3 teams to come back from 0-2 and win when it's only happened 13 times out of 211. That's as farfetched as some of the stuff on "Lost", which means......

J.A. Adande: (4:06 PM ET ) SPOILER ALERT. Time for some Lost talk. Back for more NBA chat action next week


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Travis, SLC: The conspiracy is Boozer playing like donkey $#@^. Being a Jazz fan makes my heart cry sometimes because of all the Utah homers making reasonable fans look bad. What do you think of the "Other" that doesn't age that was recruiting Locke by the time he was born?

J.A. Adande: (4:07 PM ET ) I'm intrigued by the possibility that Richard isn't immortal, he's just constantly time traveling from a certain point in his life. Hmm, maybe Locke is his constant?

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