The first thing I noticed talking to the Rockets about their opening playoff series vs Utah , is that Rick Adelman has nothing but love for Jazz coach Jerry Sloan. The two men have a history. They were teammates back in the 70's with the Chicago Bulls. Adelman got to see Sloan's tenacity up close and personal and he never saw a more hard nosed player. "If you played with Jerry you respected how hard he worked, if you played against him you hated him," said Adelman.

Back in the day, Sloan and Chicago guard Norm Van Lier were the "Bruise Brothers". Sloan was consistently on the N.B.A. All-Defensive First Team leaving the competition black and blue along the way.
"He was a 6'6 guard who lead our team in rebounding , the guy was the tougest competitor I every saw." "He was a mean guy who intimidated players, He got after Pete Maravich so bad one day all Pete would do was shoot 30 footers ." According to Adelman that's just the way Jerry was , and it's the way he wants the Utah Jazz to play . "He would not back down from anyone , he would do whatever it took to take someone out of their game."
Physical play has become the trademark of the Utah Jazz , its been their style for 20 years . But now you know where it comes from.

Sloan has built the Jazz in his own image, so for the Rockets to have a shot they must not get pushed around. Shane Battier says , "its like dealing with a bully if you hit him in the mouth first he'll think twice before he comes back."

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