HOUSTON -- Before taking the floor against the Rockets for Game 5, Utah center Mehmet Okur kidded that he'd prefer the Jazz to win their first round playoff series against the Rockets in six games so that he wouldn't have to deal with Houston's humid climate.
Obviously, Okur didn't get what he was hoping for when the Jazz dropped Game 5. But if it's up to the Rockets, the center and his teammates won't have to leave Salt Lake City's cooler weather again this season.
The Rockets will have two chances to close out their series against the Jazz, beginning with Thursday night's Game 6 in Salt Lake City. They're hoping they'll only need to use one of them.
Holding a 3-2 edge in a best-of-seven series that has been dominated by the home team, the Rockets can clinch their first trip to the Western Conference semifinals since 1997 with a road win and avoid a winner-takes-all Game 7 in Houston.
Rockets aiming to end first round series in Utah