Utah's Brown makes most of opportunities By Steve Luhm The Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: 04/18/2007 02:53:41 AM MDT While the Jazz fell back and fumbled away home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs during the final weeks of the regular season, rookie point guard Dee Brown took a giant leap forward. Given a chance to play because of his season-long hard work and an injury to Gordan Giricek that thinned the Jazz's backcourt, Brown responded with his best stretch of basketball since those glorious days at the University of Illinois. In Utah's last five games, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 assists in 17.6 minutes. More significantly for a point guard who missed 16 of his first 18 three-point attempts and had opposing defenses sagging off of him, Brown shot extremely well. He went 10-for-19 from the field, including 4-for-8 from the three-point line. Brown has a simple reason for his late-season success. "Just getting the opportunity to play," he said before Tuesday's practice. "It's all about opportunity." And believing in one's ability. "The more confidence I get on the court, the more I'm going to produce," Brown said. "That's just how it is with me. When I get the chance, I'm confident, because I know I'll play hard and do what the coach wants me to do." A second-round draft pick, Brown appeared to be facing long odds of making the Jazz roster last summer, when he struggled with the switch from collegiate shooting guard to NBA point guard during the Rocky Mountain Revue. But Brown played well in the preseason, beat out free-agent Brian Chase for the No. 3 point guard job, and patiently waited his turn to get meaningful minutes. "It's hard to come into a game for three minutes, then sit for a couple of games, then get four minutes in the next game," said Deron Williams, the Jazz's starting point guard and Brown's buddy from their days at Illinois. "But when Dee's gotten playing time - especially lately - he's done well. His confidence is back on his shot a little bit and he's being a little more aggressive." Jazz coach Jerry Sloan agrees: "He's a young player and, obviously, there's a lot to learn in this league. But I think he's played pretty well. He's worked hard. . . . He always tries to run the offense and he's gotten more comfortable shooting the ball." It's likely Brown's extended minutes will end after tonight's regular-season finale against Houston. Usually, rotations tighten during the playoffs. Still, Brown has prospered in his rookie season and proved lately that a long career in the NBA is more probable than possible. "It's great to be on a winning team," he said. "I've been blessed by this opportunity. It's had its ups and downs - the not playing. But I understand the situation I'm in, and the winning, that helped a lot." [email protected] http://www.sltrib.com/ci_5693331 --

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