This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Jazz's Deron Williams spoke with the media following a Friday morning shootaround at EnergySolutions Arena.
Williams on Los Angeles Lakers: "I think it's the best team in basketball. Regardless of records they're defending champs; they've been together for years now. I feel like they've gotten better, so this is a good test for us."Lakers' length: "We play fast, we play Francisco, it adds length. Al is a little bit longer than Booze is."New Jazz roster vs. Lakers: "It's a good test for us. We love playing these guys, because they have been the best team in basketball for a couple years now."Pau Gasol: "It starts with Phil. Kobe definitely is the best player in basketball. You could argue Pau is the MVP of this team this year; what he's doing night in and night out."Mental toughness: "We usually play good against them except for one little stretch, where they just kind of blow us out of the water. We just have to stay poised, and a lot of that is mental. If they make a little run, you can't hang your heads; you can't start panicking. Because you know it's going to happen. They're too good of a team not to make runs."— Brian T. SmithTwitter: tribjazz