"Carlos Boozer set a screen for me, I got the ball up top and tried to get to the bucket. That was pretty much it, it was like slow motion. After I missed the shot, I was still looking, and I saw Mehmet come out of nowhere and grab it and put it back in. It was great. I might take him out to a Turkish restaurant tonight if we can find one."
- Keith McLeod, after the Utah Jazz's 97-96 upset victory over the San Antonio Spurs

It took some time, but finally the Jazz snapped their 9-game losing streak last night. In doing so, they also broke out of a record 18 consecutive head-to-head losses to San Antonio.

It was tough, watching loss after loss after frustrating loss. It was like the team was jinxed, it had developed a loser's mentality. The players had forgotten how it felt to win. You can see it in their faces, the pain, the hunger. Now what the team has to do is take this victory and remember how it felt, remember what they did to win. Then just recreate it over and over.

All these players have multimillion dollar contracts. All of them no doubt are financially wealthy with all their needs taken care of. But there are some needs that cannot be satisfied with money. Eventually you reach a point where pride and the thirst for victory become more important than the weekly paycheck. It stops being a job and turns into a personal mission. I could see this in the faces of some of the players. The hunger, the killer instinct, they're back. Sooner or later you get tired of losing. You get sick and tired of being sick and tired. And this is what drives the fire to succeed.

By the way, I was amused as to how third-string point guard Keith Macleod has developed into the Jazz's most effective starting point guard. Macleod did not perform well in training camp, had no guaranteed contract, was almost cut from the team, and most of the experts thought he was not as good as first-rate guards Arroyo and Lopez. It's clear now though that he is the better defender, better penetrator, and best conductor of the offense. I know there's a lesson there somewhere. Everybody loves a happy ending. Let's make some of our own.