If you squinted just right ? or hoped enough ? while watching Monday night's NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings, you could sense some similarities to the last time a bright spotlight shone on a Delta Center sporting event.

Think of the Kings as the heavily favored Russian figure skating pair of Berezhnaya and Sikharulidze from the 2002 Winter Olympics nine weeks ago. Envision the Jazz as Sale and Pelletier, the energetic and enthusiastic Canadian couple that wowed the Delta Center crowd.

And if you're cynical enough, consider the game's referees as figure skating judges whose scoring the gold for the Russians resulted in the "Skategate" controversy and eventually a second set of first-place medals for the Canadians.