<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If a case must be made to be considered for NBA Defensive Player of the Year honors, Jazz swingman Andrei Kirilenko need not say a word. Perhaps more importantly than his stats, the recent praise of competitors should suffice. "He does such an excellent job of defending," Portland coach Nate McMillan said after Kirilenko had a seven-block effort in the Jazz's 110-93 win over the Trail Blazers on Saturday at the Delta Center. McMillan left Utah as impressed by Kirilenko's help defense as his man-on-man defense. "I drew up a play to get him away from the ball, and he still came all the way from the weak side to block the shot," the Blazers coach said. "We put him on the ball . . . and he did a good job with his wingspan. He's a great defender, one of the best in the league." A season ago, Kirilenko led the NBA in blocked shots per game at 3.32. This season he is averaging 3.20, second only to Denver center Marcus Camby's 3.32. Kirilenko's 208 total blocks heading into tonight's game against Houston, however, lead the league. Kirilenko also leads the NBA in games this season with four or more blocks. He has 27, five more than next-closest Camby. Kirilenko has had 15 games, in fact, with five or more blocks. "I love watching him play," said Blazers veteran center Theo Ratliff, one of six players in NBA history to lead the league in blocked shots three or more times. (Retired Jazz center Mark Eaton did it four times during the 1980s. Kareem-Abdul Jabbar, George Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon and Dikembe Mutombo are the others.) "I like his aggressiveness, and how he hustles, and never gives up on the play," Ratliff added. "I like his whole attitude toward playing the game." The reaction was similar Friday night at Minnesota, where Kirilenko had three blocks in a Jazz win.</div> <div align="center">Source</div>
