The Utah Jazz are having a terrific season, winning 19 of their first 26 games. Point guard Deron Williams and power forward Carlos Boozer are having standout seasons, making life much easier for do-it-all forward Andrei Kirilenko. InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner recently met with AK-47 in Madison Square Garden for an exclusive interview.

InsideHoops.com: You guys are having a great season. Terrific team basketball, several guys rising. Talk about why things are working.

Andrei Kirilenko: The main thing is we're playing as a team. And the second thing, staying healthy. And of course, thing thing is, Carlos Boozer is having a great year. He is really showing an all-star level and an MVP level. It's a little early to say that, because we've played only like 25 games, but you can really say, in 25 games, he really played 21 of them on an MVP level.

InsideHoops.com: I'll be doing an MVP-watch pretty soon, and he's going to get mentioned somewhere on there.

Andrei Kirilenko: I will vote for him.

InsideHoops.com: And Deron Williams, last year he showed flashes, and was often steady, but this year's taken his game up to a much, much higher level.

Andrei Kirilenko: I agree. Deron did a great step up and really bring his game up to the next level. I think right now he is one of the top point guards in the league.

InsideHoops.com: He's scoring a lot. Racking up tons of assists. The stats are huge. And he's playing great, and properly.

Andrei Kirilenko: It's not really necessary, the points, but the game quality. I think game quality is the bigger issue. And he's really stepped up at the position.

InsideHoops.com: What I like about the Jazz is is how you're playing real basketball. Guys cut, other guys spot the cutters. How the game should be played.

Andrei Kirilenko: We have a real coach.

InsideHoops.com: Does it feel like you're playing international-style ball?

Andrei Kirilenko: No, it's not international team. It's too far from international. But I think because of the international players, Memo [Mehmet Okur], Gordan Giricek, that's why we feel the European taste. But it's still American basketball.

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