Shell-shocked Jazz trying to recover

Click here for more on this story

Posted: Monday June 08, 1998 05:52 PM

Six shooter: Malone hit his first six shots in Game 3, but that was about all that went right for the Jazz (AP)

CHICAGO (AP) -- The Utah Jazz were in recovery Monday, trying to figure out what went wrong just when Karl Malone went right.

After the first two games of this series, Malone knew he had to play better and told everybody that if he didn't, the Jazz had no chance to win this series.

No braggin'. Just facts.

The man is the main weapon for the Western Conference champions, one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history, Utah's first option, sometimes its only option.

So after struggling through a 14-for-41 shooting slump in the first two games, Malone came out firing in Game 3, nailing all six of his first-period shots.

And the Jazz lost.

Did they ever -- 96-54, the biggest blowout in NBA Finals history. They scored the fewest points of any team since the introduction of the shot clock in 1954.

Malone took just five shots in the last three quarters. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Malone abused Luc Longley early in Game 3, so Bulls coach Phil Jackson sent out an all-points bulletin for Dennis Rodman, who roams the corridors when he's not playing. And after the tattooed man with the green hair arrived, the tenor of the game changed dramatically, especially for Malone, who finished with 22 points but seven turnovers.

Rodman had boasted in Utah that he could defend Malone "any day of the week," and that included Sunday. Asked on Monday about Rodman's defense, Malone smirked.

"That's great," he said dryly. "That's great."

Meaning it was not so great, certainly not for him.

The combination of Rodman and Scottie Pippen spearheaded a defensive presence that wiped out anything Utah tried. Malone's five shots in the last three periods was something of a flawed statistic though. He lost baskets when Pippen twice and Rodman once took charges from him for offensive fouls.

"Those were shots he had that they took away," Jeff Hornacek said. "They moved up on him and he got three offensive fouls on layups."

It's not as if Utah didn't understand what the Bulls were up to. It's just that there wasn't much the Jazz could do about it.

Michael Jordan offered some advice.

"The task they have to deal with is how they can break down our defense," he said.

That's not easily done. The Jazz are a more or less predictable team, their offense constructed around the pick-and-roll, which Malone and John Stockton have perfected. They're not about to change that now.

"We'll stick with what we've got," Malone said.

Too often, though, the Jazz seemed in a hurry to unload the ball. If Malone wasn't available -- and he often wasn't -- then the shot went up elsewhere.

And it usually missed.

Twenty-four seconds is plenty of time to run an offense. The Jazz, however, seemed inclined to use as little of it as possible.

"We have to maintain our patience offensively," Stockton said. "We've got to do a better job of being more patient."

Greg Foster agreed.

"Making that extra one or two passes is critical," he said. "They're taking away our first option. They're getting over there, taking offensive charges on Malone when he's rolling to the basket. We've got to make that extra pass. Ninety percent of the offense goes through Karl, but we've got to attack them."

Coach Jerry Sloan said Malone's shots are built into the Jazz game plan.

"He's going to get shots in our offense," he said. "But we have to stay within that. When we get outside of it, we're not going to benefit Karl Malone and we're not going to benefit the other four players."

Malone was disgusted by the effort and said he couldn't sleep that night.

"We've got to meet their intensity," he said. "It's what we have to do as a team. If you don't, you play into their hands."

The Jazz will try to regroup, try to ignore any psychological scars the Bulls inflicted.

"There's no finger pointing," Stockton said, "except at us and how we executed."

The question, though, is whether they executed or were being executed.

Related information
Stories
Chicago drubs Utah 96-54 to take 2-1 series lead Malone's recovery couldn't prevent Jazz from futility record Bulls deny running up score
Stats
Jazz-Bulls Game 3 Summary
Multimedia
Click here for the latest audio and video
Message Boards
Quick recovery Can the Jazz recover from the Game 3 blowout? Talk about it on CNN/SI's Pro Basketball Message Boards. Click here for more
Search our site	Watch CNN/SI on cable 24 hours a day
	Sports Illustrated and CNN have combined to form a 24 hour sports news and information channel. To receive CNN/SI at your home call 1-888-53-CNNSI.