Mailman stamps out Bulls

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Michael Jordan says the Bulls couldn't contain Karl Malone.
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Malone explains the pressures of being a go-to guy.
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Malone's defense helped him get going.
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After getting bogged down on his route through Chicago, the Mailman simply went postal in Game 3.

Karl Malone was 7 for 11 in the first quarter. Click here for complete shot charts of Game 3.

Karl Malone's first big effort of the NBA Finals -- 37 points on 15-for-29 shooting and 10 rebounds -- put the Utah Jazz back in sync and back in this series with a 104-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.

The suddenly aggressive and emotional Jazz trimmed its series deficit to 2-1 and hosts the next two games, starting with Game 4 on Sunday.

Malone finally got the better of Michael Jordan in the MVP dispute, making a strong case for why he deserved the hardware he received last month.

The Mailman got rolling early -- more than three hours before the tip-off at the Delta Center.

"I needed a Harley ride today," said Malone, who got into the right frame of mind by roaring to the game on one of his Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

"I was going to get on the one that was quiet, but (my son) shook his head. He liked the other one. That's the one I rode.

"I took the long way here. I normally get here at 4:15, but today I got here at five minutes to five. ... Right now you look for anything to get you going, whether it relaxes your mind or anything like that."

Malone also rode his good-luck Harley to Saturday's practice.

And once the game started, Malone roared out of the gate.

He hit a 16-foot jumper on Utah's first possession, then went to work inside. He sank five of his six shots in the paint in the period and pulled down six rebounds. After the first 12 minutes, Malone's line of 15 points on seven-for-11 shooting already looked better than his subpar efforts in the first two games.

"I was able to make an effort right off the bat to be more aggressive inside," he said. "I had said the first time I get (the ball), I'm going to the basket, whether I score or not. I think that set the stage for us."

Following Malone's example, Utah started to pull away in the second quarter, using a 15-7 run midway through the period to build a 16-point halftime bulge. Malone scored six of his seven second-quarter points in the middle, connecting on two finger-rolls and a short hook that he turned into a three-point play.

The strong start by Malone was something Utah didn't get in either of the two games in Chicago -- and the Bulls said it produced a different Jazz team.

"Anytime Karl comes out and gets things going early, they're going to be able to pick us apart -- especially if we have to start sending guys to double-team him," Scottie Pippen said.

Added Jordan, "Our defense never really reacted well to Karl's explosiveness in the first half. I think we kind of got laid-back on our heels a little, the way he came out aggressively. And that's the Karl Malone that we all know."

Malone was 52 percent (15 for 29) Friday, a vast improvement over his combined 38-percent shooting in the first two games.

That Malone was also there to help put the game away when Chicago was making a fierce charge in the fourth quarter.

He hit a jumper from the top of the key midway through the final period to answer one Chicago burst and then scored on a driving layup with 3:10 remaining after the Bulls had pulled to within eight. Malone even put aside his struggles at the free-throw line to hit four from the stripe in the final 1:47.

One reason for Malone's re-emergence might have been Utah's use of a motion offense, allowing him to get more open looks inside.

"We allowed him to catch the ball too low on the block," Pippen said. "We weren't ready for it."

About the only thing Malone wasn't ready for was the postgame interview session -- at least his attire wasn't ready.

"Michael and Scottie were wearing $5,000 suits when they stepped up here, and then I came up here like this," said Malone of his black Harley muscle-shirt and jeans.

Less than a half-hour later, the Mailman roared up his Harley and took off down the corridors in the basement of the Delta Center. Not one to mess with success, he said he plans to break out the Harley again for Game 4.

"I guarantee you I'm going to take it again on Sunday, too."