ESPNET SportsZone: Jazz buzz: Perfect timing for Malone, Miller

Jazz buzz: Perfect timing for Malone, Miller

By Bruce Feldman
ESPNET SportsZone

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SALT LAKE CITY -- Fear had almost overtaken Karl Malone's massive 6-foot-9, 256-pound body.

Karl Malone brought the fans to their feet after he hit a pair of clutch free throws.

He was standing at the foul line with 18 seconds remaining in Game 4. He could back Chicago into a corner, just like he could've done in Game 1.

He didn't then, and he knew if he blew this, it would haunt him for the rest of his career. Thoughts were careening through his mind so fast his right thigh began shaking.

According to Jazz owner Larry Miller, Malone told him he "had never been as scared of anything."

"Normally when I go to the free-throw line, I think about faraway places," Malone said. "But this time, I was thinking about 650 million people watching again."

Malone went on to make both foul shots, even after his own coach "iced" him by calling a timeout following the first free throw.

Larry Miller rejoices as Utah puts the game away.

"In life, sometimes you never get (another) opportunity," Malone said. "You wish sometimes that you had another opportunity in a similar situation. Sometimes you never get it, and I was able to."

Malone's drama at the foul line was the first action Miller saw of Game 4. Because of his Mormon beliefs, Miller doesn't attend games on Sunday or watch them on television.

But with his team trailing the series 2-1, he couldn't help himself.

"I had picked up the score four or five times (on the radio)," he said.

Then, later in the game, he tuned in to hear that the Bulls were up by four, and Michael Jordan had gotten hot. "I think he had scored 10 points in the quarter and Chicago had the momentum," Miller said.

Miller's wife, Gail, told him not to worry, that Utah was going to win. She was so convincing, they hopped in the car and "hauled" over to the Delta Center just in time to see Malone sink both foul shots.

"I'm so proud of Karl because of the way he was able to gather himself," Miller said.

Utah also was buzzing about:

Q&A WITH THE JAZZ

Question from John Chaintreuil of Rochester, N.Y.: How do you prepare for a big game, like Wednesday's Game 5?

Answer from John Stockton: "Our focus is on this one game. We need to come out and play with the same kind of intensity we played in these two (wins) and try and get a third."

Answer from Greg Foster: "Hopefully it's going to be the same approach as we had tonight. If we could bring the intensity and the energy level we brought tonight, good things are going to happen to this team."

Jordan's inability to take over Game 4 in the final minutes. In recent commercial, Jordan talks about the estimated 26 game-winning shots he has missed in his career.

"I guess this was kind of like his commercial. Sometimes you don't make it," Jazz forward Antoine Carr said after Jordan missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer in the waning moments.

Guard Jeff Hornacek said Utah has improved its team defense against Jordan.

"With Michael, we just kept working and trying not to give him any easy ones," Hornacek said. "If he's going to come off someone, we have to make sure we bump, and that's something that in the last two games our big guys have done a much better job of."

John Stockton's strip of Jordan. Late in the game, the Utah point guard was able to pick Jordan's pocket as the Bulls star tried to spin away from Bryon Russell at the top of the key.

"Bryon was really working hard on him and making him turn and turn and turn, and I just tried to time one of the turns," Stockton said. "And it just so happened that the ball was kind of out there as I went by.

"It was lucky timing. But you have to give credit to Bryon for that one, because I don't think Michael had an opportunity to see me coming."

Russell said he didn't expect a double-team to form, when Stockton arrived.

"That was just a play that Stock reacted to, and it was a big one," Russell said.