NBA's Top 10 Players of the 1990's: #9 Karl Malone - The toast of Salt Lake

So close yet so far: Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls matches up against Karl Malone #32 of the Utah Jazz in Game Three of the 1998 NBA Finals at the United Center on June 5, 1998 in Chicago, Illinois. The Jazz lost consecutive finals to the Bulls (1997 and 1998). (Getty Images)

Despite trade opportunities, a frustrated Malone stuck to the Jazz in hope that they could manage to find a final piece that would lead them to a NBA Championship. The team had all the championship intangibles: a demanding and unrelenting coach that pushed his players to the hilt, a floor general that ran the offense like Mozart playing his symphony, and Malone, who was quite possibly the best low-post force in the game. All they were missing was a shooting guard and in came Jeff Hornacek. In Byron Russell, they got some muscle and perimeter defence.

The pieces seemed to all come together in the 1996-97 season. The Jazz went on to record a 64-18 season, with Malone averaging 27.4 PPG and 10 RPG. Malone was awarded the regular season MVP title and the buoyant Jazz team crushed all competition to make it to the NBA Finals.

The Finals were to be the first of the epic duels between the Chicago Bulls and the Jazz. The Bulls took a 2-0 lead, helped by the erroneous shooting performance of Malone and Jordan’s scoring abilities.

The tide turned in Game 3 and 4 when Malone struck back with 37 points and 24 points respectively, highlighted by the spectacular game-winning full-court assist that Stockton threw to him. The Bulls won Game 5 and with Game 6 on the line, Malone had the chance to tie it with two crucial free-throws. However, the Mailman, as he was famously known, failed to deliver and bricked both the clutch free-throws.

Next year the two teams again matched up in the Finals and this time Malone and company seemed eager to vindicate the previous season’s loss. Malone had a difficult time contending with Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen but still managed to fight his way through an average of 24 PPG and a match-winning 39 point Game 5 performance to keep the Jazz in the series.

Game 6 was pretty much the same story with Malone going for 31 points, and the Jazz dominating the Bulls for most parts of the game. The series seemed destined for a Game 7 when with 18.4 seconds left, Jordan delivered the greatest Finals moment of his career.

Jordan stole the ball off Malone’s hands and then executed the much famed cross-over on Russell and sank the 20-footer to give the Bulls their sixth ring. It was as if Jordan stole the ring off Malone; the closest the Mailman ever got to a ring.

Malone ended his career as a two-time NBA MVP, a two-time NBA All-Star MVP, an 11-time NBA First Team selection and quite possibly the second best Power Forward to ever play the game (after Tim Duncan); 36.928 points (second best after Kareem), 14,968 rebounds (sixth best in NBA history) and many great memories.

However, beyond the stats and the numbers Malone will always be remembered as an uber-competitve athlete, a work-horse and an overtly sensitive man. He took all his criticism with insane amount of seriousness and his sensitivity towards the same turned out to be his greatest motivation and driving force. A great example of the same is when AC Green was chosen ahead of Malone as a starter in the 1990 NBA All-Star Game. The very next day, Malone dropped 61 against the Milwaukee Bucks and Green.

It was his way of earning respect and proving his points. Such tireless crusades in many ways define the life and career of Malone. Summed up beautifully by the man himself, “Sometimes you follow your dreams. I say to the young, If you have a dream, chase it.”

For more articles in this series, click here: NBA’s top 10 players of the 90s.

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