Stockton Solidifies Place in Pantheon

SALT LAKE CITY — Vindication is not among the fringe benefits. John Stockton merely dominates stretches against the Chicago Bulls, out-Jordaning Michael Jordan with Game 4 on the line, after knocking out the Houston Rockets one series earlier, not because of personal motivation but because of his greatness.

“I think John really doesn’t care what everyone says,” said Jeff Hornacek, his backcourt partner with the Utah Jazz.

Stockton doesn’t care, and he doesn’t gloat, either. But his superstar status has been reaffirmed, perhaps even his standing as the greatest true point guard in NBA history, in these NBA finals that stand 2-2 because of his final 2 1/2 minutes Sunday night at the Delta Center.

What’s impossible to miss is that it has happened one year after he was dominated by Gary Payton in the Western Conference finals. That meeting quickly became the passing of the torch at that position. Payton, the best of the new breed of scoring point guards, was so strong he could post up Stockton, so quick he was the best defensive guard in the league. And Stockton was so old.

Of course, that turned out to be dramatically premature. The Jazz eventually conceded that Stockton was playing with a hyperextended right elbow at the time that made it impossible to straighten his arm, and Stockton took it from there.

He didn’t win the assist title this season, for the first time in nine seasons, but no guard had a better shooting percentage. He was named first-team all-defense in a league-wide vote of coaches, and he had 10.5 assists a game, contributing greatly to Karl Malone’s being named MVP.

So what happened Sunday, when the Bulls had a 2-1 series lead and control of Game 4?

Stockton had a huge shot, a critical steal and a great pass to Malone.

Three plays. For the Jazz in this series and for all time.

“Remember so much was made of ‘Havlicek steals the ball?’ ” said Jack Ramsay, the Hall of Fame coach. “Stockton hits a three. Stockton steals the ball. Stockton throws to Malone. I mean, c’mon.”

Making it one of the great stretches in finals history.

“Oh, yeah,” Ramsay said. “For sure.”

THE SHOT

Situation: The Jazz had last scored a basket with 8 minutes 10 seconds remaining, and last scored a point with 5:02 left. Utah had failed to score on five of its previous six possessions, allowing the Bulls to build a 71-66 advantage, a five-point lead that looked much larger because Jordan was rolling.

Hornacek and Chicago Coach Phil Jackson called it the biggest of the three plays, but it was easily the least spectacular. Stockton, having taken only two shots in the previous 16 minutes, came off a pick from Antoine Carr as the Jazz ran a play to get the ball inbounds.

“We were down three or four at the time, I’m not sure,” Stockton said. “I don’t know. You just play. I’m not a cerebral player. When I’m out on the floor, I try to play.”

In other words, he had just about everything wrong--the score and the fact that he is considered one of the smartest players in the game. The shot, though, was right, a three-pointer that dropped through with 2:23 left and cut the Bulls’ lead to 71-69.

“I felt we were right in the middle of an uphill battle still,” said Stockton, who had put the Jazz in the finals by sinking a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Rockets in the decisive Game 6. “They had a nice run, really. That might have stopped the run, stopped the bleeding a little bit, but I felt they were still controlling things. I didn’t feel like that was a turn as much as it just stopped the bleeding.”

THE STEAL

Situation: The Bulls were ahead, 73-69, and called time with 1:45 to play. Loading up for the stretch run, they sent in Scottie Pippen for Jud Buechler and added another shooter by replacing Luc Longley with Toni Kukoc. Jordan had scored 12 of their first 17 points of the quarter.

“With the game on the line, who do you think is going to shoot?” Malone said. “Let’s be honest here. Scottie would take them, but the ball was in Michael’s hands, and barring some miracle he’s not going to pass many of those.”

It didn’t look as if he was about to here, either. Jordan had been working over Bryon Russell, but this time, about 15 feet out on the left side, Russell was able to at least impede his progress, getting Jordan to put the ball on the floor with his back to the basket.

“You have to give Bryon credit for that one because I don’t think Mike had an opportunity to see me coming,” Stockton said. “He had his hands full with Bryon, and, really, mine was the easier part of the two.”

When Jordan started to whirl toward the lane, Stockton made his move, coming from behind on the left side just as Jordan went in that direction.

“It was kind of lucky timing,” Stockton said.

Or perfect timing.

“He picked me clean, I think,” Jordan said. “I was more or less looking at Russell and I felt I had him in an advantage situation and I went to spin. I know Stockton likes to gamble, but I didn’t feel like he was there. When I felt it, I turned around, he got the ball and knocked it away.”

More than a defensive stop, much needed because the Bulls had scored on five of their previous six possessions, it became a scoring opportunity for the Jazz. Stockton charged downcourt with the ball and went for the driving layup. Jordan got the ball, but also Stockton’s body.

Stockton then made one of the two free throws with 1:31 remaining. That made it a three-point game.

THE PASS

Situation: Two more free throws by Stockton with 1:03 showing got the Jazz a point away at 73-72. For the first time since early in the third quarter, the Bulls had gone three consecutive possessions without a point, the latest miss Jordan’s, his straightaway jump shot hitting the front of the rim.

Stockton got the rebound.

Malone, at the top of the free-throw circle after providing double-team help for Russell on Jordan, leaked out. Not only that, still running the court with a vengeance at the end of the longest of his 12 seasons, Malone got behind Jordan and Kukoc.

Stockton immediately looked downcourt. Jordan was the first guy he saw, but he knew the Bulls were in pursuit of Malone. Stockton took a dribble with his right hand, then cut loose, throwing on the run from the key at one end to the key at the other.

“I think if you could have suspended time right as the ball was in the air, Jerry [Sloan] would have probably strangled me for throwing it,” Stockton said.

Said Sloan, the Jazz coach, “When I saw him let it go, I about had a heart attack. . . . I really couldn’t believe he threw it.”

Underthrow Malone and two Bulls are waiting to intercept. Overthrow and it goes out of bounds.

“I think Stockton definitely realized that it had to be the perfect pass,” Malone said.

Or maybe he didn’t.

“Not a lot of thought went into it, other than I thought Karl had position,” Stockton said. “And I have great faith he’s going to battle for the ball and keep his position. I tried to get it over the top to Karl so it was maybe a jumping match at the end or physical, like a post-up.”

The throw was on line, but the question remained whether it would clear Jordan’s reach. Jordan saw it coming but said, “I just didn’t feel that I had the rhythm to jump.” So the pass sailed past him.

Right into Malone’s grasp, in stride.

“It was kind of reminiscent of quarterbacks,” Utah’s Antoine Carr said.

Said Stockton, “It was one of those ‘No . . . no . . . no . . . yes!’ type deals.”

Stockton to Malone. Imagine that.

“That was a great pass,” Jackson said. “There’s no doubt about it. It looked like we were perhaps capable of getting to it, but he put it just in the right spot.”

Said Malone, “To people watching it, it probably looked simple. But it was pretty difficult.”

He turned the bomb into a layup and a 74-73 lead, one the Jazz would not relinquish while finishing the game with a 12-2 run in that final 2:23. Stockton had a hand in eight of the points, scoring six and assisting on Malone’s basket. He was great.

Just in case anyone had forgotten.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NBA FINALS

TONIGHT’S GAME

Chicago at Utah

6 p.m.

Channel 4

Series tied, 2-2

Utah vs. Chicago

* Game 1: Chicago 84, Utah 82

* Game 2: Chicago 97, Utah 85

* Game 3: Utah 104, Chicago 93

* Game 4: Utah 78, Chicago 73

* Tonight--at Utah 6

* Friday--at Chicago 6 p.m.

* Sunday--at Chicago 4:30 p.m.-x

x-if necessary