MALONE WILL SHOW JAZZ HOW IT'S DONE.Byline: Daily News Wire Services Ever heard an entire state hold its breath? More than just those in the Delta Center sat stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. when Karl Malone Malone stumbled on teammate Shandon Anderson's foot at midcourt while getting back on defense. The sold-out arena sat in stunned silence as trainers Mike Shimensky and Terry Clarke rushed to Malone's side. After less than four minutes, however, Malone gingerly gin·ger·ly adv. With great care or delicacy; cautiously. adj. Cautious; careful. [Possibly alteration of obsolete French gensor, delicate got to his feet and limped to the Jazz huddle, sparking a deafening roar from the Utah crowd. When play resumed, Malone was back on the court for another ovation. ``You're always concerned when anybody goes down,'' coach Jerry Sloan Gerald Eugene Sloan better known as Jerry Sloan, (born March 28, 1942 in McLeansboro, Illinois), is an American National Basketball Association coach. He is one of professional basketball's most successful coaches, with a career win-loss record of 1035-689 (as of April 18, said. ``He was down long enough to get us really worried, though.'' Malone suffered a bruised right knee to add to his collection of ailments, which includes a sprained finger and an intermittently sore back. ``It's nothing,'' Malone said. ``This is the playoffs.'' The Mailman has missed just three games in his 13-year career because of injury, and he has never missed a playoff game Noun 1. playoff game - one game in the series of games constituting a playoff game - a single play of a sport or other contest; "the game lasted two hours" playoff - any final competition to determine a championship . He doesn't plan to start missing any now, either, with the team playing the way it did Saturday. The Game 1 rout showed Utah has what it takes to win this series. That doesn't mean it will. Sloan warned that his team will face a much more intense Lakers team Monday night in Game 2. ``We know who we are,'' Sloan said. ``The bench is critical to us. Otherwise, we don't go on. We can't win this series.'' ``The most important thing for us is to come out and have a good game Monday,'' Malone said. ``We can't allow ourselves to get too excited. This game is over with. ``When you start to feel too good about yourself, it can come back and hit you between the eyes. ``You can't allow yourself to be excited about it. ``When we got beat like this in Game 3 against San Antonio San Antonio (săn ăntō`nēō, əntōn`), city (1990 pop. 935,933), seat of Bexar co., S central Tex., at the source of the San Antonio River; inc. 1837. , we came back against San Antonio and responded well and when those guys got beat by Seattle the first game, they came back and responded well. It's an entirely different ballgame on Monday.'' Utah needed to send a message. It needed to prevent the Lakers' confidence from mushrooming. The Jazz accomplished that and watched the Lakers expectations evaporate e·vap·o·rate v. 1. To convert or change into a vapor; volatilize. 2. To produce vapor. 3. To draw or pass off in the form of vapor. 4. in a mushroom cloud. The Jazz bench seemed to make the most noise. Backup point guard Howard Eisley Howard Eisley (born December 4, 1972 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. He played for the Boston College Eagles basketball team before being drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round (30th overall) in 1994. led the way with 14 points and nine assists. Three other Jazz reserves scored in double figures. Even Chris Morris, who had scraped together just 16 points in the team's first 10 playoff games, came up big with 10 points in the team's first-half blitz. ``I'd like to say it was us, and the great things that we did and everything,'' said Jazz sub Adam Keefe Adam Thomas Keefe (born February 22, 1970 in Irvine, California) is a former power forward in the National Basketball Association. He played for Woodbridge High School in his hometown of Irvine where he set many of the school's basketball records. . ``But to be honest I don't think they played well. You're not going to see many games where they have that many guys having difficulty shooting from the floor. Our defense is good, but it's not that good.'' Not all of the blame can be heaped on Shaquille O'Neal's massive shoulders. Utah's bench laid waste to the Lakers with 53 points and 29 rebounds. ``Their bench was monstrous,'' Lakers coach Del Harris said. ``I think they have the deepest bench in the league.'' The 35-point loss was the worst in the Lakers' proud playoff history. The team's 23 field goals and anemic field goal percentage (.295) also plunged to record depths. ``The worst thing you can do is believe your press clippings,'' Malone cautioned. ``That happens sometimes.'' Then Malone was off on his Harley for what he called a ``nice ride.'' It's doubtful it could have been smoother sailing than what the Jazz had in Game 1. O'Neal promises to change all that. ``I just hope that a couple of people don't get their noses broken,'' he said. ``I'll be throwing elbows, 'cause they're coming up now.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal (pronounced "shak-KEEL") (born March 6, 1972 in Newark, New Jersey), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, generally regarded as one of the most dominant in the National Basketball Association (NBA). tries to get off a shot against Utah forward Greg Ostertag Gregory Donovan Ostertag (born March 6 1973, in Dallas, Texas) is a retired American basketball player in the NBA, who spent most of his career with the Utah Jazz. He measures 7'2" (2.18 m) and played center. in the fourth quarter. Jack Smith/Associated Press |
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