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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Jazz Stuck On Same Old Tune Good Enough To Win 50, But Not To Win Nba Title

Associated Press

The Utah Jazz have won 50 or more games in seven of the past eight seasons, including a franchise-record 60 victories last year.

But they still are not considered among the NBA’s elite teams and, for Karl Malone, John Stockton and the rest, the quest for an NBA title seems increasingly distant.

The Jazz reached 50 wins on March 29 against Vancouver, but then dropped three straight - including a pair to Pacific Division leader Seattle.

Utah, still tainted by last year’s first-round playoff loss to NBA champion Houston, is 3-8 against division leaders, including San Antonio, which leads the second-place Jazz in the Midwest.

“We’re better than people give us credit for,” said Jazz president Frank Layden. “But in all honesty, we’re not the odds-on favorites for the world championship. We are in the top five or six, though.”

Two trips to the Western Conference finals in five years show the Jazz are among the best of the NBA’s second-tier teams. But even the chronically optimistic Layden sees Utah as a step shy of the elite.

“People’s expectations of us are not realistic. If this team wins 55 games, I think that’s terrific,” said the former NBA coach of the year, who steered the Jazz from 1981-1989. “Last year, we lost by two baskets to the eventual champions and we gave them a better run than anyone else did.”

Barring a collapse by the Spurs, Utah appears certain to finish second in the Midwest - the same as last year. The Jazz will be making their 13th consecutive playoff appearance, second only to Portland, at 14.

With two weeks left in the regular season, Malone still was near his career averages with 25.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. But against first-tier teams, the Mailman has found it tougher to deliver.

Throwing out a 37-point performance Jan. 19 in a victory over Orlando, Malone has averaged 21.6 points against the top four teams. And barring his 21-rebound effort in a Dec. 15 loss to the Magic, his average shrinks to 8.9 against the division leaders.

Perhaps a more telling statistic is Malone’s shooting percentage, which drops from nearly 52 percent overall to 41.5.

Malone refuses to blame the dropoff on the toll of more than a decade of bruising play in the paint - and in recent weeks a nagging abdominal strain. Instead, the 6-foot-9, 256-pounder - a weightlifting devotee - concedes only his rapidly receding hairline to his upcoming 33rd birthday in July.

“Right now, I look at what I do as easy, even though I take a beating sometimes and don’t have great games all the time,” said Malone, who was 6 of 18 from the floor in Thursday night’s 107-100 loss at Phoenix. “But when it becomes hard for me to play and average 20 points and eight, 10 rebounds, then I don’t want to play anymore.”

Layden remains positive, but knows there is one large drawback to getting the Jazz to the top.

“I don’t want to put our players down,” Layden says, “but if someone asks what it takes to reach the next step, I would like to have Shaquille O’Neal. Hey, if we had him, then we’d be favored to win it all.

“We’ve needed a center who could score, get rebounds and block shots, but how do we get him? I got to give up a Karl Malone.”

That, he hastily adds, is not going to happen. Malone also expects to finish his career with the Jazz, having recently signed a contract extension through 1999 worth up to $20 million.

“That was a decision we all made, (Jazz owner) Larry Miller, myself and (coach) Jerry Sloan,” Layden said. “We’re not going to break this team up.”