• Isiah Thomas once got very honest about why he thought the Utah Jazz never won a title
• Thomas thinks Karl Malone’s inability to shoot free throws cost the Jazz a title
• Malone shot 74.2% from the line for his career
The Utah Jazz stood in the way of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1997 and 1998, with the John Stockton and Karl Malone duo hoping to win the franchise’s first NBA Championship.
Unfortunately, they failed both times, and Isiah Thomas thinks it’s because of Malone. Thomas thinks Malone’s free throw shooting was the barrier, as he said on an old Open Court episode.
“I thought Utah, I think they had everything that it took to win a championship. I thought they had the system, I thought they had the players, the toughness, the defensive mind, and everything. But I always felt like Malone was the weak link because he wasn’t a good foul shooter. Had he been a good foul shooter, they would have beat Chicago, they would’ve beat you. He’s the weak link, he’s the guy that you’re fouling. He’s the guy you want to put on the line. You’re not fouling Stockton, you’re not letting him take the shot. Everything is going to Malone. I think his inability to make free throws stopped them from winning a championship.”
Malone was a 74.2% shooter from the free throw line, starting his career with a very poor record. Given Malone retired only behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in all-time points, it goes without saying he was average to above average from the line.
We saw Shaquille O’Neal lead a team to a three-peat while being one of the worst free-throw shooters in the league at the time. Given Malone’s scoring diversity, the two-time league MVP’s decent numbers from the line likely didn’t stop him from winning a title. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman.
Karl Malone Gave It His All In The Two Finals Losses
The Jazz came into the 1997 NBA Finals by sweeping the Clippers, beating the Lakers in five in the second round, and then beating Hakeem Olajuwon‘s Rockets in six games to make their first NBA Finals against the reigning champions Bulls.
Malone averaged 23.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in the Finals, but the Bulls won 4-2. Jordan iced the Jazz out in Games 5 and 6 after they managed to overturn a 2-0 series deficit into a tie. Ultimately, Jordan averaged 32.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.0 assists to win his fifth Finals MVP.
In 1998, Malone averaged 25.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, but it still wasn’t enough. Jordan was absolutely sensational, and the Jazz simply couldn’t keep up with him. The entire Bulls team also knew it was their final chance at a title together since they were breaking up at the end of the year.
Malone shot poorly from the line in the 1997 Finals, notching 60.3% on 9.7 attempts per game. But he ended up shooting a respectable 78.9% on 6.3 attempts in the 1998 Finals.
Michael Jordan Knew The Jazz Couldn’t Beat Him In 1998
The Utah Jazz were perfectly built for what they were in their era. Jerry Sloan’s men were easily the most dangerous team in the West and really could’ve ended a season as champions if not for Jordan. The six-time Finals MVP himself was absolutely sure that the Jazz would lose Game 6 of the 1998 NBA Finals.
This is a quote from a book he published 4 months after the 1998 Finals, titled, ‘For the Love of the Game’.
“When head coach Phil Jackson was asked about what the timeout during this closing period looked like, he said, ‘Michael said, ‘We’re going to win this one,’ and I said, ‘I know’. When Michael says that, it’s a good sign. Jordan himself backed this up with a quote that remained true to his character. ‘My whole thought process was always, ‘We’re going to win this game.’ It didn’t matter whether we were down by 4 points or 24 points. I always felt things would work out.'”
Jordan averaged 33.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the 1998 Finals to win his sixth Finals MVP.
It was the Jazz’s best chance to be competitive but it ended in disaster as Jordan hit one of the greatest shots in league history to seal Game 6 and improve his Finals record to a mythical 6-0.
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