Malone chocked at the line in game one vs. Chicago in the Finals. Hardly clutch.
(Awaiting rationalizations and excuses.)
A missed free throw in the first quarter and a missed free throw in crunch time all count the same. In every game you can go back an analyze every missed layup, missed free throw, bad turnover, etc. They ALL have an effect on the final outcome.
That video sure made me miss the Mailmain. We were pretty damn spoiled. He nailed some tough jumpers. Played with finesse around the room. And also took it in with force. He often carried the team offensively. They essentially ran ever play to him, or through him. And he delivered. That, in itself, is clutch. Few players in the NBA are really capable of doing that...for multiple games in the freakin' NBA Finals. Karl carried a team with a piss poor, lousy f'n bunch of rejects. It pisses me off to no end that the Jazz got virtually no offensive production from Anderson, Eisley, Carr, Foster, Morris, Ostertag, and Keefe. Also, as I recall Stockton's production was down in the playoffs and he struggled at times. And why is no one is calling out St. Horney. He was nearly a non-factor in that series. Russell never seemed to step up either.
I'm not gonna call Stockton non-clutch even though his production was down (he was, afterall, initiating everything). But those other dudes were non-clutch. Kobe, MJ, Hakeem, etc. all had role players step up and help win big games. Karl was option the only reliable option for the Jazz in that series. MJ had Pippen, Kukoc, and other guys that would step up and deliver at times.
