Because he was playing in Europe until this year, Boston's Dino Radja still has a lot to learn about the dangers of the NBA. There's the explosive dunks of Charles Barkley. The versatility of Scottie Pippen. The soaring drives of Dominique Wilkins. Each has skills to keep a young player awake nights.
Now he has something else to worry about: The burgler's hands of Karl Malone.Charged with the assignment to take the ball to the hoop against Malone in the waning seconds, Radja made a mistake: he turned in toward Malone. A split second later it was over. Malone stripped the ball away before Radja could get off a shot, and time ran out as the Jazz escaped with a 97-96 victory, Friday at Boston Garden.
"Best hands in the game when they turn around to shoot," said Jeff Malone. "I've seen that play a number of times."
The Mailman's strip with two seconds remaining was only part of his late-game maneuverings. He fired up a 17-footer with 10 seconds to go in the contest and the Jazz trailing by one. But the shot was long off the rim, as teammate Jeff Malone took down the rebound.
"That's probably the hardest I've ever seen him go after a ball," joked the Mailman. He added, "I told Jeff he was like a madman when he got that rebound. His eyes were THAT big."
Finding himself covered, the Jazz guard passed back out to the Mailman, who landed a second shot from nearly the same spot, with seven seconds left. "I gave him a second chance," Jeff Malone said, "and he nailed it."
If the Mailman was impressive in the second half, racking up 17 points, that wasn't the case in the first half. He missed three early outside shots and faded into the woodwork, finishing the half with just four points and two rebounds.
"I was late getting to the arena," he joked. "I stunk it up."
With the Mailman's deliveries running late, Boston rolled to a 37-26 lead early in the second quarter. Lacking a legitimate superstar such as Boston had in bygone years, the Celtics settled for Radja, who rolled for 13 first-half points.
Thanks to a 10-point second quarter by Tom Chambers, the Jazz trailed by only four at half.
The sudden appearance of the Mailman on the scene in the third quarter helped the Jazz move to a seven-point lead midway through the final period. But the Celtics pulled within a point with 3:28 to go, picking off Jazz passes as they went. Utah committed six fourth-quarter turnovers.
"We just kept throwing it away," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan.
Sherman Douglas scored seven points in the last four minutes, including an 18-foot jumper with 23 seconds remaining for a 96-95 Boston lead.
That left the Jazz to come down for a last shot. The Mailman misfired on the first try but bagged the second.
After a Boston timeout, Radja took the ball 13 feet out with Malone looming like the Great Wall of China. As Radja turned, Malone stripped the ball away, then tipped it back to himself as the clock wound down.
"A lot of guys in the league have slow ball movement," said the Mailman. "If they were going to call it (a foul), I was going to make them call it."
Said Douglas, "They have experienced players who know how to win these games. I felt great when I hit the shot, but I knew we still needed to play good defense at the other end."
The win gave the Jazz a 2-0 start on their five-game holiday tour and improved their record to 16-7 overall. Boston, still in the throes of trying to get back past glory, is 11-12.
So far the Jazz are enjoying their yuletide trip immensely. "Maybe I didn't show up, and I did sort of give them a gift in the first half," said the Mailman (that jolly old elf). "But I was a grinch in the second half."
GAME NOTES: The Jazz have won seven of their last nine . . . Robert Parish missed the game for Boston with a sprained ankle; Kevin Gamble left without playing after complaining of flu symptoms . . . The Jazz have won three straight against the Celtics and the last two in Boston Garden.