It was late in the fourth quarter and the Minnesota Timberwolves had cut a seven-point Jazz lead to nothing. But the Mailman didn't budge from his seat. He was going nowhere. He stretched his arms across the backs of several chairs and smiled. He watched the ads on the message screen. He bobbed his head in rhythm with the music on the speaker system.
On the last day of the regular season, with nothing for the Jazz to gain, the Mailman could relax. With Karl Malone and John Stockton playing just 23 and 19 minutes, respectively, the Jazz closed out their season with a 113-111 loss at the Target Center, Sunday afternoon."Sure, we wanted to win," said the Mailman. "But I got some rest and right now I can take a big deep breath and get ready for the playoffs."
Considering the minutes the Mailman has played in two straight games, he should have a good jump on both deep breathing and resting. Friday night against the Lakers he played only 27 minutes in a Jazz win over the Lakers at the Delta Center. Down the stretch against the Timberwolves, the Jazz went with a lineup of Tyrone Corbin, Jay Humphries, Mike Brown, David Benoit and Isaac Austin. Benoit missed a difficult layup and Austin failed on a turnaround jumper at the buzzer, as the Jazz closed out the regular season the way they began: with a loss.
"It was one of those games I would have liked to have been able to win," said Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, "but we weren't able to stop anyone during that one stretch. But we got some experience for a lot of guys who needed it."
The defeat ended the Jazz's season with a 47-35 mark, Utah's worst record in the last six seasons. But that distinction was assured before they ever set foot in Minneapolis on Saturday. Thus, Sloan decided he would experiment with a variety of combinations and rest his superstar players as much as possible.
Even when the Timberwolves tied the score with 4:25 to go, though, Sloan made no move toward his bench. Stockton, who sat out the entire fourth quarter, and Malone, who left with 9:15 left in the game, never returned.
"I'm always concerned that you can get someone hurt in that situation. I just didn't feel (playing them) was the right thing to do," said Sloan.
If the game itself was lacking in drama, there was one side show that drew rave reviews: Minnesota guard Micheal Williams. Williams came into Sunday's game chasing the all-time record for consecutive free throws. As the teams tipped off, he had made 74 straight - four behind the NBA record set by former Houston star Calvin Murphy.
Williams scored his first free throw on a three-point play in the first quarter but then was forced to wait. He waited through a screen by Jazz center Mike Brown that sent him writhing to the floor, but the foul was called on Williams, not Brown. Williams pulled within one of the mark by easily making two free throws with 11:35 to go in the third period. Sixteen seconds later he was back at the line. The first shot went easily through, and the crowd was on its feet. Then he casually dropped in the second shot, making it 79 in a row for a new record.
Williams finished the game with 10 straight, moving his NBA record to 84. "I hope next year I can get it up over a hundred," he said.
The former Baylor University player said he was "really nervous" on the free throw that tied the record. "The thing I wanted to do is count the dribbles and block out everything else," he said.
While the Williams drama subsided after a brief celebration and announcement, the Jazz made their one push to put the game away. With the Mailman, Stockton and Jeff Malone playing in the third quarter, the Jazz went ahead 83-76. But an 8-2 run near the end of the quarter brought the Timberwolves within one.
The Malones stayed in the lineup in the early fourth quarter, as the Jazz came from four points behind to four ahead. But soon the Mailman checked out for the final time and was followed eight seconds later by Jeff Malone, whose 24 points were high for the Jazz.
Trailing by two with 10 seconds to go, the Jazz got a final try. But David Benoit's driving shot came off the rim and though Stephen Howard saved the ball to Jay Humphries, the clock was running out. Humphries passed to Austin, who missed a six-foot turnaround at the horn.
While the Timberwolves howled off into the dressing room, celebrating their 19th win of the year, the Jazz began looking ahead to Friday's playoff opener against Seattle. Once the playoffs begin, it's highly likely the Malones and Stockton will be playing every crucial second down the stretch, not watching from the front row.