They stood together as gold medalists in Barcelona, Spain, four years ago. They stood together in the Delta Center as 1993 NBA All-Star Game co-MVPs. Friday night at the Delta Center, they stood together once more in history as Olympians on their home court.
Well, it wasn't really that dramatic.Jazzmen John Stockton and Karl Malone were more caught up in being home with family and friends for a brief time during this barnstorming five-game, pre-Olympic training-camp tour than in sharing another milestone.
"Don't have time for that," said Stockton about whether he'd felt any emotional twinges playing for Dream Team III before his home crowd, beating the Australian Olympic team 118-77 Friday night before a packed house.
Malone scored 14 points with two steals and three rebounds in 18 minutes, and Stockton had five points and five assists in 20 minutes. Both started the game.
Stockton, a free agent for the time being, did reiterate in a postgame press conference that he plans to stay a Utahn but has put off contract negotiations with the Jazz until after the Olympics. "I'm sure it'll get done. I'm staying here. I'm not really taking (other) offers. It's a moot point. They're going to be fair here, and it's a great place to live," said Stockton.
Malone, too, said he's three weeks past groundbreaking on his new home in Salt Lake City and that he and his family plan to stay here after he retires.
Malone thanked the Olympic team for playing in Salt Lake City so he'd be home. "It's been a great break. I've been a full two days with the family" - and a few hours with a roomfull of friends.
"Yeah, to be in front of your home crowd. You know, Charles (Barkley) played for, you could call it his home crowd now you don't know where he's going (he's a free agent), but he played in front of Phoenix (Wednesday) and they went wild. And to be here and play in front of our home crowd was great," Malone said. "It was really neat to see the support for Stockton and myself, and it was a lot of fun to bring these guys here and play in this kind of atmosphere."
Malone's free-throw shooting, a problem in the NBA playoffs, has improved in his three Dream-Team games (2-for-2 Friday, 11-for-15 overall), even though international rules allow just five seconds to shoot. "I think it's the shorter time limit," he said. "I'm just stepping up there and shooting, or whatever. The whole practice I've been shooting them really quick, and they're starting to feel really good."
Malone was first out to help friend Barkley during a confrontation with the Australians with a few minutes left in the first half. "We're not planning on bullying anybody," he said, "but we're not going to get bullied, either." Malone said the friendships the Olympians make with each other are the best thing to him about playing with the team.
Stockton liked the way Aussie point guard Shane Heal went after Barkley, who'd knocked him down on a 3-point shot. "I admire them for it," Stockton said of the overall Aussie feistiness.
"The Australian guys really don't care who we are. I tip my hat to them for that. They came ready to play." He said the 6-foot Heal's confrontation with Barkley "probably wasn't the wisest thing he's done," but Stockton added, "I like to think it would be the way I would handle it."