Don't believe for a minute that Laker center Shaquille O'Neal was thrown out of Thursday's game simply for making two "It's good" gestures to referee Bill Oakes, even though Oakes has been known to whistle technical fouls in quick succession in the past.
Either O'Neal said something, too, or else Oakes was well aware of the way O'Neal behaved - and what he said - at the end of Game 2, and was just making a statement on behalf of the brotherhood of officials.As for O'Neal's comment that he won't go to anymore All-Star games until he gets treated like an All-Star, well, what makes him think he's going to be invited in the first place? (And by the way, does the NBA still think O'Neal is one of the 50 greatest players of all-time?)
IDENTITY CHECK: This was L.A. Times columnist Mike Downey's description of Karl Malone's horrid 2-for-20 shooting effort:
"I have a theory. I do not believe that was the real Karl Malone. I believe the real Karl Malone to be tied up in a closet somewhere, bound and gagged. I believe a hotel maid in Marina del Rey will find the real Karl, early this morning. I believe that somewhere in Los Angeles today, there is a lunatic Karl lookalike who fooled everybody, including the Utah team, until he shot the ball 20 times and hit the basket twice.
"Because, come on . . . the real Karl Malone never had a game like this in his life. I know Karl Malone, and this was not Karl Malone. It had to be his evil twin. Either that, or some guy in a Karl mask. I suggest the Utah state police investigate, pronto. The real Mailman Malone could go two for 20 come rain or come shine, shooting the ball with his elbows."
SHORT STUFF: Malone, on what it was like to have to watch the game films before practice Friday: "It was like getting two whippings in two days."
The Laker organization superimpose a clock on the jumbotron to count seconds as Malone lines up to shoot free throws, much the way Seattle fans did last season in the Western Conference Finals. Maybe the Jazz organization should superimpose a three-second clock to help officials figure out when O'Neal is setting up camp in the paint.
Malone took a little jab at Laker coach Del Harris and his players for their mum's-the-word act after Game 2: "If I have another bad game, I'll still be here, talking to you guys," he promised.
Media types several times tried to get Jazz guard John Stockton to acknowledge that the officiating has been shaky in this series. Stockton wouldn't bite. "I don't know if they've been a factor one way or another," he said. "Playoffs are hard to officiate."
Malone said his poor shooting night in Game 3 was put in perspective when he called his wife, Kay, after the game. "I said, `I shot two for 20.' And she said, 'What's two for 20?' "
And, a final thought-provoker: Was it just coincidence that the two flagrant fouls against Stockton were committed by bench players - Jerome Kersey and Kobe Bryant - instead of more-valuable starters?