In a series that started with the Houston Rockets complaining loudly about the Utah Jazz setting "illegal picks," it was somehow appropriate that on the final play of the Western Conference Finals the controversy was revisited.
All 16,285 folks at The Summit Thursday night - and millions of others watching at home on TV - wondered how in the world John Stockton was able to get so open for the game-winning three at the buzzer. Houston guard Clyde Drexler, who was supposed to be covering the Jazz point guard, knew exactly what happened."Stockton got free by virtue of a bear hug," said Drexler.
But Karl Malone's so-called "bear hug" to his '92 Olympic teammate wasn't the warm and fuzzy kind he gives to his three children. No, it was the most important screen the Mailman has ever set - although it had Drexler crying foul afterward.
"Malone just grabbed me and held me," said Drexler. "The referee was right there and saw what happened. But Stockton made the shot, they won the game and that's the way it goes."
Said Malone, "It was the best pick I set in my life."
While the Rockets were obviously distressed over the final
play, they have to wonder why it even came down to that. They led by 13 points with under 6 1/2 minutes to play. Houston still had a 10-point advantage with three minutes left.
"We had the game in control," said Houston forward Mario Elie. "We should have closed them out, but we didn't. We didn't make the plays down the stretch."
No, it was Stockton making the plays at crunch time in a town that has dubbed itself "Clutch City." In the final 3:13, the Jazz point guard had a hand in all 19 Utah points - scoring 13 himself and assisting a pair of Bryon Russell 3-pointers.
"It was very frustrating because I thought we had the game won," said Elie.
"Stockton proved in this series that he is the best point guard in the NBA," said Houston's Eddie Johnson.
Said Charles Barkley, "We probably could have done something different. We could have eaten breakfast different this morning. We could have driven to the game on a different route. But John Stockton made the plays to get the Jazz to the Finals - plain and simple."
While the Rockets have lived and died - mostly lived - all year with rookie point guard Matt Maloney running the show, Maloney was conspicuously absent down the stretch. Rocket coach Rudy Tomjanovich instead decided to go with Sedale Threatt, a 14-year veteran, at the point during the entire fourth quarter. Stockton burned Threatt several times off the dribble in the waning moments.
Not that Maloney would have done any better in containing Stockton, but he would have welcomed the chance. "It was difficult to just sit there," he said. "But it was a decision (Tomjanovich) had to make. Sedale was playing good, and I wasn't shooting the ball well."
Tomjanovich pointed out the similarities between Thursday night's series clincher for the Jazz and the Game 5 victory for the Rockets in the best-of-five first-round series in '95. In both cases, the home team held a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter only to blow it, leaving the local fans leaving the arena in stunned silence.
"I'm disappointed we lost the game," said Tomjanovich. "We played great for the majority of the time."
Drexler, who had his best game of the series - scoring a team-high 33 points - agreed. "I thought we played well enough to win this game and get to Game 7, but it didn't happen. Give Utah credit."
It was Drexler, though, who had a couple of faux paux in the final seconds to give the Jazz a chance at the win. He had the ball stolen away by Stockton with 1:09 to play with the Rockets holding a two-point lead and missed a running eight-footer with the game tied and four seconds left.
"Good teams put teams away in the last five minutes," said Drexler. "We had a comfortable lead, but we couldn't put them away."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
FINAL 6:47
TEAM TIME PLAY SCORE
Hou (6:47) Johnson 3-pointer 77-90
Utah (6:25) Ostertag two free throws 79-90
Utah (5:44) Ostertag two free throws 81-90
Utah (5:20) Hornacek jumper 83-90
Hou (5:06) Barkley jumper 83-92
Utah (4:34) Malone one free throw 84-92
Hou (4:11) Johnson jumper 84-94
Utah (3:13) Stockton two free throws 86-94
Hou (2:59) Barkley two free throws 86-96
Utah (2:47) Russell 3-pointer 89-96
Utah (2:20) Stockton two free throws 91-96
Hou (2:02) Barkley one free throws 91-98
Utah (1:50) Russell 3-pointer 94-98
Utah (1:22) Stockton layup 96-98
Utah (1:03) Stockton layup 98-98
Hou ( :32) Barkley two free throws 98-100
Utah ( :22) Stockton jumper 100-100
Utah (:2.8) Stockton 3-pointer 103-100