Jazz 98, Raptors 84
It happened just as he hoped.
At home. In a victory. Off a pass, naturally, from Stockton to Malone.
When it did, Karl Malone took one look at his usually stoic point guard and realized the magnitude of moving past Wilt Chamberlain and into second place behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the NBA's all-time scoring list.
"I knew it was big when John Stockton said it was big, because he doesn't get excited about too much," Malone said. "I think he knew the basket, and he just clenched his fist. He knew how big it was."
History served itself well Tuesday night, allowing the NBA's all-time assists leader to ship the pass that sent his teammate of 16 seasons ahead of one great and behind another.
Step down, Stilt. The Mailman has moved up.
Malone scored the 31,420th point of his career at four minutes and 58 seconds of the second quarter in the Jazz's 98-84 victory over Toronto on Tuesday night.
He did it with a finger roll, dished by Stockton.
With Utah up 40-25 following a long jumper by Raptors guard Alvin Williams, Stockton took the ball upcourt. He drifted left, then spotted Malone posted up on Corliss Williamson.
Several times already by this point, the less-than-capacity crowd of 19,288 at the Delta Center had been teased unmercifully.
One shot that would have put Malone past Chamberlain came up short, bounding off the front rim. That was in the first quarter, before he went to the bench for the first time.
Another fell through but was disallowed became it came just moments after play was whistled dead due to illegal defense. And then there was the fallaway that failed to find its mark, the one Quincy Lewis tipped in.
Each time Malone came close, flash bulbs popped. Finally, the photo op was for real.
Malone accepted the pass from Stockton, turned right, shook Williamson and stepped into the lane. With a scoop, palm facing up, his shot caught rim, and backboard, before settling in. Malone had his seventh and eighth points of the game, and Chamberlain, with his 31,419, had fallen to third.
"It was a great relief," said Malone, who could have turned the trick at Charlotte on Saturday had he just hit his season average instead of scoring only 14.
Instead, it came in Salt Lake, where the Jazz, up by as many as 18 early, used a 28-19 fourth quarter to overcome a case of the post-big bucket blues.
Toronto had cut Utah's lead to as little as one more than once in the second half. But once it became apparent the Jazz (14-4, and winners of seven of their last eight) would win by pulling away late, all that really mattered was Malone, and what he had done.
"I've scored a lot of points, but it's Wilt Chamberlain," he said. "He's a pioneer of this league, and a guy I have a great deal of respect for."
Before he passed away just over a year ago, Chamberlain used the occasion of a 1997 gathering of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players at the league's All-Star Game in Cleveland to share a thought Malone may never forget.
"He told me something in Cleveland: To never change my game; no matter what anybody says, you just keep playing the same way," Malone said. "I hope I can do it."
The power forward, who has redefined his position, takes great pride in playing his way, something he has done since the Jazz drafted him out of Louisiana Tech in 1985.
"I came to Utah as a boy and I'm leaving basketball as a man," said Malone, 37. "I've been able to grow though it. I just want to thank the people for accepting me, for all of it. It's been a great journey for me.
"But I'm not done yet. Don't write my obituary yet. I'm not done."
Before he is, there is this matter of Abdul-Jabbar and his 38,387 points. Malone leaves the door open to the notion of chasing down Jabbar and his record. This could take him into his 40s.
There is something, though, that takes precedence over even that.
"I'm going to continue to try and play," he said, "and hopefully I can help us win and get to the next level, because I have one other goal in mind now, and I think you guys known what that is."
Malone, who wound up with a game-high 31 Tuesday and now has 31,343 in career, has produced more points than all of the game's greats, save for Abdul-Jabbar.
More than the Big Dipper. More than Michael Jordan, too.
But what Jabbar, Chamberlain and Jordan all can claim is something Malone cannot. Whether the Jazz will ever win the championship they have come so close to capturing, including two trips to the NBA Finals, remains to be seen. Until then, Malone can only savor what he has done so far, including moving into second the way he wanted.
"We won the ballgame," he said. "My biggest fear was that I would (pass Chamberlain) and we wouldn't win."
It's something that weighed on Malone's mind all of Tuesday afternoon.
"I didn't sleep at all," he said. "I've had one of the worst naps I've ever had — because my wife (Kay) never gets involved, and (even) she was talking about it.
"I'm glad it's over with, and I'm glad I was able to get it right here in Utah. For one brief moment it put us on the map again, and that's good."
Malone also is happy the ball came from whom it did: Stockton to Malone.
"Of course," Malone said. "It wouldn't be any other way."
E-MAIL: tbuckley@desnews.com