This is clearly abnormal; last year in the Finals, Malone wasn’t this distracted or nervous.
Most of the time, he could stay focused. Only in the most crucial moments would Malone sometimes get a bit anxious, but not much.
For instance, during a free throw, when Scottie Pippen said to Malone, "The Mailman doesn’t deliver on Sundays," Malone missed the shot, leading to the Jazz’s defeat.
If it were Ah Gan, Gan Guoyang would hit the free throw while cursing at Pippen, "Bullshit, it’s Monday in China."
In the most critical moments, Malone indeed had some psychological weakness, but today is just the first game, and it hasn’t even started yet.
After the MVP award ceremony, when both teams were about to take the court, Stockton nudged Malone and said, "Hey, relax, relax!"
Malone glanced at Stockton. His old partner could indeed see through him—relaxing was necessary, but it was challenging to do so.
"Maybe being a bit nervous is good for me." Malone comforted himself.
Being a little tense before a major game can be beneficial; it can boost adrenaline and greatly enhance focus and explosiveness.
But being overly tense is no good; it can make your legs go weak, your breathing labored, and your reactions sluggish, heavily impacting your performance on the court.
A person’s true nature doesn’t change easily, no matter how many years of change and tempering they go through, no matter how many layers of time cover them, their core remains the same.
No matter how Malone tempered his body in the gym, stayed in shape during the off-season, trained hard, or did tough-guy activities like truck driving, fishing, and bear hunting, his inherent character was long established and hard to change.
As Gan Guoyang sarcastically said, Malone had always been that timid boy from rural Louisiana, hiding in his mother’s arms and crying.
Gan Guoyang saw Malone walking stiffly onto the court and immediately perceived that the guy was surely nervous.
Gan Guoyang certainly wouldn’t miss the chance to pressurize his opponent. It’s the playoffs, not the regular season; no need for courtesy.
"You look extremely nervous, Karl! So, has Jerry Sloan assigned you to guard me tonight?"
"Cut the crap, Sonny, you’ve already said enough." Malone retorted, still tough with his words.
"I bet you won’t score in double digits tonight. 100,000 US dollars, are you in?" Gan Guoyang raised the stakes without further ado.
100,000 US dollars, both could afford it, and since Gan Guoyang proposed it, he would definitely honor the bet.
Malone froze. How to respond? Logically, scoring 10 points in a game for Malone was as easy as eating or drinking.
So far this season, Malone hadn’t had a single game where he didn’t score in double digits.
Even in last year’s Western Conference Finals, where he didn’t perform well against Ah Gan, he still scored in double digits in every game.
So as long as he accepted, the 100,000 US dollars were in hand, regardless of the team’s win or loss.
If it were Jordan, he wouldn’t hesitate to accept and would even ask if it would be credit or cash.
But if it were Jordan, Gan Guoyang wouldn’t bet like this—it would be like giving away money.
Malone was different. Gan knew Malone would hesitate, as he fundamentally lacked confidence in himself.
If the Jazz had won the championship last year, Malone might have broken through the shackles of his adolescent character and reached a new realm.
But unfortunately, they faced Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, leaving Karl Malone to continue dwelling in place.
Until the game began, Malone never answered Gan Guoyang’s bet, just laughed it off.
Gan Guoyang didn’t press the issue; the game was starting, no time for idle talk.
But in his heart, he was sure Malone hadn’t fundamentally changed since winning the West Finals last year.
The Jazz team seemed to play a team-style game, but their reliance on Karl Malone was far greater than imagined.
Especially this season, with Stockton absent due to injury and Jeff Hornacek getting another year older, Malone’s importance was particularly significant.
In the regular season, he single-handedly held the team up, pulling them from fourth or fifth place to second, achieving 60 wins for two consecutive years and securing home-court advantage against everyone except the Portland Trail Blazers.
Offensively, Karl Malone was the Jazz’s most reliable go-to player, and even the only true go-to player.
In the intense playoff battles, the Jazz’s UCLA system failed more often than in the regular season.
Thus, many times the Jazz had to rely on Malone’s one-on-one plays to ensure success; without his ball-handling and individual plays, the Jazz’s offense would crumble significantly.
In this regard, even Gan Guoyang couldn’t match Malone because if Gan Guoyang didn’t play, the Trail Blazers would only lose 30%-40% of their strength, retaining about 60%-70% of their combat power.
Data shows that in the regular season, the Jazz averaged 101 points per game; in the playoffs, so far, they’ve averaged 91 points, a drop of 10, with assists falling from an average of 25 to 21.
In the regular season, Malone averaged 27 points per game, and in the playoffs, he still averaged 27 points. His scoring didn’t change, but the team’s total scoring dropped, and so did assists, greatly increasing Malone’s scoring proportion and importance.
Moreover, Malone’s average number of shots increased from 18 in the regular season to 21 in the playoffs, indicating the team’s reliance on him increased significantly in the playoffs.
Walton said at the start of the game, "Actually, if the Jazz make it to the Finals this year, I think they have a chance to beat the Bulls because Malone is better this year than last year. And the Bulls find it tough to deal with Malone. But unfortunately, the Jazz face the Trail Blazers in the West Finals, and the Trail Blazers are better than they were last year. If Malone goes up against Ah Gan, I think he’ll find it tough to perform well. And without Malone’s excellent performance, the Jazz will struggle significantly, unless you expect Stockton to explode like last year again."