Laker Cruise Hits Some Rough Water Along Way

Karl (Mailman) Malone is the most interested observer, and maybe the most active participant, in the current Lakers-Jazz series.

And after Tuesday night’s 111-109 Laker victory at the Forum, Malone might also be the most surprised. The morning of the game, maybe exercising some wishful thinking, Malone said,

“They (the Lakers) think it’s over with, I can tell. They’re thinking, ‘Now we go back home.’ They think it’s over with, they think it’s gonna be a cruise for them.”

This was no cruise. The Lakers were more desperate than casual as they blew a 10-point lead in the last quarter and needed several miracles to escape with a win.

The Lakers aren’t taking the Jazz lightly. On the contrary, they’re fighting for survival against a bunch of kids led by point guard John Stockton and Malone, Butch Cassady and the Slamdunk Kid.

With Mailman’s point totals for the series looking like this--29-29-29-29-27, he has moved a step closer to superstar status.

Also a step closer to vacation. Perhaps a cruise.

Malone, whom Pat Riley and a few other NBA experts consider the best power forward in the league, is seldom at a loss for points or words. He’s enjoying the spotlight of the second round of the playoffs, against the defending world champions. He’s even enjoying the hits--giving and taking.

In Sunday’s Game 4 at Salt Lake City, Laker forward A.C. Green body-checked Malone into the grandstand on a fast break. Riley pointed out that just before that, Malone had thrown a vicious elbow at Green as the two were running downcourt.

Malone pointed out that a few seconds before that , as he began his sprint downcourt, Green grabbed his jersey.

“Cooper was holding my jersey and my pants when I was trying to get out in Game 1,” Malone said. “He went up in the stands (nudged there by Malone), and he hasn’t done that since.

“I don’t mind that stuff, though. Everybody is looking for a little edge. I do things looking for an edge. I don’t get mad. I try to take everything with a smile, let ‘em know it didn’t affect me. I used to have a short fuse, but you have to extend your fuse for the playoffs.”

Give Malone and his teammates credit, they’re not intimidated by the pressure or the atmosphere, even at the Forum, where once upon a time the Lakers beat the Jazz with routine ease. Mailman, in fact, enjoys the scene.

“The (Forum) crowd is definitely noisy, but not as noisy as ours,” Mailman said. “I guess they got too many stars coming to their games, they’re just mellow. If you come to the game with your silk suits on, you want to wrinkle your suit up?

“At home, the only star we got is coach (Frank) Layden. You know he don’t mind wrinkling his suit up.

“We got people on our front row who almost run out there on the court. They got Janet Jackson, Eddie Murphy, Jack Nicholson, what’s-her-name Cannon. Dyan? You think she be running out there with her leather pants on? Get out of town.

“Everybody comes. Ronald Reagan might come on over. I met Janet Jackson, I was impressed with her. When I first go out to warm up, I look around to see the environment. When that horn blows, I block it all out. They put ‘em (the stars) on the front row so the other team can see ‘em.

“The Laker Girls, too, they’re beautiful, but they put ‘em out there to get your attention. They’re definitely good at what they do, some of ‘em are better than the Solid Gold Dancers, but they can be distracting, too.

“My favorite part is when they put on the Reebok suits. When they do that, I’m hopin’ I’m in the game, because I don’t want to look. You write that, they’ll wear their Reebok suits the whole game.”

Now, Mailman can only hope the series returns to the Forum for Game 7 Saturday, rather than ending Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

All Mailman and the Jazz want is one more shot at the movie stars and the Reebok Girls . . . and the Lakers.