Sloan, Malone at Opposite Ends of Court

So now the coach of the team with home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, whose arena is the loudest in the NBA, says home-court advantage doesn’t matter.

“If you’re affected by how the crowd gets you up to play, that’s a sad commentary on what you’re doing in your job,” Utah’s Jerry Sloan said. “If you have to have somebody pump you up . . .

“You’re getting paid all this money to play this game anyway. How would you like to work at 8 o’clock in the morning and don’t get off until 7 and somebody doesn’t pump you up? Now you think that’s fair? I really don’t.”

His power forward offered a different opinion.

“I don’t care what anybody says, home court is important,” Karl Malone said.

The Jazz is 74-8 at the Delta Center over the past two regular seasons and has lost only twice in the past two postseasons.

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Sloan, when asked if he agreed with Seattle assistant coach Bob Weiss’ opinion that Shaquille O’Neal is a better player than Wilt Chamberlain: “I have to; we’re playing against him. When you’re playing against a guy, he’s better than anybody who’s ever played.”

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Rod Thorn, NBA vice president of operations, tried to stay neutral in the debate over whether Malone’s karate kicks when he shoots should be called an offensive foul. Laker Coach Del Harris reiterated the concerns voiced by San Antonio’s David Robinson, who guarded Malone in the second round.

“You see a lot of posturing prior to a series starting,” Thorn said. “George Karl’s concerns about Shaq [for example].

“What’s posturing and what is real? If somebody is fouling, we expect the referees to call it.

“Malone is a lot like Shaq in that they both go to contact,” Thorn said. “It’s tougher when guys are going to the basket to determine who made the first contact. He puts a lot of pressure--he and Shaq both--in that there’s so much contact around the hoop.”

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The kicking topic did not come up when Malone met with reporters Friday, and he was appreciative.

“You guys didn’t even ask me about that Del Harris [stuff],” Malone said on his way out. “That’s cool.”