‘Scientist’ of the Game, Mullin Keeps On Going

Chris Mullin is playing less and his scoring is down. Never fast to begin with, he’s also lost a step or two--or three.

Then there are those nagging injuries to his hands and feet, sure to catch up with a player who’s fought through the sharp elbows and knees of picks for 14 seasons as a pro.

But here he is, a 35-year-old throwback with his crewcut and trademark deadeye shot, helping to lead the Indiana Pacers as they vie for their first NBA championship.

“When you look back over your career and how you want it to wind down, what type of people you want to be surrounded by, the atmosphere you want to play in, right now everything is right in place,” Mullin said.

After 836 games with Golden State, the former St. John’s star uprooted his family in 1997 hoping for a shot at the title with Pacers coach Larry Bird.

A gym rat even before he became a high school and college star in New York City, Mullin has started every game for Indiana the past two seasons and won teammates’ admiration for his talent and dedication.

“He’s a scientist to the game of basketball,” said Mark Jackson, also a teammate at St. John’s. “He hasn’t changed a bit since the first time I met him in New York. He’s usually the first one in the gym and the last one out. He’s a worker and a great friend, an example of what type of role model an NBA player should be.”

Life hasn’t always gone smoothly for Mullin, the seventh overall draft pick in 1985.

He missed 22 games during the 1987-88 season while in alcohol rehab. Injuries, including a bum heel, a torn thumb ligament and a torn finger ligament, have sidelined him for 157 games. He often submerges both feet in buckets of ice after games.

“You exist in the NBA day-by-day,” he said. “It’s not something where you say, ‘I want to do this for 15-20 years.’ You just do it. You have to have a game plan, be dedicated and committed.

“Looking back, if you said I was going to play 14-15 years in the NBA, I’d might have looked at you like you were crazy.”

The five-time All-Star also probably never thought he’d amass these regular-season totals: 17,554 points, 3,494 assists, 3,917 rebounds and 1,486 steals.

Mullin, who missed the playoffs in seven of his 12 years with Golden State, helped Indiana reach the seventh game of the Eastern Conference finals last year before losing to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.

This season, the Pacers look like the team to beat in the East. They swept the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night in the first round of the playoffs.

“Making the playoffs is great, but we want to win them this year, not just a series or two,” Mullin said.

After leaving the Warriors, Mullin settled down in the Indianapolis suburb of Carmel and had to adjust to a slower pace of life. He admits apprehension over moving his wife, Liz, and three young sons, but he is enjoying the change.

In fact, he had a special incentive to help the Pacers sweep the Bucks: It allowed him to return home to attend a son’s Little League game on Friday.

“Keeping busy when I’m not on the court is no problem. Hockey, Little League, soccer, we’ve got tons of things going on,” he said. “We’ve achieved that balance that we all strive for. I don’t know if we ever attain it, but when you get somewhere close to it, you have a good feeling and that’s how we are as a family.”

Milwaukee coach George Karl didn’t need the playoffs to appreciate what Mullin does for a team. He saw plenty of it as Seattle’s coach, dealing with Mullin as a Western Conference opponent.

“I love him. He’s the ultimate professional. He’s a hard worker on the court, has great knowledge of the game and the way it should be played and goes out and uses that knowledge to help his team and create problems for the opponent,” Karl said.

“The big difference I see in him over the years is that he’s working harder on defense, trying to stop the man he’s on. In the past he had to play so many minutes that he sometimes saved his energy.”

Mullin, who scored a career-low 10.1 points a game this season, hit eight of 19 3-point shots while scoring a total of 34 points against Milwaukee. Bird played him an average of about 18 minutes in the three games.

“I don’t move like I used to, and neither does Chris,” said Bird, the ex-Boston Celtics great who played with Mullin on Dream Team I at the 1992 Olympics. “That doesn’t mean he isn’t of less value to his team. He’s of great value to us. His shooting ability opens up the court, his passing ability keeps the offense moving.”

Mullin smiles when asked about slowing down. At least he hasn’t stopped playing.

“I try to make up for it by staying in condition, practicing my skills and working to improve where I can,” he said. “I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep going, but as long as I feel I am contributing rather than hurting my team I’ll want to keep going.”

And with a player as good as Mullin, that could be awhile.