Stockton/Malone played 18 seasons together and were eliminated in the 1st round 9 times

[BlackAchilles]

Playoff losses only count against you in the finals

Also they played with a bunch of plumbers like Greg Ostertag and Jeff Hornacek

 

[Street Knowledge]

Malone missed 10 games in 18 seasons

Stockton missed 22 games in 19 seasons

That’s what impresses me

So injures wasn’t an excuse then. They were healthy out there every playoff

 

[NYC Rebel]

So injures wasn’t an excuse then. They were healthy out there every playoff

Malone was choking so bad one playoff series he got benched for a game.

 

[NYC Rebel]

My GOD!

I forgot about most of these failures!!

This tweet got granular with how often they choked!!



Papers were calling them the “legacy of losers”

 

[Street Knowledge]

Malone and Stockton.

Their legacies are propped up by their longevity, which smoothed over their shortcomings of being passive and not having scoring skillsets and mentalities that were conducive to winning basketball.

Stockton shied away from being aggressive when the Jazz needed him to score; he's given a pass for this because of the bullshyt archaic thinking that was attached to him being a pure PG. Malone didn't have a 1v1 scoring skillset and 'alpha' mentality that many of his peers had. He was a master at capitalizing on easy scoring opportunities, as it was his main source of scoring to make up for a lack of skill. He had a habit of fading in-and-out of games too because he didn't have a demeanor of winning by any means necessary.

As iconic as they were as a duo, they were also the worst kind of duo because they didn't have contrasting personalities to balance each other out.

I remember someone saying Karl scored more points than anyone in history(other than Kareem at the time) but if I needed a basket with my life on the line there are so many others guys I’d go to because he didn’t have that elite 1-1 scoring skill set

It seems crazy for a guy who scored over 30,000 points but it’s true

 

[wire28]

Keep in mind they were playing against substitute school teachers and tow truck drivers.

 

[BigTyme Records]

They were chokers

 

[nieman]

You can say the same about damn near everyone.

 

[NYC Rebel]

Dude showed how overrated Stockton was.

I’m going to tell you what I would never miss about the 90s NBA. No one ever wants to talk about those disgusting scoring droughts. those Jazz tweets talked about those disgusting five minute scoreless droughts the jazz routinely experienced. My God… Between them, the Knicks, Cavs, and the Pacers, that shyt was like watching paint dry. The NBA should pay Michael Jordan so much more than what he got from the league.

He was carrying a dusty ass league

 

[who_better_than_me]

My GOD!

I forgot about most of these failures!!

This tweet got granular with how often they choked!!



Papers were calling them the “legacy of losers”

The spurs were bigger losers than them before Duncan came. Malone actually eliminated Robinson Spurs in the postseason during their prime.

 

[Street Knowledge]

You can say the same about damn near everyone.

2 of the 5 best players ever at their position played for 18 years and went out in round 1/2 13 of the 18 seasons? This is basically unprecedented.

Imagine if Steph Curry/Dirk Nowitkski were together for 18 years with a HOF coach and never won a ring? You wouldn’t believe that.

The only explanation they weren’t as good as people said

 

[NYC Rebel]

The spurs were bigger losers than them before Duncan came. Malone actually eliminated Robinson Spurs in the postseason during their prime.

Who was prime Robinson partnering with along the lines of Malone having Stockton? Who were the Spurs HOF coach prior to Pop?

Your post is a pivot

 

[NYC Rebel]

1987. Versus Golden State.

They won the first 2 games. Then lost the next 3. Didn’t close.

The series turned on a fight started by Malone at the end of game 2. It brought the Warriors together. They wanted to “Thank Karl Malone.”

Karl had 19 PPG vs the 21st worst defense.

 

[NYC Rebel]

In 1988. I thought this was a team that was on Their way. Took team Lakers to 7. Karl and Stockton were great.

That said, there was game 5, where Stockton effectively dribbled out the clock, thinking there was more time. Said it himself.

Tragic Stockton.

 

[NYC Rebel]

On to 1989. 51 win team, swept in the 1st round.

Six straight playoff losses to the Warriors.

All the typical complaints are ALREADY here…in 1989. Dry spells on offense, 5 points in 14 possessions, Malone scoreless for long stretches, no ability to score, etc.

NBA scoring drought era began