NBA (or Why They Call Him The Mailman)

Before I get to Karl Malone — “family man”  Let’s get some other points out of the way.

My February 24th post already predicted my Detroit-Lakers final after the Lakers fleeced the Grizzlies for Pau Gasol.  So with little tension until we get later in the playoffs, I thought I would put out a few burning thoughts on the NBA in general.

(Now I must admit that I am originally from the Bay Area, so I have an anti-LA sports team bias; however, that being admitted

1) The Lakers Dynasty (Shaq-Kobe Days)

In their first championship year, the Lakers trailed the Trail Blazers by 15 in the fourth quarter before Shaq and Kobe went off.

In their second championship year they rolled through the playoffs.

In their third championship year, they had Horry’s miracle 3, and the egregious officiating in Game 6 where they attempted 27 free throws in the fourth quarter to force a game 7.

So let me get this straight — the Lakers dynasty was one 4th quarter collapse and a pathetic officiated game from being a single title holder.  I know, I know, the titles is what counts.  Hey, the comeback was legit, but the officiating leads me to my second observation.

How can a league survive (and I like the NBA) when so many key games suffer from ridiculous officiating?

In addition to the Lakers mentioned above, there were the final between Dallas and Miami where Dwyane Wade was given two free throws just for leaving the bench.  That series stunk.

And last year you had game three between San Antonio and the Spurs that was poorly officiated in the Spurs favor by Tim Donaghy.  Yes, the penitentiary-residing ex-NBA referee.  This of course was followed by the silly suspensions of PHX players for leaving the bench.

Needless to say, officiating arguably cost PHX and Sacto chances to win an NBA title, thus changing legacies for guys like Steve Nash and Chris Webber in the process. 

Speaking of potentially mismatched legacies, let’s get to the Mailman.

As you all know, Yes MSG has a special space for the athletic competition of out of wedlock births.  Little did I know that the Mailman, Karl Malone, a man who played like 17 years in Utah, has three illegitimate children.

One was just drafted into the NFL -  Demetrius Bell.  The other two are twins, one of who plays in the WNBA for the Detroit Shock.

But the funny thing is that Karl, who has 4 kids with his current wife, has a limited relationship with the twins (probably because she made the WNBA) and no relationship with the NFL Draftee.  But wait, it gets richer.

He told the Demetrius that it was too late for him to play father, and that the kid would have to make it on his own.  Gee Karl, that $100M you earned must not have been enough.

And it turns out that Demetrius mother ‘may’ have been 13 when Karl and she conceived.  Now why it is only alleged that she was 13, I have no idea.  Unless she is a Dominican ballplayer, she should have an accurate birth certificate, but I digress.  So let’s recap:

Karl is an absentee father

Karl is a deadbeat dad

Karl is cheap

And Karl was not the best Power Forward of all time, just the biggest choker.  In game 6 of the Finals, with the ability to force a Game 7 (something no one ever did against the Bulls Dynasty), you do not, with a lead of one and the clock running down, get stripped of the ball, EVEN BY MICHAEL JORDAN. 

This was, of course, followed by MJ’s blatant push off on Bryon Russell, not called.  So see, even Karl’s out-of-wedlock propensity comes full circle to poor officiating.

For more on Karl, you can read here.