NOTEBOOK | NBA Finals

Sidelined and saddened: Karl Malone never left the bench in the fourth quarter of Game 4, and his dour expression betrayed his feelings about his long quest for a title. Rendered ineffective by a right knee injury, the NBA's second-leading career scorer had just two points in 21 minutes. Malone played just 41/2 minutes in the second half, leaving for good with 7:30 remaining in the third quarter. He spent the rest of the night in glum silence on the Lakers' bench, barely even standing up to cheer his teammates as the Pistons gradually pulled away. Malone left the Utah Jazz after 18 seasons last summer because he thought the Lakers would have the best shot at a title. With Malone in top form and healthy, the Lakers might -- but after injuring his knee earlier in the playoffs, he simply can't keep up while his knee won't improve.
Phil's feelings: Phil Jackson refused to start a war of words with Magic Johnson, even after the former Laker criticized Jackson's players and the Los Angeles Lakers' pride in a diatribe Saturday in Lansing. After all, Johnson -- now an executive and a minority owner with the Lakers -- is Jackson's boss. "We deal with Magic sometimes having to say some things that interject into our business and the team," Jackson said. "He is an owner. We have to respect what he says. He wants us to represent the team and L.A. well, so I think his sentiments are fine."
More Magic: Johnson also repeated his agreement with Larry Bird's declaration that the NBA needs more white stars. Bird made the comments during a group interview that also featured Magic, LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. "He was saying we need more great white players, and he was right," Johnson said. "That would put even more light on the league, because more people would tune in." Johnson sees racial undercurrents in many of the sport's greatest moments, including Michigan State's victory over Bird and Indiana State for the 1979 NCAA title, widely considered one of basketball's greatest games. "Why is the '79 national championship still the highest-rated game in basketball history?" Johnson asked. "That's not a coincidence. It's because you had Magic -- black -- and Bird -- white. C'mon, we all understand that."
Foul play: Detroit coach Larry Brown jokingly responded to Jackson's series-long criticism of the officiating before Sunday's game. Jackson lobbied for more calls and a less one-sided free throw disparity after Game 2 and Game 3. Brown listened with amusement to the Zenmaster's typical mind games, but jumped into the fray when he was asked how the Pistons play such effective defense against Kobe Bryant. "We foul. We fouled him before he shot the ball," Brown said sarcastically. "If you're allowed to slap arms and put bodies on people, I mean, how are you going to get shots?"
Associated Press
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