Karl Malone: Leading the Lakers over Yao Ming and the Rockets (2004 Playoffs, 30 points)

www.basketball-reference.com/...
April 25th, 2004
Happy Birthday Karl Malone!!
Karl Malone became the oldest person to score 30 points in a playoff game, as he poured in 30 points (20 in the first half) to lead the Lakers scoring attack. The Lakers defeated the Rockets in OT to take a 3-1 series lead.
Karl Malone got into a altercation with Boštjan Nachbar of the Rockets in the 2nd quarter. He ended up with a torn jersey and a technical foul as a result. This lit a fire under Malone!
He was quiet in the 4th quarter, and the Rockets came back to tie the game and force OT. Malone and Kobe Bryant took over in OT. Rockets were up 87-81, then the Lakers ended the game on an 11-1 run. Malone also drew Yao Ming's 6th foul.
Probably Malone's last Mailman performance for his career.
Check out my Karl Malone Playlist here: • Karl Malone

[@yalareksa]

bruh he's in his 40, power forward, run and jump like a muhfuckin cheetah and his mid-range shooting is impeccable.

[@tyjohnson3111]

4:09 Karl/Shaq Pick & Roll 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you can’t make this shit up man this game is insane

[@HeathOverledger]

😆😆😆🤣🤣 that is indeed one of the most ironically insane visuals you’ll ever see on a basketball court 😅😅🤣🤣

[@zachcoleman6285]

Malone was sooo talented. My fav pf

[@jackjax7921]

0:54 Cant believe Karl Malone can still run that fast.

[@drewholliday7981]

I was just about to say the same thing, I played it over 30 times and he could float at that age

[@tj5180]

Old man can actually run. I wonder if I'm 50 years old I can do that

[@taylorcullimore]

That's literally what I was thinking when I saw it. Haha.

[@dagameplayer]

im not too surprised. Dude was athletic af.

[@NotAnAstronaut2k]

Dude was 6'9 ft. 260/270 lbs of muscle as well

[@mr.e347]

Thats a 40 year old Karl Malone. Damn. All pfs by that age were either washed or retired.

[@pnwdweler4100]

And all the people that comment on other posts that Malone was only great because of Stockton. Looks like Malone was going to get his 25-30 points no matter who he was playing with.

[@youin24years]

And he was out of his prime. Says a lot about the greatest PF of all time

[@cmoney1818]

Shaq played a big part when he was with the lakers.. I agree he still doesn’t get recognition for how good he really was.

[@SuperCaveman16]

Imagine is Shaq and Malone were on the same team in their primes. Nobody would be able to stop the post scoring.

[@juanaceves6363]

If this lakers team didn’t have so much big egos/internal drama. they would’ve won 2004 & possibly 05

[@davidparra6787]

Injury

[@smoove354]

Malone got hurt

[@joshuafult84]

100% Kobe chucked them out the series and the Pistons were smart to not double Shaq causing Kobe to get jealous

[@hillboycejr4939]

The dynasty would have been over regardless after that season

[@dustinfonnesbeck9667]

If Malone didn't get injured they would have won the title

[@DEEDUBZ]

One of the greatest players in NBA history

[@sebastianlajos866]

The greatest PF ever imo

[@toughmunths]

@@sebastianlajos866 lol hell nah

[@myhandslife7395]

Watching Malone and stockton play where some exciting moments. One of the best duos ever

[@tj5180]

@@sebastianlajos866 no

[@Fidel_cashflo]

One of the greatest child groomers

[@kjtheproof5328]

One of the greatest players ever, he deserves his respect!!

[@phoenixc6812]

Hmmm I wonder why people don’t respect him

[@JahNuhThunDeeTheOneAndOnly]

As a player only though

[@user-nn8cq8ob9m]

He doesn’t deserve no damn respect 😂gtfo

[@TimothyMcGaffinII]

Karl Malone is a true Champion! He Never Gives Up! No one else played for so long at such a high level, making the playoffs every single year, not even Jordan. This was an awesome game. The Mailman dominated.

[@craigmcdugal1863]

A true champion without a championship. But point taken

[@Slenderirl]

They didn't win it because Malone got hurt and Kobe and Shaq were fractured. But dayum we ruined a whole lotta careers and drank tears.

[@don8244]

Mailman could've played at a high level til 50 with that frame, whewwee

[@sebastianlajos866]

He probably could've but that would take a lot of luck in terms of avoiding injuries. I think Malone easily could've played for 2 or 3 more years at that level if he hadn't had gotten injured in 04.

[@clargar5382]

@@sebastianlajos866 maybe he can extend the 2004 NBA finals too because of his defense

[@staunchlyspeaking]

Nice, welcome back.

[@DrSauceGotTheJuice]

I just got this jersey today!! I just HAD to come thru and show some love Mail Man Thanks for the Memories!! 💪🏾🫶🏾🌊 #LakerGangMafia #Forever!!

[@GatCat]

With Al Michaels calling the game, its hard to not think of football.

[@HeathOverledger]

Malone staying on board as Kobe’s PF for another two or three seasons would have been so interesting for LA. He obviously could have play longer and essentially be the first to 40k before LeBron would eventually eclipse. He and a 25 year old Kobe are a helluva combo. Great upload!

[@sotoart89]

Defense defense what games. You know it was good defense in both team when in half time the score box was below 50 points. Not like now in days one team is 67 and the other one 36😒 Miss those days😭

[@GoZags43]

You just admitted you know very little about the NBA or basketball in general. If you think “below 50 points at half time” automatically means good defense, you don’t understand how basketball works. First off have you ever heard of pace..? Pace/number of possessions has a HUGE effect on the raw scoring output. Second, NBA teams actually developed some analytical thinking skills between 04 and today. Shaq/Malone could NEVER play alongside one another today. They’d be shot off the floor in 5 possessions against any elite shooting team, especially with an elite off the dribble 3 point shooter. Teams back then didn’t shoot threes at anything CLOSE to the rates today. That has a twofold effect: 1. 3s are worth more than 2, and the % between 3s and long 2s are really close. 2. The court is actually SPACED OUT now. That’s the biggest difference. When teams play 4-5 shooters, driving lanes are inherently MUCH MORE open. LA had 1 1/2 3 pt shooters on the floor during this game. Now teams often have 5. That has a HUGE effect on paint scoring. Defense is SO MUCH HARDER now than it was then because of the INSANELY spaced out floor due to shooting.

[@theanalyst2018]

When everyones doubt him he can not do it without john stockton

[@duffman1876]

Wooow look at this Super Team😎🍻🍺

[@ejpagdanganan1802]

The mailman flexinnn

[@railenherman6482]

If he didn’t get injured, Lakers may’ve won and he’d get a ring.

[@Nbafan2000]

Agreed in 7

[@ChrisM07]

The Lakers had a bit of luck getting out the West in the first place with Fisher's shot against the Spurs and then Cassell being injured in the wcf. The law of averages simply took over against the Pistons with their luck running out.

[@noname9360]

Good hard play by nachbar at 2:29 not backing down from malone after the previous play when malone undercutted him on that dunk he earned some respect from the mailman after that play

[@NotAnAstronaut2k]

Shaq and Malone Pick N' Roll! 🤣

[@motornilabz9763]

39 yrs of age dont have any championship rings. so sad to think

[@reignman441]

that superteam Lakers looked good until they met Pistons

[@lexluthor3811]

Lol u act like the lakers were at 100% by the time they met pistons

[@lexluthor3811]

@@JayL8899 the fact u make stupid jokes shows how little u followed the series let alone the nba in general

[@anen9332]

Malone's injury was a major problem for LA. They wouldn't have made the Finals without Malone who was, in many ways, the glue guy for that squad.

[@joshuafult84]

@@anen9332 Malone's injury combined with Kobe wanting Finals MVP was the deathnail

[@anen9332]

@@joshuafult84 Totally agree. Kobe was not only hunting for a Finals MVP, he also was going to make sure that Shaq didn't get another one. Shooting 38% to Shaq's 63% is one thing. But Shaq ended up taking only 84 shots in the series. Kobe attempted 113. Ugh.

[@maciejkarolczak2761]

Kocham tego człowieka i mam bol tylka ze nie zdobył zwłaszcza wtedy tytułu NBA . On i John Stockton moi bohaterowie z lat młodości! Zdrowia panowie .

[@Fred-lk7xf]

MOST UNDERRATED PLAYER EVER

[@fullmetal1766]

Malone is 40 here

[@realchrisgunter]

Rockets fan here. Ugh I was at this game!

[@chopnteddy]

Man I didn't watch any games after Stockton retired. Shame Lakers didn't win the title that year.

[@uclaxboi]

can’t help but think this was lebron james in the making

[@NosecretProdutions]

This was a mobb

[@camerondrain8166]

The real GOAT pf. That man would've smoke Tim duncan

[@MarvinMonroe]

That would be interesting to watch. I'm not sure. If all the greats played in big ass one vs one tournament. No luck involved. Like everyone plays everyone 99 times each. Who would come out what the beat record? Everyone in their prime of course. I'm no expert but Malone should be top 10. Maybe Wilt number one, I dunno

[@anen9332]

Malone, even at 40 years old, gave Duncan the business defensively in the 2004 Semifinals. In the four Laker victories, Malone held Duncan to 17.8 PPG and 37.8% shooting. He did this while playing through a serious knee injury.

[@user-rb6tm7sp3b]

Prime Malone vs Prime Duncan. Malone wins.

[@kochevniknomad]

what a loaded team. how didn't they even win a chip.

[@NotAnAstronaut2k]

Malone got hurt, Kobe and Shaq friction, Kobe shooting them out of the series vs Pistons

[@JThom-yh3ef]

The injuries and the feuds killed that squad. You can have a star power caliber team, but if you’re not on the same page nor developing a chemistry, kiss that championship ring 💍 good bye.

[@juztooeazy5187]

Kobe MURDERED Steve Francis. I've never seen this game. SHEESH!!!

[@ur_wrong1209]

2:37 maaaan Bostjan would’ve whopped Malone

[@Jmurda1983]

If Karl Malone had the chance to shoot threes back then he would have been in the GOAT conversation

[@NotAnAstronaut2k]

Lol what? he didnt need soft threes with those huge guns in his shoulders and he got 25 piece a night for almost 2 decades

[@aaronorange6732]

Wow I completely erased Malone out my mind of him playin wit The Lakers smh I think I know why tho...lol because it was the worst ass whoopin I ever seen in my life..Detroit f***** us up in them finals!! We wasnt even suppose to win that game that we won!

[@whodatmyan]

Yeah if Kobe didn't hit that shot Detroit might of swept our ass

[@aaronorange6732]

@@whodatmyan Yea but even then I thought it was bs because we had to work so damn hard for that shyt..I didnt feel good afterwards

[@barbarapaparella2282]

I think malone got hurt in the finals. He was really playing well. They still prob would have lost but malones injurywas huge.

[@aaronorange6732]

@@barbarapaparella2282 Yea now that I think about it i do recall that

[@barbarapaparella2282]

@@aaronorange6732 he got injured in the regular season. He wasnt 100% healthy when he come back with like 18 games left in the season. Happy gary payton won his ring with the 05-06 heat. Sucks malone never won a champiinship.

[@kobetree4147]

Steve Francis alone lost us this series