Welcome to the Hall: Scottie, Mailman, D.J. and The 1992 “Dream Team”

The NBA Hall of Fame inductees were announced today and among them were Karl “The Mailman” Malone, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Johnson. The 1992 USA Baketball Olympic team will also be inducted as well. Karl Malone spent his most of his career on the Utah Jazz (’85-’03). Karl Malone was named one of the “50 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time” at the 1997 NBA All-star game. That same year he was also named Reguler Season MVP as well.
Is he deserving? If you tell Karl he’s not, he will throw you a big elbow and change your tune. Malone was a power forward who avereged 25 points per game and 10 rebounds per game.  He spent his final season with the Los Angeles  Lakers yearning for a championship, but Big Ben Wallace, Chauncey Billups and company ended his final shot at championship glory.  Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen ended his first two runs at the title.  He will join his partner in crime John Stockton in the Hall in December.

If you give Michael Jordan all of the credit for the Bulls six NBA titles in the 1990’s, than obviously you don’t know anything about the NBA.  Jordan may have been the front man, but Scottie Pippen was just as important and helpful in winning those titles.  A ferocious small forward and enforcer, Pippen got in everyones faces and attacked the big men with full force.  One specific memory of Scottie Pippen that still blows my mind is from game six of the 1994 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the  Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks, where Scottie Pippen dunked on Patrick Ewing, knocking him to the ground, and then stood over Ewing and said something to him and then walked over to an enraged Spike Lee on the sideline and told him to sit down in his seat.  See for yourself:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rhd0ZFrb7y0 (Thank you to Youtube.com for this clip).  He avereged over 16 points per game and 2 steals per game as well.  Scottie won six NBA titles while on the Bulls and is also very deserving of this honor of being inducted into the Hall this September.
Some might remember Dennis Johnson as D.J., others might remember him as 1979 NBA Finals MVP, but I remember him for the guy who made a constant impact in games while standing along side Bird, Parish and McHale. His high NBA I.Q, crisp passes and the guy who consistantly made NBA All-defensive 1st and 2nd team’s throughout his entire career. One play that stands out of his is from the 1987 Eastern Conference Semi-Finals when Bird stole an inbounds pass from Isaiah Thomas and threw it to a cutting D.J. who made the lay up with one second to go. The three time NBA champion passed away in 2007 but what a way to end his career.
Oh!, let’s not forget about the 1992 U.S.A. Olympic “Dream” Team. Need I say more?

-Fensty