He succeeded big, on two occasions failed big and, of course, talked big.

Consequently, Malone was always the Jazz's lightning rod.

While everyone remembers Michael Jordan stealing the ball from Malone in the 1998 NBA Finals, not as many recall Malone got 31 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists that night. Fewer still recall Stockton had a subpar 10-point, five-assist game or that he had a shot at the buzzer that would have won the game.

That doesn't mean either player was solely responsible for the Jazz's failure to win a title. It only illustrates that it was Malone who always took the brunt of the blame.

"I admire this guy," said Stockton. "He's had to shoulder things I can't even imagine."

Said owner Larry H. Miller: "To be the one whose almost every act has been observed under the microscope is an interesting thing."

That his number belongs in the rafters is indisputable. Yet his legacy in Utah will forever be more complicated than Stockton's. Compared to a current Jazz team that features what owner Miller terms "pampered babies with hurt feelings," Malone was low-maintenance. He too was pampered, and heaven knows his feelings got hurt. But the difference was this: He played relentlessly every night, in spite of anything else that happened.

Thus, he carried the glory and the blame throughout 18 seasons in Utah.

Although he chafed at criticism, he still seemed to understand it was part of the job.

"A lightning rod is one of those things where somebody's got to do it," said Malone. "Why not me?"

As he said, all the more for him.

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E-mail: rock@desnews.com