SALT LAKE CITY -- This time, the Mailman delivered on Sunday.

With the direction of the NBA Finals hanging in the balance, Karl Malone shook off his history of playoff foul line failures, tuned out Scottie Pippen and made the two biggest free throws of his life.

The shots gave Utah a three-point lead with 17 seconds left, and the Jazz went on to beat the Chicago Bulls 78-73 Sunday night to even the finals at two games apiece.

``I said earlier that I wished I could be back in that situation,'' Malone said. ``I just blanked everything out and concentrated. ''

The series will resume here Wednesday night with the Jazz looking to become the first team ever to take a 3-2 lead over Chicago in the final round. As it is, they are the first team since Portland in 1992 to be tied with the Bulls after four games.

And their latest victory might just convince them that they have a legitimate chance, even though they'll need to win at least one game in Chicago.

It was the second-lowest scoring game in NBA Finals history, and the Jazz won it in part by holding the Bulls without a point over the final two minutes and scoring the game's last nine points. Michael Jordan had a chance to tie it with six seconds left, but he missed an off-balance 3-pointer that would have made it 76-76.

Malone rebounded the miss and fed the ball out, and Bryon Russell went in for an uncontested slam that put an exclamation point on Utah's stirring victory.

Malone ran over and hugged coach Jerry Sloan for several seconds in an emotional display of the vindication Malone obviously felt after making his final two foul shots.

It was just a week earlier that Malone went to the line in the closing seconds of Game 1 with a chance to break a tie game and put Utah in position for an upset.

But after Pippen walked over and told him ``The Mailman doesn't deliver on Sunday,'' Malone missed both shots and Jordan won the game on a buzzer-beating 21-footer.

The circumstances weren't exactly the same this time -- Utah led by one and the fans were quiet rather than screaming -- but Pippen tried to do what he could to make history repeat itself.

With Malone stepping to the line to take the first shot, Pippen tried to walk over and say something but had his path blocked by Utah's Jeff Hornacek. Pippen went into rebounding position and yelled ``Karl!, Karl!'' at Malone, but the MVP didn't respond.

He bounced in the first one and made the second to make it 76-73, and the Bulls, who had no timeouts left, inbounded the ball.

The ball went to Jordan, of course, outside the 3-point line. He dribbled right, left his feet and tried to square himself in the air, and the 23-footer looked good while it was in the air.

But it bounced in and out, Malone rebounded and Russell was soon going in for the finisher.

``He missed those shots, but how many times have you seen him make them?'' Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. ``You've got a 50 percent chance he'll miss it. You have to have a little bit of luck.''

Malone ended up with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, but he might not have been the MVP of this game despite his two late free throws and eight fourth-quarter points.

That distinction would belong to John Stockton, who made big play after big play over the final 2 1/2 minutes to lead Utah back from a five-point deficit.

``I always felt that we had a chance,'' Sloan said. ``John made some sensational plays, and Karl made the big free throws.''

Things looked bleak for the Jazz after Jordan went in for an uncontested fast-break dunk with 2:38 left to make it 71-66.

But Stockton calmly came downcourt, waited for a screen at the 3-point line and hit a 25-footer that re-energized the Jazz. Jordan scored on a 16-footer and Hornacek missed a runner, giving the ball back to Chicago.

Everyone knew where it was going, including Stockton. And when Jordan ended up with the ball at the top of the key, Stockton sneaked in and stripped it.

Stockton had a two-step head start, but Jordan caught him by the time he reached the basket and seemed to make a great block. But the officials called a foul and Stockton made one of two to pull Utah within three.

Pippen then missed a corner jumper, Stockton was fouled and made both with 1:03 left to make the deficit one.

Then came one of the greatest plays ever made in crunch time of an NBA Finals game. Stockton rebounded a missed jumper by Jordan and fired a baseball pass all the way downcourt to Malone, who had kept running after trying to block Jordan's shot. The 80-foot pass caught Malone in stride and he converted the layup that put Utah ahead to stay, 74-73.

``At first, I hollered, `Oh, No!,''' Sloan said. ``It was a great pass and Karl was able to finish.''

``That was a great pass. It looked like we might be able to get a hand on it, but he put it in just the right spot. That's his forte,'' Bulls coach Phil Jackson said. ``It was a great comeback by the Jazz, fueled by some great defensive plays.''

After the long pass, the ball ended up back in Jordan's hands on Chicago's next possession, but he passed off to Steve Kerr for a corner jumper that missed. Utah rebounded, the ball went to Malone and he was fouled, setting up his two free throws.

This time, the result wouldn't be the same as it was in Game 1. Or the same as it was in Game 7 of the 1996 Western Conference finals when Malone also missed two crucial free throws late in the game.

Stockton had 17 points and 12 assists and Hornacek had 13 points for Utah, which won its 22nd consecutive home game and its 10th of the postseason.

Jordan led Chicago with 22 points, 12 in the fourth quarter. Pippen had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Luc Longley scored 11 points.

Dennis Rodman was a non-factor again with no points and six rebounds in 25 minutes for the Bulls.

Hornacek scored the final three baskets of the first quarter for Utah, including a 3-pointer at the 24-second buzzer on the Jazz's last possession for a 21-16 lead.

Hornacek finished the quarter with nine points and Malone had seven after dominating the early matchup against Rodman, who took over the defensive assignment on the MVP after Longley handled it for most of the first three games.

Rodman, meanwhile, went 0-for-4 from the field before going to the locker room with 2:38 left because of an upset stomach. He returned late in the second quarter and picked up his third foul shortly thereafter for flopping while trying to draw a charging foul from Malone.

He walked to the bench saying ``It's not fair'' to referee Dick Bavetta.

The Bulls outscored Utah 24-14 in the second quarter to hold a 40-35 halftime lead. Toni Kukoc had two 3-pointers in the period when Ostertag didn't go out to the perimeter to guard him. Pippen and Brian Williams had six points apiece in the period.

The Bulls stuck with Pippen and Brian Williams as the focal points of their offense in the third quarter after Jordan missed his first four shots. The duo scored Chicago's final 12 points of the period and the game went into the fourth quarter tied 56-56.

Notes: The lowest scoring NBA Finals game was Fort Wayne 74, Syracuse 71 on April 7, 1955. --- Rodman's three-game streak of not drawing a technical came to an end. Official Ed T. Rush gave him one when he tried to grab Malone's foot as Malone ran back downcourt following a layup. --- Several of the Bulls covered their ears when fireworks were set off during pre-game introductions. Jackson, who along with his players had complained about the noise, wore earplugs. Jackson later had a stunned look on his face -- and even said something to the officials -- when the Jazz mascot drove a Harley-Davidson motorcycle onto the court during a timeout.

NBA Finals Game 4 Box Score:

CHICAGO (73)

Pippen 7-16 1-2 16, Rodman 0-4 0-0 0, Longley 5-6 1-4 11, Jordan 11-27 0-0 22, Harper 1-4 1-2 3, Brown 0-1 0-0 0, Caffey 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 4-6 2-4 10, Kerr 1-5 0-0 2, Kukoc 3-7 0-0 9, Buechler 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-76 5-12 73.

UTAH (78)

Russell 3-12 0-0 8, Malone 9-19 5-6 23, Ostertag 2-4 1-4 5, Hornacek 5-11 2-3 13, Stockton 6-11 3-4 17, Eisley 1-3 4-4 6, Foster 2-2 0-0 4, Morris 0-0 0-0 0, Carr 1-2 0-0 2, Keefe 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-64 15-21 78.

 Chicago       16 24 16 17: 73  
 Utah          21 14 21 22: 78  

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