By BOB MATTHEWS
Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat and Chronicle

The Utah Jazz is closing in on an NBA-record 18th consecutive winning season and 20th straight nonlosing season. It might be the most underrated team achievement in pro sports today.

Karl Malone and John Stockton have been teammates for 18 years and they've never experienced a losing season. They aren't likely to ever win an NBA championship, but they led the Jazz to the Finals in 1997 and 1998.

Cheers to USA Basketball for choosing the 39-year-old Malone for the 2002 U.S. Olympic team. He always has been proud to represent his country in international competition and does so in classy fashion.

Malone probably will play one more NBA season. Stockton turns 41 next month and has yet to decide if he'll return. Malone figures to wind up No. 2 on the all-time scoring list. He entered this weekend trailing No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar by 2,590 points (38,387 to 35,797). Stockton already is the all-time leader with 15,592 assists (5,451 more than No. 2 Magic Johnson).

• The selection of Sacramento Kings guard Mike Bibby to the 2004 U.S. Olympic basketball team and the possible exclusion of Philadelphia 76ers guard Allen Iverson is a victory for substance over style. Iverson will continue to dazzle fans with his hot shooting streaks and acrobatic drives to the basket, and he'll probably continue to win most-popular athlete polls among youngsters while Bibby is doing more to help his team win.

There will be plenty of quality shooters on Team USA and they're certain to take most of the shots from the right spots with Bibby and Jason Kidd distributing the basketball.

• This week's Four-Star Trivia question: Kobe Bryant is making a strong bid for NBA Most Valuable Player this season. How many times has a Los Angeles Laker won NBA's regular season MVP honors since the award began in 1956?

• Dwight Gooden this week suggested it would be appropriate for the New York Mets to retire his No. 16. He ranks second on the team's all-time list behind only Tom Seaver for victories (198 to 157) and strikeouts (2,541 to 1,875), and reasons that because Seaver's No. 41 has been retired, his number should be, too.

In the mid-1980s, the Mets were baseball's up-and-coming team and young stars Gooden and Darryl Strawberry appeared to be cinch future Hall of Famers. But substance abuse undermined their careers and they dragged the Mets down with them.

If Gooden had remained focused on his job and not let his team down, he probably would have topped Seaver in wins and whiffs and his No. 16 would have been retired years ago instead of being issued to David Cone this spring.

•Considering that Cy Young and Greg Maddux are the only pitchers in Major League Baseball history to win at least 15 games in 15 consecutive seasons, it would be appropriate to honor Maddux after he retires by naming the National League's outstanding pitcher award after him. The American League top pitcher would continue to receive the Cy Young Award.

• The newest members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, as determined by the reconfigured veterans' committee, will be announced Wednesday. Here's hoping Gil Hodges is picked for his combined achievements as a player (370 HRs and 1,274 RBI) and manager (1969 Miracle Mets).

• This week's Four-Star Trivia answer: Los Angeles Lakers have combined to win seven NBA Most Valuable Player awards (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar three times, Magic Johnson three times and Shaquille O'Neal once). Jerry West and Elgin Baylor never were regular-season league MVPs. The award was created too late for Minneapolis Lakers superstar center George Mikan, who would have won it several times.

• A few reasons why it is no surprise that the new-look pro bowling on ESPN has better ratings than the NHL: Hockey is a lousy TV sport and bowling is an excellent TV sport. The flow of hockey is too fast and the puck is too small for many casual sports fans to follow. Bowlers move relatively slowly and the bowling balls are tough for viewers to miss. And no one could complain about a lack of scoring in bowling. Lane conditions and bowling gear are more player-friendly than ever.

• Another amazing Tiger Woods stat: He has made the cut in his last 97 PGA Tour events. The next-longest active streak of made cuts is 18 by Davis Love III and Chris Riley.