Sunday, January 31, 2010

Suns' Nash has abdominal issue that may sideline him

Suns guard Steve Nash is "very optimistic" that he will be able to play tonight's game at Houston despite a lower abdominal strain but his coach is remaining cautiously pessimistic.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry put Nash's chances of playing at "50-50" for this evening's 5 p.m. game at Toyota Center. Nash was held out of Friday's and Saturday's practices in Phoenix but he participated in this morning's team shootaround and Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson said his condition had improved today.

Nash's ability to move well and pain-free is always paramount but perhaps even more so tonight against a point guard as quick as Houston's Aaron Brooks. Gentry said he is willing to use unconventional playing time patterns to help Nash through the game, if he needs to stay in the game longer to remain warmed up.

If Nash is unable to play, the Suns are in a bind because Leandro Barbosa out because of wrist surgery. Goran Dragic's backup point guard would then become small forward Grant Hill, who did run point during September voluntary workout games before Dragic and Barbosa arrived.

Dragic played a career-high 32 minutes Monday night at Utah but said he became fatigued later in the game because he was not used to playing that much.

Rockets notes:Lowry will be missed

Lowry will be missed

Though Rockets coach Rick Adelman said guard Kyle Lowry's value has not been seen just in statistics, one stat seems to do a good job.

Lowry, who is out at least a week with a sprained left knee, is by far the Rockets' leader in plus/minus scoring, with the Rockets' second team a key to many games.

“In the next two weeks, the second unit, we're going to have to keep doing what we've been doing,” reserve guard Chase Budinger said. “We're going to have to keep on running. We know how much Kyle loves to run, to push the ball. The rest of us are going to have to keep that up.

“Kyle's a player you really can't replace. The rest of us are really going to have to pick up his slack. He gets a lot of hustle plays, a lot of rebounds, which a lot of us are going to have to make up for in his absence.”

Deficit reduction

Although the previous Rockets-Suns meeting had extreme swings, with both teams leading by as many as 16 points, the Rockets have been susceptible to opponents' runs in the games since.

The Rockets have trailed by at least 10 in the first half of five of their past six games.

Against the Suns, the league's top-scoring team, coach Rick Adelman said the Rockets cannot allow that tendency to continue.

“We've had too many lapses where they take advantage of it,” Adelman said. “This team (Suns) is the best offensive team in the league. If you don't keep your concentration in this game, they'll run you right off.

“We've been ahead in both games we played them going into the fourth quarter and they've kind of taken it to us. It's a matter of our guys stepping up.”

Slow start dooms Miami Heat in loss to Milwaukee Bucks

It had the makings of an off night when Dwyane Wade, creator of many magical Marquette memories in the Bradley Center, got lost on his way back to the Miami Heat's locker room after warm-ups.

It was just as difficult for Wade to find his rhythm on the court against Milwaukee's relentless defense.

Wade missed eight of his first 12 shots, had two turnovers in the first half and picked up his fifth foul midway through the third quarter.

With Wade struggling, Michael Beasley missing his second consecutive game with a knee injury and little support elsewhere, the Heat couldn't keep up in a 95-84 loss to the Bucks.

The Heat trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half, but drew to within 89-84 on Dorell Wright's jumper in the final minute. Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings answered with a three-pointer with 40 seconds left to push Milwaukee (20-25) to its sixth consecutive home victory.

Wade scored 21 points, but was 6 of 20 from the field and limited to 31 minutes because of foul trouble. It was only the fifth time this season he finished with at least five fouls. Two of them were offensive, borne out of frustration for the way he was aggressively defended.

Asked if he was disappointed in the way the game was called, Wade was short and to the point.

``Very,'' said Wade, who played through back spasms throughout the game. ``Very. That's all I'm going to say about that. I was in foul trouble because of some calls. I had to stop.''

Summoning energy on quick turnarounds continues to be an issue for the Heat (24-23), now 2-7 in the second game of back-to-back sets.

Miami couldn't match its effort from Friday's win in Detroit. By the time the Heat got going against the Bucks, it was too late.

Hakim Warrick had 22 points off the bench to lead Milwaukee, which also got 17 apiece from Jennings and Andrew Bogut and 11 from Charlie Bell, who hounded Wade all night.

The Bucks shot 44 percent from three-point range and overcame 17 turnovers and a furious finish by the Heat to get the victory. Jermaine O'Neal had 15 points and 10 rebounds, Quentin Richardson had 16 points and Dorell Wright had 12.

Milwaukee took control in the second quarter, when it outscored the Heat 33-17 and held Miami to only 27.2 percent shooting in the period. The most telling statistic from the period was that the Heat had more fouls (nine) than made baskets (six).

``We were sloppy there in the second quarter,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ``And From there, we just couldn't really get into a rhythm.''

Miami Heat's Michael Beasley is 'light years ahead' of schedule

Everybody saw Michael Beasley's on-court improvement before last week's knee injury. But what has been a ``pleasant surprise,'' as one Heat official put it, has been his maturity off the court, which increases his chances of a long-term future here.

``I'm taking a different approach,'' Beasley said. ``I'm a little more professional, not as lackadaisical, not as joking as past years. I still joke around a bit, but you've got to know when to get serious. I do. I'm growing up in every aspect of my life -- being a bigger family man, not going out much, playing a more respected role.''

Among the factors:

Sobriety. Beasley said he hasn't had a drink or used drugs since Aug. 6, 2009, and doesn't feel tempted because, ``I do not want to'' go down that road again. Though he attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings to hear inspirational stories, associates said his issues were related more to marijuana than alcohol.

The Heat's close eye on him. That's easier now because he moved last summer to a condominium across from AmericanAirlines Arena. Ex-Kansas State assistant Bruce Shingler, who watched over Beasley last season, no longer lives here. Beasley's new primary mentor is Heat executive Alonzo Mourning, whom Beasley said has become a role model.

``Alonzo and I talk a lot -- it's like a brother relationship,'' Beasley said. ``Everybody needs to see an example of what they want to be.'' Zo glows about Beasley: ``You can see [the growth]. . . . He's light years ahead of where we expected.''

Fatherhood. Beasley spends lots of time with his two young children, who live elsewhere in South Florida with their mothers. Beasley could spend thousands of dollars a night in South Beach last year, but said he now prefers staying in. He sold some expensive cars he bought after his first contract. One non-essential he spends on: paying to fly in a man who works at the Houston rehabilitation facility where Beasley spent part of last summer. ``I fly him down whenever he has time. We play dominoes and chess for hours.''

Better work habits. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Beasley arrives 1 ½ hours before practice -- earlier than last year -- and stays later, which teammates respect. ``We don't have to catch him and drag him into the video room,'' Spoelstra said. Now, Dwyane Wade said, ``he wants to come in and learn.''

Less sugar intake, partly at the Heat's request. ``Last year, I would eat 10 king-size bags of Skittles in 30 minutes. Now, it's down to four or five.''

Beasley -- who has maturely handled not playing much late in close games -- said, ``I didn't want to get in D-Wade's way last year. This season, he made it known to me he can't do it by himself. I want to transition myself to an All-Star or superstar. Now is the perfect time to start.'' Said Atlanta's Joe Johnson: ``He will be an All-Star.''

Here's what Celtics coach Doc Rivers notices: ``More efficient offensively, knows where to get his shots, reading defenses better. When he's the second or third option on other guys' plays, he sees the value of setting the right pick and being in the right spot. Defensively, you can see the trust factor growing. What tremendous growth.''

CHATTER

Whether Jason Taylor returns to the Dolphins won't be determined until they decide to cut Joey Porter (a good possibility) or keep him. Taylor knows he's better suited for the weakside-linebacker spot that Porter occupied, and the Dolphins -- if they keep either -- prefer to keep one, not both. If Porter is gone, Taylor's chances of returning increase significantly. Otherwise, it's unlikely. Taylor has spoken of ``being in the right position'' and a team ``using my talents the right way.''

One veteran NFL scout said new UM defensive line coach Rick Petri ``is a great motivator and a major upgrade over Clint Hurtt.'' That scout said he wasn't impressed by Hurtt's teaching skills when he attended UM's practices. Before Hurtt left, ``there were people saying Allen Bailey needed to turn pro because he would improve more in the NFL than at Miami.'' . . . ESPN's Todd McShay said ``teams are worried that Jimmy Graham is just not football-tough.'' But that scout, at the Senior Bowl, said, ``He's shown no signs that he's not tough enough. He's raw in everything he does, but he did a good job.'' The scout said UM linebacker Darryl Sharpton, a potential third-to-fifth rounder, helped his stock last week, though he lacks great size (6-0, 229 pounds). . . . Vikings/ex-UM offensive tackle Bryant McKinnie said he plans to call the nation's top prospect, St. Paul (Minn.) offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson, who's visiting UM this weekend, to urge him to be a Cane. . . . South Florida's top defensive end, Hialeah's Corey Lemonier, eliminated UM and will pick FSU or Auburn.

Told by the Marlins he needs to get Andrew Miller on track, new pitching coach Randy St. Claire watched his high school and college tapes with him this winter and changed Miller's delivery ``to what he was when he came into pro ball. You can't get hitters out if you're worrying what to do.''

Palmetto High grad Jennifer Rodriguez, the only Miami native to win a Winter Olympics medal, said medaling at February's Vancouver Olympics is ``a long shot.'' Rodriguez -- who won two bronze medals in 2002 and none in '06 -- had an eventful four years: She retired, tried to make the Summer Olympics in cycling but decided against it, then returned to speedskating. Now living in Park City, Utah, J-Rod, 33, didn't know if she could afford another Olympics until she received $5,000 in donations. ``I'd be happy to finish in the top eight or 10. I'm not where I used to be.''

Larry Hughes on Arenas: 'He'll be back' with Wizards

The relationship between Gilbert Arenas and the Washington Wizards has soured to seemingly irrevocable levels, with both sides upset with each other in the aftermath of his felony gun charge and season-ending suspension.

An ugly divorce appears inevitable, with speculation that the Wizards would look into voiding Arenas's contract, agree to a buyout on the rest of his six-year, $111-million contract or consumate a trade. But Larry Hughes, Arenas's teammate for three of Arenas's first four seasons in the league with Golden State and Washington, said he believes that Arenas will eventually wear a Wizards uniform again.

"Honestly I do," Hughes said before the Knicks played the Wizards on Saturday. "This is a special place. When you've played here and the city gets behind you, you realize what the fans want, what the city wants. I think he'll come to realize that. I can see it."

Hughes is aware that the Wizards have removed most images of their former franchise player from the Verizon Center -- including a large banner on Sixth Street -- and that Arenas has expressed his displeasure with Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld. He said the hurt feelings would eventually heal.

"You get in trouble, you're mad at the authority but I think it will blow over," he said. "I can see him back here. Fans love him here. I haven't been in the city to know what's been said about him. But the time I was here and even when I came back with Cleveland, they love him. Obviously, he'll have to get out and speak about what's going on, but I don't think they'll hold a grudge against him."

Hughes said he understood the organization's decision to distance itself from promoting Arenas in recent weeks. "It's a decision that they had to make. They have to protect the name of the organization. It's bigger than one guy. But the guys around here, they know he's a big part of what's going on here. I think things will get back to normal."

Hughes said that he hasn't spoken to Arenas since his indefinite suspension was handed down on Jan. 6, but he has reached out to Arenas via text message and left him a voice message on his cellphone. "I've been giving him time to get himself together and reflect on what's going on," he said. "I understand, when you make a mistake and everybody is watching you, kind of need your space to get everything right. He'll start returning phone calls once he gets back focused."

Arenas's 50-game suspension is the third most severe non-drug related punishment ever handed out, but Hughes said he understands Commissioner David Stern's decision. He believes Arenas does, too.

"I think he understands what he did wrong," Hughes said. "The commissioner made a respectable decision. I don't think there was any malice to his decision as far as the remainder of the season. I think Gil respects that, because he did make a big mistake. He doesn't want to lose that playing time or that money. I think he understands that he made a big enough mistake that warranted that kind of punishment. But he'll be back. He'll be back."

Replacing Parker no easy task

The final horn had long since sounded Friday, and the sweat had long since dried on the Spurs' much-needed victory over Memphis, but George Hill's work was not yet over.

Towel wrapped around his waist, Hill stood in front of the video screen in the Spurs' locker room and, surrounded by teammates in various stages of re-dressing, was conferring with assistant coach Mike Budenholzer on a defensive assignment he had improperly executed half an hour before.

His shower could wait.

“Just learning the different things to do when I'm out there and in that moment,” Hill said. “That can only make you better.”

Hill, a second-year player who was close to brilliant against Memphis in place of injured point guard Tony Parker, knows he will need to be even better this afternoon. Chauncey Billups, one of the game's top all-around point guards, leads the Denver Nuggets into the AT&T Center for a nationally televised showdown that Parker is also expected to miss.

Good thing for Hill, he has help.

When Parker went down with his latest left ankle sprain against Atlanta, the Spurs put out an all-points bulletin for point guards. Hill was the first replacement against Memphis, but wing players Roger Mason Jr. and Manu Ginobili also chipped in.

That trio combined for 42 points, 13 assists and six steals in a 104-97 victory, helping the Spurs overcome the absence of their All-NBA point guard.

“It's important with (Parker) out that everyone picks up their game,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said.

Hill started the charge against Memphis, scoring most of his 18 points on the sort of breakneck drives and acrobatic finishes Parker has popularized.

“Early in the game, he was impressive attacking in transition, sometimes going one against three,” Ginobili said. “That's something Tony does quite often, so it was great to see.”

Ginobili, too, was more aggressive with the ball. He didn't shoot particularly well (5 of 14 en route to 14 points) but was able to create looks for other players off penetration, logging seven assists.

“I did more, knowing TP was not there and he's our main guy attacking the rim,” Ginobili said. “So we needed more of that.”

Mason did his damage on the type of shots Parker rarely attempts. He made 4 of 5 3-pointers on the way to 17 points, including three during a crucial 41/2-minute span of the fourth quarter.

He committed three turnovers at the point — “I'm mad at myself for that,” Mason said — but otherwise produced a solid floor game.

“For me, running the point helps my game,” said Mason, who experienced varying results as a backup point last season. “The biggest thing is you're just touching the ball. You're getting your rhythm, and getting other guys involved.”

The task gets tougher for the Spurs' three-headed point-guard monster today.

Carmelo Anthony, the NBA's leading scorer at 29.7 points per game, is questionable after missing three consecutive games with a left ankle sprain.

Billups, however, will be in uniform, and that has been the most accurate harbinger of success for Denver this season. The Nuggets are 3-6 with Billups out of the lineup, 28-9 when he plays.

As a rookie last season, Hill started one game against Billups with Parker out, holding his own in a loss at Denver.

“He's somebody I look up to as a point guard and as a player,” Hill said. “I'm looking forward to getting back on the floor with him.”

Before Hill can see Billups on the floor, however, he wants to see him in the film room. Before he finally left the Spurs' locker room Friday night, Hill had made another date with the team's video machine.

“I'll get back to the film room and study him,” Hill said. “That's how a player gets better. I'll try to see how I can make my job a little easier.”

Will Bynum frustrated as ankle injury continues to keep him sidelined

Will Bynum was the last Piston to leave the practice floor Saturday.

He had just undergone various shooting drills to test the sprained left ankle that has caused him to miss the past 15 games and will likely keep him out of tonight's game against the Magic.

At first glance as he weaved around the practice facility floor, he looked just like the jitterbug that has dazzled Palace fans with a sharp crossover and emphatic dunks. But you could tell he didn't have his normal lift when rising for a jump shot.

This is the first time Bynum has missed a significant amount of time because of an injury. Add in that the team has slumped to a woeful 15-30 record in what is a contract year for Bynum, and it makes for a frustrating time for the third-year point guard.

"It's frustrating in general. It's frustrating because it's my contract year. It's frustrating because we're losing. It's frustrating watching the games. It's frustrating challenging myself to stay inside of what we're doing as a team to keep myself going," Bynum said. "It's all that in one, and it's frustrating because it's new to me.

"But I'm constantly working at it and constantly trying to stay positive and just try to push through it."

Bynum signed a two-year deal with the Pistons before last season and will be a restricted free agent after the season -- meaning the Pistons can match any offer he receives. But he can't think about that too much as he fights to remain positive and get back on the floor.

"It's tough, especially with so much negativity around as far as us losing games and negativity is the first thing that creeps up in your mind when you're down or losing something," Bynum said. "This is the time that builds character, which builds who you are, and I feel like going through these times do nothing but make you tougher."

NOTEBOOK: Pistons coach John Kuester said practice was devoted to a lot of shooting and discussing the Magic. He also said the starting lineup will remain the same for now.

Hansbrough's problem

Forward Tyler Hansbrough's practice days usually consist of some strength and agility drills with the team's strength and conditioning staff. Then, after his teammates have left, the Indiana Pacers' first-round pick will take the court for some individual work with an assistant coach.

That's not what the Pacers envisioned when they selected Hansbrough with the No. 13 pick in last summer's draft.

Not with 35 games remaining in the season.

They expected Hansbrough to be a high-energy player off the bench for them.

So much for wishful thinking.

Hansbrough's latest setback -- an inner ear infection -- has left the former University of North Carolina All-American sidelined for 14 of the past 18 games, and the team is not putting a target date on his return.

"It's a major setback for us," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "To have a guy that we drafted in the lottery only get just a tad over 500 minutes to this point in time is not what we had in mind and it's not what he had in mind. Not only is he injured and missing games, he never got training camp and by not getting training camp, that is significant."

Hansbrough came down with the inner ear infection in late December. He returned for four games but had to sit back down because of constant dizziness.

"That's when I realized it was more difficult than I planned," Hansbrough said. "This is the first time I've had an inner ear infection. To be honest, I've been pretty much injury free until this year. It's frustrating. It's the dizziness that's keeping me out."

A medical official said there's no test done to diagnose an inner ear infection. He said it becomes clearer to diagnose over time based on the symptoms, which include constant dizziness.

The infection can take months for some people to overcome because it goes away on its own and there's not really a medication given to cure it.

"The fact that I'm not taking part in any contact drills tells you where I'm at with things," said Hansbrough, who has not been flying with the team on the road. "I'm not putting a timetable on my return. We'll see when things start to clear up. If you're off balance, you put yourself at risk of getting hit."

The ear infection is just the latest setback for Hansbrough, who looked like he was headed for a promising rookie season after a strong summer league showing.

He missed all of training camp and the first four games of the season with a shin problem.

Hansbrough is averaging 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 29 games.

His high-octane motor hasn't gone unnoticed by other players around the league.

Former Pacer Stephen Jackson said in an SI.com article earlier this season that Hansbrough "needs to be playing rugby or something."

O'Brien said it's going to take time for Hansbrough to find a rhythm once he finally returns to the lineup.

"Everybody is playing at such a high level," O'Brien said. "The offenses and the defense are refined. People are more tied in together, so from a standpoint of being able to find minutes for him, trying to win every basketball game, that's a puzzle that we're going to have to figure out."

The Pacers (16-31)

Pos.PlayerPPGKey stat
PGEarl Watson7.14.4 ast.
SGBrandon Rush8.54.2 reb.
SFDahntay Jones11.63.2 reb.
PFDanny Granger22.95.7 reb.
CRoy Hibbert11.05.7 reb.

The Raptors (25-22)

Pos.PlayerPPGKey stat
PGJarrett Jack10.54.6 ast.
SGSonny Weems5.12.1 reb.
SFHedo Turkoglu12.64.6 ast.
PFChris Bosh24.011.3 reb.
CAndrea Bargnani17.2

D-League players are coming and going with Warriors

The fragile nature of the Warriors roster has forced them to reach into the NBA Developmental League again. Golden State is expected to announce the signing of guard Coby Karl today, and he should join the team in time for tonight's game at Oklahoma City.

Karl, the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, is the fourth player from the D-League to join the Warriors this season.

"This is a D-League showcase," Warriors assistant coach Keith Smart said with a laugh. "This is where dreams are made."

The Warriors were forced into a decision of either keeping Cartier Martin for the rest of the season (which would have meant cutting a player with a guaranteed contract) or picking up another player. Martin had completed two 10-day contracts, and by league rules could only stay with the Warriors if they signed him for the rest of the season. He averaged 9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 27.6 minutes in 10 games.

This will be Karl's third stint with an NBA team, including a brief stint with Cleveland earlier in the season. He also played with the Lakers in 2007-09.

Karl was averaging 27.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists with the Idaho Stampede.

"One thing you know is he has a high basketball IQ," said Smart, who ran Saturday's practice while Don Nelson was getting treatment for lower back spasms. "He's another guy coming into our organization with a chance to show what he can do. He's going to play. That's not an issue. Coach is very big on giving guys a chance to play right away when they get here."

Fellow D-League call-up Anthony Tolliver is averaging 27.3 minutes and Chris Hunter is playing 10.5 minutes per game.

  • Tolliver is expected to start his fourth game tonight at Oklahoma City. He is in the middle of his second 10-day contract and is averaging 10 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Tolliver is the only Warriors player that has recorded back-to-back double-doubles this season.

    "I couldn't ask for a better situation," Tolliver said. "I'm just coming in here and playing hard and doing what I've done in the past. I guess I'm earning it."

    This is Tolliver's third NBA stop but by far the most playing time he has earned. He was with San Antonio for 19 games last season and averaged 2.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.9 minutes per game. He also signed a 10-day contract with Portland last month but only got into two games.

    "Anytime you get a chance to get on the court and play some major minutes, you get a chance to show not only this team but other teams what you're capable of doing," Tolliver said. "I think I've done a decent job. I've shown I can be a contributor to a lot of different teams. Hopefully it will be here. If not here, hopefully somewhere else."

  • Although Nelson missed practice, he was expected to meet the team at the airport in time for their flight to Oklahoma City.
  • This is the Warriors' second game this season against the Thunder, which is 25-21 and tied for ninth in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City won the first meeting 104-88 on Dec. 7 at the Ford Center.
  • D'Antoni: Banged-up Knicks 'running short on time'

    The Knicks headed to Washington yesterday to visit a team that is having a worse time of it than they are.

    After a 2-3 homestand left the Knicks nine games under .500, Mike D'Antoni knows his squad could be in trouble.

    "We're running out of time," the coach said after his "banged up" team went through a 10-minute walk through as they prepared for tonight's game against the Wizards (8 p.m., MSG, ESPN 1050) and at Minnesota tomorrow. "It wasn't a great homestand, obviously, but we have a chance to get back. We'll keep fighting and see what we do."

    New Jersey Nets monitor the progress of Devin Harris' wrist injury

    Devin Harris has missed the last three games because of a right wrist injury and he may not play tonight against the 76ers or on Tuesday against the Pistons.

    But Harris was hurting long before he fell on his wrist in a game at Golden State last week, GM/interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe said Saturday.

    "He played for a month (with the injury) and (for) three weeks he didn't say anything," Vandeweghe said. "We all knew it was sore. He just wanted to play."

    Harris has been hurt a lot this season. Before he was diagnosed with tendinitis in his wrist and then made it worse by falling on it, he suffered sprained ankles and a strained groin, which kept him out of 10 straight games early in the season. He's missed 14 games overall.

    Harris went through a light practice Saturday and wore tape on his wrist. He said he was able to shoot 10-foot jumpers with no discomfort, but that he had trouble once he moved out beyond the 15-foot range. He said he could probably play tonight if he wanted to - or if it were a playoff game (he can dream) - but that Vandeweghe told him he'd rather wait until he's closer to 100%.

    Harris said that his wrist feels okay until he snaps it hard like he needs to while shooting long-range jumpers.

    "That's when it bothers me most and that's when I need it the most, on passes, even dribbling and everything else," Harris said.

    A story on the Internet last week speculated that Harris may be more injured than the Nets are letting on. But he and Vandeweghe both said that is not true, and the fact that Harris was even allowed to shoot short shots Saturday seems to suggest that he's close to returning.

    But regardless of if he plays tonight or not, Harris's latest injury, and the ones he suffered earlier this season, may have an affect on what the Nets will do before the Feb.18 trade deadline. Though team president Rod Thorn has already stated that it is "unlikely" Harris will be traded, it is believed that the only "untouchable" on the team is center Brook Lopez.

    And while the Nets have fielded inquirers on Harris' availability from multiple teams, including the Lakers according to one report, his injuries could make it tough to move him.

    Harris's physical ailments have cut into his production. After making the all-star team for the first time and averaging a career-high 21.3 points last season, Harris has been one of the major disappointments on the 4-41 Nets, averaging exactly six points less this season. He's also scored at least 20 points only seven times, including his season-high of 25, after reaching at least 30 points 10 times last season. He also hit the 40-point mark three times last season.

    Though the Nets need Harris to return to last season's form if they are going to avoid breaking the all-time record for fewest wins - nine - Vandeweghe is not going to make him play before he is ready.

    "He needs to come back and be Devin Harris," Vandeweghe said. "We're going to see how it goes, but I don't want him to come back unless he can shoot unrestricted."

    Pistons' Ben Wallace closes in on 2,000 blocks

    AUBURN HILLS -- Ben Wallace is nicknamed “Big Ben” and “Body” for a reason. He is 6 feet, 9 inches and 240 pounds of pure athlete with muscles that look as if they are going to burst through his skin.

    But when it comes to the list of the greatest shot blockers in NBA history, Big Ben really is a little guy.

    Or at least a short one.

    Wallace heads into a game against the Orlando Magic on Sunday just four blocked shots shy of 2,000 for his career -- a plateau that just 16 players have reached.

    Twelve of those 16 are 7-footers. None of the 16 are under 6-10, which will make Wallace the shortest player on the list.

    “That doesn’t surprise me, because he’s somebody who has taken so much pride in what he’s been about defensively,” Pistons coach John Kuester said. “And it’s not only his blocks. What makes him so special is what he does on the ball and what he does with the emphasis on the team itself.

    BLOCKED SHOTS
    ALL TIME
    1. Hakeem Olajuwon (7-feet) -- 3,830
    2. Dikembe Mutombo (7-2) -- 3,289
    3. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (7-2) -- 3,189
    4. Mark Eaton (7-4) -- 3,064
    5. David Robinson (7-1) -- 2,954

    ACTIVE
    (Through Friday)
    1. Shaquille O’Neal, Cavaliers (7-1) -- 2,673
    2. Tim Duncan, Spurs (6-11) -- 2,195
    3. Marcus Camby, Clippers (6-11) -- 2,083
    4. Ben Wallace, Pistons (6-9) -- 1,996
    5. Theo Ratliff, Spurs (6-10) -- 1,918
    “He’s very good.”

    Wallace is 17th on the all-time blocked shots list, and you have to go all the way to Philadelphia 76ers forward Elton Brand, who is 36th with 1,387 blocks, to find someone shorter than Wallace. Brand is 6-8.

    Top shot blockers combine height, athleticism, timing and aggressiveness, and Wallace, fourth in blocks among active players, has all those traits.

    “The art itself is his energy and understanding his timing in getting players at the right moment to get key blocks, and he’s done that throughout his career,” Kuester said. “What an accomplishment to have 2,000 blocks.”

    Wallace, who is averaging 1.1 blocks per game this season, has seen his average fall each year since reaching a peak at 3.5 in 2000-01, his second season in Detroit. Wallace still provides energy and leadership, especially on the defensive end, and is one of the rare bright spots for a team struggling through a pretty dismal season.

    Wallace still plays with energy and passion because he doesn’t know any other way.

    “As long as I’m out there, I’ve got to play the way I know how to play,” Wallace said. “The only way I know how to play is all out. Once I can’t do that, I’ll go home and sit on the couch.”

    He doesn’t appear ready to do that just yet, although some thought he was following an injury-plagued 2008-09 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

    Someone reminded Kuester that before the season, he had discussed the idea that Wallace, 35, would play a limited number of minutes and might even have to sit out games when the Pistons played on back-to-back nights.

    “That flew right out the window,” Kuester said. “Right out the window. He’s been too valuable.”

    Kuester said he still talks with Wallace regularly about playing time and asks whether he needs any extra rest.

    “He’s pretty honest,” Kuester said. “He’ll say, ‘Kue, you probably want to think about getting me out earlier, we have a back-to-back here.’ I say, ‘Absolutely, absolutely.’

    “You talk about players you trust -- he’s somebody who’s been a huge part in my first year understanding what we need to get done.”

    Wallace has been asked several times this season if being back with the Pistons has re-energized him in some way. He seems to bristle at the question, possibly because it implies that his struggles were caused by a lack of passion for the game instead of injuries that dogged him the past few seasons.

    “I’m 110 percent compared to where I was the last three years, so I’ve got no gripes, no whining, no moans, no complaints,” he said recently when someone asked him he was battling any bumps or bruises. “I’m just playing basketball and enjoying my time on the floor.”

    His coach has been as surprised as anyone how good health has helped Wallace get things turned around. Kuester, who worked with Wallace as an assistant with the Cavaliers, recalled a discussion he had with Wallace last summer.

    “He said, ‘Kue, I feel good.’ And I said, ‘Good, I’m happy for you,’ not thinking he would play the amount of minutes -- I never assumed he’d play the way he’s been playing,” Kuester said. “If our record was better, he’d be in consideration for All-Star status. I think he’s been phenomenal.”

    Wallace’s teammates agree.

    “Nothing surprises me about that guy,” guard Chucky Atkins said recently. “He’s a rare breed.”

    So rare that he is about to join a list of just 16 other players in NBA history -- including giants in name (Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson) and size (Mark Eaton, Shawn Bradley, Manute Bol) -- who have 2,000 career blocks. Not bad for a little guy.

    Or at least a short one.

    Celtics throw it away

    This time they left the floor angry.

    Paul Pierce [stats] flung both of his wristbands into the stands in disgust. Ray Allen, eyes straight ahead as he walked past the crowd and down the runway, grimaced as if he had just lost Game 7.

    And in some respects, the Celtics [team stats]’ 90-89 loss yesterday to the Lakers carried that kind of bite.

    Forget that an inefficient Kobe Bryant needed 20 shots to score 19 points. The Lakers star was true to form when it counted, hitting the 17-foot game-winner with 7.3 seconds left over Allen, who up to that point had played one of his finest defensive games of the season.

    Allen then missed a 3-point try when the Celtics desperately needed him to be true to form - at the buzzer.

    But the Celtics can be thankful that the bite didn’t break the skin. It’s not that time of year yet.

    “Postseason is a whole different season,” said Rasheed Wallace. “It’s the added-on season when all the shots get bigger. That’s when you see who has the biggest machismo - I don’t want to say the other word - but that’s what it comes down to.

    “Regular season, yeah, you get a few big games where anybody can hit shots, but when it’s for the hardware, some cats don’t want to take those shots. So I don’t think it’s a psychological advantage if you dominate or beat a team in the regular season.”

    But here’s a caveat. Based on the Celtics’ recent struggles - including their 0-3 run through a prime-time gantlet of the Lakers, Atlanta and Orlando - they won’t be playing for that hardware.

    Yesterday, courtesy of an Eddie House 3-pointer with 9:17 left in the game, the C’s led 81-70.

    The Celtics then started throwing the ball away, didn’t score for another 2 minutes, allowed the Lakers to cut the score to 81-78, and, in the estimation of coach Doc Rivers, started playing not to lose.

    The home team would turn the ball over five times in the fourth, including two throwaways from Rajon Rondo [stats], whose 21-point, 12-assist performance was belied by his scoreless, one-assist fourth.

    But Rondo wasn’t the only Celtic who turned overly cautious in the face of the Lakers’ comeback.

    “I thought we tried to hold onto the game,” said Rivers. “What disappointed me about that is that I told our guys, we can’t be surprised to be up. We should have been up, and we should have been up more. So that was tough.”

    The Lakers, who hadn’t led since the second quarter, scored on five of their last seven possessions, starting with a Shannon Brown tip-dunk that cut the C’s edge to 84-82 with 4:20 left.

    Kevin Garnett nailed a 15-foot turnaround, only to be answered by Andrew Bynum (19 points, 11 rebounds), who may be a more difficult matchup for Kendrick Perkins [stats] than Dwight Howard.

    A free throw exchange over the next three minutes left the C’s with an 89-86 lead before the Lakers turned the last corner.

    Ron Artest slashed inside with a drive that rolled along most of the rim before trickling in.

    Referee Derek Richardson then called Pierce for an offensive foul - the Celtics [team stats] captain’s forearm made contact with Artest - and Bryant came back with a dribble to just above the foul line.

    Allen refused to leave his feet, but Bryant, true to form at last, hit the biggest shot of the day.

    Latest loss wakeup call

    If we’re looking at larger snapshots here, the worst thing that could have happened to the Celtics [team stats] yesterday wasn’t the 90-89 loss to the loathed Lakers.

    The worst thing would have been playing as shaky as they did in the last quarter, bleeding out a win and believing that everything is right with their world.

    If the Celts had overcome their amnesia and throttled Kobe and crew for 48 minutes - and, more importantly, followed it up with similar performances - it would constitute the sea change that is needed for this team to again speak seriously about a run at the title.

    But there has been far too much sound and fury signifying mediocrity of late. And worse.

    Paul Pierce [stats] said after Friday’s loss in Atlanta, “It’s not something where you’re going to just be able to turn it on once the playoffs start.”

    And coach Doc Rivers said recently his lads sometimes play as if they think they can flip the switch and go back to playing the right way whenever they please.

    A win over the Lakers on national television may have confirmed that belief to some in sneakers. It may have let the Celts conveniently forget what’s been happening to them lately, and that would be dangerous.

    The Celtics need to be rubbing their own noses in these last three games as they wake up in Washington this morning. They have to rediscover the edge that’s been missing for most of this season.

    “And when you get that edge,” said Ray Allen, “you’ve got to remember that you’re always on it.”

    Even in many of their wins, the Celts haven’t played with the kind of energy and commitment that will be required when the weather gets warmer.

    It’s best that the Celtics are angry. Perspective - saying there is plenty of time left to get things right - has yielded six losses in the last eight games.

    Every coach will tell you that you play like you practice, and if the regular season is the workout for the playoffs, the forecast is shaky at best. The Celtics have to know this.

    “It’s nothing to be happy about, I’ll tell you that,” said Kevin Garnett of the last three results. “It’s motivation and we’ll figure a way to come out of it.”

    “Yeah, we’re not sitting here on cloud nine floating around saying we’re the best, we’re the greatest,” said Allen. “No. We still love who we are as a team, but I think we’re back where we were at the start of the season. We’ve got to build back who we are. I thought tonight overall we played a solid game, but still there are things we can clean up on.”

    Like defense. The Celtics’ overall numbers on that end of the floor still look decent on average, but even a cursory examination exposes that fallacy. They came into this season planning to be the basketball version of the 1985 Chicago Bears, but in crunch time they have been more like the Bad News Bears.

    “We haven’t been able to get timely stops to end games,” said Rivers, “and if anything bothers me over the turnovers and the offensive part . . . we’ve been able in the past to lean on our defense when we go cold offensively. The Atlanta game down the stretch, they scored every time. The Orlando game down the stretch, they scored every time. And (yesterday). The biggest quarters over the last three games for the most part have been the fourth quarters by the other teams. That we have to reverse.”

    That, we would add, is an understatement.

    “Hopefully we can learn from these last three games against the top teams and move forward,” said Pierce.

    The lessons should already be known. The question is whether the Celts feel bad enough to do something about it.

    Difficult to find Ray of hope in this ending

    It’s not often that Ray Allen is able to have it both ways, and ultimately, neither end of the floor fell into line for the Celtics [team stats] guard yesterday.

    Allen guarded Kobe Bryant so well that the Lakers star shot 8-for-20 and turned the ball over four times. But Bryant also hit the decisive basket in the Celtics’ 90-89 loss, followed by Allen’s miss on a game-closing 3-point attempt.

    “He got a great look,” coach Doc Rivers said of the final play, in which Paul Pierce [stats] looped a cross-court pass to Allen on the left side. “They did a good job on Paul on that play, and that’s why Ray got the shot. Coming out of the pick-and-roll with Ray and Paul, either Paul was going to get the good look or Ray was going to get the good look. I’ll take either one.”

    Allen could only shrug after the loss.

    “I had a good look,” he said. “I think maybe I rushed it a little bit, but I did have a good look.”

    Tony award

    Tony Allen’s first half, in which the reserve guard scored 12 of his 14 points and successfully stepped in for Ray Allen to take over the responsibility of guarding Bryant - was probably his best of the season.

    He also finished with two steals and three rebounds, and shot 6-of-9 from the floor - most of his work off drives.

    But Rivers chose offense down the stretch, and went with Ray Allen in the closing minutes.

    “I thought he was getting too fast,” Rivers said of Tony Allen. “You’ve got to always make a decision: Ray or Tony. Most of the time you go with Ray, especially in the fourth quarter. Ray has proven - he didn’t tonight - but time and time again (he has proven) that he’s a fourth-quarter player, and that’s why you want him in the game.”

    Tony Allen, despite another strong game, wasn’t in the mood for praise.

    “Ain’t no moral victories. We have to get it done,” he said. “This ain’t no Tony Allen got his thing going - it’s about the Celtics and the Lakers.”

    Prove it

    The Lakers, as predicted, gave the outside shot to Rajon Rondo [stats], who, per usual, was inconsistent from the perimeter. That won’t change even if Rondo starts shooting like Ray Allen, according to Rivers.

    “This is the NBA,” Rivers said. “They’re going to make you show them for three years. (Portland’s) Andre Miller had 52 last night. Tomorrow they’re going to leave him wide open.” . . .

    J.R. Giddens, recalled from the Maine Red Claws on Saturday for the dispiriting reason that he needs surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, said he plans to go under the knife early this week.

    He has been told to expect a four-week recovery period from the relatively minor arthroscopic surgery, though that’s not so minor a consideration where his chances of scoring a spot in the Celtics [team stats]’ rotation is concerned.

    The Celtics, as evidenced by their sick-bay record, just might need the help over the last month.

    “I can’t control it,” said Giddens, who injured the knee landing from a dunk. “But I can handle it. Like I’ve always said, the hardest transition to make into this league is mental, not physical.” . . .

    Yesterday’s loss officially eliminated Rivers from a chance at coaching the Eastern Conference All-Stars on Feb. 14. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy clinched the honor with Orlando’s win over the Pistons last night.

    Kobe Bryant don’t ask

    Not surprisingly, it was Kobe Bryant who made the clutch, seconds-ticking-away, fade-away jumper to give the Lakers their dramatic 90-89 victory over the Celtics [team stats] yesterday at the Garden.

    But something got lost in translation in the postgame analysis.

    It began with Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who spoke with reporters in the hallway outside his team’s locker room and said, “He had a couple of looks before that were good looks in that area, and we were mystified he couldn’t put it in. He told me the next one he got he was going to drop it in, so we went with it.”

    We now bring you inside the Lakers locker room, where Bryant was being interviewed by the same media horde that interrogated Jackson 10 minutes earlier. Bryant was supplying the usual answers to the usual questions, when suddenly a reporter said, “Phil was talking about the fact that you told him prior to (the game-winning shot), ‘Just give me one more chance and I’ll knock the next shot down.’ Is that your mentality?”

    OK. Now before we proceed, let’s point out that Kobe Bryant did not react to that question by doing some vaudevillian spit-take. He did not throw down his towel and storm out of the room, or pull a Bill Parcells and say, “Give me a break with that . . .”

    But let’s also be clear on this: Legends do not ask for chances. Tom Brady [stats], back when he was winning Super Bowls, never asked Bill Belichick if he could throw the ball. Bobby Orr didn’t ask to cruise past the front of the net. And all those Celtic Hall of Famers - Russell and the Cooz, Havlicek and Cowens, Larry Legend himself - never “asked” for a chance.

    They simply expected it.

    It was not surprising, then, not surprising at all, that Kobe Bryant answered the question thusly: “I didn’t say, ‘Give me one more chance.’ I just said, ‘Give me the damn ball.’ I didn’t give him much of a choice.

    “All we talked about,” Bryant added, “was really just the execution of it and how I was going to catch the ball. That was the only difference.”

    You can love Kobe Bryant or you can hate him, but in the end - and we’re talking to Celtics fans here - you must respect him as one of those year-in-year-out, head-of-the-class players who expects to take the last shot.

    Give me the damn ball.

    To onetime NFL wideout Keyshawn Johnson, it was the title of a quickie book. But to guys like Kobe Bryant, it is a way of life.

    It should be noted that, for purposes of book-keeping, Kobe Bryant played a rather bow-wow game yesterday. Statistically speaking, he was no great shakes.

    “Throughout the course of the game I was pretty much a decoy because of all the traps and everything I did wrong,” he said. “But if I catch it at the top of the floor, it’s a different story.”

    This is something else the great ones do. They motivate themselves by filing away past failures against the team they are playing now.

    For Kobe Bryant, yesterday, it was all about the Lakers’ regular-season visit to the Garden last February, and, he said, “having a chance to win it at the end of regulation and having to go into overtime and do it. So I kind of wanted to redeem myself for that.”

    And do you think anybody in the Garden yesterday remembered that Bryant miss?

    Doesn’t make any difference. All that matters is that Kobe remembered.

    Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson share more than W’s

    Phil Jackson left town yesterday with 1,078 career wins and 10 NBA championships from the bench. And among the many reasons to miss Red Auerbach is that he most certainly would have had something interesting to say about that.

    Auerbach finished with 938 wins and nine titles - and a pain in his side when he saw the former Bulls and current Lakers coach approaching his milestones. The ever-competitive Auerbach always would have a jab for Jackson, claiming he took over teams that were ready to win or that it was much tougher to win when the NBA wasn’t so watered down.

    Jackson, who made his share of rebuttals, was asked yesterday if he actually enjoyed the back-and-forth.

    “That was a personal thing that went on over the years of coming in the old Garden,” Jackson said. “Red would always have a rejoinder or something going on. One time Jimmy Rodgers gave me his seats, which were right behind Red and (John) Havlicek, and he gave me a, ‘How in the hell did you get these seats’ type of thing. That kind of comment.

    “So there was always a little bit of an edge that went on between the two of us. And it was competitive back from the days when Tommy (Heinsohn) was coaching the team back in the ’60s and early-’70s era.”

    Some of it goes back to the Celtics [team stats]-Knicks wars of the time, when Jackson was an effective if quirky forward who always seemed to give the C’s trouble.

    Still, one gets the sense Jackson would have enjoyed playing for Auerbach. Jackson does, too.

    “Yeah,” he said. “You know, we use this players’ coach type of thing pretty loosely, but with Bill (Russell) at the end of his career, he’d let him sit and watch practice and drink coffee and read the newspaper. And he understood that to get the most out of the team that Bill was probably going to have to be a coach. He stepped back and allowed Russ to coach that team and kept that winning streak going here in Boston. So, yeah, he was very nifty about how he saw competition.”

    Demeanor aside, Jackson and Auerbach were alike in their views on the game.

    “Perhaps,” Jackson said. “He was tough on referees. I’ve never been hard on referees. That was part of his coaching technique and not mine. But having a system and letting guys play in the system, those things I think are similar.”

    While Auerbach recognized he had to tread intelligently in dealing with Russell, Jackson managed to deal with the eccentricities of Dennis Rodman.

    They were from different times and had different ways of expressing themselves, but Jackson and Auerbach were bound by their creativity and competitiveness.

    Scouting report: Celtics at Wizards

    TONIGHT - 7, Verizon Center, Washington. TV - CSN. Radio - WEEI-AM (850).

    THE NUMBERS

    1-0: Celtics edge in season series.

    4-0: Celts edge over last two seasons.

    0-3: C’s current streak.

    WHO’S HURT

    For the C’s, Marquis Daniels (thumb surgery) is out. For the Wizards, there are no injuries to report.

    WHO’S HOT

    For the C’s, Rajon Rondo [stats] had 21 points and 12 assists against the Lakers yesterday. For the Wizards, Antawn Jamison is averaging 21.5 points and 8.6 rebounds.

    WHO’S NOT

    For the C’s, Paul Pierce [stats] and Kevin Garnett combined for nine turnovers against the Lakers. For the Wizards, only two active players are scoring in double figures.

    BOTTOM LINE

    The Wizards are so wracked by inner turmoil, very much including the league-imposed season suspensions of Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittendon, it’s a wonder they can still function. But the C’s recent slide considered, the Wizards should be thought of as a full-strength team. The Celtics [team stats] are that fragile right now.

    Nuggets Carmelo Anthony out, score win

    After revealing that Carmelo Anthony would miss a fourth straight game yesterday, Denver Nuggets coach George Karl joked he would beg the NBA’s leading scorer one last time to play.

    They didn’t need him. Denver is still winning just fine.

    Kenyon Martin scored 27 points and Chauncey Billups had 25 points and 11 assists, leading the Nuggets past the Spurs, 103-89, in San Antonio without Anthony, who took another day to rest his left ankle that he injured more than a week ago.

    Denver will likely get Anthony back tonight against Sacramento. But if not, they’ll be OK if they keep playing like this.

    “We know how important Melo is to us,” Karl said. “But I’ve always believed that injuries are windows of opportunity, and I think our guys have understood that the strategy’s going to be a little different, but we can still be a good team.”

    In January, the Nuggets were one of the best. They went 12-3 for the month and 3-1 without Anthony.

    The Spurs were missing their own star in Tony Parker, who sat out a second game with a mild left ankle sprain. George Hill had 17 points in place of Parker, and Tim Duncan had 16 points and 10 rebounds.

    Cavaliers 114, Clippers 89 - LeBron James scored half of his team’s 46 points in the first quarter and Cleveland tied an NBA record with 11 3-pointers in the opening period of its win against visiting Los Angeles.

    The 46 points tied a franchise mark for most in a quarter, and the Cavaliers, winners of eight straight, scored via 3-pointers on seven straight possessions.

    James finished with 32 points and 11 assists.

    Magic 91, Pistons 87 - In Auburn Hills, Mich., J.J. Redick scored 17 points and Dwight Howard had 16 points and 14 rebounds as Orlando outlasted Detroit, earning a win that means coach Stan Van Gundy will lead the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game.

    Raptors 117, Pacers 102 - Chris Bosh had 26 points and 15 rebounds, Andrea Bargnani scored 17 points and host Toronto won its fifth straight game, beating Indiana in its 13th straight game with 100-plus points.

    76ers 83, Nets 79 - In East Rutherford, N.J., Andre Iguodala scored 14 points, including seven in a key portion of the third quarter, pushing Philadelphia past New Jersey to snap a three-game losing streak.

    Timberwolves 112, Knicks 91 - Kevin Love had a career-high 25 points to go with 11 rebounds and Minnesota mauled New York, which got 27 points from Wilson Chandler in Minneapolis.

    Thunder 112, Warriors 104 - Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points, Russell Westbrook added 28 points and eight assists, and Oklahoma City beat visiting Golden State.

    Suns 115, Rockets 111 - Amare Stoudemire (36 points) and Steve Nash (11 points, 16 assists, eight rebounds) helped Phoenix handle host Houston.

    Elsewhere in the NBA - Chris Paul will undergpo arthroscopic left knee surgery and could miss 1-2 months, sources close to the New Orleans Hornets guard told Yahoo! [YHOO]

    Report: Hornets' Paul to undergo left knee surgery

    NEW YORK (AP) -- New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul will have arthroscopic knee surgery and could be sidelined for one to two months, Yahoo! Sports reported Sunday night.

    Paul first hurt his left knee in a game at Golden State on Wednesday. Then, near the end of regulation Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, the All-Star went out of bounds to chase an errant pass and struck a camera on the same spot that bothered him two nights earlier.

    Yahoo! Sports, citing unidentified sources close to Paul, reported that test results revealed a partially torn meniscus.

    General manager and coach Jeff Bower did not respond to a text message from The Associated Press late Sunday night seeking comment. Hornets spokesman Harold Kaufman said he could not confirm whether Paul needed surgery until after speaking with the team's medical staff following Monday morning's shootaround.

    Paul, who also missed eight games this season because of a sprained left ankle, is averaging 20.4 points and 11.2 assists this season.

    Heat's Chalmers out indefinitely with thumb injury

    MIAMI (AP) -- Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers has a partially torn ligament in his left thumb and is out indefinitely.

    Chalmers was hurt Friday in Detroit and sat out the Heat's 95-84 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday, the first game he's missed in his two-year career. An MRI exam Sunday confirmed the injury.

    Also, forward Michael Beasley will be a game-time for Monday's game against the Bucks after further testing confirmed a hyperextended right knee.

    The Heat have fallen

    Magic win earns Van Gundy coaching gig with East All-Stars

    NEW YORK -- Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, to be played on Sunday, Feb. 14, at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

    With a 91-86 road victory tonight over the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills, the Magic (32-16, .667) have clinched the best record in the Eastern Conference through Jan. 31. The Cleveland Cavaliers' Mike Brown coached the East in last year's game and is not eligible for the honor this season.

    In his third year as coach, Van Gundy has Orlando poised to win its third straight Southwest Division title and back in title contention a season after guiding the Magic to The Finals. The Magic posted a 111-53 mark during Van Gundy's first two years at the helm. Including his two-plus-year sting as head coach of the Miami Heat, Van Gundy has earned NBA Eastern Conference Coach of the Month honors on five occasions. With a 255-142

    (.642) overall coaching record, Van Gundy is almost certainly assured of owning one of the top winning percentages in league annals when he reaches the minimum requirement of 400 games coached.

    George Karl of the Denver Nuggets earned the right to coach the Western Conference earlier this week and will man the sidelines of his fourth NBA All-Star Game of his 22-year NBA coaching career. Los Angeles' Phil Jackson, who coached last year's West squad, is not eligible to coach this year's All-Star Game.

    The NBA All-Star Game will broadcast live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, Feb. 14, from Arlington.

    LA’s timing bad for Celtics

    The road has gotten so rocky for the Celtics [team stats] these days that it’s hard to truly enjoy the trappings of a Lakers game.

    Meetings with their far coast rival generally have been like a reunion of Rhodes Scholars, celebrating both the past and the present. It was a time to compete and dream of a rematch in the postseason.

    But the Celts have more immediate wounds that need attention.

    Cue former NFL coach Jim Mora: “Playoffs? Playoffs? We’re just trying to win a game.”

    “We’ve got to get ourselves right,” Paul Pierce [stats] said. “It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against.”

    That it’s the Lakers, the defending NBA champions and best team in the Western Conference, makes that task infinitely more difficult.

    Or as Kevin Garnett put it after Friday’s loss in Atlanta, “Well, I know if we come anything less than great we’re going to get our (butt) kicked.”

    The Celtics gave a game away in Orlando on Thursday and simply got beaten by the Hawks, which may be more frightening for Shamrock concerns. They are struggling with their self-image and now face a team that can expose flaws like a high-definition camera at an AARP convention.

    “But it’s still good to play the Lakers,” coach Doc Rivers said. “Maybe that’ll help us. It’s always fun to play the Lakers.”

    But the Celtics haven’t been having much fun lately. In 13 January games, they’ve been outscored in the fourth quarter 10 times with one tie. They talk about the need to play a full 48 minutes, but clearly they have been running out of gas before the finish line.

    “We’ve got to do a better job,” said Pierce, looking at poor performances against contenders. “We’ve got the Lakers coming in (today), so we feel like it’s a must win.

    “These are teams we’re going to see in the playoffs, so we’re giving them a psychological edge right now. It’s not something where you’re going to just be able to turn it on once the playoffs start. You know, we’ve got to start turning it around right now.”

    Rajon Rondo [stats] got a taste of the Celtics-Lakers thing in the 2008 Finals, but approaching just his 24th birthday, he finds it hard to relate too deeply.

    “Nah,” he said, “I wasn’t really born when all the history was made. For me this game is just as big as playing Orlando or Atlanta.

    “This is another game for us. Each game is big for us right now. It started with the Clippers (last) week. It’s been a tough week for us.”

    Glen Davis is nearly two months older though rarely wiser, but he understands the different views of this afternoon.

    “It’s Lakers and Celtics [team stats], so that means it’s always a big game right there,” he said. “But right now we’re really just focused on trying to play better and get a win. We really don’t care who it’s against right now.

    “So this is a huge game, but every game’s huge. The guys before us made this a huge rivalry, and it’s been fun being a part of it for me. But right now we’re focused on getting ourselves where we need to be.”

    Pierce knows that, too, but he’s a little close to the Celtics-Lakers tango. Moments after talking about the Hawks and saying rivalries are a media creation, he acknowledged that they can go a bit further.

    “It’s always a big deal when the Celtics play the Lakers,” he said. “It is for me, because that rivalry is something that got me into basketball. Watching the Celtics and the Lakers made me want to be a player, so it’s always a big deal.

    “You know, Lakers fans hate the Celtics and Celtics fans hate the Lakers. You don’t really see that with other pro teams except for baseball with Boston and New York. The Celtics and Lakers fans are really into it, and that makes this special. Hey, I’ve been both of them.”

    Today he would just like to be on a team that plays with energy and intelligence for a full game.

    Champs up for test

    Despite their recent struggles, the Celtics [team stats] are still very much on the Lakers’ radar.

    Los Angeles (36-11) brings the Western Conference’s best record into today’s matchup at the Garden, but the Celtics, who have lost 5-of-7, are still looked at as a measuring stick.

    “These are just touchstone games,” Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. “You come and see how everybody is doing and play a little style and try to catch up with what they’re doing on this side of the country and then go back and meet them at home in another month or so.”

    Though the Lakers won the title last season, it’s apparent the perception they were out-toughed by the Celts in the 2008 Finals still gnaws at them.

    Kobe Bryant said the biggest challenge for his team will be meeting the Celtics’ level of play.

    “It’s just matching up with their energy and intensity and things like that,” Bryant said. “Especially playing in Boston, you got to really step up to that challenge and meet their physicality and meet the energy of the building.”

    The Lakers haven’t kept particularly close tabs on the C’s, but they are well aware that their rivals haven’t been playing to their full potential. A big reason for that is the injuries the Celts have battled, most notably the hyperextended right knee that sidelined Kevin Garnett for 10 games.

    “My understanding is that leg is not completely healthy,” Lakers center Pau Gasol said. “I’ve seen him play and I don’t know much how he’s struggling and hurting with it because his injury was never (made) clear to the public. I’m just going to try to be aggressive with him. It doesn’t matter how his leg is feeling. He’s playing and he’s competing.”

    LA has had its own health woes, with Bryant hampered with finger, back, knee and ankle injuries. But the All-Star shooting guard hasn’t missed a game and is averaging 28.2 points, fourth-best in the NBA.

    When asked if he felt the Lakers are the best team in the league when fully healthy, Bryant answered succinctly.

    “Yeah, I’d say so,” he said. “I’d definitely say so.”

    The Lakers will get a chance to prove Bryant’s claim today against a hungry Celtics squad.

    “I think teams like Cleveland and Boston test you at a different level than other teams do,” Gasol said. “They understand what it takes to win in this league - to win at the playoff level - and not many teams do.”

    Celtics Glen Davis believes in power of Saints

    Louisiana is like a big small town, which is to say that it doesn’t take much for an NBA player with roots in Baton Rouge to cross paths with a New Orleans Saint.

    That’s how Celtics [team stats] forward Glen Davis, when not working out in John Lucas’ Houston boot camp last summer, managed to catch an early wave from the madness that will roll into Miami this week.

    “You know what’s funny? I was hanging with Reggie Bush this summer and he told me, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl,’ ” Davis said last week of the Saints running back. “I said, ‘I hope we do,’ and the next thing you know we are in the Super Bowl. In fact he said, ‘We’re going to win it this year.’ ”

    Now, Davis wasn’t alive when New Orleans’ darkly comical Aints generation introduced bag-covered heads to the NFL, but he didn’t have to be to realize how revolutionary Bush’s pronouncement sounded.

    “I think he’s right,” Davis said.

    There’s no need to question Davis’ knowledge or passion for the game. He was recruited by as many Division 1 colleges for football as basketball.

    Some projected him as a tight end - others at left tackle and running back.

    He lived approximately 60 miles away from the Crescent City, but there was no doubting his allegiance.

    “Oh, if you live in Louisiana, you’re a serious Saints fan,” Davis said. “I don’t care if you live in the tip of Louisiana or at the bottom, you are a serious Saints fan. Everybody has to pull for the Saints.”

    Everyone has to pull for New Orleans, too.

    Though he was in the relatively safe environs of Baton Rouge when Hurricane Katrina leveled most of New Orleans in 2005, Davis didn’t have to go far to join the relief effort.

    The Maravich Center, the arena of Davis’ alma mater, Louisiana State, was converted into a triage center for hurricane victims, who were quickly brought through the doors and onto the gym floor, many of them on stretchers.

    “When someone’s in need, he’s always ready,” Collis Temple Jr., the former LSU star who helped raise Davis, told the Herald of Big Baby in 2007. “The (basketball) team was going to lift weights, or something like that, and Glen saw all of those people on stretchers and just pitched in, like he was one of the doctors or medics.

    “He was just so touched by it.”

    That was Davis’ introduction to Katrina.

    “I was a helper with first aid and lifting things, helping doctors in certain things,” Davis said last week. “I had to witness something where surgically they had to open up a lung so a guy could breathe. He wasn’t getting enough oxygen. It was tough watching someone have surgery right then and there.

    “It was tough watching and being a part of it - watching people come in who were devastated. What happened was tragic. You can’t describe the emotions. You can’t put it into words. You had to be there to see it.”

    Davis knew many whose lives were altered by the long-term effects.

    “A lot of rich people, poor people, middle class people who had to relocate and make their home in a different state,” he said. “D.J. Augustin from the Charlotte Bobcats - he was one of those people.

    “He went to Brother Martin (in New Orleans) for his first three years of high school. Then Katrina hit and he had to relocate to Texas, another high school, and he was a product of Louisiana. He became a product of Texas. Parade All-American, great point guard, and that kind of made his decision work out. But Louisiana lost him.

    “I went and took a look at what happened. It was unbelievable, crazy. You see how high the water is on the houses, you see boats miles away from the coast. You see FEMA trucks. It was tough for a person to see, knowing that somebody didn’t have a place to stay.”

    Next Sunday’s Super Bowl will be for all of these people.

    Nothing against the Colts, but the Saints have embarked on a greater mission.

    “What the New Orleans Saints have done has helped the people of New Orleans tremendously,” Davis said. “After what they lost, it’s something else they can hold close to their hearts, with a team in the Super Bowl.”

    The smoking gun

    David Stern probably hopes that by suspending Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton for the rest of the season, he has swept the whole gun issue out the door.

    That’s the same thinking behind the league’s hand-washing position on Tim Donaghy - that the rogue referee acted alone.

    But beyond booting Arenas and his young, overwhelmed teammate, the league must take a longer, harder look at its gun policy.

    As the actions of then-Pacers swingman Stephen Jackson in the parking lot of that Indiana strip club and Sebastian Telfair [stats], on two different occasions, with his fiancee’s pistol show, the incidents won’t stop.

    Stern’s next gut check will come April 26, when Delonte West is scheduled to go on trial in Maryland.

    The former Celtic, now an integral member of the Cavaliers, was arrested in September after he was caught carrying two loaded handguns in addition to a shotgun and a Bowie knife while riding on a big three-wheeled motorcycle.

    West, who has been diagnosed with a bi-polar disorder, is proof that nothing will go away quickly for this commissioner.

    The naked truth

    The dressing down of Greg Oden hit an embarrassing low last week, when the Portland center met with the local media to apologize for naked photos - images he had texted to a female acquaintance two years ago.

    In the course of taking questions, and opening up about how humiliated he felt, a reporter from a local weekly stunned everyone present when she wondered why he was embarrassed, considering “that a lot of people were impressed” by the view.

    Oden reportedly stared at the reporter in dumbfounded silence. Hard to tell what stunned him more - the suggestion that viewers were impressed, or questioning why he would be embarrassed after having his privates streamlined across the Internet.

    A marquee talent awaits

    Marquis Daniels, for all of his talent, loves the background.

    That’s why it has become easy for some in this league to lose sight of the injured Celtics [team stats] swingman.

    When coach Doc Rivers talks about piecing the rotation back together after the All-Star break, he’s especially pointing to Daniels’ return from thumb surgery.

    As long as Daniels’ list of benefits may be -- and much of the Cs’ second unit trouble over the last six weeks stems from his absence -- he’s confined to the fringe thanks to his quiet nature.

    Asked whether NBA insiders lose sight of Daniels’ importance, Rivers said: “I don’t think the league does. I don’t know how many coaches called me and said, ’Wow, how did you get that guy? How’d you pull that off?’

    “But he’s not a player who the average fan would understand what he does. He’s an intangibles guy. We have the star guys, so we need the intangibles guys to fit around them. He’s also just a great teammate in the fact that’s what he wants to be. He’s trying to be a star as an intangible player. He’s trying to dominate his role and you could see that early on. He really accepts that.”

    Much of the Celtics’ recent trouble -- and especially the ballhandling and turnover issues that have cropped up when Rajon Rondo [stats] isn’t on the floor -- could be resolved with Daniels’ return.

    But true to the nature of the player, the change will be seamless.

    “He gives us another ballhandler -- not necessarily a point, though he will play the point at times,” said Rivers, attempting to count the benefits. “He guards the best guy on the (other) team at the 2 and the 3 spot. He allows Paul (Pierce) and Ray (Allen) to not have to guard them. He gets those guys rest. He’s another rebounder, and he’s another post player for us. Other than that I don’t know what people can ask for.”

    Probably not much. Daniels falls in line with a category of NBA player that virtually every great team needs. Indeed, notice Rivers’ mention of a former Celtics fan favorite in naming some like-minded players.

    “There a lot of guys (like Houston’s) Shane Battier,” Rivers said. “There’s a group of guys who understood who they were early in their careers, and have made themselves almost irreplaceable.

    “You need them on your team. James Posey, you can go down the list, and all of the good teams probably have one. The more you can get the better you are. (Udonis) Haslem. I’m going to keep naming them.”

    Magic move past Hawks

    Dwight Howard had 31 points and 19 rebounds and the Magic coasted to a 104-86 victory against the Atlanta Hawks last night in Orlando, Fla.

    The Magic took over first place in the Southeast Division with the victory and beat the Hawks for the third straight time this season. Rashard Lewis added 17 points as the Magic reserves had 32 points and 11 assists.

    Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford had 19 points apiece for the Hawks, who shot only 39.5 percent in the game. Al Horford, selected to back up Howard in the All-Star Game, had only four points against Howard.

    Magic coach Stan Van Gundy will be the East coach in the All-Star Game if the Magic defeat Detroit today. Van Gundy also could be in if the Celtics [team stats] lose to the Lakers today.

    Wizards 106, Knicks 96 - Mike Miller scored a season-high 25 points - including seven 3-pointers - and Antawn Jamison had 21 points and a career-high 23 rebounds to lead host Washington to a win over New York.

    Miller, who missed 26 games because of injuries this season, had four 3-pointers late in the third quarter and early in the fourth.

    Hornets 109, Grizzlies 102 - Emeka Okafor had 21 points, Darren Collison added 17 points and a career-high 18 assists and visiting New Orleans defeated Memphis in overtime.

    The loss snapped the Grizzlies’ 11-game home winning streak.

    New Orleans overcame a 21-point deficit in the third quarter to win its third game out of the past four.

    Bucks 95, Heat 84 - Hakim Warrick scored 10 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and host Milwaukee held off short-handed Miami.

    Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 21 points, but was in foul trouble most of the game. Quentin Richardson had 16 points and Jermaine O’Neal had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

    The Heat were without forward Michael Beasley (hyperextended right knee), their second-leading scorer, and guard Mario Chalmers (sprained left thumb).

    Trail Blazers 114, Mavericks 112 - Andre Miller piled up a career-high 52 points, including 25 in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Juwan Howard scored with 44.8 seconds left to lift Portland past host Dallas.

    Miller was 22-of-31 from the floor as the Blazers snapped a three-game losing streak.

    Dirk Nowitzki scored 28 points, but he missed two shots in the final minute and one just before the buzzer that could have forced double OT.

    Bobcats 103, Kings 96 - Gerald Wallace scored a season-high 38 points and had 11 rebounds as Charlotte won in Sacramento, Calif.

    Wallace keyed the decisive third quarter when the Bobcats pulled away by outscoring Sacramento 34-13. Wallace had 19 points to help Charlotte take a 90-67 lead into the fourth.

    Elsewhere in the NBA - Houston Rockets guard Kyle Lowry will be out at least a week with a sprained left knee.

    Celtics 0- four- Atlanta

    ATLANTA - The regular season is too long, the nagging injuries pile up and it’s simply hard for a veteran team to get motivated when it knows the real stuff doesn’t begin until April.

    But if there was ever a game in which the Celtics [team stats] would want to make a stand it was last night’s. The Hawks had beaten them in the first three meetings, and you could almost hear them singing, “Who’s afraid of the big, bad Celts?”

    The Bostonians wanted this one but still fell, 100-91.

    So were the Celtics unwilling or unable?

    The Hawks swept the season series, and the Philips Arena public address announcer taunted them as they left the court, saying, “Is it a rivalry now?”

    Paul Pierce [stats] was brilliant with 35 points, but former Celtic Joe Johnson scored 16 of his 27 points in the last quarter to put the C’s away. Jamal Crawford added 28 off the bench.

    “It definitely bugs me,” Pierce said. “You don’t want to lose. When the playoffs start, it’s all 0-0, but they feel like they have the edge.”

    The Hawks will continue to have an edge if the C’s don’t do more to get the ball out of the hands of scorers on a roll.

    “We’re not doing a good job of that,” Kevin Garnett said. “And we’ve got to.”

    Added Pierce: “We let them isolate us, and that’s the way they play. They did it four games vs. us. I think we should have done a better job with our help defense, getting another man to bother him. When those guys get going, they can really go off.”

    The normally even-handed Ray Allen was visibly upset after this one.

    “It’s just frustrating,” he said. “After you lose it’s best always to reserve your opinion.

    “Obviously there are some things we could have done a lot better - better execution on offense, defensively what were we doing? But we’ll watch film, and it’ll give us a fresher perspective.”

    The Celtics saw a nine-point first-quarter lead dissolve into a 14-point deficit by the second quarter. Pierce had 14 in the third when the Celts made 19-of-20 free throws to get within a point.

    But Johnson began winning one-on-one battles with whomever the Celts threw his way in the fourth. He made 7-of-9 shots in the quarter.

    The visitors fought back to within five with 1:30 left, but Johnson drove on Pierce and then hit a 3-pointer to ice it. That kept Doc Rivers from clinching the Eastern Conference coaching job in the All-Star Game.

    He’s got to be more concerned about the pack gaining on his team.

    “When you’re good, teams are going to go and do their knowledge,” Garnett said. “They’re going to get better and get better schemes. I think teams are not necessarily catching up, but they’ve done their homework. They’ve seen the chinks in the armor. You know, we didn’t win it last year, but teams are coming out and playing us like we’re the champs. That’s respect. Now we’ve just got to figure out a way to make an adjustment or go to another level and just get our consistency back, just playing hard-nosed.”

    Rajon Rondo [stats] delivered what might be construed as a shot when he was asked about previous teams not facing this adversity and said, “I try not to look back on the past. It’s a different team this year. That’s our problem. A couple of years ago, we didn’t have the same team. We had the same main guys, but it’s still a team effort, from the first guy to the 15th guy.”

    Garnett was a little more selective.

    “The words that we want to use, you guys can’t write in your column or put on this television,” he said. “But we’re going to get better. We’re too prideful, too competitive as men to go another route.”

    Knee-deep in queries

    ATLANTA - When Kevin Garnett had a bad game Thursday night against Orlando, thoughts immediately turned to his surgically repaired right knee.

    Even when Garnett said the knee, which was hyperextended last month, was not the issue, he was asked if he was just saying that to avoid making an excuse. But he assured he was not. However, the bottom line appears to be that KG is dealing with some residual soreness, but nothing he can’t play with.

    Garnett was better against the Hawks last night, going for 15 points and seven rebounds in 33 minutes of the 100-91 loss. He dunked twice and generally looked more athletic.

    “Kevin looked great tonight,” said Doc Rivers. “You know, it’s going to be this way for a while with him. He just came back, and (Thursday) he labored in the game, but it wasn’t an injury. He just didn’t have any rhythm. He was out of sync. And today he looked much better. For a while it’s going to be hit or miss.”

    Said Garnett, “I was more than fired up tonight, but with me, when it comes to health, you’re just trying to be consistent with it. I’m just trying to give this team a different lift.”

    Ray Allen is a veteran of the situation, having played his first season with the Celtics [team stats] after ankle surgery.

    “It’s an adjustment,” he said. “When you’re playing the game, you have to learn to manage your body a little bit better. I don’t think it hurts Kevin so much, but you do have to deal with some soreness when you’re coming off surgery.

    “And it doesn’t really get better until you get rest. Most people who have surgery don’t do what we do, so they get better faster.”

    Said Rivers: “It’s really more of a timing thing. You could see his timing was an issue in the Orlando game. He missed picks, everything. But all you can do is give him more minutes to let him play through it. But I know what he’s going through and you’ve just got to let him go through it.”

    Up for surgery

    The Celtics recalled J.R. Giddens from Maine of the D-League yesterday, but the second-year swingman wasn’t doing much celebrating.

    The move was procedural because Giddens needs surgery to repair meniscus in his left knee. The operation will likely take place next week.

    “It’s meniscus,” said Rivers. “It’s nothing big, but you have to take care of it and do a scope (arthroscopic procedure) and come back. I think he’ll be back in like two or three weeks.”

    Going on vacation

    Allen is making plans to go on vacation during the All-Star break - just as he has done in 2008 and ’09. And he wouldn’t mind if the itinerary gets blown up - just as happened in 2008 and ’09.

    The veteran has been an All-Star nine times, the latter pair as a late injury replacement.

    “Oh, sure I’ll make plans again,” Allen said. “I look forward to the time off, but at the same time I’ll be ready for whatever comes down.”

    He’s not as close to a bid this time around, but the trip plans may just be the good luck charm that gets commissioner David Stern to dial Allen’s number.

    “The last two years . . . We did all the plans and flights and everything, and then we’ve had to cancel it,” Allen said. “But I was obviously fine with that.”

    As a veteran of the big NBA weekend, Allen is sure to have advice for first-time All-Star Rajon Rondo [stats].

    “Rondo’s probably going to run around with his head cut off,” Allen said. “There’s so much going on. All day long people are going to be telling him about this event and that party. You sometimes say yes to everything, and then you realize how much time you don’t have. You have meetings and things you’re required to be at.”