Best team in the NBA? Right now, by far, it's the Magic

Vince Carter, Dwight Howard and the Magic are putting a stranglehold on teams since the break.

They haven't had an attention-grabbing, double-digit winning streak like the Mavericks, and they haven't charged up the standings like the Bucks. As of Wednesday morning, they're only a single game closer to first place in the Eastern Conference then they were at the All-Star break.

But since the break, the Orlando Magic have been the best team in the NBA ... by far.

The Magic are 14-3 since the break, second only to the Bucks (15-3). But statistically, Orlando has been more dominant than anybody. The Magic have outscored their opponents by 14.8 points every 100 possessions over those 17 games. The next best team since the break has been the Phoenix Suns, who have been just 9.3 points better than their opponents.

The Magic have been terrific defensively since November. For the second straight season, they're the top defense in the league, allowing 99.7 points every 100 possessions, a hair less than the Celtics. But it's been on offense that they've taken off since the break.

Best Since the All-Star Break

Points per 100 possessions

Team Off. Rat. Rank Def. Rat. Rank Diff. Orlando 113.7 2 98.9 4 +14.8 Phoenix 114.4 1 105.0 14 +9.3 Portland 109.4 7 100.5 5 +8.8 Cleveland 110.1 6 102.4 8 +7.7 Utah 111.0 4 103.7 11 +7.3

Off. Rat. = Points scored per 100 possessions Def. Rat. = Points allowed per 100 possessions

With Vince Carter finding the right balance between aggressiveness and unselfishness, and Jameer Nelson all the way back from arthroscopic knee surgery, the Magic are now as potent as any offense in the league. And when a team has both a great offense and a great defense ... well, even Magic coach Stan Van Gundy admits that he's happy with the way his team is playing.

The famously excitable coach seems able now to move past the occasional defeat without much stress.

"You're going to lose games and you have to deal with it and move on," Van Gundy said Monday. "You try to keep in perspective how you're playing and getting better. And we've been playing very well."

With Van Gundy, though, happiness is always relative. It's not as if he's satisfied.

"I'm never comfortable," he said. "I'm happy with the way we're playing. But comfortable, no. Because there's always areas where you've got to get better. You want to see improvement in those areas going down the stretch, and when you don't see it, you get uncomfortable."

If Van Gundy is happy with the way his team is playing -- as he should be -- he should be even happier with the way they're talking. The Magic players have the same outlook as their coach.

"I don't think we're at the level we want to be," center Dwight Howard said. "We're still gelling. We're still learning how to play together. We just want to be rolling come playoff time."

Monday's victory in Philadelphia was win No. 50, a mark that Carter had never reached in his first 11 seasons in the league. But the occasion brought him no satisfaction.

"I'm looking at the bigger picture," he said afterward. "I want to win it all."

The Magic aren't going to catch the Cavaliers, whom they currently trail by six games in the standings, for the best record in the league. And they're not likely to be caught by the Celtics or Hawks, both of whom they lead by 4 1/2 games.

They're as locked into their playoff seed as any team outside of Cleveland or L.A. But no matter what the stakes are, or how well they're playing, Carter says that the mentality stays the same. While there will be a loss here or there, the Magic aren't about to take their foot off the pedal.

"It can all be taken away in one series," he said. "So the approach is, each and every game, do the job. Look at [the opponent], I don't care who they are, as one of the best."

That may be difficult on some nights, especially at this time of year. Orlando's post-break schedule hasn't been all that challenging. Nine of the 14 wins since the All-Star Game have come against lottery-bound teams. But two have been over the most important of opponents. The Magic beat the Cavs on Feb. 21 and the Lakers on March 7. And last week, the Magic handed the resurgent Spurs their worst loss of the season.

Orlando is taking care of business against the weaker teams, and the Magic have held their own against the rest of the elite. Van Gundy may want to fine tune some things, but with three weeks to go in the regular season, no team is more ready for the playoffs than the Magic.

It's looking very likely that Cleveland and Orlando will meet again in the conference finals. And should that happen, the Cavs will again have home-court advantage. They have the best player in the world and a better supporting cast than they've ever put around him.

But that still may not be enough to get past the team that knocked them off a year ago. Because right now, the Magic are the best team in basketball.

As season wraps up, playoff-bound need to watch for spoilers

The Nets are on course for infamy, but overlooking them would be a big mistake.

In a league in which more than half the teams make the playoffs, and with just three weeks left in the regular season, you'd think a bucket full of squads would be in the running for the final few spots in the postseason. Think again.

Barring a few monumental collapses, the Western Conference contingent of eight for the tournament is set. Drama in the East is confined to one team on the outside (Chicago) still in striking distance.

For the other 13 teams completely out of the running, the rest of the regular season is chiefly an exercise in early preparation. It's a time to evaluate while laying the groundwork for the Draft and free agency.

But if those lottery-bound teams could win a few games and play spoiler ... well, that's a bonus.

"Guys try to pull motivation from anything they can," veteran Warriors forward Devean George said. "Why not make it tough for someone? Why come and just lay down? We've still got to play.

"Fans are still coming to see good basketball. They're not coming to see us just lay down for a team in the playoffs. They want to be entertained and get their money's worth, so that's what we're going to do."

Playing spoiler in the traditional sense is unlikely given that nearly all the teams currently in playoff position will likely make it. What those out of the mix can do is impact the order. Seedings in both conferences remain fluid with about a dozen games left for everyone.

While the contenders are obviously going to lose to each other down the stretch, dropping a game or two to someone outside the playoff party could have dire consequences.

"People are trying to jockey for position, and we're not just going to lay down and let them get their position," George said. "We're going to finish the season as best we can. If that means beating some teams that are in the playoffs or trying to get a [higher] seed, then I guess that's what it has to be."

So which teams are best suited to play spoiler? New York and Indiana have already sprung a few upsets over the last several weeks. Houston and Memphis, hanging on to faint playoff hopes in the West, could easily have a say in where those they're chasing end up.

And even for those limping to Game 82, the Any Given Night rule remains in effect.

"Every game is the same for us," Golden State super frosh Stephen Curry said. "We're just trying to win as many as we can and finish the year strong. With a team that's playing this well, you want to get a good win. I wouldn't call it our playoffs, because next year, we'll be working toward the real deal."

Here's a look at the best candidates to play spoiler and some games to watch. I haven't included games against teams already reasonably secure in their seedings.

GRIZZLIES

Spoiler games: Dallas (3/31), @Dallas (4/7), @San Antonio (4/9), @OKC (4/14)

Spoiler qualifications: Spending most of the season with a winning record had the Grizz thinking postseason. Several playoff-caliber games remain for a young squad looking to take the next step. Zach Randolph is putting the finishing touches on a monster season, while Rudy Gay may be looking to leave Memphis with a bang.

ROCKETS

Spoiler games: @OKC (3/24), @San Antonio (3/31), Utah (4/7), Charlotte (4/9), @Phoenix (4/11)

Spoiler qualifications: The boys in Houston also feel playoff worthy. They'd love nothing more than knocking their chief rivals down a peg or two. The backcourt of Aaron Brooks and Kevin Martin is explosive enough to give any contender fits.

HORNETS

Spoiler games: Portland (3/27), Charlotte (4/7), Utah (4/9)

Spoiler qualifications: Chris Paul is back. New Orleans doesn't have many chances to impact the playoff race, but a timely win over any of the above would help soothe the sting of losing CP3 for 25 games. Beating the Mavericks in Paul's first-game back shows they have the horses to get it done.

KNICKS

Spoiler games: @Phoenix (3/26), @Utah (3/29), @Portland (3/31), Boston (4/6), Miami (4/11), Toronto (4/14)

Spoiler qualifications: Beat the Hawks, Mavericks and Nuggets already this month. The Knicks of today won't be the Knicks of next year, so just about everyone up and down the roster has to approach each game as an open audition.

PACERS

Spoiler games: Utah (3/26), Miami (4/2)

Spoiler qualifications: Knocked off the Bobcats and Thunder in the span of a week. If the Pacers do the same against the Jazz and Heat, it could mean loss of home-court for Utah, and a date with either Cleveland or Orlando for Miami.

KINGS

Spoiler games: @Boston (3/26), Portland (4/3), San Antonio (4/6), Dallas (4/10)

Spoiler qualifications: Paul Westphal's goal is for his team to be a tough out, and they've been just that for most of the season. The Kings' five-game homestand is another opportunity to sock it to their West brethren. Tyreke Evans should be back for all the fun.

WARRIORS

Spoiler games: Dallas (3/27), @Utah (3/31), @Toronto (4/4), OKC (4/11), Utah (4/13), @Portland (4/14)

Spoiler qualifications: Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry give the Warriors a shooter's chance. Don't forget their latest NBA D-League sensation, Reggie Williams. Don Nelson needs five more wins to set the all-time record. And there's also a potential new owner to impress.

NETS

Spoiler games: San Antonio (3/29), Phoenix (4/3), Charlotte (4/12), @Miami (4/14)

Spoiler qualifications: Why not? There aren't any teams more overlooked than the Nets. The Spurs and Suns both are at New Jersey on the second night of back-to-backs. The Bobcats and Heat are jostling at the bottom of the East race. The Nets have to beat someone. Right?

Quotable

"5-0. 4-1 is acceptable, but that's not what champions look for when you go on the road. And these are all tough games."
-- Lakers coach Phil Jackson on his expectations for the road trip starting Wednesday night in San Antonio.

Starting 5

1. Michael Jordan wants to be like Mark Cuban. Geeks rejoice.

2. Ron Washington may actually be having a better week than Kevin Pritchard.

3. Company's name is already on the building. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison might as well own the team that plays inside.

4. Union disputing league's claim of $400 million in losses this season. In related news, smoking is bad for your health.

5. Could the Nets beat St. Mary's?

Give-n-Go: Drew Gooden

Insider: Disappointed leaving the Mavericks?

Drew Gooden: I was kind of upset because I committed myself to the team and I was so focused on winning and making a run to get in the playoffs. I knew how valuable that was and I wanted to do whatever it took to help the team accomplish that goal. I totally committed myself and bought into what coach (Rick) Carlisle was saying from the time he brought me in here. To leave that way, I was highly upset. At the same time, I had an opportunity to go somewhere else and continue doing what I do.

IN: Hoping to be released by the Wizards?

DG: I didn't know what direction that team was going in. I'm in the last year of my deal and I want to be in a winning situation. It seemed like they were just cleaning house. I was in a similar situation in Sacramento the year before. The perfect world would have been if I would've been bought out in D.C., I would have with no hesitation signing back with Dallas because I feel like I had some unfinished business here. That didn't happen. Fortunately, Mr. Grunfeld at least traded me to a spot right here that's a little bit better situation for me. Now here I am, a Clipper.

IN: Thoughts on next season.

DG: I'm to the point where the GMs and other teams know what I can do by now. I think that people need to look at it is that he has been in a lot of different situations and continued to find his way, no matter who the coach is, or what the system is or who he's playing with. He finds his way somehow to be productive.

I haven't thought too far ahead. It puts added pressure when you start thinking about it. I've matured enough in this league to know that I need to handle my business today and not worry about what's going to happen tomorrow. I can only control what happens today. I want a home.

D-League stint gives Thabeet, Grizz new outlook on future

Hasheem Thabeet says his time in the D-League wasn't a 'demotion.'

The 'D' is for development. Not demotion.

"It's right there in the name," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said of the NBA Development League. "I don't know why more teams don't use it to help players develop."

That's what the Grizzlies did when they shipped 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet out to the Dakota Wizards of the D-League for a brief stint. What they got back to their lineup was a rookie who played with more power, more energy and perhaps a better understanding of what it's going to take to one day succeed in the NBA.

"The experience helped a lot," Thabeet said. "Just to be able to go out onto the court and run with the guys and get into the rhythm of a game situation. When they sent me to the D-League, I was on a mission."

The Grizzlies' mission was to finally jumpstart Thabeet's game and get more out of the player they had selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 Draft.

Through the first 49 games that he played this season, Thabeet had been underwhelming and sank to third on the Memphis depth chart at center. He was not aggressive enough around the basket and, of greater concern, had demonstrated a work ethic that was often lacking.

"We worked with Thabeet all summer, all fall, then we go to training camp and we're forming our team and trying to win and rookies don't normally play well," Hollins said. "So on nights that he plays well, he gets more minutes and on nights that he doesn't, he doesn't. It comes to a point where they go into a shell and they don't do anything right and you need to sit them.

"He had no choice in the decision. I didn't try to sell him. I just told him you can take this two ways. You can take it as a demotion and not go out there and work or you can take it as an opportunity to go and grow. He took the latter."

So Thabeet went from bright lights of the NBA one night to boarding a plane for the hinterlands of Bismarck, N.D. the next. In five games with the Dakota Wizards, Thabeet averaged 15 points, 13 rebounds and 5.6 blocked shots. He had rung up three double-doubles and the Wizards went 4-1 with the NBA big man in the middle.

"It was definitely a great experience," Thabeet said. "You go out there and everybody competes. Everybody wants to get to the big league. I ended up playing well and I came back."

Since he's returned to the Grizzlies, Thabeet has demonstrated better work habits and produced some results. He's been stronger and showed more force around the basket. When Marc Gasol was sidelined with a strained neck, Thabeet got the first starts of his NBA career and right away turned in a back-to-back of 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocked shots against Chicago and eight points and 10 rebounds and four blocks at Houston. He shot 4-for-5, scored 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots in Tuesday's win over Sacramento.

"It's about confidence, getting comfortable," Hollins said. "When you don't get on the court, it's hard to get comfortable. It's hard to get into a rhythm and know what you can and can't do.

"There are a lot of guys that get drafted and then don't get the chance to play. Houston has one in Jordan Hill (No. 8 pick in the draft). When he was in New York, he never played. So how are you gonna develop?"

The D-League would seem to be the place, if not for the stigma that has been attached to it by young so-called stars, especially draft picks as high as Thabeet.

"I just think if we have the league, it should be taken advantage of," Hollins said. "I think too often teams don't want their guys to go down for whatever reason. Maybe it's the negative publicity or the criticism for sending a high pick down. They say maybe he's a bust. But maybe it's something else. I just think it's important that these guys play."

Especially in a league where the players entering have gotten younger and younger over the past decade, where the majority of draft picks no longer have the foundation that comes from playing three or four years in college.

"The league is so young and even the kids that have been here for two or three years are still young and immature," Hollins said. "So they're not even ready for the social part of this business. They come here and they don't know how to be on time. They don't know how to get where they're supposed to be, just the responsibility of being a professional.

"You're dealing with all of that constantly now. So the D-League is an opportunity for guys to go there and be on your own a little bit more. You learn how to manage your life a little bit, how to be responsible. And, of course, you work on your game."

Thabeet's work has been noticed by his teammates, who still on him to chase down every rebound, try to block or change every shot that comes down the lane.

"I definitely do not look at the D-League experience as a demotion," Thabeet said. "They gave me a reason why they wanted me to go there. They wanted to see progress. They said, 'we're going to send you somewhere you can play a lot of minutes and show us that you've really been working.' So that's what I did."

Rookie Rankings: Youthful Holiday slowly getting better

Jrue Holiday is still learning the Sixers' pick-and-roll game this season.

It's hard to believe, when watching Sixers point guard Jrue Holiday, that he's the youngest player in the league.

But there he is, steadily running the show in Philly, giving Sixer fans a glimpse of what appears to be a bright future. So, when asked what the hardest adjustment has been, it's surprising to hear Holiday's answer.

"The travel," Holiday says.

Not adjusting to the NBA's bigger, faster defenders. Not learning the different angles of the NBA in order to pick apart NBA defenses. Not the longer three-point line.

But rather, the travel. Of course, Holiday admits that as a 19-year-old, he has the advantage of fresh legs in that arena. Still, the answer belies Holiday's confidence in his skills and what he brings to the Sixers -- a mature-beyond-his-years presence at the point who just happens to have what Philly coach Eddie Jordan calls "one of the prettiest jump shots on the team."

And since he has no say in the day-to-day scheduling, Holiday says he instead focuses on one area in particular -- the pick and roll. For that, he has a more than capable mentor in Sixers assistant Aaron McKie, who spent 13 seasons in the league, to help him out.

"[McKie] works with me on the screen and rolls and staying aggressive," Holiday said. "He's helped me a lot with my jump shot and helping me know when to take the shot and when to try to get into the lane. Coming off the screen and roll, I'm just trying to lead my team in the best way. Most of it is just coming with experience and building chemistry with the other guys. We're trying to figure each other out."

Taken with the 17th pick after playing one season at UCLA (alongside fellow rookie Darren Collison), Holiday spent the early part of the season backing up Lou Williams and Allen Iverson, then filling in admirably when Williams went down and Iverson left the team. With the new year came a new opportunity for Holiday, who was handed the starting job alongside Williams in the backcourt.

Holiday's numbers haven't been eye-popping, but show steady improvement. For the season, Holiday is averaging 7.5 points, 2.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists while hitting on 43 percent of his shots (41 percent of his 3s). Over the past five games, though, Holiday has averaged 13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.2 steals.

"I think he's doing a good job of understanding his game within the NBA game," Sixers forward Andre Iguodala told the Philadelphia Daily News. "He had a problem with coming down and taking a shot with his toes on the line a lot with 20 seconds on the shot clock. I think he has a great understanding about that, he's really changed it up. Instead of shooting those shots he now shoots open shots after a few passes and getting the whole team within the offense. He's grown tremendously throughout this year. Hopefully he continues to grow."

NBA.com's Rookie Rankings are just one man's opinion and are released every Wednesday during the season. If you've got an issue with the rankings, or have a question or comment for Drew Packham, send him an e-mail. You can also follow him on Twitter. For past week's rankings, click here.

1. Tyreke Evans, Sacramento Kings

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
64	37.3	20.3	5.2	5.6	1.4	0.4	.461	.252	.746

Last Week: 1 | Drafted: 4
In our interview this week, Holiday put it simply when speaking of Evans: "He's a beast." And when it comes to getting into the lane, the statistics back up the argument. According to hoopdata.com, Evans gets to the rim more than any other player in the league, with 8.3 attempts per game. The next closest is Carmelo Anthony at 7.9, followed by Zach Randolph at 7.7. Evans also leads in makes at the rim at 5.0 per game. Even more telling is the fact that Evans is only assisted on 24.5 percent of those, which means -- as we already know from watching him play -- that he is very good at creating his own bunnies. (As a comparison, LeBron James is assisted on 47.9 percent of his shots at the rim; Dwyane Wade on 31.9.)

2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
68	65	16.3	4.2	5.5	1.8	0.2	.459	.423	.884

Last Week: 2 | Drafted: 7
Curry missed a pair of games this week with a sprained left ankle, but returned to the lineup for the Warriors' last two games this week (both losses). Curry showed signs of the injury, going just 10-for-25 from the field and averaging just 11.5 points and 7 assists. He did, however have four steals in the Warriors' 133-131 loss to the Suns in 34 minutes of action. With Evans out for a week dealing with his concussion, this would have been a perfect last-ditch opportunity for Curry to win over voters.

3. Marcus Thornton, New Orleans Hornets

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
63	23.9	13.7	2.8	1.3	0.8	0.2	.454	.398	.811

Last Week: 4 | Drafted: 43
Chris Paul's return from injury drew the headlines, but it was Thornton's insertion into the starting lineup that may have energized the Hornets. In New Orleans' 115-99 win over Dallas on Monday, Thornton went 12-for-22 from the floor (4-for-9 on 3s) for a game-high 28 points to help stop a three-game slide. "(Bower) told me awhile back that a change might come and I might be back in the starting lineup," Thornton told Hornets.com. "I just wanted to take full advantage of it."

4. Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee Bucks

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
69	33.1	15.8	3.6	6.0	1.3	0.2	.372	.394	.813

Last Week: 5 | Drafted: 10
After the Bucks' first two games this week, I was ready to give Jennings a serious bump in the rankings. He had just gone for 21 points in a loss to the Clippers and then 35 two nights later (in a double-OT win over Evans' Kings, no less). In those two games, he'd gone 11-for-20 from three-point land and looked to be finding his stroke. Of course, Jennings came back to earth going 4-for-17 for just 11 points and five assists in the Bucks' next two games combined (while playing just 46 minutes). His supporters will, of course, continue to throw out the "but the Bucks are winning" argument, to which I ask: Would the Bucks be in playoff contention with Evans or Curry as their starting point guard?

5. Darren Collison, New Orleans Hornets

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
66	26.8	11.5	2.5	5.6	1.0	0.1	.458	.364	.836

Last Week: 3 | Drafted: 21
Chris Paul is back, and after one game at least, Collison's playing time hasn't taken a hit. In Paul's return to the starting lineup, Collison came off the bench and had 16 points, eight assists and two steals in 35 minutes of the Hornets' 115-99 win over the Mavericks. "I've been telling people with all this time I've been out, all I've had time to do was shoot," Paul said. "So I told DC (Collison) before the game that when we're in the game together, that's still your team. If you see me open, just kick it to me and maybe I'll make a few shots." As for Collison, he's just glad to have CP3 back in the backcourt. "He's been extremely important. He has a lot to do with my success," Collison told the Times-Picayune. "He's been helping me on and off the court. I thank him every day, and I'm blessed for it. That's the person he is. He doesn't have to do it, but he chooses to do it."

6. Taj Gibson, Chicago Bulls

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
70	25.9	8.7	7.1	0.9	0.6	1.2	.496	----	.625

Last Week: 9 | Drafted: 26
The Bulls are clinging to slim playoff hopes in the East, but Gibson isn't slowing down, despite his chronic plantar fasciitis. Friday night, Gibson played 38 minutes, the most since Jan. 28, finishing with 20 points, 13 boards, three assists and three steals in a tough home loss to the Cavs. Then, Gibson capped his week off with 10 points, 12 rebounds and a career-best five blocks in the Bulls' 98-88 win over the Rockets on Monday. In the Bulls' four games this week, Gibson finished with averages of 12.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.8 blocks and had a pair of double-doubles (tying him with Collison for most among rookies at 12).

7. Toney Douglas, New York Knicks

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
45	16.6	8.0	1.6	1.7	0.6	0.1	.486	.407	.837

Last Week: 10 | Drafted: 29
You can say this for the Knicks, and Douglas in particular: They're finishing their season on a high note. New York has won four of its last six, and Douglas has been a revelation at the point. In a 92-88 win over the Sixers on Friday, Douglas had 14 of his 22 points in a big fourth quarter and finished 4-for-7 on 3-pointers, drawing praise from coach Mike D'Antoni, especially for his defense. "He was terrific," D'Antoni said. "Mostly defense is heart and brains, and he has both. A good combo and he's quick. The biggest thing is he wants to do it. When you put your mind to it like he does and he's always ready, good things happen." Douglas followed that performance by matching his career-high with 26 points (hitting six treys, tying a Knicks' single-game rookie record) in a loss to the Rockets, then scoring 16 and dishing seven assists in a big win over the Nuggets at Madison Square Garden.

8. Jonny Flynn, Minnesota Timberwolves

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
71	29.0	13.5	2.4	4.4	1.1	----	.413	.344	.821

Last Week: 8 | Drafted: 6
Despite Minnesota's 13-game losing streak, at least one opposing coach sees a bright future for the Wolves -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson. After his Lakers beat the Wolves 104-96 on Friday despite Flynn's 20 points (his first 20+ game since Jan. 23), Jackson had this to say about what his pupil, Kurt Rambis, is trying to build in Minnesota. "I think without a doubt ... this is still a team that has great potential," Jackson said. "When you look at the five-year plan, I think it's a good idea to keep perspective of the long term and not the short term." Obviously, Flynn is part of that long-term plan but things could get very interesting if the Wolves end up with the top pick, especially if a certain point guard ends up leaving school early.

9. Wesley Matthews, Utah Jazz

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
71	23.4	9.0	2.1	1.3	0.7	0.2	.483	.368	.813

Last Week: 6 | Drafted: NA
The Jazz won three of four this week, but Matthews is in a bit of a shooting slump from three-point land, which doesn't bode well for Utah. In games in which Matthews hits more than two 3s, the Jazz are 10-3. Matthews missed all eight 3-point attempts this week, but still finished the week 45 percent from the floor (15-for-33). Matthews' saving grace, though, were his 2.0 steals per game, which is good enough to keep him in the top 10.

10. Reggie Williams, Golden State Warriors

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
12	24.8	14.2	3.6	2.3	0.6	0.1	.543	.475	.862

Last Week: NR | Drafted: NA
He's only played 12 games in the NBA, but already Williams is making quite the impression. This week was no different. In four games, the 2008 VMI graduate who was called up from the NBA D-League averaged 20.3 points and 5.8 rebounds in 32.8 minutes. "I like everything about [Williams]," Warriors coach Don Nelson told the San Francisco Chronicle after Williams scored a career-best 29 points in a 133-131 loss to the Suns on Monday. "Most D-League guys are single-statistical guys, but he's a guy who does it all. Those guys are hard to find." For his part, Williams is just trying to stay in the league, and Golden State rewarded him Monday by signing him for the rest of the season. "Coming from the D-League, we're trying to get jobs," Williams told the Mercury News. "We don't have four-year guaranteed contracts or big buzz coming into the league. We have to stay hungry."

Honorable Mention: Terrence Williams, Nets: Averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists in three losses, but was just 12-for-36 from the floor (33 percent); Chase Budinger, Rockets: Tied his career-high with 18 points in 116-112 win over Knicks. Wayne Ellington, Wolves: Averaged 13.3 points in three games while going 13-for-25 from the floor (6-for-12 on 3s); Hasheem Thabeet, Grizzlies: Averaged 7.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks in three games; Serge Ibaka, Thunder: Averaged 7.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in four games; Jordan Hill, Rockets: Stuck it to Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni, who had called him a "bad rookie" before the game, with 13 points and five rebounds in Houston's 116-112 win in New York; Eric Maynor, Thunder: Had 15 points and 11 assists in 33 minutes of blowout loss in Indiana on Sunday;

While Crawford wins, teams left behind still struggling

Most likely, nobody will pop a cork in his honor, or carry him off the court on their shoulders, or throw a party. You'd think Jamal Crawford deserves at least a group hug if nothing else when his misery finally comes to an end.

In the next day or two, he should officially qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his 10-year career, after 660-plus games, easily the longest active streak in the NBA. And he'll have a one-word reaction.

"Relief," he said.

Indeed. If there was ever a one-man version of the Clippers, it's Crawford, who didn't have the pleasure of playing for the Clips but knows the feeling anyway. Before joining the Hawks this season, he toiled for three teams that went nowhere. He played for nine head coaches. He never played on a winning team. The most wins he ever experienced in a single season was 33. The most losses? Sixty-seven.

Each stop was a dead-end, another rebuilding process, an exercise in frustration, and no postseason payoff for the trouble. He endured hostile home arenas, a smirking media, front-office turmoil, public apathy and poor locker room morale. Strangely enough, Crawford was never the cause for any of it. He was mainly an innocent bystander, someone who did his job, wore the uniform proudly, never complained and was generally well-regarded by fans, his coaches and teammates.

Put it this way: The Bulls, Knicks and Warriors don't have bitter memories of Crawford. Not at all. If anything, given how he's put himself in position for the Sixth Man of the Year Award this season with the Hawks, those teams are jealous. Sadly, while Crawford has clearly moved on to bigger and better things, the teams he left behind are still feeling left out. One of his former teams currently sits on a ledge and can go in either direction. Another is banking on free agents this summer, and his last team before joining the Hawks is up for sale. An assessment:

Bulls. Easily, Crawford arrived in Chicago at the lowest point in franchise history. How's that for timing? The Bulls grabbed him in a Draft-day trade with the Cavs and figured he'd help advance the franchise beyond the championship era. Jerry Krause promised a solid rebuilding process without the help of Michael Jordan, but the Baby Bulls didn't exactly follow the blueprint. They'd won only 30 games combined the previous two seasons under Tim Floyd, the replacement for Phil Jackson, and gave Elton Brand the boot in order to bank on Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

It became a big mess. Crawford won only 15 games as a rookie and Floyd was gone the following winter. Curry and Chandler were raw, both straight out of high school, and not very compatible. As for Crawford, he developed bad habits with shot selection, although he eventually became a dependable scorer and fun to watch.

After Crawford: The Bulls enjoyed a sliver of sunshine under Scott Skiles, and took the Celtics to the seven-game playoff limit last spring under Vinny Del Negro. But after losing Ben Gordon to free agency, they're still looking for a co-star for Derrick Rose and never found a groove this season.

Knicks. Crawford was enlisted to give Stephon Marbury help in the backcourt and while Crawford shot below 40 percent, he did average more than 17 points a game and hit some big buckets. But the Knicks were unraveling from the top of the organization down. They disintegrated the following season when Lenny Wilkens was fired, then again in Larry Brown's only season in New York. Crawford was about the only entertainment value the Knicks had, and two years ago delivered his best season ever, getting 20.6 points while the Knicks bottomed out at 23 wins.

After Crawford: The Knicks began trimming the fat, except for Curry, whose contract has made him almost impossible to move. The priority was clearing cap space for free agents in 2010, a plan that, while sensible, doesn't guarantee the Knicks a glamorous signature this summer.

Warriors. They dumped an unhappy Al Harrington for good-guy Crawford, who blended right in with Don Nelson's up-tempo style. Problem was, the Warriors couldn't recapture the magic they had the previous spring, when they enjoyed a first-round buzz in the playoffs. Crawford's time in the Bay Area was short, just a half-season. But it felt like a full-season, if you get the drift.

After Crawford: The Warriors drafted Stephen Curry and he seems like a budding star. And that's about the only good news for a franchise that's had one winning season since 1994. If the Knicks had the worst decade in basketball, the Warriors were No. 2. Or perhaps the order should be flipped. Crawford was on both teams; maybe he can declare the winner. Owner Chris Cohan put the team up for sale on Monday and software billionaire Larry Ellison, whose company name (Oracle) is on Golden State's arena, is willing to listen.

Bynum could return to Lakers earlier than expected

SAN ANTONIO -- Lakers coach Phil Jackson is keeping hopeful that injured center Andrew Bynum can return before the end of the five-game road trip the team starts tonight against the Spurs.

The Lakers (52-18) lead the West and have a six-game winning streak, but Jackson doesn't sound like he's completely happy with the team's play in single-digit margins of victory against losing teams the last four games.

So, having Bynum back from his left Achilles' strain would be a good thing if it could happen before the road trip ends March 31 in Atlanta. He was supposed to miss the entire trip when the injury was examined through MRI after Friday's 104-96 win at Minnesota.

"I haven't ruled it out," Jackson said, "but I haven't even thought about it in those terms [of Bynum's making it back before the end of the road trip]. But he did say he is feeling a lot better today. I can't see that happening right now, but that's a hopeful note."

Jackson said Bynum has been wearing a brace on and off. He said Bynum's ability to elevate off the injured leg would determine his return.

"More than anything else it would be for him to consistently take off with that leg up front," Jackson said. "I think that would be the key. A lot of it's about stopping. A lot of injuries happen when guys gear down to stop. But more of the concern for a player like Andrew is getting off and elevating."

After playing San Antonio (42-27) Wednesday, L.A. plays Friday at Oklahoma City, Saturday at Houston, Monday at New Orleans and Wednesday at Atlanta.

Nets executive turns paper bag issue into positive

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- New Jersey Nets chief executive Brett Yormark isn't one to let a marketing opportunity go astray.

Two days after a brief finger-pointing exchange with a fan who wore a paper bag on his head to protest the Nets' dismal season, Yormark came prepared for more potential protesters during Wednesday's game against Sacramento.

Any fan who put a paper bag on his head would be offered a nylon Nets' bag containing a poster, a pack of player trading cards and a printed note from Yormark that said:

"Thanks for letting us see your face. We hope to see it more often at Nets' games."

Nets spokesman Barry Baum said two people accepted the exchange offer by halftime.

The Nets are threatening the record for fewest wins (9-73) in an NBA season, set by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1972-73.

Turkoglu misses 2nd half vs. Jazz with stomach flu

TORONTO (AP) -- Toronto forward Hedo Turkoglu missed the second half of the Raptors' game against the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night with the stomach flu.

Turkoglu had four points in 19 first-half minutes, then didn't return to the court for the start of the third quarter. Sonny Weems started in his place.

Turkoglu, 30, is averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists in his first season with the Raptors.

Harden back in Thunder lineup after missing 6 games

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Top reserve James Harden was set to return to the Oklahoma City Thunder's lineup Wednesday night after missing the last six games with a strained right hamstring.

Coach Scott Brooks says there will be no restrictions on Harden's minutes as the Thunder face the Houston Rockets.

Harden is Oklahoma City's top scoring bench player with 9.9 points per game, shooting 38 percent from 3-point range. He's also among the top 10 rookies in scoring, assists and steals.

The Thunder have gone 3-3 without him.

Blatche to start after being benched during last game

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Washington Wizards coach Flip Saunders says Andray Blatche will start against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night after opting not to re-enter Tuesday's game against Charlotte.

Blatche did not return after the first 7 1/2 minutes of the 95-86 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Saunders said Blatche didn't want to listen when he tried to talk to the forward about playing better defense. Saunders said Blatche could have played if he had come to speak with him during the game, but he waited until after the game.

Saunders had said he doubted Blatche would play Wednesday, but since has said he's ready to move forward.

Blatche had averaged 23.2 points and 9.4 rebounds since the All-Star break. The Wizards have lost 12 straight games.

Bobcats' Mohammed planning to return from back injury soon

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Charlotte Bobcats center Nazr Mohammed says his troublesome back injury is tied to a nerve problem, but is targeting a return sometime on the team's current five-game homestand.

Mohammed went through a light workout Wednesday before missing his 17th straight game with what was initially called back spasms. Mohammed says a caught nerve was causing him intense pain until it released. It turned what he thought would be only a two- or three-game absence into a month on the sideline.

Mohammed says he's been feeling much better in the past week. He worked up a sweat while doing shooting drills Wednesday.

Recently acquired Theo Ratliff has started in his place.

Mohammed is averaging 8.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.

George Karl might miss rest of regular season

DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets might not have coach George Karl back on the sideline until the playoffs begin next month.

Karl is undergoing treatment for throat and neck cancer and, according to a blog by his girlfriend, he was hospitalized this week with blood clots in his lungs and a leg.

Adrian Dantley has served as acting head coach for eight games since Karl announced just after the All-Star break that he had been diagnosed with cancer. Dantley is 5-3 in those games.

The Nuggets (47-24) are tied with Dallas in second place in the Western Conference standings and are clinging to a one-game lead over the Utah Jazz in the Northwest Division. They've lost two straight games, at home against Milwaukee, and at New York on Tuesday night, which kicked off a crucial five-game trip.

Karl, who beat prostate cancer a few years ago, is undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment and has missed the Nuggets' last three games. He did not accompany his team on its trip out East.

Karl's partner, Kim Van Deraa, wrote on her blog that Karl had to be rushed to the hospital on Sunday afternoon because he had difficulty breathing and one of his legs was extremely swollen. She wrote that he was diagnosed with blood clots in his lungs and leg and that he underwent a procedure to place a filter in his stomach that would catch any blood clots.

Karl was much improved by Monday night, Van Deraa wrote. She said, however, that they weren't sure when he would be released or when his radiation treatment would continue.

"We're hoping both occur -- since it would mean he's gotten through the scare of the blood clots and we don't want to add any weeks onto the schedule of radiation," Van Deraa wrote in her blog, which was first cited by the Denver Post.

The Nuggets return from their trip on March 30 and play four of their last six games at home. Their regular season ends April 13.

The Nuggets also hope to have defensive stalwart Kenyon Martin back in mid-April in time for the playoffs. Martin has been sidelined by patella tendinitis in his left knee and underwent a dose of platelet-rich plasma therapy recently.

He will meet with doctors next week at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Vail to see if he needs another dose that could delay his return to the basketball court.

Jackson says hand injury causing "excruciating pain"

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Stephen Jackson was cringing from the pain in his heavily wrapped left hand following the Charlotte Bobcats' 95-86 overtime victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night.

"I keep getting hit and the ligament is really bruised," said Jackson, who revealed that the top knuckle on his left index finger has been troubling him for nearly four weeks. "It's not broken or anything, but every time I slap down on the balls, it's just excruciating pain that I can't shake, but I've got to find a way to get through it."

Jackson scored 16 points on 6 for 19 shooting against the Wizards. He missed three of seven free throws, missed a potential game-winning jumper at the end of regulation and failed to score in overtime.

"It's bothering me a lot because I can't catch the ball comfortable like I normally do," he said. "I set up a lot of my offense with my left hand, and it's kind of trying to make me find something else to do. It's definitely bothering me right now, but that's not an excuse."

Jackson scored the 10,000th point of his nine-year NBA career on Jan. 16 against the Phoenix Suns.

"I was telling Coach this is my first year that I haven't missed a game all season, so it's starting to take its toll on my body," Jackson said. "I've been getting beat up a lot and it's starting to catch up with me a little bit."

Jackson is averaging 20.7 points this season with Golden State and Charlotte. He joined the Hornets on Nov. 16.

Wizards' Blatche benched after spat with coach

WASHINGTON (AP) -- It's the last thing a bad team on a long losing streak needs -- a tantrum and a boycott from a young player who was just starting to put up some good numbers.

Andray Blatche was benched after the first 7 1/2 minutes of the Washington Wizards' 95-86 overtime loss to the Charlotte Bobcats on Tuesday night.

Coach Flip Saunders said Blatche didn't want to listen when the coach tried to talk to him about playing better defense.

"He didn't want to hear it," Saunders said. "I told him, 'If you don't come and talk, if you don't want to be coached, you're not going to play.' We had coaches go up to him three different times, they said he didn't want to play. Fifteen years, never seen anything like it.

"He can be (mad) at me, whatever, but you never leave your teammates out to dry like that. Not when you've lost 11 games in a row and you've got a chance to win a game. Uncalled for. We'll deal with it."

Asked if Blatche will play in Wednesday night's game at Indiana, Saunders said: "I would doubt it. I don't know, but I would doubt it."

Blatche was not made available for comment. He had left the Wizards' locker room by the time it was opened to reporters.

Blatche had become the team's go-to scorer following the suspension of Gilbert Arenas and the deals that sent Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood elsewhere before the trade deadline last month. Inconsistent, often undisciplined and slow to mature over his first 4 1/2 NBA seasons, Blatche moved into the starting lineup by default and had been averaging 23.2 points and 9.4 rebounds since the All-Star break. Washington, however, has lost 12 straight.

Ironically, his spat came on the day the Wizards issued a flier touting Blatche as a candidate for the league's most improved player.

"You know what I'm disappointed in?" Saunders said. "I'm disappointed that since we've started him, he gets 60 percent of the offense run through him. Coaches aren't wrong, no matter what. When a coach wants to teach you something, and you think you're above that, because you've played 16 games, good games? I had Kevin Garnett, that guy you could say one thing, he's up there, 'What do you want, coach? I want to get better every time.' He never copped that type of attitude. That's ridiculous, it really is."

Saunders also said Blatche has lost the credibility of his teammates.

"Dray's still a young player, and he'll go through things like that," guard Nick Young said. "It's a disappointing situation from both ends. We really could've used Dray tonight. I told him, 'You're playing well -- you don't want to mess it up.' ... You've got to man up sometimes."

Nowitzki tossed for arguing with refs in Mavs-Clips game

DALLAS (AP) -- Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki was ejected with 9:16 left in the third quarter of a game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night, drawing a quick pair of technical fouls from official Bill Kennedy for complaining about a foul call.

Nowitzki was whistled for grabbing Clippers forward Drew Gooden.

When Nowitzki complained, Kennedy screamed, "Bam! Right there!" as he pointed at Nowitzki for the first technical foul. Nowitzki apparently said something else because he got hit with another technical foul and the automatic ejection with Dallas ahead 65-56.

Nowitzki had 18 points in 19 minutes.

In the first half, Kennedy gave Clippers center Chris Kaman a technical foul for complaining.

Bosh's value tainted by Raptors' defensive issues

Will Toronto's stuggles on defense negatively effect Bosh's trade vaule this summer?

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- With less then four weeks to go in the season and fighting for one of the last two playoff spots in the Eastern Conference, this is not the time for the Raptors to have reverted to the way they were playing in November.

That was an ugly time for Toronto. After 20 games, they were 7-13 and in 11th place in the East. They had a top-five offense, but were allowing 115.2 points per 100 possessions on the other end of the floor, which put their defense on a level somewhere between "atrocious" and "worst ever."

A players-only meeting and a couple of tweaks to their defensive schemes turned things around at that point, and the Raptors won 22 of their 32 games heading into the All-Star break. They didn't exactly turn into the 2008 Celtics, but they were the 18th best defensive team in the league during that stretch, allowing 105.4 points per 100 possessions, good enough to get by with a highly potent offense.

But when the Raptors returned from the break, it was like they were starting the season over again. They won a couple of games over the Nets and Wizards to peak at seven games over .500, comfortably in fifth place in the East. But the cracks showed, and since then, the leaks have sprung.

Over the last 13 games, the Raptors have gone 3-10, and their defense has been just as bad as it was back in November, allowing 114.8 points per 100 possessions. They've slipped back down to eighth place, and if it weren't for injuries to Chicago's Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose, they would probably be lottery bound right now.

A trip to Secaucus on May 18 may still be their destiny. The Raptors are currently 2 ½ games ahead of the Bulls for eighth, but both Noah and Rose made their returns for the Bulls on Saturday and Chicago's remaining schedule is slightly easier (they play the Nets twice more and have just five road games remaining) than Toronto's.

The Raptors' recent struggles will do nothing to quiet any speculation that Chris Bosh will want to leave Toronto this summer via free agency. The All-Star went on a post-game rant after last Saturday's 124-112 loss at Golden State, lamenting his team's inability to practice what they preach.

"For some reason, we just don't like to secure leads and win basketball games," Bosh said. "That's the only thing I can think of. We come out here, we talk about it. We have a billion meetings, but we can talk all we want. Unless we do something about it really doesn't matter."

Grit and toughness are certainly lacking in Toronto. A starting lineup of Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, Hedo Turkoglu, Bosh and Andrea Bargnani just doesn't have the collective DNA to be a very good defensive team. And as Bosh weighs his options this summer, he might come to the realization that, as a finesse power forward, he's a better fit with a team that isn't so soft at the other four positions.

At this point, the Raptors have pretty much clinched the Worst Defensive Team in the League title for the 2009-10 season. The question is: Does that devalue Bosh in the free agent market? Can he be nearly on the same level as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade if he can't make an impact on both ends of the floor?

Bosh may have the best numbers of any power forward in the league, but he's not nearly the defensive anchor that Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan are, even though he just celebrated his 26th birthday and those two are both in the twilight of their careers.

The Raptors ranked 12th defensively in 2006-07, when they won the franchise's only division title. So it's not like Bosh has never been on a good defensive team. This may just be a case of an average defender being surrounded by a bunch of really bad ones. And with so many teams clearing cap space in order to make a free agency splash this summer, someone is going to give Bosh a max contract no matter how bad the Raptors have been defensively this season.

They'll just have to make sure that they have the right system and the right players around him. And they can look at this season's Raptors for an example of what doesn't work.

Celtics' bench depth is key to strong season finish

The Big Three get credit for Boston's recent title, but its fresh bench will get the job done this season.

They're looking more comfortable in green. Doc Rivers is just waiting for them to play that way.

"Our bench has been pretty good, honestly," Boston's coach said Saturday. "They haven't played well at times, but it's been in flux all year."

When dissecting the Celtics, the conversation always starts with the guys who start. The celebrated trio of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen gets the lion's share of the credit for 2008's championship run, and rightfully so. If the C's are going to figure into this Larry O'Brien chase, the Three Party needs to bring it once again.

But starting fives don't get it done alone. The Celtics felt the depth pinch in their title defense a year ago when KG couldn't go in the playoffs. The seventh-seeded Bulls extended Boston to seven games and Orlando knocked out the champs by going the distance again in Round Two.

Rivers' reserves have remained in flux, as Boston searches for the right mix in restructuring the second team. The Celtics have gone long, short, old and young. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels are the offseason imports, Nate Robinson arrived before the trade deadline and Michael Finley signed on two weeks ago. They join Glen "Big Baby" Davis, seemingly giving Rivers options galore when his starters need a blow.

"It's probably more important in some ways in the regular season than in the playoffs, because in the playoffs your starters play more minutes, but in the regular season it allows your starters to get the proper rest," said Rivers, whose group began Sunday third in the Eastern Conference (45-24) and having won four straight. "We've committed to playing guys shorter minutes and we've been doing that and still winning games, which is really good."

The bench is dripping with Finals experience. Wallace was one of the lead characters on Detroit's championship squad. Davis (Boston) and Finley (San Antonio) own rings, while Daniels was part of Dallas' drive to the championship series. Robinson has won three titles ... of the slam dunk variety.

"It's been a bench of transition more than anything and right now they've been together for a little stretch, the same group every night, and they're starting to get used to each other," Rivers said. "That's more of it than anything else. I never thought they had a problem with roles. I just thought they had a problem with playing at times, just trying to sustain any consistency."

Rivers credited the starters for carrying the Celtics to Saturday's rousing victory at Dallas. The first team scored 89 in Boston's 102-93 win, and Rivers admitted he was just trying to buy minutes from the second unit. Every one of the starters played at least 31 minutes. Pierce, Allen and Rajon Rondo each scored at least 20.

Despite the presence of some big names, Boston's bench isn't among the league leaders in terms of production. It ranks 22nd in points per game (27.8), 19th in total minutes, 23rd in rebounding and 14th in 3-pointers made.

"They're getting it," Rondo said. "They outplayed Houston's bench [Friday] night. Not every night is going to be perfect."

Robinson has been a spark of exuberance since coming over from New York. The 5-foot-9 gunner is a one-man 9-0 run when he gets it going. Rivers doesn't have qualms about Finley taking a big shot at the end of the game. Wallace still tends to shoot too many 3's for Rivers' taste, but the moody veteran is another potential game-changer.

"We just have to be ourselves," said Robinson, shooting nearly 47 percent from 3-point territory since the trade. "Everybody needs to contribute."

While Rivers may be worried about the bench's production, their attitude and ability to mesh with his veteran group wasn't a concern. The additions of Finley and Robinson didn't disrupt the balance inside the locker room. The Celtics have done it before, bringing in guys like Sam Cassell and P.J Brown for the stretch run.

"If you're going to bring somebody in late in the year, he has to be a good guy," Rivers said. "You can't take the gamble with a bad guy in your locker room. It always upsets things when you bring in a new guy, even if it's a guy that they want. Everybody still starts getting worried about minutes, so you need a guy that's there just to work and if minutes come, they come."

The Celtics of record could use a break. Allen, Garnett and Pierce are older and wiser, just not as prolific as two years ago. Rondo has emerged in the interim as a budding superstar and center Kendrick Perkins continues to improve. That starting five is as a formidable as any in the league, going 120-37 over the last three years.

And it Boston, ultimately, they're what it's about. The reserves have no illusions. They're just trying to hold down the fort.

"The more times we get to play together, the better we'll be," said Finley, a 15-year vet who asked to be released by the Spurs late last month. "But when it comes down to it, it's about our starters and our Big Three, in particular. When they're rolling and doing well, we have a great chance to win the ballgame.

"The bench, we just try to come in and keep the run going, get something started or just give our starters a break. There's no Jason Terry or Manu Ginobili type of sixth man on our bench. We're just coming in trying to keep the ship afloat."

Nuggets' toughest foe -- themselves -- could end title dream

Denver has the pieces to win it all, but do they have the focus, too?

On the one hand, there's reason for excitement because they're breathing right down the necks of the defending champions from Los Angeles as the final month of the regular season kicks into high gear.

On the other hand, there's reason to think they should already have the Lakers in their rearview mirror.

So often they can run up and down the floor with all of the energy and enthusiasm and know-how to trample anyone and anything that stands in their path.

Too often they spend parts of the very same night looking like they've been strapped into folding chairs and made to listen to a quantum physics lecture in ancient Greek. They look just plain bored.

If June comes and goes without the Denver Nuggets raising the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the most likely reason might be, well, the Denver Nuggets.

They're strong, athletic, aggressive, oozing with confidence. They're apathetic, lax and filled to the brim with overconfidence.

There have been so many occasions this season when the Nuggets have flexed their muscles and shown that they have everything that it takes to go the distance.

There have been too many times when they look like they've slept through the alarm clock and are still trying to shove one leg into their pants as they hurry out the door to work.

"We always seem to have been a second-half team this year for whatever reason," said point guard Chauncey Billups. "If we're down and start to get frustrated, we tighten up and do what we probably should have done 10-12 minutes before. Now, the later in the season it gets, the more we've got to start thinking about doing it earlier."

Can they? Or is it a character flaw that's simply hard-wired into their DNA?

"I don't know," said forward Carmelo Anthony, shrugging and wearing a sheepish grin. "I wish I could answer that. I don't know."

This is the team that strutted onto the floor at the Staples Center last spring and came within a couple of careless late-game inbounds passes in two separate games from taking a hammerlock lead on the Lakers in the West finals. This is the team that vowed to learn from that valuable experience.

"Championship teams pay attention to the details," Billups said. "That's what we did when I played on the team that won the championship in Detroit (2004). You don't let opportunities slip away and you don't beat yourself."

That yin and yang personality of the Nuggets had kept coach George Karl wrestling with his team's inconsistent mental approach long before taking up his courageous fight with neck and throat cancer. Theirs is a lineup that's loaded with talent. While all of the attention has gone to LeBron James' second straight MVP-worthy season and his free-agent future and to the dramatic rise of young Kevin Durant, Anthony has frequently flown beneath the radar but been no less stellar. He's raised his scoring average six points to nearly 29 a game and has consistently demonstrated his closer skills.

Billups continues to give the Nuggets stability and leadership at the point and speedy rookie Ty Lawson is an electric boost off the bench. Aaron Afflalo has claimed Dahntay Jones' old off-guard spot in the starting lineup and J.R. Smith can drop the hammer off the bench. If Kenyon Martin can return from his knee injury for the playoffs, the Nuggets will have their rugged defender and rebounder back. Nene is strong in the middle and even a Chris Andersen, who is not quite playing at last year's level, fills out an intimidating rotation.

But it's in their own head-to-head where the Nuggets have their problems, keeping their intensity all of the time, keeping themselves into every game.

Of the current top eight playoff seeds -- four in each conference -- the Nuggets are the only ones playing at just a .500 level on the road. They have wins over all of the other top seeds, including a 2-0 sweep of Cleveland. Yet the Nuggets also have lost to the bottom feeders in Minnesota, Sacramento (twice), Philadelphia, Washington and the Clippers. One night after Anthony had 40 points and outdueled James for an overtime win in Cleveland, the Nuggets went belly up in a loss to Washington.

"It's mental things that come back to haunt you," Billups said. "Little mental mistakes. It's a bad goaltend call or a turnover or we give up an and-1. Little things, especially on the road, have a way of hurting us.

"But really, it's just our intensity. If we come out and look to attack, play the way we can, there are not many teams that can stop us. It's a matter of when we do it. All season long, we've known we can get back into most games."

Which is both a valuable asset and potentially deadly liability.

"I don't think we'll be able to get away with that come playoff time," Anthony said. "I think it's something that's fixable, but we need to do it quick."

Or else the team that stops the Nuggets in the playoffs will be the Nuggets.

Up-and-down Bulls still hope to rise into postseason

Injuries have made coach Vinny Del Negro's second season in Chicago a big challenge.

If it's possible to get a root canal while skydiving, the Bulls have figured out how.

"That's been us all year -- the craziest roller coaster," seen-it-all center Brad Miller said. "Highs, you go win five in a row on a West Coast trip. Lows, this is it."

Carrying a nine-game losing streak into Friday night's visit by LeBron James and the Cavaliers, Chicago appears to be suffering from athletic ADD. A season that began with the momentum of an epic but somehow promising first-round loss to Boston has morphed into a series of fits and starts, leaving the Bulls scrambling to get back to the playoffs.

Vinny Del Negro somehow remains upbeat, though the rumors dogging the second-year coach aren't letting up. General manager Gar Forman has tweaked the roster, though his roster-squeeze in a trade-deadline frenzy centered on gaining cap space, not talent.

But those who are counted on to do little things -- like score and rebound -- can't seem to stay out of the training room lately.

The lineup qualifies for federal relief. The Bulls' were without their three leading scorers -- Derrick Rose, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah -- in Wednesday's setback at Dallas. Overall, more than 130 games have been lost to injury or illness. The team's best starting lineup -- Rose, Deng and Noah, plus Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson -- has been together only 18 games.

"There's still a lot of basketball to be played," Del Negro said with his usual optimism. "You can't get too far behind and the guys understand that, but injuries happen. We've definitely had our share."

Maybe that explains four winning streaks of at least four games, including a five-game January romp through the Western Conference, and three skids of at least four. The current slide is the longest since an 0-9 open to the 2004-05 season. The Bulls (31-36) were seven games under .500 on Dec. 22 and four over Feb. 26.

"We've had about three or four seasons in one, just with everything we've had to deal with. But, hey, it's a challenge. I love the challenge," Del Negro said. "We have good character guys, like I've said all year.

"Some things are out of your control, but let's keep fighting and battling and finding a way. We've struggled lately, we know that, but hopefully we can get guys healthy and back to the way we're capable of playing, and see if we can make a run here."

Del Negro said he feels like it's been a month since the full team has practiced together. Rose, Deng and Noah should be returning soon, so making the playoffs remains the goal. The Bulls can draw up a reasonable scenario for extending their season, too. They sit only 2 1/2 games behind eighth-place Toronto with 15 games remaining. None of the teams below the Bulls has a realistic postseason shot.

"You've just got to keep going," Miller said. "The same way crazy things have happened and we lost all these games, you can get hot and get a couple of bounces and win that many."

While the Bulls play 10 of their remaining games against teams with winning records, eight of those are at home, where the Bulls are 19-13. Chicago also has a game left against the equally reeling Raptors, losers of nine of their last 11.

"It's not like we have to chase down the Lakers," Miller reminded.

Even if they make it, the Cavs or the Magic are likely waiting in the playoffs. Pending a Kevin Garnett-level injury and a lot of those bounces going the right way, the smart money isn't on Chicago taking one of those title contenders to the limit as it did last postseason.

The front office is obviously already looking ahead, with or without Del Negro. Dealing away Tyrus Thomas and John Salmons, and loading up on expiring deals, leaves Chicago with nearly $18 million to gamble this summer.

So what exactly is gained by reaching the playoffs when the offseason is clearly the focus?

"It was all our expectations coming into the year," Hinrich said. "I feel going into the All-Star break, couple weeks out of All-Star break, we were sitting in good position. We kinda got away from what got us here."

Blame that crazy roller coaster.

When it comes to MVP race, not all games created equal

Games like Cavs vs. Magic can carry more weight than others in the MVP race.

Here at The Race, we've said it and said it and said it, to the point that we could lay down some flute and bongos and turn it into a bit of spoken-word, proto-rap, jazz poetry in the style of Gil Scott-Heron: The Most Valuable Player Race will be determined over 82 games. The MVP Race will honor the NBA's regular season -- the whole regular season. The MVP Race will not be prematurely decided after 67 percent of anyone's schedule. Or 83 percent. Or any percent that's even one percent less than 100. The MVP Race is not some lame three-quarters-of-the-season operation, halving March, skipping April. ...

Except that maybe it is. Not lame, mind you, but not a full-fledged, beginning-to-end, every-game-counts-the-same endeavor, either. Not quite what The Race alleges it to be, in other words.

The hard truth is, all regular season games are not created equal. The ones played back in October and November often hold sway with some committee members well beyond their 1/82nd worth because, at the time they're played, they represent 1/2 or 1/5 or 1/12 of a particular MVP candidate's output to that point. By March, each one is a mere 1/59th or 1/68th. (Then again, the early ones occasionally get forgotten and overlooked by some other, generally elder members.)

So-called "big" games, labeled such because of the opponents or the dates (like Christmas) or the TV networks' preferences, tend to loom larger, too. Many times, those games are more important, defining contenders and determining home-court advantages. Often, though, they're just burned more into our memory because, unlike the revolution, the MVP Race is being televised.

Sometimes, the games near the very end get counted disproportionately as more than 1.2195 percent of the overall season. This might seem proper, if a big performance by a team's best player can spell the difference between the final postseason berth and a trip to the lottery. Sometimes a division or a conference title hangs in the balance. After all, this award is all about assessed value and what's more valuable than clutch play at a crucial time?

Then again, how often do MVP winners come from eighth seeds? Do we even remember who won the Southeast Division two years ago? And why punish the candidates who, in a variation of basketball coach-ese, did their work early? If Cleveland sufficiently separated itself from the pack or Orlando opened some standings space over Boston and Atlanta to allow LeBron James or Dwight Howard, respectively, to rest or pace themselves in some late-season contests, why should they be at a disadvantage? That would be like saying points scored in the first quarter of a game count less than points scored in the fourth. Or something like that.

Thus The Race prefers not to tilt its verdict on evidence presented at the 11th hour, or in this case, the 82nd hour. Scoring titles famously have swung on the final day of the season -- George Gervin outgunning David Thompson several hours apart, David Robinson doing the same thing to Shaquille O'Neal decades later. But in terms of an MVP outcome altered on the last night, nothing springs to the committee's minds.

Now, if the guy in Oklahoma City averages 37.3 a night and the Thunder run the table 16-0 to snag the top seed in the West, The Race will have some serious reconnoitering to do.

1. LeBron James, Cavaliers (54-15)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
67	39.1	29.9	7.3	8.6	1.7	1.1	.501	.347	.769

Last Week's Rank - 1
James had another Oscar Robertson week, as in one actual triple-double and two more performances that left him very close to averaging a triple-double in the Cavaliers' victories over Boston, Detroit and Indiana. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists (along with 2.0 steals and 2.0 blocks). Meanwhile, Cleveland averaged 9.3 points in margin of victory.

2. Kevin Durant, Thunder (41-25)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
66	39.6	29.7	7.5	2.8	1.3	0.9	.477	.370	.890

Last Week's Rank - 2
Thunder has won six in a row. Durant, with 37, now holds the franchise's season record for most games scoring 30 or more (Spencer Haywood did it 35 times in 1972-73); actually, the committee is a little surprised that OKC isn't better than 26-11 on nights Durant has done it. Even if the smooth small forward can't catch James in The Race, he had a one-night shot at him Friday: If Durant can score 40 at Toronto, he would become only the second 21-year-old in NBA history to reach 2,000 points in a season through 67 games. James did it in 2005-06.

3. Dwight Howard, Magic (49-21)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
70	34.7	18.5	13.1	1.7	1.0	2.7	.608	---	.603

Last Week's Rank - 3
Howard leads the NBA with 53 double-doubles and has 337 in his career, tops since he entered the league in 2004. On Wednesday, when foul trouble worked to limit him to nine points and seven rebounds in 24 minutes, Orlando won by 26 -- over San Antonio. But here are the most Magical numbers for Howard and his club this season: They are 7-3 against Cleveland, Boston and Atlanta, 32-12 within the East overall.

4. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (50-18)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
63	38.9	27.7	5.4	4.9	1.7	0.3	.458	.317	.818

Last Week's Rank - 4
Look, you want value, consider this: Bryant, as of L.A.'s game at Sacramento Tuesday (capping a 3-0 Pacific trip), had played in 671 regular-season victories. That's the most in Lakers history, surpassing Magic Johnson (670) as second winningest ever. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ranks No. 1 with 743 but Bryant is only 73 wins away -- even if he trails in MVPs 6-1.

5. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (47-22)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
56	38.1	28.8	6.7	3.4	1.3	0.4	.465	.318	.832

Last Week's Rank - 7
Knowing what your team needs most, and when it needs it, is the sort of nuance that The Race should applaud and recognize. So it was with Anthony's performance against New Orleans, when he grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds and saved most of his 26 points for the game's pivotal late minutes.

6. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (46-22)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
67	37.9	25.0	7.7	2.6	0.9	1.1	.476	.344	.905

Last Week's Rank - 5
Blame it on the competition lately. Maybe facing three Eastern also-rans on a cushy homestand fiddled with the big guy's focus. Nowitzki had 12 points on 3-of-16 shooting and five rebounds in 40 minutes against the Nets, followed by 20 and 12 on a 5-of-13 night when Dallas lost by 34 to, ugh, the Knicks. He bounced back with 26 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals in Wednesday's victory over the Bulls.

7. Deron Williams, Jazz (44-24)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
62	37.0	18.4	4.0	10.3	1.2	0.2	.476	.370	.786

Last Week's Rank - 6
In head-to-head games this season against some of the West's very best or, at least, solid point guards -– Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Chauncey Billups, Tony Parker, Andre Miller, Russell Westbrook and Derek Fisher -- Williams has outscored all but Parker and out-assisted all but Nash. Then again, he (35) and Jazz forward Carlos Boozer (45) are the only teammates to rank in the Top 10 in double-doubles, putting them a little into the Billups-Anthony shared-load category.

8. Dwyane Wade, Heat (35-34)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
65	36.1	26.7	4.7	6.5	1.9	1.0	.466	.297	.762

Last Week's Rank - 10
Wade and the Heat are pouncing on the soft bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff race. Miami has won six of its past eight and Wade, in his own last eight games, has averaged 30.3 points and 7.5 rebounds.

9. Chauncey Billups, Nuggets (47-22)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
60	33.9	19.7	3.0	5.8	1.2	0.1	.435	.407	.905

Last Week's Rank - 8
Off week for the Denver point guard. He shot 2-of-12 against New Orleans and had his streak of 36 games with a three-pointer snapped by going 0-of-6 from the arc against Washington (he has missed his last 10 from out there). Might be time for a reduction in minutes as the 33-year-old playmaker heads toward the postseason.

10. Chris Bosh, Raptors (33-33)

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
59	36.2	24.0	11.1	2.4	0.6	1.0	.515	.421	.794

Last Week's Rank - 9
Oh, the perils of being a power forward, where you rarely control the ball or initiate the action. Bosh went for 24 and 11 and Golden State and the Raptors lost. Then it was 28-7 at Portland and another loss. Finally, on the free-agent-to-be's 14-10-and-4 assists night – including his 16-footer with 2.1 seconds left – the MVP wannabe got the result craves, 106-105 vs. Atlanta.

Lakers' Bynum has strained tendon, return uncertain

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Andrew Bynum's left Achilles' tendon is not torn, and the Los Angeles Lakers think their starting center will be out for at least two weeks.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Sunday he can't predict a return timetable for Bynum, who strained his tendon early in the third quarter of Los Angeles' win over Minnesota on Friday night.

Bynum was inactive for the Lakers' home game against Washington on Sunday, and he isn't expected to play on Los Angeles' ensuing five-game road trip. Jackson hopes Bynum will return early next month.

An MRI on Saturday showed the injury wasn't as serious as the Lakers initially feared, revealing no tears in Bynum's heel. He has missed long stretches of the past two seasons with injuries.