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The NBA sent around the most interesting list:

1. George Karl 404
2. Erik Spoelstra 190
3. Mike Woodson 127
4. Gregg Popovich 120
5. Frank Vogel 60
6. Lionel Hollins 55
7. Mark Jackson 47
8. Tom Thibodeau 40
9. Kevin McHale 17
10. P.J. Carlesimo 8
11. Vinny Del Negro 8
12. Larry Drew 6
13. Doc Rivers 4
14. Scott Brooks 3

What is that exactly? The final tallies of a marathon night of pingpong at some offseason association meeting for coaches? The results of some kind of snooker tournament?

No, no. It's none of that. Those are the final scores of this year's NBA Coach of the Year voting.

OK.

A selected smattering of Twitter responses:

• "Awards are jokes."
• "Facepalm."
• "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL."
• "I quit."
• "That's criminal."
• "Time to scrap the award."
• "LOL OMG fix this system."

Many of those comments are focused on the maligned Del Negro finishing ahead of the near-legendary Rivers, but that's only one of the many surprises on this list.

Now, here's the thing: That's voting with a history of a certain kind of logic. Sports writers and broadcasters vote, and tend not to vote for the guy they think is actually the best coach, but instead for the guy whose team was most surprisingly good.

Almost everyone agrees Phil Jackson is right there with Red Auerbach in the "best coach ever" conversation -- an assertion nicely affirmed by the Lakers' disarray in his absence. But somehow Jackson won this award only once, way back in 1996. All those years all those voters believed he was the best ... but voted for someone else.

That tells you the NBA Coach of the Year award is for something other than being the NBA's best coach.

Different question: Who's the best coach?

Wouldn't you prefer an award that really was for the best coach? Isn't that what you want to know?

There's no reason we can't have that. In fact, ESPN Forecast -- a giant panel of voters who watch the NBA closely -- is ready to give you just that. Recognizing a need for a better way to identify the best coach in the NBA, we asked them today to identify the best coach in the NBA. We used a voting and scoring system similar to the NBA's. It took only a few hours, and the San Antonio Spurs' Gregg Popovich is the runaway winner. With the results from 70 voters in, the results:

OUR NEW PREDICTION ENGINE



The results for "Best coach in the NBA" powered by ESPN Forecast.

1. Gregg Popovich 690
2. Tom Thibodeau 433
3. Doc Rivers 262
4. Rick Carlisle 169
5. Erik Spoelstra 131
6. George Karl 72
7. Rick Adelman 39
8. Lionel Hollins 38
9. Frank Vogel 20
10. Mike Woodson 8
11. Mark Jackson 5
12. Scott Brooks 4
13. Kevin McHale 1

These results are far different from the real coach of the year vote, of course. Popovich went from fourth to first. Rivers shot up the list. Carlisle and Adelman didn't get a single vote of any kind in the NBA's contest, but both are respected and on the Forecast list.

That, I suggest, is the point of this exercise. Here, if you want it, is a list that uses smart information-gathering techniques to roughly approximate who we (everyone really -- media, fans, players, owners) truly believe coaches best.

Coaching is murky and tough to vote on with conviction. The best of it happens behind closed doors and away from microphones. Assistants do a lot of what matters. It's difficult to score. Maybe Phil's roster got him a lot of those wins. Tim Duncan might be the secret sauce of Popovich's intimidating win percentage. Voters seem to have historically bet that the coach of the "little team that could" must be doing a hell of a job.

But giving the award to someone other than who we think is the best coach has robbed the award of a great deal of authority. (The list of past winners is littered with the likes of Mike Schuler and Sam Mitchell -- guys the league as a whole has decided, upon review, really are not cut out to coach in this league.)

Karl, of course, is a respected NBA lifer on both lists. That he belongs somewhere up there is beyond doubt. But at the top?

The logic of his winning works like this: The Nuggets don't have an offensive superstar. That point is in the first line of the news story about Karl's victory. By and large such teams are seen as doomed -- despite the ongoing playoff success of the similarly starless Bulls and Pacers.

In this particular case, however, it's tricky. Stat geeks loved that roster from the start, and using different approaches, John Hollinger and several others predicted the Nuggets would be this good or better. (Some stat geeks say the big thing holding that roster back was ... Karl himself.) Not to mention, David Thorpe would argue that in the second half of the season, the Nuggets absolutely did have an offensive star, and his name is Ty Lawson.

Whether you buy what Hollinger or Thorpe had to say, I suspect you'll agree when I say the NBA's results do not really reflect who we truly believe are the best coaches in the NBA. Not these names, not in that order. If you owned a team, would you really pursue Karl over Popovich? Would you call Frank Vogel before Tom Thibodeau? Would you blow off calls from Rivers in favor of Del Negro? (Would you forget entirely recent championship- and award-winner Rick Carlisle?)

The big crime here, of course, is that the NBA's results, while satisfying a certain itch to reward surprising performance, are not anybody's real list of who is the best coach in the NBA.

And isn't that what this award ought to be?

On Thursday I wrote about the Timberwolves severing ties with David Kahn, who is generally treated as an NBA laughingstock. My big point: OK, he made some mistakes. But if he's so bad at his job, how come so many other teams have worse rosters?

In 2010 Kahn said he wanted compensation from the Trail Blazers because they traded him Martell Webster with, he said, an improperly disclosed back injury. (Webster has since moved on to play for the Wizards.)

I called many sources to assess Kahn's chances of winning compensation for the Timberwolves. The people I called around the NBA were unanimous: Nobody thought Kahn had any chance. Only one person would let me quote him, and even then without a name. He pointed out that Webster's injury happened in front of a nation of NBA fans:

"We're all laughing about it. You can't watch the freaking playoffs? That was a pretty obvious incident, right on national TV."

So, what did happen with that Webster dispute?

These inter-team squabbles are not public. And yet this part March, there were reports that the matter had been "resolved amicably," although it has never been clear precisely how. Was Kahn's claim as out of line as it seemed initially?

Today, two sources directly involved in the talks tell me that in fact the dispute led to depositions in preparation for a hearing, and those depositions did not go well for the Blazers.

As a result, Portland agreed to pay Minnesota $1.5 million -- said to be one of the largest such agreements in league history -- to settle the matter before it reached the hearing stage.

The Trail Blazers declined to comment.

It's doubtful this little bit of vindication will tip the scales of public opinion in Kahn's favor, but in fairness: He was ridiculed for that in real time, but apparently time proved him right.

David Kahn's contract has not been renewed.

The most common reaction is, what took owner Glen Taylor so long? (Be warned: that link's to Twitter, and this is Kahn. The language can get salty.) There's nothing everyone in the NBA agrees on, except perhaps that David Kahn was horrible at his job.

His mistakes were many and public. Jonny Flynn -- last seen playing out his prime basketball years in Australia -- ought not to have been a lottery pick. Ditto Wesley Johnson. It's awesome to have a player like Kevin Love and unforgivable to have jerked him around when it was time for a contract. These mistakes and others are all real.

But ask yourself this, or other GMs who love to feed the fires of Kahn mock: If Kahn's such an idiot, how come the Timberwolves roster is in better shape than your team, with affordable young talent, payroll flexibility and real upside?

Nikola Pekovic is among the NBA's most effective centers, and while he was drafted by Kahn's predecessor, Kahn got him to come to the U.S. and play for the bargain price of $4.8 million. Everyone mocked Kahn for committing close to $20 million over two years to Andrei Kirilenko, who had been out of the league, but how many playoff teams would kill for an elite defender and long, efficient offensive player at that price right now? (My guess: All of them.) Dante Cunningham is making $2 million and is no stiff. Ricky Rubio at $3.7 million and Alexey Shved at $2.9 million are problems every owner would like to have.

The Timberwolves have middling salaries now, and among the league's lowest payroll moving forward. They were 12-9 to start this season without the injured Love, and a happy story, before injuries savaged the Twin Cities, claiming Love (again), Brandon Roy and almost every other key player for long stretches.

No, the roster's not dreamy. But with a decently healthy season, they'd be telling a whole 'nother story about this team.

There are far worse-off teams than the Timberwolves, and by extension, far better candidates for "worst GM in the NBA" than Kahn.

So why does he get that rap?

---

We have never been close, nor have we even talked much. But I have known Kahn for a dozen years.

As assistant GM to the Pacers, he was generally glued to the side of his then-boss, Donnie Walsh. I was in Indianapolis covering the 2000 Finals and had lots of questions for the in-demand Walsh; sometimes I settled for Kahn instead. As an ambitious young executive, Kahn was always happy to talk. He also had smart-seeming thoughts and would sound off on just about any topic -- the symbiosis of young front office executive and journalist, one who needs someone to talk and the other who needs someone to listen.

And I already knew his name -- for a short time while I was growing up in Portland, Kahn had been a sports columnist for the Oregonian, which I read every morning. Talking in 2000, we pieced together that we had both left Portland about the same time for NYU -- Kahn for law school, me for undergrad. We had some times and places and interests in common.

Don't come knocking on my door looking for the David Kahn fan club, however.

It goes like this:

Kahn moved around the sports world. He was at the Pacers for nearly a decade, he tried unsuccessfully to bring the Montreal Expos to Portland, he bought some D-League teams, and then in 2009 Glen Taylor gave him the Timberwolves' front office to run.

The affable Walsh always had Kahn's back, but by and large among GMs Kahn was an outsider. And he's a prickly personality prone to odd pronouncements and unconventional convictions. That's a bad combination in the "do it the way it has always been done" NBA. People killed Kahn early and often. And when journalists called hoops contacts to find out about the strange new GM, they found few backers. The NBA's unofficial power brokers club can be fickle, harsh and protective of its own. But for a lifeline to Walsh, Kahn was no insider there.

And there was something else. Things went haywire around Kahn. Here was a man who got under people's skin. His tenure at the Oregonian ended in messy legal fingerpointing. Many around the NBA like to tell the stories of Kahn's infighting while at the Pacers. I've heard praise for his work in the D-League, but that's hardly where NBA executives head when everything is on track.

Strange things came out of his mouth, like when he seemed to casually disrespect Michael Beasley's privacy by going on the radio and saying that Beasley once "smoked too much marijuana" but wouldn't be doing that anymore. If your boss talked like that in public, you'd probably call a lawyer. And Kahn is a lawyer.

After his most famous gaffe -- drafting Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio to play the same position -- he spent a summer explaining how well they could play together, only to have the coach he hired, Kurt Rambis, immediately announce it would be "extremely difficult" to play the two together.

Nothing about that stopped Kahn from his bewildering optimism. This is how Kahn was talking in August 2009: "The singular objective, is to be a championship-contending team. I don't want to put a time frame on it, but it seems that three to four years is probably realistic."

View from 2013: Whoops.

In 2010, Kahn said he wanted compensation from the Trail Blazers because they traded him Martell Webster with an improperly disclosed back injury ... well that was a new issue to me as a sportswriter. So I did the homework, calling the Timberwolves and Blazers as well as impartial people who know about such things -- people at the league and at other teams -- to assess Kahn's chances of getting compensation. Those who'd talk to me were unanimous: Kahn had no chance. Only one person would let me quote him, and even then without a name. He pointed out that Webster's injury happened in front of a nation of NBA fans:

"We're all laughing about it. You can't watch the freaking playoffs? That was a pretty obvious incident, right on national TV."

The Timberwolves wouldn't talk about Webster for my story. But in the day that followed the publication of that quote, they called several times. More than once I ended up on the phone with Kahn. The tone was mind-blowingly, ear-bleedingly nasty. Worth mentioning: he was also aggressively misguided. He was livid at a particular something that simply had not happened. I tried to explain, to no avail. Later he called back to apologize for his tone, but that call quickly devolved, too. I assume we're both glad we have never spoken since.

All of which is to say I have glimpsed Kahn's odd, bitter personality. I can guess why his various stops have been short, and why he has been in the business for a long time without developing many allies. I join a big crowd in not crying for Kahn today.

So yup, call him an iconoclastic crank who's short of friends and long on big, pompous mistakes.

But please, don't call him the worst GM in the NBA.

And note this: Sources say Kahn actuall won that Martell Webster dispute, with the Blazers agreeing to pay the Timberwolves $1.5 million.

But for the occasional Sam Presti or R.C. Buford, GMs basically all have Kahn-like collections of mistakes in their records. A third of the league is out of contention every season largely because of self-inflicted wounds; the NBA transaction list is littered with trades that were destined to fail from day one. How much better could the Kings be? What about the Suns, Nets, Wizards, Pistons and Raptors?

Kahn might belong on your poster of front-office incompetence. But surely not alone, and he surely doesn't even get to kneel in front holding the game ball. He's the king when it comes to making a spectacle of poor decision making. But when it comes to actually making the decisions, plenty of others have done worse.

• Tony Bizjak, Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee: The uncertainty over the future of the Sacramento Kings will linger at least into next week. Just as Mayor Kevin Johnson announced on Tuesday that a local investor group was finally ready to present its formal bid to buy the team, league officials in New York revealed they have scrubbed plans to vote this week on a competing offer to move the team to Seattle. An NBA spokesman declined to offer a reason. League Commissioner David Stern two weeks ago said a postponement was possible due to what he called the complicated and unprecedented situation the league faces. The NBA has never before had to decide between two cities competing hard and well for the same team, Stern said. Both have well-financed groups eager to buy the team from the Maloof family, the team's current owner, and both cities assure the NBA they can build gleaming state-of-the art arenas in the next few years.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: Having Chauncey Billups back in the starting lineup for the Clippers on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers meant a lot to the team in many ways. Billups brings the Clippers championship experience. He won a title with the Detroit Pistons over the Lakers in 2004, when Billups was named the Finals most valuable player. "He's a little bit older now," Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro said about the 36-year-old Billups. "He's missed most of last season and a lot of this season, so that's not as easy to do. We still expect a lot from him with his leadership. He can make shots, obviously. He's another guy that can make plays." Billups had missed the last eight games with a strained right groin. He has played in just 21 games this season and is expected to play in a back-to-back game Wednesday night in Sacramento. Del Negro said the plan is to play Billups about 20 minutes per game.
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: The photo, like so many others from Monday’s explosions, had gone viral. A young woman, her body mostly obscured by a distraught man and an EMT, lay face down on the blood-splattered Boylston Street sidewalk. Avery Bradley spotted the photo online and immediately posted it to his Twitter account with a simple hashtag — #sad. “It just caught my eye,” the Celtics guard said before yesterday’s practice. “All I could think was that this is crazy, to think that people go to an event like this to run. That’s what they train for all year. And for people to lose arms and legs, that’s just crazy.” So Bradley did what so many others could only do. He asked for help from a greater power. “All you can do is pray for their families. I definitely did yesterday,” he said. “I feel bad, and if there’s any way I can help, I will want to help. . . . It could happen anywhere. But to see it happen there or anywhere at all is just crazy.” The Celtics took the practice floor in a relieved state yesterday, most glad last night’s game against Indiana was canceled.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: With a $100 million payroll, four future Hall of Famers and a storied championship history, it's come to this. The Lakers' season finale Wednesdaytonight against the Houston Rockets could decide whether they perhaps salvage an otherwise disastrous season or miss the playoffs for only the third time in the team's history. Few would have guessed this scenario. Plenty envisioned the Lakers waltzing into the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Many wondered if anyone could stop a star-studded lineup that featured Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and Pau Gasol. Never shy to boast, Lakers forward Metta World Peace predicted the team would surpass the NBA's regular-season record (72-10) set by the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls team. "I thought we'd be at a different point right now," World Peace said. "But that's all right." Instead, the Lakers (44-37) enter Wednesdaytonight's game against the Houston Rockets (45-36) at Staples Center with a possible must-win situation. The Lakers are a pure lock for the playoffs if they win, earning a seventh seed and playing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. A Lakers' loss coupled with a Utah loss against Memphis would leave the Lakers in the eighth spot against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: Wishing and hoping and thinking and — oh, right — playing. With apologies to Dusty Springfield, nothing else remains for the Utah Jazz. Their season may conclude with a loss to the Grizzlies here Wednesday, it may end with a Lakers win over the Houston Rockets in Los Angeles or it may be extended into a most unlikely postseason. If the Jazz can beat the Grizzlies at FedEx Forum, they will turn into Rockets fans, hoping Houston, trying to avoid falling into the eighth seed, can beat the Lakers in a game that fittingly, cruelly, doesn’t begin until after the Jazz and Grizzlies end on national TV. The Jazz, who won the season series against L.A., would be even with the Lakers and into the playoffs. "I guess I need to try to get in touch with Kevin McHale," Al Jefferson said of his former Minnesota coach, now with the Rockets, "and tell him to handle that for me. Give me a late birthday present."
• Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun: As another Toronto Raptors season crawls to its conclusion, a franchise teetering on irrelevance has a series of enormous decisions to make. There may not be any one right answer for Tom Anselmi and the board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, but there is almost certainly a wrong one. The decisions, as they seemingly do at the end of every Raptors season, revolve around the general manager, Bryan Colangelo, and the coach, Dwane Casey. Colangelo has an option year remaining on his contract. Casey has one year left on his deal. And the team is forever paddling in circles, creating the occasional wave, but ending up nowhere in the end. The decision for Anselmi and the board isn’t in any way obvious, with the largest issue being the relationship between Colangelo and Casey. Colangelo did his best to distance himself from his coach early in the season and there has been all kind of internal speculation that the two can’t possibly work together again. That determination may wind up saving his job or costing him the position.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks had a chance to control their playoff seed. Not anymore. A poor effort against the Raptors, one in which the Hawks went to their bench early and often, resulted in a 113-96 loss Tuesday night in a nationally televised game at Philips Arena. The Hawks played without Al Horford and just a half with Josh Smith in a game they trailed by as many as 23 points. Smith played 13 minutes and received treatment on his knees at the intermission. He banged a knee in the first half and did not immediately come back to the bench after halftime but later returned with both knees wrapped in ice. Regulars Jeff Teague (19 minutes), Kyle Korver (18) and Devin Harris (17) played less than a half. … The Hawks can clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a first-round playoff against the Nets, with a victory at the Knicks and a Bulls loss at home against the Wizards Wednesday. The Bulls will claim the fifth spot with a victory or if both teams lose Wednesday. The Hawks would finish sixth and get a first-round matchup with the Pacers. The Hawks have split the season series with both the Nets and Pacers this season.
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: Thunder three-time All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook has never missed a game in the NBA and has the league's longest active streak at 393 consecutive games played. OKC (60-21) closes out the regular season at 7 p.m. Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks (37-44) at Chesapeake Energy Arena, but Thunder coach Scott Brooks wouldn't share his starting lineup after Tuesday's practice. Westbrook playfully was asked if there would be a fist fight if Brooks asked him to sit out the finale. “No, no, no. There won't be a fist fight,” Westbrook said with a smile, “but he won't ask me (to do) that.”
• Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News: With all the twists and turns during the 2012-13 regular season, it was only fitting that the Spurs gave us one more on Tuesday, signing Tracy McGrady to fill to roster vacated after the unceremonious whacking of Stephen Jackson. It is the seventh NBA stop for the former franchise player, and eighth as a professional including his recent stint in the Chinese league. He dominated with Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25 points, 7.2 rebounds and 5.1 assists — the type of numbers he put up as a seven-time All-Star before injuries sapped his athleticism. McGrady won’t find it nearly so easy back in the NBA, where he averaged 5.3 points last season with Atlanta. There’s some speculation that McGrady’s addition had been the end goal all along. But at this point, the most likely explanation is probably the simplest: The Spurs excised what they viewed to be a cancer, and they needed a warm body to help pick up the slack on a Spurs bench that suddenly isn’t so deep. That means chewing up whatever time is available behind starting small forward Kawhi Leonard. And from what Gregg Popovich has said recently, there won’t be much. Leonard, he said, could earn up to 40 minutes a night, leaving precious little for a floor-bound ex-star.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Keeping Noah and Gibson healthy is critical during the postseason. The Bulls took Tuesday off, and both players continued treatment on their respective lingering injuries, plantar fasciitis for Noah and a sprained MCL for Gibson. Coach Tom Thibodeau said "it's a possibility" the players will be on minutes limits to start the playoffs, which affects his rotation. "You don't know what the minutes are going to be, so that's another huge factor," Thibodeau said. "We have to get that sorted out in a very short amount of time. "The question is: Are we going to be sharp? You're talking about playoff basketball, where the intensity level is very high and it's the same opponent over and over. Most of the time, games are decided by one or two possessions. So how you matchup with people is critical. A bad matchup for a minute in the playoffs, that's 10 points. We have to be right and ready."
• Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News: O.J. Mayo owes an apology to his teammates in general and Vince Carter in particular. In the least, Mayo owes them maximum effort in Wednesday’s season finale against New Orleans. Why Mayo, in coach Rick Carlisle’s opinion, “didn’t compete” during his 28 minutes on the court against Memphis on Monday, is the latest baffler in Mayo’s mystifying late-season swoon. In fact, Mayo’s lack of production and Carlisle’s now-obvious frustration level seemingly increase the likelihood that Wednesday’s game will be his last in a Mavericks uniform. Of course, this could be the finale for some or all of the nine Mavericks who are in the final year of their contract or, as in Mayo’s case, have optional deals for 2013-14. Mayo holds his option, meaning it’s up to him whether to stay at a $4.2 million salary or declare for free agency.
• Scott Bordow of The Arizona Republic: Luis Scola and Goran Dragic were asked whether they would recommend interim head coach Lindsey Hunter returning next season. Both players punted the topic. “That’s a tough question,” Dragic said. “ ... I’m here to play basketball. It’s not my decision to make.” Dragic did say he liked Hunter’s approach to practice. “Alvin (Gentry) was a great coach for the veteran players; he knows when to give them a day off, but for our team we have a young team and we really need to practice hard every day,” Dragic said. “When he (Hunter) took over the team I think we maybe had one or two days off. I think it should be like that.” Scola said he thought Hunter did “a great job. Circumstances were bad and he did as good as he could. But I don’t make those decisions. I’m just a player.” Would a third coach in less than a year be unsettling for the team? “I think it would be a sign of things being bad,” Scola said. “But things are bad.” Suns owner Robert Sarver declined comment when asked about Hunter’s future, and Hunter said no time has been set for a postseason meeting with either General Manager Lance Blanks or President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby.
• David Mayo of MLive.com: One day after Pistons owner Tom Gores bluntly said he wasn't satisfied with on-court performance -- Gores also praised basketball operations, which supports the notion that team president Joe Dumars' job is safe -- Frank said he and his coaching staff want another year to right the ship. Frank noted that the Pistons are ahead of schedule in terms of their financial flexibility this summer because of the Ben Gordon and Tayshaun Prince salary-purging trades within the last year, and said he wants to remain head coach of a franchise in "prime position" to make major moves. "Obviously, you want to be a part of it, because that's why you went through the bleeding," Frank said. "I know, without a doubt, we all want to be back. But at the same time, that's not our decision. "But do I want to be back? Of course, because this is what you signed up for. You want to be part of reshaping the franchise and getting it back to where it was.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: With a 20-61 record entering the season finale against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Bobcats might end up with the NBA’s worst record for a second straight season. Charlotte will have a high draft pick and as much as $21 million in room under the salary cap this summer. Owner Michael Jordan and the front office face some big decisions between now and the start of training camp in October. Do they bring back the coaching staff? Which of their free agents do they re-sign? Do they cut ties with power forward Tyrus Thomas? Even what should they call themselves going forward? Coach Mike Dunlap: Winning one out of every four games isn’t the ideal NBA coaching debut, but the Bobcats’ record is about what was predicted at the season’s outset. When Jordan was asked at a season-ticketholder event about Dunlap, the owner said all his major employees’ performances would be reviewed after the season. To Dunlap’s credit, he’s had an impact in player development, the priority he was given when hired. Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens all improved. But Dunlap has had some rocky moments in his interaction with players, particularly veterans.
• Tery Pluto of The Plain Dealer: Kyrie Irving can be great. That's right, the Cavaliers point guard can be great. But he's not there. Not yet. Great players defend. Great players help their team win. Great players find a way to stay on the court for most games. It will be up to Byron Scott or whomever coaches the Cavs to deliver that message next season. At times, Scott has tried. He has pulled Irving from games for a lack of defense. He has talked about Irving's disdain for defense. He consistently compares Irving to Chris Paul, adding that Paul is superior defensively. It's no secret that Irving is a soft defender. That's true of many young players, who believe all that matters is the points next to their name in the box score. The fact the team has yet to come close to the playoffs with him should point out that Irving still has a lot of work to do. … There are times when rolls his eyes or shakes his head in disgust when a teammate makes a poor play. It's kid stuff, but he should know better. None of this is to say Irving is a bad guy or a lousy teammate. But he has some maturing to do, and the Cavs must demand that he do it.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger wants to return to the team next season if an agreement can be reached this summer, but as with any contractual agreement, there’s a bit of fine print. That is, if Rick Adelman returns to coach. Adelman is the reason the Wolves traded the 18th overall pick in last summer’s draft to Houston, where Adelman coached Budinger for three seasons before the pair was reunited in Minnesota. He’s also the reason a California kid wants to remain on the frozen tundra when he becomes an unrestricted free agent free to sign with any team this summer. “I would like to come back,” he said. “I like the organization. I like the staff. I love Adelman.” He saved the most important part for last there. “That’s a big part of it,” he said about the coach who taught a second-round draft pick in 2009 the NBA game. “Our relationship, he knows how I play. I work well in his system. It’s [Adelman’s decision] going to weigh big.”

Teams typically like to use high picks on players with good size. But if you ignore that, things tend to work out beautifully.

 

We have had Marc Stein on the show. We have done rapid fire on the show.

But somehow this is the first time we have done rapid fire with Marc Stein. He got himself on rapid fire probation with one incredibly un-rapid answer, but all in all, of course he shone. Week 23 power rankings, Sacramento vs. Seattle, L.A.'s team, Knicks or Celtics, Derrick Rose, the Bobcats' rebuild ... thanks to all that speed, that's about a third of what we covered.

• Phil Collin of the Los Angeles Daily News: One teammate uttered the words "bionic nan." Kobe Bryant has taken to calling Metta World Peace "Logan," the character in "Wolverine." Whatever Metta Madness is flowing through his veins, it looks like World Peace will return to the Lakers lineup tonight, 12 days after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. A medical miracle? Not really, World Peace said. He was itching to play the moment he was asked by Dr. Steve Lombardo if he could put weight on the leg, and he hopped out of bed and did so only hours after the operation ."As long as he didn't have to stitch anything together, I couldn't do anything to (further damage) it," World Peace said Monday after going through 3-on-3 workouts. "I was in great shape. The doc said he was surprised my knee was in such great shape playing 14 years in the NBA and always in a defensive stance. "When I heard all that, it wasn't like I was trying to come back to be a Superman. I figured I've just got to play through pain and it will get better as time goes." … Guard Steve Nash, who was "super optimistic" about a return last Friday, remains doubtful with a hamstring strain.
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: The last thing the Bulls need with six games left in the regular season is to roll back downhill with their health concerns, but that appears to have happened. Joakim Noah returned to the court Sunday against Detroit after missing eight games to rest chronic plantar fasciitis in his feet. Noah played well (13 points, 7 rebounds in 21 minutes), but his feet didn't react well Monday morning, according to coach Tom Thibodeau. "Jo had a little bit of a setback. We'll see. We'll see where he is," Thibodeau said after practice at the Berto Center. There's no telling if or when Noah might be back to normal this season. It seems unlikely he'll play Tuesday when the Bulls host Toronto. While most injuries slowly improve, plantar fasciitis patients often talk about how the ailment is so unpredictable. Thibodeau said Noah felt good after Sunday's game.
• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: While the rest of the NBA community is busy speculating about the future of LeBron James and how the Heat plans to navigate the new salary cap, Pat Riley is thinking long-term about how special the run of this Heat team can become. Speaking with reporters at the Heat’s “Family Fest” on Sunday, Riley pointed to models of success the NBA considers some the best in its history as the ultimate goal for the Heat while also reminding the city to enjoy this “special time.” “I just want to keep helping them, keep bringing in more pieces that are going to complement them and hope we can have one of those 10-year rides, you know,” Riley said. “You think about every team, through the Celtics in the ’60s and the Lakers in the ’80s and the Bulls and then again the Spurs, those guys have been together eight, nine, 10 years and if we can keep this group together for eight, nine, 10 years, then we’re all going to have some fun.” And then a piece of advice. “So, don’t ever take it for granted,” he said. Already this season the Heat has won 27 games in a row, the most in franchise history and the second most in the history of the NBA. Now the team is on the verge of another milestone. A victory Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks would give the Heat 61 victories, which would tie the franchise’s record for a single season.
• Howard Beck of The New York Times: This streak brings its own questions: Is the new, efficient Smith here to stay, or will he revert to bad habits under postseason duress? Can Anthony keep scoring at this rate when defenses target him during the playoffs? Can the Knicks make the finals with a merely average defense? Does their defense have another gear? What happens to the chemistry if Amar’e Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace and Kurt Thomas return? And most curious of all: After months of mediocrity, where did this Knicks team come from? “It’s April, I guess,” Anthony said. “It’s April. It’s time to go.”
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: The one thing people would never accuse Mike Conley of is being flashy. He tends to appear conservative — on and off the court. But that is starting to change — at least on the floor — where Conley’s offensive game suddenly has a lot of bling-bling to it. The Griz have increasingly relied on Conley to carry a heavier offensive load, particularly late in games, and it’s allowed him to shine. It’s a dramatic transformation for a point guard who had been content with being a passive piece of the puzzle for most of his six-year career. Conley enters Tuesday night’s game against the Charlotte Bobcats having scored at least 20 points in each of the past four games. That’s the longest streak by any Grizzlies player this season. Relatively speaking, Conley is in the proverbial zone as a scorer. “I’m really comfortable right now,” Conley said. Coach Lionel Hollins seems impressed yet not surprised by Conley’s maturation. “He’s just a more confident player,” Hollins said.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: Although they got into an apparent shouting match during a timeout in last Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Hornets Coach Monty Williams and guardEric Gordon both appear to have moved past the conflict. But Williams said he's not going to stop pushing Gordon to improve his overall play, especially during the final five games of the season. Against the Jazz, Williams did not put Gordon back into game after they apparently got into shouting match. Williams was visibly agitated, yelling in Gordon’s direction when he apparently didn’t think Gordon was hustling enough. Assistant coach Randy Ayers stepped in front of Williams to calm him, after Gordon hollered back at him. “He’s a dynamic guard, that’s why I push him,’’ said Williams, who plans to start Gordon for the second consecutive since the incident on Tuesday night when the Hornets play the Lakers at the Staples Center. “I’m not going to allow him to settle for where he is in his career right now. He’s got to get better. If he gets better, he should be an All-Star someday.’’ Gordon admitted the conflict was a heat of the moment situation that shouldn't be blown out of proportion. “It got very heated in the moment, but I’m not letting none of that get to me,” Gordon said. “I’m just out here, still trying to play.”
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: As Kyrie Irving continues to shrink away from any public platform, Tristan Thompson is embracing his role as a spokesman — and he’s backing it up with his play on the court, too. “Just being myself, just being a natural leader and speaking up if I see something is wrong,” Thompson said after the victory Sunday against the Magic. “Just recently y’all have been coming to me, and I’ve been speaking, so I guess you can say I’ve been a leader.” Because of the position he plays and his immense talent, Irving remains the floor leader. But twice in the past week Irving has been given the opportunity to take a stand publicly and twice he declined.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: If there was any lingering doubt, Timberwolves forward Kevin Love’s season officially is over, but it’s not just because of that healing shooting hand. Love will have arthroscopic surgery to remove scar tissue in his left knee later this week. Love will consult with two surgeons on Wednesday at New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery: He’ll see his hand doctor for a checkup on that right hand he has broken twice this season and also will consult with knee surgeon Dr. David Altchek, who probably will perform the operation that same day. Love’s left knee has bothered him much of the season, but it has grown more painful in recent days as he ramped up workouts for a possible return yet this season. He told team doctors after games in December that his hip was hurting him, and Wolves doctors concluded that the problem was connected to his knee pain. David Kahn, Timberwolves president of basketball operations, called the arthroscopic surgery “minor” and said he expects Love to resume his normal summer workouts in Los Angeles by early June after a season in which he has played just 18 games.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Larry Sanders has plenty of competition for the most improved player honor, and he's also in the conversation for the defensive player of the year award. New Orleans' Greivis Vasquez, Houston's Omer Asik, Philadelphia's Jrue Holiday, Orlando's Nikola Vucevic and Indiana's Paul George are garnering support for the most improved award, voted on by 122 journalists who cover the NBA. … Several detailed analytical studies support Boylan's view. And a mere glance at last season's statistics shows Sanders played in 52 games without any starts and a total of 643 minutes, while this season he has started 53 of 69 games and played 1,892 minutes, an average of 27.4 minutes. This is the second consecutive year the Bucks have put a player in contention for the award. Ersan Ilyasova finished second to Orlando's Ryan Anderson for the most improved honor in 2011-'12. … The Bucks designed a public relations campaign featuring a colorful set of blocks to promote Sanders' candidacy for the most improved player and defensive player of the year awards. Sanders led the league in blocks for much of the season until recently being passed by last year's rejections leader, Serge Ibaka of Oklahoma City. Ibaka is averaging 3.07 blocks to Sanders' 2.9.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: John Wall was unaccustomed to having a teammate challenge him, but in hindsight, he couldn’t disagree with anything that Okafor told him: Wittman had to go with someone else if he was ineffective and Wall has to trust that the coach is doing what was in the best interest of the team, which should always come first. … What followed after the encounter has been the best basketball of Wall’s young career. Beginning with the next game on March 1 against the New York Knicks – the Wizards’ opponent on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden – the third-year point guard has been on a statistical tear that has changed perceptions of his career and shown that his talents are no longer stagnating. In his past 21 games, Wall is averaging 22.7 points, 7.9 assists and 4.9 rebounds and has recorded 10 games with at least 20 points, three games of 35 or more, and seven double-doubles. In that time, only LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are averaging at least 22 points, seven assists and 4.9 rebounds. “I think I really had to grow. Get my teammates back behind me. Because that’s not the way you’re supposed to come out as a leader and as a franchise guy,” Wall said of his attitude the night of the argument with Okafor.
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: With Sunday's 125-120 victory over the Thunder, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony is now 11-1 all-time against Kevin Durant in NBA games where both have played. Durant's lone head-to-head victory against Anthony came in a 151-147 double-overtime contest at KeyArena on April 6, 2008, which means Durant has yet to defeat Anthony while with the Thunder. Anthony did not play in OKC's 95-94 victory at New York on March 7 this season. Against Durant, Anthony has averaged 30.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 50.4 percent from the field, 40.0 percent from 3-point range and 84.8 percent from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Durant has averaged 26.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 42.2 percent from the floor, 38.3 percent from 3-point range and 89.1 percent from the free-throw line.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t want it to end like this. Slugging it out for the eighth seed — or more likely missing the playoffs — is bad enough once. Or twice. In the autumn of his NBA career, he wants more. And while he has no problem putting pressure on ownership to find some high-quality warriors to play alongside him, Nowitzki also is OK taking on his share of the workload off the court. He’s ready to hit the recruiting trail. “I’ve said it all year long — this is a big summer for us,” Nowitzki said. “We have to get better. We have to get some guys in that can get us back to the top level. We want to be a top-four seed in the West. That was always our goal, to play for the top. So this is a big summer. If [owner Mark Cuban] needs me to recruit and do all that stuff, I’m more than happy to.” Will it be enough to woo a marquee free agent or finagle a sign-and-trade? Nobody knows for sure. But it can’t hurt.
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: What if? What if the Raptors hadn’t screwed up so many years ago when they had the chance to hire Hammond? What if they hadn’t blown it by going through a ridiculous process of whittling a large group to four only to say they were going to open up the process again only to come back to the same four and eventually picking Rob Babcock. The four — Babcock, Jeff Weltman, Mark Warkentien and Tony DiLeo (remember that Gang of Four?) —were basically underwhelming at that time and that the Raptors — and I am pointing a finger directly at Richard Peddie — didn’t even deign to interview Hammond, who was the No. 1 man to Joe Dumars in Deroit at the time, was a shocking blown opportunity. John wanted the job and deserved to have a shot at it; the short-sightedness of Peddie and his people set the franchise back years, so far that they might still be digging out almost a decade later.
• Dale Kasler, Ryan Lillis and Tony Bizjak of The Sacramento Bee: Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle, a driving force for the past two years in trying to keep the Kings from leaving town, will not invest in the team or the proposed Downtown Plaza arena, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced Monday afternoon. Facing questions over a conflict of interest, Burkle instead will focus on redeveloping other portions of Downtown Plaza. "He's so committed to Sacramento," the mayor said, adding that he spoke with Burkle on Monday. "There's a host of ancillary development opportunities that Ron will participate in." … Johnson insisted that Burkle's new role would not deflate the effort to keep the Kings from going to Seattle, and said other investors would pick up the financial slack. He did not give specifics.
• Marcus Thompson II of The Oakland Tribune: The Warriors have a get-well game Tuesday against visiting Minnesota, which is 18 games under .500. A win coupled with a loss by Utah or the Los Angeles Lakers would clinch the Warriors' first postseason bid since 2007. But success against the Timberwolves won't answer an emerging concern. If you let Utah, a bad road team on the cusp of missing the playoffs, shut down Curry and the Warriors offense at the most critical of times, will Golden State be able to score in the postseason? Sunday night was less an anomaly and more like a trend. The Warriors have lost seven of their last 10 games against winning teams, including Sunday's home loss to Utah. In those 10 games, the Warriors averaged 22.4 fourth-quarter points. That includes a 17-point fourth quarter in a blowout of visiting New York, but finding offense against stiff defenses has been a major problem. … Jackson likes having Jack on the floor, so the three-guard lineup isn't going anywhere. That makes sense considering the way Jack has played this season. Jack is more secure with the ball than Curry, and defenses have aggressively double-teamed Curry late in games, something harder to do when he's playing off the ball. This quandary will continue into the postseason when the defenses step up a notch and coaching chess matches ensue. Because, no doubt, as goes Curry, so goes Golden State.
• Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune: Well, this ought to be a good story. Jazz forward DeMarre Carroll tweeted Monday afternoon that he broke the rim during a pickup game at Life Time Fitness, an athletic club in South Jordan. There have been plenty of classic backboard breaking moments [this is a solid compendium] but the whole library doesn't quite seem complete without footage of Carroll's. Does anybody have it? Carroll, 26, averages 16 minutes per game in 64 appearances this season. He is a pending free agent, but even if he ends up leaving it's unlikely it will be without recounting the story of the time he broke the backboard at Life Time Fitness. Stay tuned.

• John Canzano of The Oregonian: When that awful video footage went public, showing the Rutgers men's basketball coach throwing balls at his players in practice, verbally abusing them, shoving them and assaulting them with gay slurs, I did the oddest thing. When I read or heard people declare, "Mike Rice must go," I quietly added "Jr." to it. If you're like me you were eager this week to separate the son -- Mike Rice Jr. -- from his father -- Mike Rice Sr. One is a deranged coach who deserved to be immediately terminated for his actions. The other is the Trail Blazers' television analyst, a guy insanely proud of his son. I have only three words to say to Mike Sr.: Hang in there. I sent them to him via text. I sent them through his broadcasting partner, Mike Barrett. I'll tell them to Rice's face when I see him next. Because even as the father and son share a name, and both coached, I can't think of a less enviable position anywhere in this than the father who raised a child who is now humiliated and ruined by his own doing.
• Harvery Araton of The New York Times: History is beckoning the Knicks these days, but which will be the more powerful calling, the individual measure of lasting greatness or the consummate joy of collective achievement? … It is no secret that collective achievement outweighs individual exploits on the most important scorecards, but that does not mean the heights King reached in the 1980s, or what Anthony did Tuesday night in Miami and on many other a night this season is not worthy of a starred archiving in the Knicks’ history book. But when the defensive intensity increases in the playoffs, the challenge for the Knicks will be to avoid deferring too much to Anthony, in the interest of finding and sustaining a delicate chemistry that would allow Anthony’s future Hall of Fame candidacy to evoke 1973-like memories of sharing, sacrifice and ultimate celebration. As LeBron James routinely proved last spring — and Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan before him — it can and has been done. Just not for four decades in New York, Monroe, Meminger & Co. will remind everyone Friday night.
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: When the playoffs roll around, Deron Williams says he won’t need the high dosage pain killers that helped salvage his season. The point guard plans to ride this out cortisone-free. Having braced himself for continued ankle pain and a fourth round of shots just before the playoffs started, Deron Williams told the Daily News on Wednesday that his treatments in February were so successful that injections aren’t necessary prior to the postseason in late April. It’s a welcome development for Williams, who is aware of the longterm dangers of injecting too much cortisone – a hormone steroid which, used liberally as an anti-inflammatory, can weaken cartilage in the joints, leaving it susceptible to damage or ruptured tendons. Doctors typically recommend athletes don’t take more than four injections per year, and Williams is happy he doesn’t have to test the limits with a fourth round. “That’s a good thing,” said Williams, who indicated in February that he “probably” will receive injections before the playoffs.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Grant Hill has 27 appearances, a 3.2 scoring average, career-low 38 percent shooting and no regrets about joining the Los Angeles Clippers. Hill expected to return to Phoenix for a sixth Suns season when he stayed in the Valley to train last summer. The Suns made a one-year, minimum-salary offer of $1.35 million and the Clippers came with a two-year, $4 million one while Oklahoma City and Chicago also pursued him. Hill, 40, joined the Clippers, began the season on the inactive list after suffering a bone bruise to his right knee, the one which underwent two arthroscopies since 2011 in Phoenix, and did not play until Jan. 12. Hill likely will not make it to that second contract year and opt to retire this summer. “Strong chance,” Hill said. “I’m leaning toward it. I want to get to the end of the year and off-season and think about it but I’m pretty confident that’s where my mind is right now. I’ve enjoyed it.” Except for a brief 2008 experiment under then-Suns coach Terry Porter, Hill always had started in his career until this season, when he often is not in the 10-man rotation.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: Seven hours before tipoff, an arena quiet, George Karl envisioned nighttime at EnergySolutions Arena — an ear-popping crowd where "the whistle gets wild and crazy against you," he said. Oh, and Utah had won five consecutive games, fighting for a playoff spot. As such, the Nuggets' coach suggested that Wednesday's game would either be close in the fourth, or a blowout — in favor of the home team. So what happened? Well, let's put it this way — Timofey Mozgov played. The Nuggets blew out the Jazz in Utah, 113-96, thanks to stat sheet-stuffing games from numerous players. "It's not very often that this building is empty by the end of the game," Karl said. It was bananas. Danilo Gallinari scored a team-high 21 points, including a huge 3 in the fourth. Kenneth Faried had 19 points and eight rebounds. Kosta Koufos gobbled up 13 rebounds in 24 minutes. And even Evan Fournier, again, made major impacts as the backup point guard, and took advantage of garbage time, finishing with 18 points.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Spurs guard Gary Neal could not recall the last time he played as many as 30 minutes, and no wonder. Until logging 31:28 against Orlando on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center, Neal hadn’t topped 30 minutes of court time since Dec. 15, in the 25th game of the season. “I can’t remember that far back,” Neal said, “but I think it must have been when Kawhi (Leonard) and Jack (Stephen Jackson) were injured.” Indeed, Leonard and Jackson were on the injured list when Neal scored 20 points in a win over Boston. A long run on the court Wednesday produced Neal’s highest point total since that Dec. 15 game. He scored 16 on 6-for-14 shooting, including 4 for 8 on 3-pointers. “I felt good on the court,” the third-year guard from Towson said. “It’s coming back. I’ve just got to keep grinding at it, keep working, keep getting shots up and fight to get the rhythm for the playoffs. “Our goal is the playoffs. That’s what we’re playing for and trying to prepare for. I’m trying to be sharp for the playoffs so I can do my job, which is space the floor and make shots.”
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Lionel Hollins made it clear Wednesday night before the Grizzles’ 94-76 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers that this end-of-season drive presents a different set of circumstances. The Griz began a three-game road trip trying to keep pace with the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers for the third seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. So when the subject of rest came up, Hollins said he’d play it by ear and limit minutes depending on the flow of the game. “I just want us to be playing well,” Hollins said. “Everybody is talking about the playoffs, but we still have (regular-season) games to play. We’re playing to win.” The Grizzlies’ starters certainly came out as if they wanted to dominate and then rest. Memphis (51-24) was never seriously challenged as the Grizzlies set a franchise record for wins in a season by earning their 51st victory. Memphis also guaranteed it would finish this season with the best overall winning percentage in franchise history, surpassing the .621 mark set in 2011-12. The Griz will finish this season with a winning percentage no worse than .622.
• Marcus Thompson II of The Oakland Tribune: The Warriors have made a pact that everyone will grow beards until they clinch a playoff spot. No shaving. No trimming. "The worse it looks, the better it is for the team," David Lee said. From the looks of it, though, Andris Biedrins isn't on board. He looked cleanly shaven Wednesday. And the patch on rookie Harrison Barnes' chin looked well groomed. Jackson is even in on it. His shadow was turning into some rough real estate at practice, highlighted by some gray strands. But he had his facial mane neatened. There was talk about extended the beard pact through the playoffs. But Curry wasn't a fan of that idea. "This thing," he said at Wednesday's shootaround, scratching his grizzled neck. "I've already got lint all in it."
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: The easy part for Brandon Bass always has been the scoring, and the Celtics forward didn’t disappoint with last night’s performance against the Pistons in a 98-93 win, scoring 17 points on 6-for-8 shooting. But defensive signal-caller is a new look, and sound, for him. “Hell, maybe the blessing is without Kevin (Garnett) we’ve removed the security blanket,” coach Doc Rivers said of the sudden need for Bass to expand his role. “And Brandon, he has to be the talker on defense now. “It’s great. He was upset at someone early in the game because they were in the wrong position, and I was thinking, ‘Wow, that’s really new. And that’s really nice.’ That’s good, so maybe it’s a blessing.” Bass acknowledged that in the Celts’ current injury vacuum, he has indeed experienced a growth spurt. “I’d rather play with Kevin being out there,” Bass said. “He’s like a big brother to my little brother. But when your big brother isn’t around, it’s time to step up and grow, basically. It gives me the opportunity to grow up and play the big brother role.”
• Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: Let the Adelman talk commence. Wednesday’s victory in Milwaukee gave the Wolves their first winning streak since Dec. 15 and gave coach Rick Adelman his 999th career NBA victory. Friday’s game with Toronto will be the first crack at 1,000, something many of the players in the locker room were talking about. “Everybody is thinking about it,” center Nikola Pekovic said. “And I know we’ll all be honored to be a part of that.” J.J. Barea said the prospects looked good for getting Adelman his 1,000th this season, something that couldn’t be said a few weeks ago. But the Wolves are starting to play very well. They won their third straight road game for the first time this season and have won five of their last eight overall.
• Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette: The Charlotte Bobcats will be in the NBA draft lottery for the eighth time in nine years after this season. But after a fifth win in six home games has them within two victories of 20 on the season, there’s little doubt Charlotte will at least be taking more momentum into this offseason that last. Wednesday’s 88-83 victory over Philadelphia continued the Bobcats’ recent strong play while also diminishing the 76ers’ flickering playoff hopes. “We were able to prove again that we’re very interested in the outcome coming down the backstretch,” said Charlotte coach Mike Dunlap, whose 18-57 team has won five of its last nine games overall. “Our guys are playing together. It was particularly a good night for us in terms of the character of the group of guys playing. Even the guys that didn’t get a lot of minutes played great.” As has been the case lately though, guards Kemba Walker and Gerald Henderson led the way.
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: There are fewer things on a basketball court that can put a bigger smile on a coach who values defence the way Dwane Casey does than a thoroughly dominant defensive quarter. Turn that into a dominant defensive half and it’s that much better. For the first time in weeks (although it felt like quite a bit longer) the Raps enjoyed one of those halves on Wednesday night as they held Washington to just 28 points while piling up 49 of their own to put themselves in charge of a game they would go on to win 88-78. Casey has been tormented by the Raptors defensive retreat this season and has made re-establishing that defensive identity that they valued so much a year ago a priority over this final stretch of games.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: After spending most of the last two seasons in the heart of the battle, from the near move to Anaheim through the handshake deal to remain in Sacramento and finally the Seattle-Sacramento tug of war to be decided by the Board of Governors meeting April 18 and 19, Garcia can’t begin to handicap how the competition will end. On Wednesday, the groups vying for the Kings — Steve Ballmer and Chris Hansen are seeking to buy them and move them to Seattle; Ron Burkle, Mark Mastrov and Vivek Ranadive are bidding to buy them and keep them in Sacramento — made the presentation to a Board of Governors sub-committee, which later will make its recommendation. Francisco Garcia could not help but feel empathy for the fans who supported the Kings so faithfully through much of his career. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “One guy is saying this; another guy is saying that. I don’t know. I’d be sad (if the Kings leave Sacramento). It’s such a great city. They’re great fans. They’ve been supporting the team for a long time. “It’s great. It’s a great city. I have nothing but good things to say about Sacramento. I had a great eight years there.” He did return in time to get his first look at the infamous visitors’ locker room, having heard so much about it. “I was never in there,” Garcia said. “It’s pretty bad. I heard about it, but I was never in there.”

• Howard Beck of The New York Times: It will be at least another month, perhaps in a first-round playoff series, before declarations can be made, or conclusions drawn, or torches passed — or wrested away. After five years of pre-eminence, the Boston Celtics have at least earned a withholding of judgment until the games really matter. But the ground continued to shift beneath them Tuesday night, the balance of power tilting ever more sharply, unmistakably, southward. The Knicks cruised to a 100-85 victory at TD Garden and inched ever closer to taking the Atlantic Division crown that the Celtics have owned for the last five years. It was the Knicks’ fifth straight victory, the Celtics’ fifth straight loss, and it left a seven-and-a-half game gap between them, with 13 games to play. “We want to beat them, let’s just be quite frank about it,” Carmelo Anthony said, after scoring 29 points in the win. “We always want to beat Boston. New York in anything wants to beat Boston. And when we do, it’s a great feeling.” The Knicks (43-26) have a 2-1 edge in the season series, having won twice in Boston for the first time since 2003-4. They meet once more on Sunday at Madison Square Garden, with the Knicks poised to win the series for the first time in nine years.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: The South Beach showdown is six days away, but Mike Woodson is hoping the Miami Dream Team enters with a 30-game win streak. “They’re playing at such a high level, nobody is coming close to beating them,’’ Woodson said before the Knicks’ 100-85 win over the Celtics last night. “It would be nice. Their streak could end. They’re playing two good teams [beforehand]. [But if] they’re undefeated and we go into Miami, hopefully we can be the team to break their streak.’’ The Heat have won 27 straight and have Chicago tonight, New Orleans Friday and San Antonio on Sunday. If the LeBron James juggernaut keeps winning and beats the Knicks Tuesday in Miami, it would be just two away from tying the Lakers’ 1971-72 magical run of 33 straight wins — the NBA record.
• Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe: Tuesday night at TD Garden, the Celtics faced the Knicks without Kevin Garnett and Courtney Lee. And though the Celtics have masked the absence of key players before, winning without Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger and Leandro Barbosa and even Garnett, they could not do so against New York, which prevailed soundly, 100-85. For the first time since Rondo went down with a season-ending knee injury in January, it seemed as though the Celtics had finally – if not reluctantly — succumbed to the reality of their limited roster. A 15-point home loss to a shorthanded team will do that. “It’s been like that for us all season long, it just seems like it gets worse and worse,” captain Paul Pierce said of the injuries. “We can’t feel sorry for ourselves.” The Celtics have lost five consecutive games, and as Garnett is expected to miss up to two weeks with inflammation in his left ankle, a rather gloomy question looms: Is this what the Celtics can expect while their defensive anchor is out? “No,” a defiant coach Doc Rivers said. “Guys, I think you’ve been around me long enough. Kevin’s not playing. I don’t worry about it. I really don’t. “Somebody else has to play better. A lot of guys. It’s not going to be one guy. But overall, we were pretty bad [Tuesday]. Kevin had nothing to do with that.”
• Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald: Kenyon Martin, as plain-spoken as they come, left no doubt about the reason he’s not a Celtic today. The team decided it simply wasn’t interested in the veteran power forward, who signed with the Knicks for the rest of the season on March 15. Coach Doc Rivers said on Monday that the Celtics were more interested in finding a guard at the time Martin was available. “It’s their fault; they lost,” Martin said after helping the Knicks to last night’s 100-85 win with nine points and five rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. “There was talks, there was negotiations, they chose not to do it. It was out of my control. I’m a Knick now, so they lost. I’m just here to prove I never lost it. I guess I’m a better person than I am a basketball player. But the chip I’ve always played with hasn’t gotten bigger. I’m here to prove what I can do; that’s against everybody, every night. It doesn’t start with the Celtics. It’s whoever puts on that uniform opposite us.” Martin shot 4-for-7 last night, including three put-backs. He is 20-for-28 in his last three games.
• Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: For nearly 10 minutes the Timberwolves poured it on in a slow, consistent, startling burn. From the starters to the bench, through timeouts and personnel changes, the Wolves played pesky defense, shared the ball and shot it. Boy, did they shoot it. On Tuesday at the Palace of Auburn Hills, against a Detroit team that is darned near 0-for-March, the Timberwolves did everything right in a 105-82 victory. Especially in the third quarter. Or, more specifically, over the final 9:48 of said quarter. “We said win the third quarter,” Wolves coach Rick Adelman said. “And we dominated.” It took less than 10 minutes for the Wolves, running and hitting from everywhere, to rain down three-pointers in a 32-9 run that turned a five-point game into a double-digit rout. And it didn’t stop there. By the time this was over, the Wolves (25-44) — the worst three-point shooting team in the league — had hit a season-high 14 treys, with seven players getting at least one.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: With Andre Drummond still out at least for one more game, it's perhaps one more opportunity for rookie Slava Kravtsov to get some playing time. The 25-year-old rookie has played only 20 games this season, averaging 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.8 minutes. The Pistons have an option for his second year, which they'll have to decide on before July 1. "He's worked hard," said Frank, noting his 14-point, 10-rebound game against the Pacers on Feb 22. "He's had some good moments and some moments where (he's struggled), just the adjustment of the verbal commands and positioning and quick-twitch reacting."
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Lamar Odom came into Tuesday’s game with 4:15 left in the first quarter, and before he even had his sweatpants pulled off, the boos rained down from the sellout crowd at American Airlines Center. When he touched the ball for the first time, the boos got louder. Second time, more anger from the crowd. The last time there had been this much venom in the joint, the snake convention was in town. Either that or when the Miami Heat came through, which could be construed in these parts as the same thing. Odom had a modest impact in the first half, when he had four points and three rebounds in nine minutes. The Mavericks weren’t real concerned with Odom’s return. In pregame warm-ups, Odom gave a couple of winks toward the scorer’s table but had no interaction with any Mavericks to speak of. Odom had a dramatic divorce from the Mavericks last season when owner Mark Cuban questioned the 2010-11 sixth man of the year about his commitment to the franchise. Weeks later, he was told to leave, making it “addition by subtraction,” as Cuban said at the time. If there was any intention on Odom’s behalf to apologize or converse with Cuban on Tuesday, he never got the chance. Cuban was not at the game. He’s on vacation with his family for spring break.
• Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times: It was an interesting question that even Clippers Coach Vinny Del Negro thought came at an interesting time of the season. Del Negro was asked by a member of the media in front of the group about his coaching future with the Clippers. The Clippers picked up Del Negro's contract last year, but he wasn't given an extension. His deal expires when the season is over. "I enjoy the pressure," Del Negro said. "That's what it's about. I love the competition. Could things be a little bit better in certain areas? Of course. But all those things get answered at the end of the year. "Our focus is on tonight's game and on this season and all those things get answered at the end of the season, one way or the other," he said. The Clippers are playoff-bound for the second consecutive season under Del Negro. It will be only the third time in franchise history the Clippers have had consecutive playoff appearances. Del Negro was asked if his future was tied to how far the Clipper go in the playoffs this season. "No, my future is great," Del Negro responded. "I've got a great future, no matter what. I've been pretty fortunate, so I don't really worry about that stuff so much. Like I said, all those things take care of themselves when we finish."
• Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: Here are a few other thoughts, quotes and observations from the meeting in the overheated, and overcrowded council chambers: Steve Hansen, who was thought to be vacillating about the arena issue, and who some thought would vote against the term sheet, instead gave a very impassioned explanation for his pro-arena vote. He cited the potential for jobs and economic growth, and added, "We have four billionaires who have said that Sacramento is worthy. It's been a long time since people have validated us in this way." Kevin Johnson, a former All-Star, said he intended to call David Stern despite the time difference and the fact the NBA Commissioner was not feeling well. Ron Burkle spokesman Darius Anderson, who addressed the council and took a swipe at Seattle for attempting to steal the Kings, said the four major investors will accompany Johnson to New York for his April 3 presentation to Stern and members of the league's finance and relocation committees. The ownership subset thereafter will evaluate both Seattle and Sacramento situations and make a recommendation to the entire Board of Governors. The owners will vote at the April 18-19 meetings, also in Manhattan.

• Joe Freeman of The Oregonian: It’s been four-and-a-half months since Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen unexpectedly showed up to the first day of training camp and revealed his secret wish to see his team play better defense. Four-and-a-half long months of head-scratching, mediocre and sometimes awful oh-lay performances that made you wonder if the young and defensively-challenged Blazers would ever show the heart and grit required to stifle an opposing offense. Well, the answer finally arrived in emphatic fashion Thursday night in Chicago, where the Blazers were — gasp! — rugged, determined and connected on defense en route to a 99-89 victory over the Chicago Bulls before 21,946 at the United Center. “Hands down,” All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge said, when asked if it was his team’s best defensive outing of the season. “I don’t think we’ve ever rotated like that in pick and roll (coverage), ever controlled the ball like that in a game.”
• Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: It wasn’t supposed to look like that. Not with so much that had gone on for the Bulls lately. A high-energy week of practice, the return of both Kirk Hinrich and Taj Gibson from injuries, a group of players still angry about an overtime loss to Denver on Monday. No, Thursday was supposed to be the start of the playoff push, and Portland was expected to be the team that was just standing in the way of that progress. Following the 99-89 loss to the Trail Blazers, however, the fading Bulls had more questions than answers. “It’s really disappointing,’’ Joakim Noah said. “We’re not playing good right now. This is the final stretch and we’re not getting it done, so we got to find a way.’’ When asked what needed to change, however, Noah paused and replied, “I don’t know.’’ That was the running theme, as the Bulls (36-31) have now lost two straight on the three-game homestand, and dropped into a sixth-place tie with Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: How? How?? It was unreal, surreal. This thing was over — the 76ers up eight points with less than two minutes left — but the Nuggets, resuscitated, climbed back into the game and won 101-100 on Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. Corey Brewer made three free throws with 2.1 seconds left to give Denver the lead for good, cemented by an Anthony Randolph block on Damien Wilkins at the buzzer. Brewer scored — poured? — a career-high 29 points, including a 3-pointer with 9.2 seconds left. "It was crazy. To be honest, I didn't think we had any chance of wining," Brewer said. "Even when (Evan Turner) missed those two free throws, it gave us life." After Turner missed both, Denver was able to get Brewer open for the 3-ball foul. "We ran it for Andre (Miller) to come off, and then (Danilo) Gallinari, to keep it," Brewer said, "and then I was going to come for the handoff, and I was able to get it — and I saw the defender coming, so I tried to get it off quick." That makes 14 consecutive wins for the fellows in yellow, a team NBA franchise record, while also tying the longest streak in coach George Karl's career, a streak that occurred in 1996, when his SuperSonics ultimately went to the NBA Finals. Denver is an incredible 31-3 at home and on a 16-game home winning streak.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: TRUST. That's what it said on the locker room's dry erase board, in letters as big as the Nuggets' win. It was Tuesday in Oklahoma City, where Denver would win an eye-popping, back-to-back finale against the mighty Thunder. Why do the Nuggets win games they should lose? I can give you a lot of fancy stats about fast-break scoring and improvements in all facets of defense, but the incalculable intangible is that they're among the league leaders in trust. "We talk a lot about the word trust," Nuggets coach George Karl said, "trusting each other, trusting the concepts, trusting the intensity. The word trust has been in our game plans a lot. And I have to trust them, they've earned that trust." … On the offensive end, Karl said the Nuggets are as good as any team at sharing the ball with the open player, regardless of the name on that player's back. That was the curse of the Iverson-Melo Nuggets. It's Spurs-esque. No, the Nuggets are not as good as the Spurs. But they trust each other like they do, and that could be something come mid-April.
• John Mitchell of The Philadelphia Inquirer: The ending was emblematic of just how things have gone for the 76ers. Leading by six points late in the game against the Denver Nuggets, the Sixers let it all slip away and lost a game they had won, falling to the Nuggets, 101-100, Thursday night at the Pepsi Center. With 7.1 seconds left and the Sixers leading, 100-98, Evan Turner missed a pair of free throws, allowing the Nuggets, who called a timeout, one last shot to win the game. Then Damien Wilkins fouled Denver's Corey Brewer as he attempted a three-pointer. Brewer stepped to the line and sank all three free throws to give the Nuggets the victory and extend their winning streak to 14 games. "I don't know; the referee said I fouled him, so I must have fouled him," Wilkins said. "I was just trying to challenge the shot aggressively and not let him get a clean look. I was a little bit too aggressive tonight and I cost my team a win tonight. I can't foul a guy shooting a thee-pointer when we're up two. "So we didn't deserve to win the game. Being overly aggressive cost us one, so you live and you learn."
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: Tuesday's win over the Los Angeles Clippers might have been the Kings' best home victory of the season, considering the opponent. But it also was a game the NBA deemed to have had too much acting. Kings guard Tyreke Evans and Clippers guard Chris Paul both received warnings for flopping during the game. The league defines flopping "as any physical act that appears to have been intended to cause the referees to call a foul on another player." "The primary factor in determining whether a player committed a flop is whether his physical reaction to contact with another player is inconsistent with what would reasonably be expected given the force or direction of the contact."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Timberwolves forward Chase Budinger returned Thursday night after four months away with a three-pointer made and a big smile in a 101-98 loss at Sacramento, but neither of those two things were quite enough. Budinger’s 17-plus minutes played and nine points scored on 3-for-7 shooting included one three-pointer — the only one in his team’s 1-for-19 night — as the Kings recovered from a 12-point, first-half deficit to win their third consecutive home game. The Kings had beaten the Bulls and the Clippers at Sleep Train Arena and on Thursday completed the trifecta, thanks to a game-changing 13-2 fourth-quarter run when Tyreke Evans attacked the basket at will. Evans scored 11 of his 21 points in a fourth quarter when the Wolves led by a point with 9:44 left, trailed by 10 with 5:32 left and still had a chance to tie the score at the final buzzer when Dante Cunningham’s desperation three-pointer went wide right. “We gave them too many spurts, too many easy opportunities, too many easy baskets,” Wolves coach Rick Adelman said.
• Dale Kasler, Tony Bizjak and Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento's drive to keep the Kings took a dramatic detour Thursday as a new lead investor emerged for the team and the city missed its self-imposed deadline for wrapping up a deal for a new arena. The dual developments, announced within minutes of each other during a chaotic afternoon, suggested that Sacramento was still laboring to finalize its plan to keep the Kings from moving to Seattle. Although city officials said they're confident they'll get a deal done on a new arena, there isn't a lot of time: The plan must get OK'd first by the City Council, and Sacramento has to pitch its proposal to a group of key NBA owners in less than two weeks. Vivek Ranadive, an Indian-born software tycoon who lives in Silicon Valley, was unveiled as the man who will lead the bid for the team itself. Already a part owner of the Golden State Warriors, he takes the reins from East Bay health-club financier Mark Mastrov. A source familiar with the situation said Mastrov – whose initial bid was described as inadequate by the NBA – will remain a major partner in the bid. The third investor in the Sacramento effort, Beverly Hills billionaire Ron Burkle, was continuing to negotiate a deal with city officials on a new arena at Downtown Plaza. But in a somewhat unsettling development for the city, officials were unable Thursday to complete the so-called term sheet outlining the city's subsidy and other elements of the deal. The document was supposed to be released to the public in the afternoon.

The NBA began the season with a new rule against flopping, and the early indications were it made a difference.

Since 2013 began, however, the NBA has cited a mere four flops, out of close to 25,000 minutes of live ball play. Here they are, with video:

• Corey Brewer (March 9)
• C.J. Watson (Januar 25)
• Kevin Martin (January 23)
• J.J. Barea (January 22)

Considering that the league issued a total of 12 warnings and fines in the first two months of the season, that could be a sign the rule is doing its job, and players are flopping less.

But on the other hand, it's not that hard to find examples of flops that are going unpunished. A sampling:

• Chris Paul (March 19)
• Kyle Lowry (January 16)
• Blake Griffin (January 19)
• Chris Bosh (January 30)
• Gordon Hayward (March 13)
• Lance Stephenson (March 15)

Subjective observations suggests that the league, as a whole, on the season, has less flopping. But there's also evidence that the NBA is becoming increasingly lax in its policing.

The playoffs, when flopping rates are usually at their season-high, are just around the corner. Teams value every possession more in the playoffs, and therefore the incentive to flop will be high. And the league's flopping policy has always had the flaw that fines and sanctions are only handed down after the game, so a key flop still might win some team or another a playoff game.

Now seems like the right time to make clear the best game plans should not involve flops.

Also, the way the league has punished flopping has not helped to combat the perception that superstars are largely immune. The biggest name on the list of floppers this season is Tony Parker. Meanwhile the player with one of the greatest flopping reputations, Paul, has gotten off entirely, despite video evidence that he hasn't changed his style much. The league has an excellent opportunity right now to prove stars like Paul can get in flop trouble, too.

• Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald: Once again, it was Shane Battier’s turn to speak. The Heat’s forward delivered a rousing postgame speech in Toronto on Feb. 3 after the first game of the Heat’s winning streak and — by the request of his teammates — Battier was back in front of the team 42 days later on Sunday. In that time span, the Heat hasn’t lost a game. Miami’s 108-91 victory over the Raptors at Air Canada Centre extended the Heat’s winning streak to 22 games. For Battier and the Heat, the day was doubly significant. The victory tied the Heat with the 2007-08 Houston Rockets for the second-longest winning streak in NBA history. Battier was on that team, too. Naturally, he needed to say a few words. On Monday, the Heat can reach 23 victories in a row. A win in Boston and Miami can take aim at 1971-72 Lakers, who won 33 consecutive games. “Someone said speech but I wasn’t prepared to speak,” Battier said. “But you always have something in your back pocket. I got filled with the spirit.” Battier talked about enjoying what the team has accomplished but, “with anything, we have to leave it in past.”
• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: Ray Allen was a Celtic the last time Boston had a shot to end a 22-game streak. He just didn’t play a part in it. That one was held by the Rockets, who welcomed the Celtics to Houston exactly five years ago Monday — when Miami will visit Boston. Allen was sidelined at the time, though, when asked Sunday, he couldn’t recall the circumstance. Boston won that game, 94-74. “We talked about it, but we weren’t in the shadow of it, because they were out West,” Allen said. “It was almost like you looked up at the schedule and they had won 22 in a row.” Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo are the only three players from that team who remain — Rondo is out for the season with a knee injury and Garnett may be limited, if he plays at all, due to a sore hip. Still, Miami players spoke respectfully of a team they haven’t beaten in Boston, during the regular season, in five tries since LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the Heat.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: Pau Gasol still remained in jovial spirits despite the news surrounding his return. The additional pain Gasol sensed in his right foot after playing a game of two-on-two Saturday will keep him sidelined when the Lakers play tonight in Phoenix, a benchmark the Lakers believed only days ago could happen. The Lakers then play Friday against Washington, leaving Gasol three more days to recover and possibly get in a practice. "I don't want to put any date," Gasol said, "so there are no disappointments or surprises." He hardly sounded upset about his delayed return after spending Sunday morning with foot specialist Kenneth Jung talking about his progress. "It was to be expected," said Gasol, who also has fought a cold circulating within the team in the past week. "As you raise the intensity in the amount of load you put on the foot, it's going to create a little soreness." Gasol, who has missed 19 games with his latest injury, will start in place of Earl Clark once his conditioning returns to normal. D'Antoni initially defended Gasol's bench role six games before his injury by arguing "we got to go small." What changed D'Antoni's sentiments? "Pau went up to another level with his play," D'Antoni said.
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: Kobe Bryant's sprained left ankle didn't feel strong enough for Bryant even to test it on the court Sunday before skipping the Lakers' game against Sacramento. Bryant is considered doubtful to play Monday in Phoenix, according to a Lakers spokesman. If Bryant doesn't play against the Suns, he will have three more days of rest and treatment before the Lakers play their next game Friday night against Washington. Two days after that is the Lakers' only multigame trip left this regular season: at Golden State, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Sacramento. Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni had expected Bryant to test the ankle in the hours before the game vs. the Kings on Sunday night, but Bryant opted to save the effort given the minimal chance he would actually play vs. Sacramento, which was shorthanded without leading scorer DeMarcus Cousins (quadriceps). It was Bryant's first game of the season not playing. He played one quarter on the ankle in Indiana on Friday before telling Lakers coaches: "I can't go."
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: This is the Thunder’s 50th win of the season. That might not mean much to most, but those are the people who likely weren’t paying attention when this team was barely a cut above trash. Oklahoma City has now won at least 50 games in three of the past four seasons. And last year’s .712 winning percentage in the lock0ut-shortended 66-game season equates to 58 wins when extrapolated over 82 games. It’s become easy to just expect a team with Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka to rack up 50-win campaigns for the next 10 years. Easy to neglect each passing season that topples that plateau. But those that have turned Oklahoma City into an NBA power haven’t forgotten where they came from. “We had 40 wins in two seasons, and now we have 50 wins almost every year,” Durant said, perfectly putting the achievement into its proper perspective even after claiming he couldn’t. “So that’s a blessing and shows how much we’ve grown as an organization. It’s great to be a part of. We really can’t take wins for granted because we went a few years without getting many.”
• Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: While college basketball teams around the country waited to find out where the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee has them seeded, the Clippers know every game can determine their postseason fate. Sunday's 93-80 victory over the injury-riddled New York Knicks put the Clippers in control of one of the most coveted seeds in the Western Conference – at least for now. With 15 games remaining, the Clippers are one game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets for the third spot in the Western Conference. In addition to having home-court advantage in the first round, the third seed will almost certainly avoid facing a top-tier team in the first round. Grant Hill called the difference between being the No. 3 seed in the West and the No. 5, "huge." "It could come down to the last week," he said. "It's pretty tight right there" If the playoffs began today, the Clippers would face Golden State, avoiding the Grizzlies and Nuggets in the first round.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks proved two things Sunday night. They are at their best in an up-tempo style – even if they can’t match the opposition’s size. Oh, and the Nets hold no mental edge over them. The Hawks used a 13-4 run to start the fourth quarter and break open a close game en route to a 105-93 victory over the Nets at Barclays Center. The Hawks would push the lead to as many as 15 in the final period in a back-and-forth game where neither team led by more than six points through three quarters. The victory evens the season series, 2-2, between the Eastern Conference and possible playoff opponents. The Hawks (37-29) have won three straight games and snapped a five-game road losing streak. They outscored the Nets 34-20 in the fourth quarter. The Hawks started Al Horford at center, giving up on the idea of trying to match the size of Nets’ seven-footer Brook Lopez. … The Hawks have 16 games remaining in the regular season. “For us, this is good because we are starting to build some momentum which we need,” Horford said.
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: Current Bucks general manager John Hammond was so encouraged by Ilyasova’s talents that he rewarded him with a guaranteed four-year, $31.6 million contract with a team option for a fifth season at $8.4 million. After a sluggish start to this season, when former Bucks coach Scott Skiles shuffled him in and out of the starting lineup while reducing his minutes, Ilyasova is thriving for the 32-32 Bucks, who hold the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. While he is averaging 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for the season, Ilyasova has scored at least 19 points in eight of the last 13 games. That included a 29-point, 11-rebound outburst against Toronto and a 26-point, 17-rebound outing against the reigning NBA champion Miami Heat Friday night. Jim Boylan, who promptly inserted Ilyasova into the starting lineup when he assumed the head coaching reins, is delighted with his young starting power forward. “Ersan has been really, really consistent with his scoring, his effort, his rebounding,” Boylan said.
• Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: For the first time in a month, both center Nikola Pekovic and forward Andrei Kirilenko were healthy enough to be back in the Timberwolves lineup Sunday against New Orleans at Target Center. And, for much of the first 47 minutes of the game, they struggled. They looked rusty, they looked a step slow. Quite often they looked tired. But then, of course, they won the game. In a 97-95, come-from-behind victory over a feisty bunch of Hornets, Pekovic’s offensive rebound and his two free throws gave the Wolves a one-point lead with 14.5 seconds left. And then Kirilenko sealed it with two blocks in the closing seconds. “I guess I was saving it for the final 14 seconds,” Kirilenko joked. It was, frankly, an improbable win, one that would have been impossible if not for Derrick Williams’ career-high 28 points. The Wolves were out-rebounded 41-27, with that total being their lowest of the season. The Hornets outscored the Wolves 58-46 in the paint and 20-10 on second-chance points. The Wolves struggled to slow Hornets center Robin Lopez (20 points, 11 rebounds) inside and Greivis Vasquez (24 points, five assists, seven rebounds) everywhere else. But all that mattered was the final minute.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: It would have been easy to have lost composure, gotten disheartened or even flat-out panicked. But with the opposing crowd of 18,219 buzzing and the Rockets charging in the teams' biggest game of the season, Warriors shooting guard Klay Thompson appeared completely unaffected Sunday. "I might have been worried a year ago or maybe even a couple of months ago, but I've learned so much this season," Thompson said. "I've come to grips with not panicking." With things seemingly spiraling out of control for the Warriors, the steely second-year guard connected on two jumpers that were sandwiched around a Stephen Curry three-pointer to cool off the Rockets' run, and the Warriors went on to cruise to a 108-78 victory that kept them in sixth place.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: I’m a journalist, so I value transparency. We’re all predisposed to believe organizations should be as open and accountable as possible. So, naturally, I applauded in November when the NBA acknowledged after the fact that its referees blew an obvious call in a game between the Charlotte Bobcats and Toronto Raptors. A foul should have been called on Michael Kidd-Gilchrist that would have given Andrea Bargnani free throws. Those free throws might have won a game the Raptors lost. Since then the league has issued similar “Mea Culpas,” most recently when it announced Thursday that a foul should have been called on Atlanta’s Dahntay Jones for planting his foot where Kobe Bryant would land after a jump shot. That was another end-of-game situation, and the lack of a call might have cost the Lakers a victory. I ran all this past a friend who used to be a coach at the pro level. I heard a counter-argument to my “all transparency is positive” position. I must admit there was merit to what I heard. The short version of this coach’s argument is, “If it’s too late to undo a mistake, then why harp on it publicly?” The slightly longer version is this: You invalidate one team’s victory without really making the loser feel better. You add to the paranoia about referees in a social media-driven time overdosed on snark.

While MVP front-runner LeBron James has captured most of the Miami Heat’s headlines this season, Dwyane Wade quietly is having one of the most efficient stretches of his career.

In Tuesday’s win over the Atlanta Hawks, Wade scored 23 points on 9-of-18 shooting. He has scored at least 20 points and shot at least 50 percent from the field in a career-high 10 consecutive games. The streak is tied for the third longest in the NBA this season and is the longest among guards.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Wade is the first guard to score 20 points and shoot 50 percent in at least 10 straight games since Michael Jordan during the 1995-96 season (11 games).

During the Heat’s 19-game win streak, Wade has seen an overall increase in his scoring as well as his efficiency from the field. Wade, who was already shooting a career-high 50.8 percent from the field in his first 39 games of the season, is averaging 24.2 points on 55 percent shooting during Miami’s win streak. Five of his eight 30-point games this season have come during the win streak, including a season-high 39 points on Feb. 26 against the Sacramento Kings.

One of the primary reasons for Wade’s spike in his field goal percentage has been his aggressiveness in getting to the basket. Following offseason knee surgery, Wade lacked his usual explosiveness at the beginning of the season. But since the start of February, he is averaging 5.2 dunks and layups per game, including a season-high five dunks on March 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Wade continues to be one of the best slashers when it comes to attacking the paint, an area where he leads all guards in scoring for a fifth consecutive season. Since the start of February, Wade has been able to get even closer to the basket, averaging 11.5 points inside the restricted area (four-foot arc around the basket). He averaged just 8 points in that area in the first three months of the season.

On Wednesday, Miami starts a five-game road trip against the Philadelphia 76ers, a team the Heat have beaten 13 consecutive times during the regular season. With a win, Miami will be just the fourth team in NBA history to win 20 consecutive games in a single season, and set the mark for the longest win streak by a defending champion.

• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: Chris Bosh, occasional actor, has mastered the deadpan delivery — and he put those skills on display Tuesday night, shortly after the streaking Heat displayed their basketball skills on the court. Would 20 straight wins, a total that will be on the table Wednesday night in Philadelphia, be sufficient to excite him? “Ten is enough for me,” Bosh said. What about 20? “Twenty’s cool,” Bosh said. “I’ll take it. We’re going to have to earn it, I’m sure.” They will, even if as much of the challenge will come from the circumstances — a late-night flight followed by a 7 p.m. road tip — as from an opponent they’ve defeated 12 straight times. Yet what was apparent again Tuesday, in a 98-81 workmanlike hammering of the Hawks, is that there’s little that can fluster the Heat of late, including when they get little offensively from LeBron James.
• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald: Friday’s meeting with Milwaukee — the Heat’s second game on a five-game road trip — could end up being a preview of a first-round playoff series. And at least one Bucks player believes that would be the preferable matchup for Milwaukee, which entered Tuesday in the No. 8 seed. “The two games that we played Miami so far, we matched up well against them,” guard Brandon Jennings told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “If you ask me, that’s who I would want to play first round, Miami. “Right now we haven’t really played well against the Knicks. I just feel better if we play Miami first round, just the fact we have good games against them.” Chris Bosh said Jennings’ comment doesn’t bother him. “That’s great,” Bosh said. “I hope people want to see us. Milwaukee is a good team. It would be great games.” But Rashard Lewis said: “Be careful what you ask for.” The Heat beat Milwaukee in overtime in Miami in November but lost 104-85 Dec. 29 in Wisconsin.
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: Dwight Howard killed 'em with paint dominance, half-decent free-throw shooting and his usual kindness. Howard rode the positive energy he often preaches through his return game in Orlando on Tuesday. With Howard making 25 of 39 shots from the free-throw line – tying the NBA record for attempts he set a year ago – the Lakers beat Howard's old Orlando Magic team, 106-97. He smiled from pregame warmups to the victorious end – even as Orlando fans wore his old jerseys with the "H" on the back changed into a "C," one fan interrupted the national anthem to insult him and Magic coach Jacque Vaughn deliberately probed time and again at Howard's free-throw weakness. Despite a cold-shooting night from Kobe Bryant, the Lakers won because Howard left Orlando center Nik Vucevic likening him to "the Dwight that dominated the league the past few seasons." Howard finished with 39 points, 16 rebounds and three blocks – and Bryant said the Lakers' 17-6 run has sprung from Howard "just buying in to what we need him to do – him excelling at it."
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: There was plenty of Hack-A-Howard, even more Hate-A-Howard. The entire night was just another sad, bittersweet reminder of the Magic's legacy. For the city of Orlando. For the franchise and its fans. And for Dwight Howard, the guest of dishonor. The leather-lunged booing, caustic commentary and contentious Dwightmosphere turned Amway Center into a venting session first and a sporting event second. These engagements merely have become an embarrassing tradition for the Magic and the faithful, even if some circumstances are out of their control. They lead the NBA in this unfortunate ritual: Their once-beloved superstars return to the city of Orlando for the first time, only to be buried in boos and belligerence. Shaq, Penny, T-Mac, Grant Hill and now Dwight have all had similar toxic reunions here. … Howard put the Magic through the ringer – and the Magic tried to embarrass him as well. They sent his notorious free-throw form to the free-throw line by fouling intentionally – and it backfired.
• Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News: Even though the two went through a verbal back-and-forth in the media, Magic guard Jameer Nelson insists Dwight Howard "isn't a bad guy." But Nelson made it clear he's no longer close with the Lakers center. … The relationship strains stem partly from comments Howard made in an interview that aired last week on CBS2/KCAL9 in which he said, "My team in Orlando was a team full of people who nobody wanted. I was the leader and I led that team with a smile on my face." … Still, it appeared the two made some inroads in restoring their relationship. Howard and Nelson talked on the court following the Lakers' 106-97 win Tuesday over the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena. Nelson also prevented Howard from taking a nasty fall on a drive in the second quarter by holding him. "Jameer is my brother," Howard said. "I have no bad feelings toward him." But with Nelson expressing offense to Howard's interview, the Lakers center said he texted the Magic guard to clarify his comments. Did Howard apologize? "I guess publicly," Nelson said. "I'm not looking for an apology."
• Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News: Deron Williams has reached that comfort zone, the same one he enjoyed during the height of his days in Utah. It’s not just his rejuvenated body and rediscovered explosiveness. It’s also his approach. It’s his awareness. He has become the unquestioned leader of the Nets since the All-Star break, the point man calling out plays and taking control of a flowing offense. … For all of the 40 minutes he played Tuesday night at Barclays Center, he was the best player on the court in a 108-98 victory. He had 21 points and 13 assists, picking up the slack while Joe Johnson was inactive because of his sore left heel. It has been a similar story since the break for Williams, who has regained his All-Star form since dropping weight and undergoing another round of cortisone injections into his inflamed ankles. His leadership had been called into question the last two years, mostly because he sulked his way through losing seasons and was blamed for two coaches getting canned. But the last three weeks have undoubtedly represented Williams’ best stretch as a Net. It’s still a small sample size, but also an encouraging trend for the Nets.
• Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press: In this season of aches and pains, short-handed lineups and overall misery, the Timberwolves were due for some type of feel-good moment. It finally happened with a blowout win over the San Antonio Spurs, the team with the NBA's best record (49-16), and Ricky Rubio's first NBA triple-double. There was even an inspiring second quarter in which the Wolves outscored San Antonio 29-10 to set up a 107-83 victory in front of an impressed crowd of 14,219. Some might want to put an asterisk in front of the victory, given that injured Spurs starters Tim Duncan (sore left knee), Tony Parker (ankle) and Kawhi Leonard (sore left knee) did not make the trip to the Twin Cities. The night, however, belonged to Rubio, who finished with 21 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists to cap the best performance in his comeback from a major knee injury last season.
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: This is how Gerald Henderson describes what he hears from coach Mike Dunlap these days: “He wants me to shoot it every time. He wants me to think, ‘SCORE’ every time.” It doesn’t always work out that way. Henderson is a reluctant ball hog. But Tuesday he was on a preposterous roll that led to a preposterous score: Charlotte Bobcats 100, Boston Celtics 74. Suspend your disbelief; this really did happen for a Bobcats team on a 10-game losing streak and an NBA-worst 14-50 record. This was Charlotte’s widest margin of victory since January of 2010, when the Bobcats beat the Miami Heat 104-65. Many contributed, but none came close to shooting guard Henderson, who finished with a career-high 35 points.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal: After the Cavaliers claimed Shaun Livingston off waivers from the Washington Wizards on Christmas Day, Livingston’s first game as a member of the Cavs was against the Wizards. Now that Livingston is the starting point guard for the foreseeable future given Kyrie Irving’s injury, it only makes sense that Livingston’s first start also came against the Wizards on Tuesday. … It’s clear Livingston didn’t enjoy his time in Washington. He had been there once before, but when the Rockets released him at the end of training camp, the Wizards again inquired early in the season. With few other options available, Livingston agreed to return to the Wizards. “Probably one of the worst spots I’ve been in my career,” Livingston said of his time in Washington. “At the same time, it’s been a godsend here.” Livingston said he’s a cerebral player who didn’t have the right pieces around him in Washington, and the lack of structure within the Wizards didn’t help him. It’s why he never thought his career was over after the Wizards released him in December.
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: Tony Allen lunged for a steal and missed as momentum took him toward midcourt and out of the play. His Grizzlies teammates then began to scramble to cover the potential gaps in their defense. And they did just that until Allen recovered, flew toward the basket and recorded a block on a would-be layup. Whenever the Portland Trail Blazers thought there was daylight on offense Tuesday night, the Grizzlies pulled a shade before leaving the Rose Garden with a 102-97 victory. Hardly anything was rosy for the Blazers against a Grizzlies’ defense that didn’t seem to relax on many possessions. Just ask the Blazers and their incredibly shrinking shooting percentages from quarter to quarter. Portland began the night shooting 45 percent in the opening period. The Blazers made 39 percent of their shots in the second and only connected on 22 percent in the third.
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Center Chris Kaman started Tuesday night, but was pulled from the game after just 2:14 had elapsed off the clock. Coach Rick Carlisle took blame for putting Kaman in that situation, but it didn’t make it any easier for Kaman to understand. He was clearly not happy to get yanked that quickly. He never re-entered the game. … Carlisle said he realized quickly this game was not going to be one in which Kaman could prosper. … Carlisle said he had talked with Kaman about the situation immediately after the game. With a bigger set of centers and power forwards looming in San Antonio on Thursday, it would seem logical that Kaman would be back to his normal minutes against the Spurs.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: The Melodrama continues. The most important d-word tonight wasn’t about Denver but drainage. Carmelo Anthony said he expects to play tomorrow in his first homecoming in Denver but admitted his sore right knee is not getting better and if this continues, he may have the fluid in his knee drained. Mike Woodson listed him as “probably probable’’ and Melo indicated he would play and then possibly reevaluate after the contest. So tomorrow’s showdown game vs. the Nuggets could conceivably be his last of the West Coast trip. “We’re talking about it,’’ Anthony said after practicing on the Nuggets practice court at Pepsi Center. “The doctors will sit down and talk about it and see my options. I think that’s the last option - to get the knee drained. I have to weigh all the options - how much time I’d have to take off.’’