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• Trailer for a very cool-looking documentary on New York City pick-up basketball. Kenny Anderson, Fly Williams, God Shammgod, Homicide, Kenny Smith, Smush Parker, Headache, Julius Erving, Pee Wee Kirkland and others. What you might already be thinking.
• A very rough scene, including multiple shootings, in Oklahoma City after the Thunder win. Royce Young of Daily Thunder: "There were an estimated 10,000 people outside the arena Monday watching the game in Thunder Alley. It’s a question now as to if Thunder Alley will continue after this incident."
• John Hollinger (Insider) on JaVale McGee: "Turns out he's not just a punch line. McGee showed more development in two months in Denver than he had in four years in Washington, particularly on the offensive end where he showed some refinement with a sweeping hook shot. McGee still takes ridiculous chances on blocking shots he has no hope of reaching and leaves his feet constantly on the defensive end. On the other hand, he went for 21-14 against an elite frontcourt to key a close playoff road win, rejected a phenomenal 22 shots in 181 minutes, and had three 14-rebound efforts in seven games. In other words, while he's still something of a project, he's a productive project. Which makes him one of the league's most interesting names in restricted free agency. We know he's an athletic freak who probably has the highest leaping reach in basketball, so if he can just get halfway decent on the mental aspects he'll be a star. That tantalizing possibility, as the first round made clear, may cost Denver a lot more now that he's shown signs of possibly achieving it."
• Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register on the Lakers' season: "All the meanings could be seen in the final game: The Lakers were too slow, failed to defend consistently, had virtually no bench help, didn't get a team game from Bryant, couldn't depend fully on Bynum and had to accept excuses afterward from Gasol about what a tough year it was. 'He always wants me to be aggressive,' Gasol said of Bryant, 'but it's been tough for me. I've been in a facilitating role most of the year, pretty much the third option most of the year.' Then one of the last things Gasol said for the season was simply this: 'A lot going on this year.' Yes, more than enough to keep the Lakers from making that leap they've made look so seamless before ... from talented players to championship team. 'We just weren't doing it together,' Bynum said."
• This is turning into another one of those years ... if the NBA is rigged to favor big markets, they are terrible at rigging things. Out: New York, both Los Angeles teams, Chicago. In: Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Indianapolis, Boston (bear with me), Philadelphia (likely not for long) and Miami.
• Jazz GM Kevin O'Connor on KFAN, when asked about the "one and done" rule that allows players to join the NBA after one year of college or equivalent: "My wife writes the checks. And she would not like to write a check if I told you what I thought about the whole thing. Because the NBA would calling up ... and saying to send a check."
• Idea from a Blazer fan's active imagination. How about hiring both Van Gundys in Portland, to take over jobs as coach and GM as they see fit? Would eliminate trust issues, dramatically improve the defense and create one hell of a sitcom.
• The owner of the Warriors and mayor of San Francisco making very strong comments, loaded with certainty, about the Warriors moving to San Francisco.
• Kevin Garnett has some thoughts about Philadelphia fans.
• Heat superstars wonder aloud what Danny Granger is up to with his tough talk, which is probably a decent sign Granger's tactics have been effective.
• Is Shaquille O'Neal in position to make fun of Metta World Peace for having too many names?
• Time lapse video of Staples Center's busy weekend, with a thumpin' rock beat.
• Kevin McHale gets a C+ for his coaching.
• Holy Italian league playoff buzzer beaters.
• A while ago, I got very excited about Ian Levy's pretty charts showing team's offensive plays and how often they use them. Now he has them for all 30 teams. There is a lot to glean from them. But also ... the lines of the charts, like clouds in the sky, luck into recognizable shapes at times. Can't help but notice that the chart of the Lakers' offense looks like a dead bird. The Heat's looks like a little singing cartoon dude. The Thunder's is a fighter jet. The Hawks (work with me on this) resembles the head of a Great Dane.
• Russell Westbrook had four turnovers in the whole series.

On Grantland, Greg Oden's former teammate Mark Titus spends plenty of time with the unemployed former first overall pick, and it's a wonderful must-read and the saddest thing ever, all at the same time.

Doubtless the biggest eye-opener is talk of Oden drinking more alcohol than he thinks he should have (and whatever "doing things I shouldn't have been doing" means), particularly when a hard-drinking cousin from the Air Force moved into his Portland house to "mentor" him.

Oden has discussed his relationship with alcohol before -- but it's news how it all shook out, and how Titus reports Oden's friends reacted in real time, with profound concern, talk of interventions and the like.

Read the whole story, though, and this alcohol aspect is just one of a half-dozen Oden tales of things gone wrong:

• You know that wrist injury that dogged him in college? He got it, we learn, scrapping with his brother -- something that he long kept a secret.
• His close friend died, tragically, on a day he might have been safely watching Oden play, but for a ticket mix-up.
• Being in the same draft with the supernova Kevin Durant has created all kinds of pressures and scrutiny.
• Portland was an unlucky place to land -- it's described both as not a good place for a young black man with a lot of money looking for a mentor, and as the team with perhaps the worst medical staff in the league.
• There is talk of the etiquette of sexting, and how basic decency demanded he snap a photo of his privates and send them along.
• There is the psychologist who helped him, until Oden pushed him away out of suspicion he was sharing Oden's personal information with the team.

And on and on.

By the time we get to the nitty gritty of his health -- really with Oden, the only thing that matters -- there is this insight about Oden's locked out summer of 2011 which really underlines a theme of victimhood:

Somewhat thankfully, the NBA lockout forced him away from the Blazers' facilities last summer, and he moved to Los Angeles to continue rehabilitating at a private clinic. Even if the change of scenery served him well, that clinic was juggling too many athletes to give him the personal attention Greg thought he needed, so he found a different clinic that was more hands-on. Greg's new physical therapist informed him that, while his left knee was healing well, it wasn't nearly as strong as it should've been. He referred Greg to a New York colleague who specialized in things like "making someone's knee better after it endures two devastating injuries in less than a year." Before Greg shifted operations to New York, however, the lockout ended and forced him back to Portland. Again, he felt rushed to return to the court before he was ready. And wouldn't you know it — he ended up needing another microfracture surgery in the same knee he was already rehabbing.

You feel that idea? That if somehow the lockout had been longer everything would be better?

Somewhere around there I reached the point of enough already with the excuses.

NBA players have the right to get their own medical advice, apart from the team, whenever they want it. Players do that all the time. But Oden never really pursued that too aggressively, which blows my mind.

Are there doctors who could have Oden healthy and on the court right now? Maybe. Nobody knows.

By the time he was enthusiastic about the solution in New York, Oden was four years and $20 million in salary into knowing that his career hinged on getting the best medical care money could find. By last summer Oden knew that he was particularly injury prone (wrist, tonsillectomy, microfracture 1, ankle injury, foot issue, fractured kneecap, microfracture 2). He had wondered aloud in May 2010 if maybe he had systemic health issues underlying all that. The lockout didn't end until past Thanksgiving, four years after when Oden should have been on that jet to New York or Switzerland or wherever it is they have answers.

And now that he has had microfracture 3, still no real answer. If New York was the promised land, why isn't he there right now?

Greg has, by his own admission, watched a hell of a lot of "Two and a Half Men" and "Gossip Girl." He has not, despite all the time and money you could ever ask for, gone to the trouble of finding the best medical care in the world -- at least not that he has discussed.

Maybe it's too tall an order to expect an injured young athlete to take charge of complex affairs in that way. It's normal and right to make mistakes when you're young. That's cool. But it's getting past time when we can blame anybody but Greg, for instance, for things Greg did or didn't do.

The truth is he has had a ton of bad luck and a ton of good luck. Put it all together, and he can create all kinds of success and happiness, and we won't have to keep hearing such sad stories.

• John Hollinger (Insider) says the Bulls can get back into their series against the Sixers -- playing without Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in the regular season they were much better than this. "The Bulls have to start Taj Gibson -- who is one of their best players anyway -- and play long stretches with Luol Deng at the 4. This frees up minutes for Korver, spaces the floor for everybody, and may even allow some small looks with C.J. Watson and sharpshooter John Lucas on the court together."
• Not too long ago, the Pacers were entirely unsure about Frank Vogel as a head coach. Tonight, they might be headed to the second round.
• Things are just getting brutal for Kings fans. Rob McAllister on Cowbell Kingdom: "With this public relations campaign already heading toward its own death bed, the Kings owners are going to need a tougher strategy to be granted relocation. Insert the lawyers. The family has someone with forty years of experience in anti-trust suits waiting to strike. Attorney Barry McNeil is no slouch and may be a formidable foe to Commissioner Stern and the league’s legal team. The Maloofs’ lawyers have sought email and phone conversations between the NBA and Sacramento all in an effort to build a case against the league if the owners attempt to block the move to Anaheim. There is no doubt this will get much uglier before it gets prettier."
• An overseas report of Danilo Gallinari saying, essentially, that everyone knows the Lakers get all the calls.
• You know how Metta World Peace elbowed James Harden? Could happen to anyone at work.
• Steve Kerr makes the case for raising the age limit to 20. And it all makes sense ... in theory. But in practice ... it simply doesn't work like that. Lawyer Michael McCann explains this best.
• 19-year-old 6-7 athletic French shooting guard, anyone?
• Charles Barkley says LeBron James is the best player in the world, has been closing games well for a long time, and was probably just tired at the end of the Finals last year. Also, he says Michael Jordan has texted him, angry that Barkley has said Jordan has not been a good owner.
• Of all those teams trailing 3-1, Memphis might have the best shot at getting to Game 6. Neil Paine's analysis (Insider) shows they have two edges that matter in regression models: Homecourt in Game 5, and an opponent that didn't play great defense in the regular season.
• Jan Vesely's famous kiss gets kind of meta.
• Wow. If you live in New York and want to see the Knicks play the Heat, the prices are similar whether you buy tickets to Madison Square Garden or similar seats in Miami -- along with airfare and hotel.
• Is a Brandon Roy comeback still theoretically possible? Also, a year into the Blazers' GM search comes news that one interview has been completed. It's a little more complicated than that, but the upshot is that they have some candidates they like and expect to make a hire before the draft.
• Uni Watch readers come up with new looks for New Orleans.

HoopIdea wants to #StopTheFlop. To spotlight the biggest fakers, we present Flop of the Night. You can help us separate the pretenders from the defenders -- details below:

Jonny Flynn has spent just five weeks playing with the Portland Trail Blazers, but this Flop of the Night shows he's working hard to learn from veteran teammate and 3-pointer flop artist Jamal Crawford.

Midway through the fourth quarter, Flynn spots up in the right corner where he's wide open for a 3-pointer. However Flynn looks more concerned with drawing the foul than hitting the shot. As his defender flies by, Flynn goes down as though all muscle control suddenly flees his legs in mid-air.

Credit Flynn this much: he truly is a committed actor, listen closely and you'll hear him yelp a verbal flop as well.

Even accounting for the unconvincing dramatization, this is a truly bad flop because it takes Flynn out of the action. After picking himself up off the floor, Flynn lags behind the play as the basketball gods (or just Jamaal Tinsley) punish him for his floppery by pushing the ball up court for a three-on-two that ends in a Josh Howard bucket.

A big thanks to @KennChapman17, who not only caught the flop but sent in an exemplary tweet to alert us.

However the playoffs are sure to provide a veritable cornucopia of flops, so keep your eyes peeled and tweet @HoopIdea when you spot a #FlopOfTheNight!

Here's how to make your submission:

• Alert HoopIdea to super flops with the Twitter hashtag #FlopOfTheNight (follow us on Twitter here).
• Use the #FlopOfTheNight hashtag in Daily Dime Live.
• E-mail us at hoopidea@gmail.com

• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: No James Harden meant no easy buckets. Now, it's anyone's guess when the team's most dynamic playmaker will return. But as the opening weekend of the playoffs nears, the Thunder can only hope Harden's symptoms subside soon. Sunday's game proved that with Harden, the Thunder has a championship-caliber, three-headed monster offensively that can be nearly impossible to stop, and without him, well, OKC could be on upset alert in round one. That's the significance of one swing of the elbow by Metta World Peace.
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: You want to go to a Grizzlies home playoff game? Then put down the paper and get your butt to FedExForum. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. today. Yes, you could stay at home and get your phone ready and start frantically punching buttons at 9:59 a.m. But if you're truly dedicated, you'll do that while standing in line. That way, you'll cover all the angles. "It's almost here," said Tony Allen. The playoffs, he meant. How awesome is that? The fury and the tension and the mind-altering din. The white outs and the growl towels and the unmistakable civic spring in the step. ... Allen and the Grizzlies took care of another bit of business Monday night, dispatching the Cleveland Cavaliers, 109-101. ... "We did what we had to do," said Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley. "Now the pressure is on them." By them, he meant the Los Angeles Clippers, aka the team you are free to start loathing any day now. The Grizzlies will almost certainly play the Clippers in the first-round of the playoffs.
• Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer: Lots of Cavaliers fans wanted to see Kyrie Irving and his sprained right shoulder in street clothes for the remainder of the season for fear of re-injury. Four games into his return, Irving's opponents are once again the ones worrying about damage control. The presumptive NBA Rookie of the Year is shaking off the rust the way he often does defenders in the paint. The 20-year-old point guard scored 25 points Monday night in a 109-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. "That's why we wanted him to come back, just to go out there and get his feet wet and keep accepting the challenge every single night," Cavs coach Byron Scott said. "He's done just that, so I'm very excited about the way he's played the last couple of games especially." Irving was terrific for the first three quarters in which he scored all his points, but two rare free-throw misses with the Cavs trailing, 100-98, proved costly in the final minutes as the Grizzlies ended the game on an 11-3 run.
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: The notion that team ownership is a “public trust” is a laughable anachronism. Maybe it felt that way once. But not since they priced the middle class almost virtually out of the picture. For the first time, the Nets are attempting to join that rat race in earnest. We wish them bon voyage and Godspeed and all that rot. They should do well. Mikhail Prokhorov personally thinks they will be valued at $5 billion in five years’ time, and since that’s the only measure of success he seems to know, we hope he achieves this goal that is so essential to the public welfare. The team itself could be great, or it could be horrid. Much of that depends on whether the point guard stays home, because Deron Williams is a player of extraordinary gifts: He can run and jump like an antelope, he plays hard, he cares about winning. But he’s also an incurable mope, with the personality of a nightclub bouncer, and if that’s the kind of guy you want to root for, help yourself. So embrace these dyspeptic darlings, if you must. But more than likely, you will watch without the emotional investment, because you have outgrown the need for it. You recognized this as a team with a core existential crisis since 2004 — from the moment Bruce Ratner bought them, they were an orphaned franchise with an estranged fan base, and as Jason Kidd belatedly observed four long years ago, “It’s not about basketball around here anymore.”
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: Goodbye New Jersey, hello playoffs. While the Nets' organization celebrated its final game in North Jersey after 35 years, as they'll be moving across the river to Brooklyn next season, the 76ers held a mild celebration of their own after beating New Jersey on Monday night, 105-87. The win clinched a playoff berth as the Sixers improved to 34-30 with their third straight win, each on the road. They are tied with New York for the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference, but the Knicks own the tiebreaker, having won the season series. The Sixers will play at Milwaukee Wednesday and at Detroit Thursday. New York will host the Clippers on Wednesday and play at Charlotte on Thursday. The Sixers will play either Chicago or Miami in the first round. Although the effort wasn't as strong as Saturday's at Indiana, the Sixers did jump out to a fast start. That seemed to deflate much of the interest that New Jersey, playing without injured All-Star guard Deron Williams, had in winning.
• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: Wrapping up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference moved Spurs captain Tim Duncan to do some campaigning for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich for Coach of the Year. “Is it time to start the chant?” he said after Monday’s 124-89 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at the AT&T Center that clinched the top spot in the West. “‘Coach of the Year, Coach of the Year.’” Duncan declared the work Popovich has done this season the best he has observed in any of his 15 seasons playing for him. “I really think so,” he said. “He’s put so many guys into our system. We’ve been playing with two very young guys starting for us the entire year; getting all those guys acclimated on the fly with very little practice time. All those things, he’s done an unbelievable job with it. Yeah, it’s probably the best job he’s done thus far. Obviously, not only the coaching job he’s done, but the rotation he’s given us. He’s kept us fresh. He’s found ways to rest guys when he can. I think our minutes are as low as anyone, and we’re still No. 1 in the West.” Duncan’s minutes are at a career low, 28.2 per game, and he is one of 10 current Spurs who average at least 20 minutes per game on the deepest roster of Popovich’s 16 seasons as head coach.
• Dan McCarney For The Oregonian: As has become the norm in recent weeks, Blazers interim head coach Kaleb Canales opened his pre-game media session Monday in San Antonio with an injury report. Joel Przybilla -- game-time decision. Nicolas Batum -- game-time decision. Jamal Crawford -- game-time decision. Raymond Felton -- game-time decision. Canales didn't need to mention All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge, already lost for the season. Finally, a bemused reporter cut to the chase: "Who's playing?" Even Canales had to laugh. But there was little humor to be found later as the Spurs, gearing up for pursuit of their fifth NBA title, destroyed the depleted Blazers 124-89 at the AT&T Center. ... It was not the homecoming Canales, who grew up two hours south in Laredo, was hoping for. Scores of family members and friends were on hand to witness one of the most lopsided losses of a trying season.
• Mike Wise of The Washington Post: Ernie Grunfeld, judged strictly by what he has done to execute owner Ted Leonsis’s plan the past two years — and not what he did or didn’t do in his six years under Abe Pollin — isn’t going anywhere. Two NBA officials, on condition of anonymity, told The Post that Leonsis and Grunfeld, whose contract expires at the end of this season, have agreed to a new deal that could be announced Tuesday. It is believed to be for more than one season. If that doesn’t make sense, well, it’s time to take a serious look at what Grunfeld has done since Leonsis took over rather than get caught up in How-Can-Ernie-Possibly-Be-Back? rhetoric. ... When the Wizards actually spend big money in the offseason and the mandate is to be a perennial playoff team, that’s when Grunfeld should be properly judged. Until then, disenchanted fans target their ire toward Leonsis’s long-term strategy and whether it’s going to pay dividends. Moan at the moon; Ernie was just doing Ted’s bidding. That’s why he’s staying.
• Tom Sorensen of The Charlotte Observer: The night that matters is May 30. The evening will be the most important in the team’s eight-year history. Across the river from Manhattan, in the NBA’s Secaucus, N.J., studios, the league will place 14 pingpong balls in a drum. If the balls roll right, Charlotte will receive the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft. That pick will be 6-foot-10 Anthony Davis, the former Kentucky star. Davis is Manhattan. Compared to him, every other player is New Jersey. The Bobcats have only a 25 percent chance of winning the pick. We like to say that people, and teams, make their own luck. We lie. Good fortune is underestimated in the NBA and every other sport. San Antonio did a great job of packing talent around Tim Duncan, Chicago around Derrick Rose. But without Duncan and without Rose, the Spurs and Bulls are merely a collection of nice players. I wrote on Twitter last week that Davis will be as transcendent a basketball player as Panthers quarterbackCam Newton is a football player. Readers begged to differ, although they didn’t beg. ... You want to know how good Davis will be? This is how good. If the Bobcats get him, owner Michael Jordan will again become a courtside regular at his team’s home games.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: Frank Vogel’s latest move could help the Pacers when they open the playoffs this weekend. He gave Danny Granger, Roy Hibbert and George Hill the night off against Detroit on Monday. Hibbert and Hill will be back in the lineup for the season finale against Chicago on Wednesday because Vogel wants to stick with his normal rotation as much as possible against the Bulls. Granger will sit the game out because he’s been dealing with knee issue. He’d be in the lineup if they were playing Game 1 on Wednesday. ... It’s uncertain how many minutes Chicago coach Tom Thibodeau will play his rotation players on Wednesday. But you can expect Vogel to go with his normal rotation – minus Granger – for as much as possible so come Game 1 on Saturday or Sunday the Pacers continue to look like the team that’s 12-2 this month. Not the team that looks like its out of sync. Vogel is making the right call.
• Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko sat in his locker, quietly looking around and made a telling, but not arrogant, vow. "I don't want to go through this again," Jerebko said. "We're going to the playoffs next year. We know what it takes. You can't start off a season 4-20 and bounce back." He was asked if he was guaranteeing anything, seeing as how former Piston Rasheed Wallace made headlines years ago with his famous boasts. "Yes, sir," said Jerebko with a smile. "We're a playoff team, with playoff-caliber players."
• Charles F. Gardner of the of Journal Sentinel: The Milwaukee Bucks were reduced to scoreboard watching while trying to beat the Toronto Raptors on Monday night at the Bradley Center. Ersan Ilyasova led a late Bucks rally to overcome the Raptors, 92-86, but that scoreboard gaze revealed the dreaded news: Milwaukee's playoff quest was over for another year. Philadelphia won at New Jersey, 105-87, to clinch the final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference and eliminate the Bucks from contention. The Bucks (31-33) chased both the New York Knicks and 76ers in the final weeks of the season but failed to catch either one. Philadelphia (34-30) leads Milwaukee by three games with just two remaining, and Wednesday's game between the teams doesn't mean much now. "It's real disappointing to finish the season and not make the playoffs," said Ilyasova, who had 19 points and 15 rebounds against Toronto. "We started the season really bad. And when you look at our season, we lost a lot of close games. It's really frustrating."
• Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: Jonas Valanciunas and Linas Kleiza were among 24 players invited to try out for the Lithuanian National team that will attempt to qualify this early this summer in Argentina for the Summer Olympic games in London. Valanciunas, 19, will battle 32-year-old, 6-foot-10 centre Robertas Javtokas and 6-foot-10, 243-pound centre Antanas Kavaliauskas for a spot on the team. While Valanciunas, 7-feet, 240 pounds doesn’t have the track record of either player, he made a huge impression at Eurobask last summer and before that was huge in Lithuania’s win at the FIBA under-19 championships where he was MVP. Lithuania will have to finish in the top three at the July 2-8 tournament to qualify for London.

Kevin Durant scampered down the left side of the lane with the ball, and almost certainly the game, in his hands. He released a layup which would drive all kinds of people, certainly Blazer fans and the league office in New York, a bit nuts.

Before Durant could lay it in, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge -- another long leaper -- showed off his massive reach by poking the ball away.

The chasedown block is one of the most exciting plays in the NBA for fans, but for referees it can be a nightmare. In addition to watching the airborne bodies for fouls, they are also charged with deciphering whether or not Aldridge, in this case, touched the shot after it hit the backboard, and was therefore goaltending.

You watch it in real time and see if you can tell. Not easy, right?

In that moment, official Scott Foster signaled goaltending -- a call that even the homerish Portland commentators agreed with. But slow-motion instant replay -- which for this type of play, is banned for referees, but is standard for anyone watching at home -- cares not about the feelings of referees.

The Thunder went on to win the hard-fought contest. The Blazers lost the game and, the way a lot of fans see it, the season. A team that was then 11-1 at home before the botched call has since lost a coach, playoff aspirations, two key players and 24 of 38 games.

The next day, though, something that never would have happened a decade ago from the league's @NBAOfficial Twitter account: "Close call in Portland last night but w/ benefit of slow motion replay, goaltending was incorrect call."

It was wrong, and they admitted it.

It can be seen as hanging referees out to dry. It can be seen as egging on whiny fans.

It can also be seen as the way the world is heading, and part of a broader collection of initiatives to make the league more transparent than ever.

"In part we’re looking to humanize our referees,” explains NBA President of League Operations Joel Litvin, “because everyone knows so much about the other 10 people on the floor, and they don’t know much about those last three. ... I don’t think it comes as a surprise to people to learn that it’s hard. These are professionals and being embarrassed is not fun especially when it's in front of 18,000 people and the world's media. We’re not looking for sympathy, these are professionals, this is their job."

Increased transparency includes multiple Twitter accounts, a TV series about referees calls, video features of life behind-the-scenes for officials, a video rulebook, public referee assignments the morning of every game and freeing referees to talk to reporters occasionally.

What's the point? “One is to provide transparency to demystify the referee program and allow people to see who these people are," says Litvin, "and secondly it’s just really good content. ... I just think it’s inevitable that we will engage in more and more ways to be transparent. It’s where all companies are headed and it’s where we’re headed.

Transparency, or lack thereof, became a real issue for the league during the Tim Donaghy betting scandal, which put the NBA’s refereeing practices under the spotlight, and helped spur the league to action.

"To some extent it was a reaction to the Donaghy episode,” says Litvin. The scandal opened a Pandora’s box of questions about how the NBA hires, trains, manages and oversees its referees. The league hopes that by presenting more information about the referee program will neuter any assertions that referees are not held accountable.

The league’s Video Rulebook was an important early step. It explains every call in the game with video examples. On NBA TV’s “Making The Call,” former director of officials Ronnie Nunn breaks down and explains tough calls and whether the referee working the game got it right at the time. That stuff is fun for the hoop junkie seeking to deeper understanding of the league’s somewhat arcane rules, but there’s also content that simply helps viewers “get to know” the officials.

NBA.com also features "day in the life"-style programming that track referees’ arduous schedules of travel, performance reviews, film study and high pressure games, help viewers understand how rigorous their jobs are and that they are professionals trying to get it right.

Litvin says officials have welcomed the intrusion: "Feedback has been pretty much uniformly positive. They’d like the same thing. They’d like the fans to realize they’re human beings, they’re trained in certain ways. They have an interesting story to tell, what their lives are like, what it’s like during the seasons. People like to talk about their profession, again, so I have never heard a negative word from a referee about this transparency."

More than by Donaghy, the league says transparency is motivated by the very way we watch games. High-definition TV and slow-motion replays have created a need to close the gap between the information viewers have at home and what's going into referee's decision-making. There's just no pretending, in 2012, that referees don't make mistakes. “To have the home audience watching the play knowing we got it wrong, if we can fix it, we’re intent on doing it,” says Litvin, alluding to the league’s ever-expanding replay policy.

There's still plenty the league is not sharing. Fans may never learn, for instance, the grades that referees get on a night-to-night basis. Much of the most interesting data on NBA officials still comes from the gambling world, where referee tendencies are accepted as a matter of fact, and even published.

But progress has been made. Today, according to the league, everyone understands that transparency is not only good for the product, and for fans’ peace of mind, but for business. And as long as that’s the case, we should expect for more open and public discourse about how to improve the league and the game, which certainly seems to be a fan-friendly trend.

Basketball geekery has delved into crunch time in various ways.

• First there was individual field goal percentage. That's where we learned that the players we thought owned crunch time (for instance Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups) actually miss a lot.
• A year ago, we added something new, looking at team offenses. That's a more important measure, assuming you value wins more than highlights. Who cares who gets the bucket, so long as they're on your team? That's where we learned that most teams were about the same, with some exceptions, including Chris Paul's Hornets, which were amazing.

But all that is only part of the picture. Because as much as we love clutch buckets, clutch wins also have a ton to do with defense. If you're going to point to any team as elite in the clutch, that must be included, and now it is.

As John Hollinger has explained, a lot of what teams do in crunch time is likely random. Looking at tiny parts of games creates some wacky results without a lot of predictive value ... anyone who says they know a team will do well in crunch time is likely fibbing. All teams do both well and poorly at different times. But defense may be a bit of an exception. Teams do seem to play defense with a certain consistency late in games.

Using NBA.com data from the last five years (current as of today), from games within five points in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime, Trevor Ebaugh of ESPN Stats & Info. dug in and created this pretty Tableau table:



Some of what we noticed:

• The Cavaliers of LeBron James and Mike Brown were unreal in crunch time, leading the league by a hefty margin for three straight years, with the best performances of any teams in the record. It's easy to see that LeBron James matters here -- once he left for Miami the Cavaliers’ plus/minus plummeted. The Cavs averaged plus-113 with James during those three seasons, and plus one in the two seasons since. Meanwhile, before James, the Heat weren't good in crunch time, but have since become very solid.
• Mike Brown emerges as an interesting character in crunch time. With James in Cleveland three straight years, and now in Los Angeles after a year off, his teams led the league by this metric every year he has coached in the last half-decade. In this period, neither team has been as good with other coaches, either.
• The Lakers have by far the best crunch time plus/minus this season (plus-79, the Pacers are second at plus-65). Pau Gasol (plus-78) has been their biggest individual star, followed closely by Andrew Bynum (plus-74). Kobe Bryant ranks third at plus-58. The Lakers achieved this number with the NBA's second-best clutch offense (behind the Magic) and the eighth-best defense.
• Three teams have shone for five straight years: The Lakers, Celtics and Magic. The Nuggets are flirting with joining that club, too.
• Superstars matter. Or, at least some do. LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul almost always end the season positive in this regard -- the only exceptions are Paul and Nowitzki this year, which could still change. Other big names, like Kevin Durant, Tim Duncan, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade have had more mixed results.
• Good teams in general do well in crunch time. The top six teams in crunch time plus/minus this season have already locked up playoff spots, for instance (Lakers, Pacers, Hawks, Magic, Spurs and Bulls). But it's hardly a perfect correlation. In fact, surely a lot of what we're seeing in this chart appears to be simple randomness. The Pacers, terrible for a long time, are suddenly leaders. The Kings are excellent crunch time defenders this season. The Hawks are a solid team that is way better than solid late in games. And plenty of good teams -- the Sixers, the Knicks -- are pretty bad with the game on the line.
• Over the past half-decade, just two teams, the Knicks and Timberwolves, haven't had a single season in positive territory.
• The top ten late-game offensive teams this season are the Magic, Lakers, Grizzlies, Bulls, Hawks, Pacers, Rockets, Thunder, Spurs and Knicks.
• The Pacers are by far this season's best defensive team late in close games. They are followed by the Hawks, Kings (!), Spurs, Heat, Magic, Bulls, Lakers, Thunder and Clippers.
• The Dallas Mavericks have been very good for the last five years, but also have had the biggest drop-off in crunch time performance, from a league-leading plus-117 last season to an anemic minus-16 this season.
• The Hawks have been good in crunch time for four straight years.
• The Spurs and Thunder have been up and down.
• The Houston Rockets (plus-31) and Memphis Grizzlies (plus-28) are the best crunch time teams this season that have yet to lock up a playoff spot. The Los Angeles Clippers (minus-9) are the only playoff team with a negative clutch plus/minus.

Mostly, this feels like it's the tip of the iceberg. There's a lot more to learn about all this, and one of the big questions on the horizon is something Bill James has wrestled with in baseball for quite some time: Is there such a thing as clutch time performers? Are there really players or teams who do better with the game on the line?

That's still not something we know. What we do know is that a lot of what we thought we knew was wrong.

• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: If the goal was to make the Oklahoma City Thunder’s dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook uncomfortable then mission accomplished. If the goal was to bring the soaring Thunder back down to earth by reminding them which team has a knack for grinding out the most improbable wins then mission accomplished. If the Grizzlies intended to make a statement that they are still a team to be reckoned with in the Western Conference then their 94-88 victory over the Thunder sent a clear message Monday night before a raucous, sellout crowd of 18,203 in Chesapeake Energy Arena. ... In case no one noticed, that was Gilbert Arenas guarding and disrupting Durant for long stretches in the game. Yes, that Gilbert Arenas — the one who just signed on to play for the Griz two weeks ago. The Griz got away with Arenas defending Durant most of the second period and weren’t exploited by the matchup. It was a move dictated by Allen and Rudy Gay’s foul trouble, and Arenas’ confidence in his experience. “He surprised me,” Allen said of Arenas. “A few days ago, we saw Durant play Houston and Arenas said he use to defend him in Washington. He got his chance to defend him tonight and he frustrated Durant. That is the good thing about our team, we can mix it up and mix and match.”
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: If I was a Thunder fan I’d be very, very worried about meeting Memphis again in the playoffs. The Grizzlies don’t back down and they don’t go away. And Memphis’ contrasting style that combines paint points and physical punishment is a perfect recipe to oust the Thunder. Plus, not only are the Grizzlies great defensively but they also play with poise that young teams rarely exhibit. It would be another scintillating series. But this time, I’m not so sure the Thunder could get past them. The Grizzlies started Tony Allen on Westbrook and put Jeremy Pargo (filling in for an injured Mike Conley) on Thabo Sefolosha. It’s nothing new. We’ve seen it before. But I thought that one cross matchup explained a lot about the Thunder’s offense tonight. The Thunder missed some great looks early, but Allen helped disrupt OKC’s offense from the start. Westbrook was 1-for-5 from the field in the first quarter. By comparison, he was 5-for-6 from the floor in the opening period Sunday against Chicago. Through three quarters, Westbrook was 2-for-12. With him saddled, the Thunder’s offense was terrible. Now would probably be a good time to alert you to Westbrook and Kevin Durant responding to Skip Bayless. Durant in that response: “We’re worse when I take more shots.” Worth noting that Durant took 20 shots to Westbrook’s 16 tonight.
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The Rockets had just about everything going against them Monday night, and that was before the game started. Then it got worse. Long before the Bulls opened a 15-point lead, they had come home from a loss in Oklahoma City holding the league’s best record. They had not lost consecutive games since February 2011, taking the second-longest streak in NBA history without consecutive losses to 86 games. The Rockets had been 1-9 when completing a second half of a back-to-back on the road and came in off an overtime loss. The Rockets were on the brink of being blown out when they began barely noticeable steps back, then took off. Before the Bulls could see them gaining on them, the Rockets turned up their defense, got on the boards and found their shots, stunning Chicago 99-93 at United Center. ... The Rockets not only climbed out of that 15-point hole, they rolled to a 14-point lead, then held off the Bulls late. The Rockets have come back from double-digit deficits to stun the Lakers, Thunder and Bulls.
• Neil Hayes of the Chicago Sun-Times: The mission from the beginning of the season is to be healthy and playing your best basketball heading into the playoffs. The Bulls are so far from accomplishing both goals that not even the long-awaited return of Rip Hamilton was enough to prevent them from losing back-to-back games for the first time in 86 games. The Bulls are not only battered but looked gassed for the second consecutive game. This team needs an infusion of energy, which made Hamilton’s return for only his 17th game seem opportune, considering Derrick Rose remains out with a groin injury and the Bulls were coming off the embarrassing loss Sunday against the Thunder. Hamilton played mostly like his old self in limited minutes, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a second-half collapse that resulted in a 99-93 loss Monday against the Rockets at the United Center. Coach Tom Thibodeau called it the worst consecutive performances since he arrived before last season. “I felt like we let go of the rope,” Thibodeau said. “Usually, we’re a team that has shown great fight, great resolve. We get down; we fight back. I don’t feel we ever let go of the rope. The last two games, we let go of the rope.” “I don’t think we let go of the rope, but when you lose two in a row, questions creep in,” Carlos Boozer said.
• Dan Woike of The Orange County Register: Five wasn’t good enough for the Clippers. The Clippers won their sixth-straight game of the year thanks to Randy Foye’s assault from three-point range, beating the Mavericks 94-75 in Dallas. It’s the Clippers’ first six-game winning streak since 1992. Foye tied a franchise record with eight three-point baskets, leading the team with 28 points. “Whatever the defense gave me, I just took,” he said. “…I was just knocking down shots.” Chris Paul was the only Clippers who struggled, hitting 3-of-12 from the field, but Paul had 10 assists. Blake Griffin had his 33rd double-double of the season scoring 15 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Two of Griffin’s points came on a huge tip dunk on a rare Foye miss. The Clippers held Dallas to a woeful night shooting, keeping the Mavericks under 40 percent from the field. The Clippers also had 10 steals in the win. “We want to win games and control our own destiny,” Caron Butler said. “…We’ve got some great momentum right now.” With the win, the Clippers snap a 10-game losing streak in Dallas and take the season series from Dallas.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: It didn't take long for the injury bug to hit the Dallas Mavericks. Again. When center Brendan Haywood played Friday against the Orlando Magic, it was the first time since Feb. 13 that the Mavs suited up a fully healthy squad. Unfortunately for the Mavs, it only lasted one game. Forward Lamar Odom missed Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers with a stomach illness. Point guard Jason Kidd missed the Clippers game and will miss the next three with a strained right groin. "Unfortunately, injuries and stuff like that has become part of Mavericks basketball this season," Haywood said. "Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. At the end of the day we've got to find a way. It doesn't have to be pretty, we just have to get done." That sentiment is shared by center Brandan Wright. "It's one of those type of years," Wright said. "A lot of teams got a lot of guys out. You can't make that as an excuse. You've just got to keep chugging." Kidd, who recently turned 39 years old, is the glue that holds the Mavs together.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: March was another good month for Isaiah Thomas. For the second consecutive time, the Kings point guard was named the Western Conference Rookie of the Month. Thomas and Tyreke Evans are the only Kings to receive the honor in consecutive months. Lionel Simmons and Brian Grant are the other Kings who have won the award. Thomas led Western Conference rookies with 4.9 assists per game in March and was second in scoring at 13.6 points. Among all rookies, Thomas led in fast-break points (64) and free throws made (54). He was second in assists (89) and third in points (245) and steals (24). Not bad for a player who was picked last in the June draft. "I didn't expect to get awards like this, but I always expected (to be honored) if I got the opportunity," Thomas said. "And coach has given me a big opportunity and a big chance, and I'm trying to do the best I can to take full advantage of it."
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Here's a bit of advice if your favorite basketball team's season takes a fateful turn with one mounting injury after another: Never, ever ask if it can get any worse because it just did for the Timberwolves in their 116-108 loss to the Kings Monday night at Power Balance Pavilion. Just when the Wolves got Nikola Pekovic back from an injury list that already includes Ricky Rubio, J.J. Barea and Michael Beasley, starting point guard Luke Ridnour went down in pain late in the third quarter clutching a right ankle he sprained after he landed on another player's foot. Ridnour didn't play again and probably won't be available for Wednesday's home game against Golden State at the very least. Ridnour's injury leaves coach Rick Adelman with just one healthy point guard: Malcolm Lee, a second-round pick rookie who played the entire fourth quarter. "It's something we didn't need," Adelman said. "But I think we had some guys play the second half. Our team is committed. We're not going to quit on the season. That's what I told them. I don't care what happens with the playoffs. We're not going to quit on the season, and it's up to the people we have right now."
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: How many times has Paul Millsap delivered? Owned quarters. Destroyed opponents. Stepped up and put the Jazz on his back, carrying Utah to a resilient, thrilling victory. Add another one to the list. The Warrior was at his peak Monday, at times single-handedly fighting off the Portland Trail Blazers. Millsap’s final tally: a team-high 31 points on 14-of-20 shooting, a co-game-high 11 rebounds, and a gritty 102-97 victory that moved Utah back in the right direction. The Jazz (28-26) rallied from a 14-point second-quarter deficit to collect the win, overcoming Wesley Matthews’ season- and game-high 33 points on 10-of-12 shooting. ... "We needed this win bad, and it showed how we played out there," Millsap said. "We got down big early. But the will not to want to lose — the will to make it to that next level to get into the playoffs — it came out."
• Matt Calkins of The Columbian: For the first turnover, there was fan No. 1. "He's the worst. Seriously. We gotta get rid of him," a Rose Garden attendee said while exiting the building. For the second turnover, there was fan No. 2. "I'm not going to renew next year if they don't get rid of him," said an elderly Trail Blazer devotee one aisle over. If there is one 20-something multi-millionaire that no Portland resident would want to trade lives with, it is Raymond Felton. The consensus scapegoat for the Blazers' underachieving season before Monday's 102-97 loss to the Jazz, he somehow became even more loathed after two mishaps in the final 90 seconds of play. The first came with 1:27 remaining and Portland up one, when Felton bounced the ball off his foot and watched Utah's Paul Millsap dunk it in transition. The second came with 27 seconds left, when Jamaal Tinsley popped the ball out of Felton's hand off a suspect inbounds pass from Nicolas Batum — which again led to a Millsap jam. The boo birds flew down en masse when Felton's image was displayed on the jumbotron, and the Blazers would not score again. For many, it was only fitting that the man they felt responsible for the season getting away, let the basketball get away, too.
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Bucks owner Herb Kohl was sitting in his usual aisle seat in Section 121 at the Verizon Center while his team took the court against the Washington Wizards on Monday night. And the Senator knew exactly what his team needed to boost its playoff chances. "We've got to go 4-0 this week," he said. Consider the first step accomplished as the Bucks' backcourt of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis did plenty of damage in a 112-98 victory over the Wizards. So did reserves Ekpe Udoh, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Shaun Livingston, who combined for 42 points. The 6-foot-10 Udoh had his best game since joining the Bucks as part of the Ellis-Andrew Bogut swap. Udoh contributed 15 points, eight rebounds and a career-high five assists in 21 minutes. Udoh was so effective that Bucks coach Scott Skiles was able to rest Drew Gooden, who was nursing a sore back, for all but 6 minutes of the second half.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: Chris Singleton wasn’t one of the big winners for the $640 million prize in last week’s Mega Millions lottery, but he was certain his purchase of $10,000 worth of tickets did yield some return. Singleton said he planned on taking the tickets, which he purchased at various locations in the area, back for redemption to see home much money he actually won. The Wizards rookie, who will earn $1.485 million this season, wrote last week on his Twitter account that he was going to take a shot at the jackpot: “I’m about to drop 10000 on the lottery and cross my fingers #halfwaytoabillionaireifiwin” He later explained to his Twitter followers that he was making an “investment” and added, “If I get richer, I will change the world for the better.” When asked about the purchase on Monday, Singleton said he had to buy tickets at different locations because they weren’t allowed to print his requested demand at once. He added that he felt he made a wise investment, even though he didn’t win. “Either that or blow it in the club,” Singleton said.

• Football has a ton of trick plays. Fake punts, double reverses, running backs lobbing passes. I love all that stuff. There isn't too much of it in the NBA. Maybe the occasional oh-no-we're-not-really-calling-timeout-now basket attack. Or, pretty much the pinnacle of NBA trickery is every now and again somebody inbounds the ball off somebody else's back. Hats off to Shane Battier.
• Nicolas Batum came up with another kind of trick play, but it didn't work in his favor. How to negate a dunk by having it hit your head while it's going through the hoop. Very tough to do.
• Viewer tip: If you see a Laker beating everybody down the floor with the ball, it's Ramon Sessions.
• Very few late game comebacks in the NBA. Anatomy of how the Pacers kept the Rockets from defying that.
• John Hollinger on Brandon Rush: "A career 41 percent 3-point shooter who defends? I'd say that's a weapon a lot of teams could use."
• Drew Housman, Jeremy Lin's former Harvard teammate, is playing professionally in Israel and reading all about HoopIdea. He e-mailed to endorse the idea of following FIBA rules to speed up crunch time: "Whenever I watch a soccer game I find something lurking within my feelings of detachment and lethargy: an appreciation that soccer players cannot call timeouts. I love that they play all the way through from whistle to whistle. Hence, I like that in European basketball you cannot call a timeout during game action. I feel like it forces everyone to be more alert because there are more serious consequences for putting yourself in a compromising situation. I don’t like that an NBA player can get trapped right across half court, only to call a timeout to bail himself out. I know that would take away the option of calling a timeout after a miss at the end of games, which allows for exciting finishes after the ball is advanced, but I still prefer the international way on this one. While on the topic of timeouts, why not allow less of them altogether? What benefit does the fan get from constant stops in the action? I guess there is some allure in thinking that the coach is going to draw up a fantastic play, or implement a crafty defense, but I would rather see the players work things out while the action is taking place. I know that teams need breaks in the gameplay in order to sell ads, but maybe there are other ways to make up for that lost revenue. That could be where selling ads on jerseys comes into play."
• Howard Beck writes that the Knicks have "returned to the point of disarray," in a New York Times article that ends with Carmelo Anthony essentially on trial as a leader: "Linsanity is sidelined. D’Antoni is gone. For the next four weeks, this is indisputably Anthony’s team. The Knicks can only hope he justifies their faith." And no Chinese champion Stephon Marbury is not riding to the rescue.
• Kobe Bryant says we are all surrounded by idiots.
• Furthermore, the implication that the Knicks snookered their own fans with some announcement timing.
• The other day I made an analogy, saying most NBA GMs are like blackjack players, playing by normal rules, and essentially shrugging if they don't get good cards. What where they supposed to do? What they were supposed to do, I'd argue, was to figure out a better way. The story of a man who cooked up a better approach to blackjack, and took Atlantic City for $15 million without breaking a rule. (Via Kottke.)
• Watch Rajon Rondo, in little pictures, destroying the Heat.
• Even after a decisive loss to the Thunder, the Bulls top Hollinger's power rankings, and have won all kinds of games without Derrick Rose. What happened to all those people who insist you need a "closer" to win in the NBA? Why so quiet now?
• Pretty graphs of bad trends for the Heat.
• Kyle Weidie of TruthAboutIt: "Wizards nation is waiting for Ted Leonsis to admit that next season is really year No. 1 of rebuilding, not the third of such seasons in the effort, as he’s previously claimed."
• Andrei Kirilenko: MVP of the Euroleague?
• Remember when the Rockets had Rudy Gay?
• Darius of Forum Blue and Gold on the Laker bigs who filled in for an injured Andrew Bynum against the Warriors: "Josh McRoberts' numbers don’t look that great (2 points on 1-3 shooting, 8 rebounds) but he hustled all game, pushed the ball into the front court after securing rebounds, and protected the rim well by challenging shots (even if he mostly gave fouls). Troy Murphy’s numbers were better -- 8 points on 3-5 shooting to go with 11 rebounds -- and his impact can’t be overstated. He spaced the floor well by knocking down his jumper, hustled on defense, and hit the defensive glass hard. The rebounding was especially key because it allowed the Gasol to get into the front court quickly and set up on offense where he was hurting the Warriors whenever he got a touch. So, while Bynum was missed tonight, the guys that filled in for him did their best to provide solid production and were successful doing so."
• Benjamin Polk of A Wolf Among Wolves on former David Kahn lottery pick Jonny Flynn finding new ways to make the Timberwolves look bad: "When they were in the game, the Wolves’ offensive possessions were a picture of stagnation, overdribbling and contested, off-the-dribble jumpers. Suffice it to say, the Wolves’ bench sorely misses both J.J. Barea and (I can’t really believe I’m writing this) Michael Beasley. As if that weren’t bad enough, Lee and Ellington both had the misfortune of being shredded by Jonny Flynn in the pick-and-roll game. (This puts two somewhat opposing thoughts into my mind. The first is something like wonderment at how they managed to achieve this, considering that, in our experience, the best way to defend Jonny Flynn has seemed to be: stay in front of him; watch him dribble for 20 seconds; wait for him to take a bad shot. The second is that the long-distance Rambis-haters were perhaps onto something when they suggested that the Triangle was constraining Flynn’s creativity and that all he really needed was a steady diet of pick-and-rolls. Or maybe he just needs to be defended by Wayne Ellington and Malcolm Lee.) "
• Good luck predicting the 76ers next several weeks. Tom Sunnergren of Philadunkia: "The 2012 76ers are one of the flat weirdest teams in NBA history. They’re on pace to commit the fewest turnovers per game ever. If they continue as they have, they’ll attempt the fewest free throws per game in 60 years. They’re 3-14 in games decided by seven points or fewer and 26-8 in everything else. According to John Hollinger, every team in NBA history with a scoring margin of over +5 ppg has won at least 60 percent of their games. The Sixers have a scoring margin of +6.4 ppg and a .560 winning percentage. So my prediction? I have none. There’s no way to predict what’s going to happen with this team because there’s never really been a team like this. They have no point of comparison, no analog. They could miss the playoffs. They could make the Eastern Conference finals. Anything and everything is in play."

• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: Kendrick Perkins recently rounded up Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant to sit them down for a talk that he considered much-needed and, perhaps, long overdue. The big man wanted both to check their egos at the door. He wanted his All-Star teammates to cool it on any stat-padding and selfishness and anything else rooted in the wrong place that can work its way into a marathon season. Perkins wanted Durant and Westbrook both to sell out for the team. “We're getting close to the end of the season, and everything is over with as far as the All-Star Game and all that other stuff,” Perkins said. “So we can just concentrate on getting better as a ballclub and taking steps to trying to reach our goal.” If you're searching for what's gotten into Westbrook over the past two weeks, we suggest you start with that conversation. Something about it seems to have done wonders for Westbrook. Ever since, Westbrook has shot up to special. He's taken his already spectacular skill set to an even higher level in the blink of an eye and captained the Thunder on a six-game winning streak. Westbrook used Sunday's 92-78 win over Chicago to confirm what has been clear for weeks: he's in the midst of the best ball of his career. “He's grown up right in front of our eyes,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Asked directly if his injured groin will allow him to play at any point in the Bulls' final 12 regular-season games, Derrick Rose sighed. "I think so," he said. "It's up to me, so, yeah, I think I am." During a pregame interview with ESPN's Ric Bucher on Sunday, Rose hinted at returning next week. And the Bulls' injury carousel keeps spinning. Along those lines, coach Tom Thibodeau more emphatically stated he's the one deciding to continue holding Richard Hamilton out. Hamilton endured a rigorous three-on-three session at Saturday's practice and said he's ready to return from his sprained right shoulder but has no issue with Thibodeau's decision. "I told him I'm comfortable with whatever he wants to do — if we need to shoot more or take more hits," Hamilton said. "(Saturday), we did a little more so it was a little sore but it was a good sore. So we'll see. Hopefully, (Monday)." Hamilton missed his 14th straight game Sunday.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: Avery Bradley has brought a new dimension to the Celtics’ starting lineup since replacing injured Ray Allen. While his offensive numbers do not match Allen’s, he has provided the team with another staunch backcourt defender - just witness how he bottled up Miami’s Dwyane Wade in Sunday’s 91-72 win at TD Garden. Wade finished 6 for 17 shooting for 15 points, and Bradley (13 points) highlighted his effort with an impressive block of a Wade dunk attempt in the second quarter. Allen has missed the past seven games with an ankle injury, and coach Doc Rivers was asked whether Allen would automatically return to the starting lineup when healthy. "I don’t know, we’re playing well but we’ve also played well with Ray by the way,’’ Rivers said. “I think people forget that part. The good thing is we have options and we have players with confidence and we have a lot of them.’’ The combination of Mickael Pietrus (before he sustained a concussion March 23) and Bradley has vastly improved Boston’s defense in the backcourt. Bradley was primarily used as a backup to Rajon Rondo and started eight games (Jan. 20-Feb. 1) when Rondo was out with a sprained right wrist. Bradley has averaged 12.6 points and three rebounds in the past five games, and his defense early in games has helped the Celtics to establish their game.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: In the first of three games the teams will play in April, the Celtics humiliated the Heat, a pattern that has become the road norm for the Heat lately against top-tier competition. "This was a good, old-fashioned you-know-what," LeBron James said after going without an assist for only the second time in his career. "We've got to own it, and we've got to get better. "We've got to figure it out before the playoffs. ... We understand we have to fix this right now." The Heat are now 6-5 in their last 11 games overall and 3-7 in their last 10 road games. "You've got to figure it out," said guard Dwyane Wade, who was victimized by a humbling blocked shot by Celtics guard Avery Bradley and shot just 6 of 17. "We'll figure it out. That's what good teams do." Then there was power forward Chris Bosh, who shot 2 of 7, rarely playing with aggression. "We have to fix it," Bosh said. "We have to have a better sense of urgency. We still have some basketball left, not a lot, but some basketball to change it." On one hand, anything to keep the Heat away from the Celtics in the playoffs, at least in the first round, probably is a good thing. On the other hand, the Heat hardly have the look of a team prepared for when the games will count the most starting at the end of the month. For now, the road misery should subside for a while, if only because 10 of their next 13 are at home.
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: Andrew Bynum sat in front of his locker before the game Sunday night with what looked like an adult-sized sleeping bag enveloping his entire right leg. It was actually a cutting-edge compression system, which Bynum has been using for weeks to limit swelling, because by now the Lakers know that Bynum's right knee can swell from a cross wind. Then Bynum's breakthrough season on the All-Star team while staying healthy every game went on red alert because of a traditional, everyday basketball injury: an ankle sprain from landing on someone's foot. Bynum left the Lakers' 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors late in the first quarter because of a moderate sprain of his left ankle and did not return. He walked out of Staples Center on Sunday night under his own power and told teammates the sprain was "not a big deal." Without Bynum, the Lakers' best quality this season – defense – deteriorated against a patchwork Golden State lineup. But with Kobe Bryant delivering a major bounce-back game to go with Pau Gasol and Ramon Sessions' efficiency, the Lakers still had the firepower to score a season high and survive allowing their opponent season high in points.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: The Warriors have San Antonio's first-round pick and the second-round choices of New Jersey and Atlanta in the 2012 draft. They could end up with a fourth pick if they're among the first seven selections post-lottery and thus don't have to convey their pick to Utah. With rookies Klay Thompson, Jeremy Tyler and Charles Jenkins expected to be back with the Warriors next season and fellow first-year players Chris Wright and Mickell Gladness still being evaluated, it's unlikely that the Warriors will want to add three or four more inexperienced players to the 2012-13 roster. They could package some of the picks to move up in the draft or to keep their top-seven-protected choice, but there's also some consideration of a draft-and-stash. San Antonio has been probably the most successful franchise in selecting players who either haven't completed their European contracts or need more polish before starting their NBA careers. "This isn't the strongest international class, but we're considering a lot of possibilities right now," Warriors general manager Larry Riley said.
• Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: When the season began, Nuggets rookie forward Kenneth Faried wasn't playing at all. Now the first-round draft pick is playing crucial fourth-quarter minutes. Faried is learning the nuances of the NBA game and earning respect from coach George Karl. Faried helped the Nuggets beat the Magic 104-101 on Sunday by grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. He blocked two shots in the final four minutes. "Jameer (Nelson) was coming down the lane," Faried said of his first block, "and he was hitting that shot all game, so I wanted to show him, like, 'Hey, we're going stop this now and we're going to win this game.' He was trying to take over the game. As for Ryan Anderson, he came quickly and it was shocking how quick the back cut was, but I still got up high enough and got my hand on it." Faried leads NBA rookies in rebounds, averaging 7.1 per game. "It's fun for me to outrun bigs, make coaches get mad and call timeouts," Faried said. "And it's fun to outrebound a guy and give him headaches and think: 'Why is he always on the glass? Won't he just stop?' "
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: The Magic's general manager treats his team like family, so it's no surprise that Otis rushed to his brother Wilbur's side recently after getting the grim news. "It's the single most important thing to me. I dropped everything else," Otis said. A constant presence at every Magic game and practice, he missed several games to be where he was really needed. Cancer had made another visit to the Smith family. Wilbur, 43, five years younger than Otis, had been stricken with colon cancer. Otis lost his mother to breast cancer at age 56 and his father, also to colon cancer, at 72. While Otis obviously has the most high-profile job in the family, he admires Wilbur – and not because the two brothers are so much alike. Wilbur works with kids as an administrator at a Springfield, Mass. boarding school. "When he's hurting, I hurt with him. If he's going through it, I'm going through it with him," Otis said. "Every opportunity I get to be with him, I will be with him." Smith has four brothers and five sisters, but says, ""I'm a little more protective of Wilbur. He's the baby."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: It was one of those games where you wonder why Danny Granger can’t play that well all the time. Granger played within the offense. He didn’t try to do too much by forcing shots. He looked to make extra passes. He rebounded instead of trying to leak down court for easy baskets. He even blocked a couple of shots, with his last one preserving the victory for the Pacers. Granger had probably his most complete game of the season when he scored 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting, including 6-of-8 from long distance, grabbed seven rebounds, had three assists and blocked two shots in 37 minutes. Sunday was the third straight game that Granger has shot at least 50 percent from the field. “It was just going for me,” Granger said. “My shot was falling. For the most part they ran a lot of plays for me. I got some open shots and I knocked them down.”
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: The Pacers got the ball to Danny Granger and Goran Dragic quickly fouled him, stopping the clock. Dragic, however, has become the Rockets most irreplaceable player and fouled out on the play. The Rockets needed him on the floor. Anyone else could have committed the foul, but instead Dragic had to take it and a seat on the Rockets’ bench. Dragic had ended up on Granger on a switch. The Rockets usually switch on screens late in games, especially when they need a turnover. That’s why Patrick Patterson, Courtney Lee and Chandler Parsons were finishing games so often, even when the Rockets were healthy. They were switching again on Sunday. Dragic, however, said he told Parsons not to switch with him. “I told CP not to switch because I knew they were going to pass to Granger,” Dragic said. “Just a miscommunication. I got caught in the wrong spot and had to take that sixth foul.” Parsons said the strategy had not changed. “It wasn’t a mistake,” Parsons said. “We were switching to get a steal, see if we may cause a turnover. “We were switching everything because they were spacing us out. We wanted to gamble a little bit and go for a steal at the end of the game. We didn’t want to foul right away.” That makes perfect sense, but it should not have been Dragic trying to come up with the turnover or be forced to foul.
• Matt Calkins of The Columbian: LaMarcus Aldridge will probably be able to deal with not making the playoffs. But it would have been awfully hard for him to cope if he couldn’t offer Kevin Love a little payback. The last time Minnesota came to the Rose Garden, Love racked up 42 points and 10 rebounds while treating Aldridge like a sparring partner. This time, it was Aldridge who came out swinging. The Trail Blazers beat the Timberwolves 119-106 Sunday as six Portland players scored in double digits. Aldridge figured most prominently in the stat sheet, scoring 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting while collecting eight rebounds. But his more personal motivation became evident when he and Love engaged in a brief shoving match in the second quarter. The game’s subplot had suddenly become the primary storyline. “That was just two guys going hard,” Aldridge said. “Two guys competing.” Yeah, right. Last year, Love earned the final spot on the Western Conference All-Star team, leaving Aldridge feeling snubbed again. And when Love last came to Portland, he tripled Aldridge’s scoring output. And even though Love still managed 26 points and nine rebounds Sunday, for one game, he was clearly the second-best power forward on the court.
• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The last time the Timberwolves visited Portland, they walked out of the Rose Garden and into the night winners over the Trail Blazers for the first time in nearly five years. They also left with a winning 19-18 record and fleeting possession of the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot after vaulting over the Blazers in one victorious evening. Twenty-nine days later, they trudged off the Rose Garden court looking defeated in more ways than one after a 119-106 loss. "Things have changed," Wolves forward Kevin Love said. "Things have changed a lot." Back then, Ricky Rubio still was the team's rookie sensation and the Wolves ended a four-game Western road trip a very respectable 2-2. They then headed home for a four-game stand that included that fateful night against the Lakers when Rubio clutched his knee in pain after tearing two ligaments in his left knee. On Sunday, they again played without four of their top six starters and lost for the fifth time in seven games. They're now 3 1/2 games behind Houston for that final playoff spot, with Utah, Phoenix and the Blazers all standing between them and the Rockets and 12 games left to play.
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: If it seems hard to believe that Grant Hill could return from Friday's knee surgery before the season ends, consider this detail: his right knee has been less swollen following team physician Thomas Carter's surgery than it had before the non-optional scope. Hill's expectation to return for some of Suns' remaining 14 games was clear Sunday, when he returned to US Airways Center for the first time since having the medial meniscus tear repaired. He was cleared to get off crutches Sunday night. "I think I can," Hill said. "Doc is pleased with the surgery and what he saw in there. I'll be back this year." Hill will travel with the Suns in order to rehabilitate the knee with Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson and the staff. The Suns leave today for a three-game, four-day trip and play seven of their next eight games on the road. "We can get a lot done," Hill said. "We'll get double, triple sessions in daily. Being with Aaron and the training staff is the ideal scenario."
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: After having only eight players available in the previous two games, the Hornets got some needed help with the return of center Chris Kaman and forward Gustavo Ayon on Sunday night against the Phoenix Suns. Even though each played more than 24 minutes, the Hornets still didn't have enough to avoid a 92-75 loss to the Suns at the US Airways Center. It was the Hornets' third consecutive loss, and they closed out their extended road trip losing four of five games, which included Saturday's 88-85 defeat to the Lakers in which they stifled guard Kobe Bryant into missing his first 15 shots. ``I think that we ran out of gas, but I also think that it was a bit of an excuse,'' Hornets Coach Monty Williams said. ``We have been situations before off of a back-to-back and this was the first time that I thought it affected us from an energy standpoint. I thought the ball didn't move tonight. You can't win games on the road with 19 turnovers and not getting to the free throw line.''
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: Five times a day, Gary Forbes takes a tiny needle and plunges it into his body; every day he goes out and pushes himself to the limits of his endurance against some of the greatest athletes in the world, oblivious to the illness, the injections, the routine that is little more than, well, routine. Forbes, an emerging late-season key piece with the Raptors, is a Type 1 diabetic, the injections are insulin, the monitoring of his condition is practically constant but a nuisance more than anything. “It’s a manageable disease,” the 26-year-old Forbes said. “I’ve had it now for eight years, went through different ups and downs and learning and stuff like that but I’m still coming out here every day and competing with the best players in the world.” Forbes has become a tireless worker for diabetes awareness and promoting the idea that it’s not an impediment to athletic excellence. Forget looking at his 6-foot-7, 220-pound body to see the evidence — he’s taking his message as public as he can. He runs a camp for kids in his hometown that promotes diet and lifestyle as much as basketball; he works with the tireless Raptors community relations staff and the Canadian Diabetes Association, spreading the word. Forbes knows first hand how relatively easy it is to deal with diabetes, but he feels it’s part of his job to get the message out.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: Nene and Trevor Booker were both seated on the bench, wearing identical walking boots on their left feet and seemingly matching gray suit jackets, as the Washington Wizards took on the Toronto Raptors on Sunday at Air Canada Centre. With their usual starting center and power forward both out with pulled plantar fascias, the Wizards fielded their youngest starting lineup in franchise history — two rookies and three second-year players — as replacements Jan Vesely and Kevin Seraphin and regular starters John Wall, Jordan Crawford and Chris Singleton took to the court. Coach Randy Wittman has joked that leading such a young team has led his hair to get a little grayer, and his players gave him reason to scoff, scream and fold his arms in frustration as the Wizards fell behind by 15 points in the fourth quarter. But his team made a valiant charge, twice getting within three points in the final 78 seconds, until it simply ran out of time and lost in Toronto for the fifth consecutive time, 99-92.

Credit where it's due for this HoopIdea -- David Stern.

Just a few weeks after the NBA acknowledged that an official incorrectly called goaltending on a controversial play in the final seconds that swung an Oklahoma City-Portland game, Stern said on Tuesday night that it might be time to add goaltending to the handful of calls reviewable by video replay.

In Phoenix on Tuesday, Stern said: “Our competition committee has the final word on these things, but I think there's going to be a very robust discussion about goaltending.” The commissioner went on to discuss some of the difficulties with getting goaltending right, even with replay involved, as you can see on this video (provided by Michael Schwartz).

Deputy commissioner Adam Silver added: “Over time it's inevitable given the advances in technology that we'll increase our use of instant replay. We want to get it right. It has to be balanced against the flow of the game. I think when it's clear in certain cases that the viewer at home can see there was a missed call, our referees want to get it right, too. We will continue to look at it.”

Stern went on to suggest that input from “fans” had played a role in the expansion of replay, saying that the league was “getting pulled along” by the momentum toward using replay to help with difficult calls.

The play in Portland was an eye-opener. Goaltending is almost always a difficult call (despite what some broadcasters and fans seem to think), and this was an especially challenging case -- as Kevin Durant drove hard to the basket, LaMarcus Aldridge trailed and then knocked away Durant's layup, just before it reached the backboard, with all the action fast and furious. From a difficult angle about 30 feet away, referee Scott Foster whistled goaltending, to the delight of the Thunder and the dismay of the Blazers and their fans. This call tied the game 103-103 with 6.0 seconds remaining, and the Thunder went on to win in overtime.

And it was a big game in a short season. The Blazers lost a tough one at home to the Northwest Division leader, the first among 13 losses in 19 games in a tailspin that cost coach Nate McMillan his job. The Thunder, meanwhile, now hold just a two-game lead in the loss column in the Western Conference, with half of it coming from the controversial win in Portland.

The next day, the NBA, via Twitter, admitted, "Close call in Portland last night but w/ benefit of slow motion replay, goaltending was incorrect call."

Stern’s comments on Tuesday echoed recent comments by the NBA’s former director of officials, Ronnie Nunn, on NBA TV’s “Making the Call." When Nunn was asked whether the NBA could use video replay to overturn incorrect goaltending calls such as on the Durant-Aldridge play, Nunn said, "If we have more of them at critical times, it might be something to be included in the future" among reviewable calls.

Nunn also said that overhead cameras above the basket were necessary to get such goaltending calls right, referring to situations in which officials had to judge whether the ball hit the backboard before the blocked shot occurred, as in the Durant-Aldridge situation.

Keep that word in mind: cameras.

Eventually, it will probably be cameras that solve goaltending for us. At the moment, 10 NBA arenas (and counting) have been outfitted with high-tech cameras which track player movement and ball movement at 25 frames per second. While this technology is currently used to collect data that allows for more sophisticated statistical analysis of the game, it seems likely that cameras and software could be configured to help officials assess all sorts of things that are happening on the court -- and in real time or very close. In tennis, cameras are already used to determine close calls, down to fractions of an inch, and that’s just a start.

There are other potential solutions -- could computer technology, such as a microchip, be placed in the ball and other places to detect when the ball is on the way down or has hit the backboard? Probably so.

But let’s start with what we can solve now by reviewing goaltending calls. The technology is already too good to allow the calls to be so bad.

• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: Russell Westbrook once again ruled the roost for the Thunder. So this doesn’t sound like a broken record, I try to ask a different teammate to share their thoughts on Westbrook whenever he turns in a superb performance, and Thursday night definitely qualified with 36 points, six assists, two steals and only one turnover. Tonight’s guest speaker on Westbrook is reserve center Nazr Mohammed: “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to Russ. He’s been doing an unbelievable job trying to get the ball to guys, taking over the game. His pace of play, his leadership in the huddle, he’s just been off the charts these last 5-6 games.” ... Just in case there was any doubt, Perkins can’t stand Pau Gasol. Perk has said as much, which is why Perk was booed louder than any Thunder player all night, including pre-game introductions. Perk was called for his 12th technical foul of the season after he flared his elbows and was fouled by Gasol. The tech has a good chance of being rescinded. Remember, 13 techs bring a one-game suspension, as does every other tech thereafter.
• Mark Whicker of The Orange County Register: As Oklahoma City basketballs kept bouncing off Lakers heads, it became clearer just why the Lakers traded Derek Fisher. It wasn't strategic. It was humanitarian. Fisher is currently closer to his sixth NBA championship ring than Kobe Bryant is to his sixth, or Ramon Sessions to his first. He has taken a detour to basketball heaven on his way to retirement or Congress or his final destination. Who knew the angels would fly so high in Oklahoma City? With Russell Westbrook scoring 36 and turning Staples Center into his own Hawthorne backyard, Oklahoma City drilled the Lakers with extreme prejudice, along with a dash of contempt, 102-93, on Thursday. And if Fisher really was dispatched to OKC because he could no longer restrict the West's best point guards, Sessions' handcuffs were just as rusty. Westbrook scored 18 points in the third quarter as the Thunder, now 39-12, played with unity and strut. Time and again they broke down the Lakers defense, lured help, and hit large open people under the basket. And, time and again, Westbrook displayed the best first step in basketball. He also has the best second and third.
• Ethan J. Skolnick of the Palm Beach Post: Roughly Roughly 90 minutes prior to Thursday's tip, Mark Cuban tried to enter through the door to the tunnel that passes the Heat locker room. The Mavericks owner wasn't trying to steal secrets; rather, apparently seeking a shortcut. Still, when a security guard stopped him, the casually-attired billionaire laughed and obliged, turning back the way he came. Once the game started, Heat players protected home court with the same purpose that the guard had protected their dressing quarters. In a continuation of one of the surprises of this strange season, Miami again looked like a much more determined and desperate squad at AmericanAirlines Arena than it has looked anywhere else. The 106-85 victory was the Heat's 15th straight in front of its fans. It doesn't seem to matter that the lower level doesn't fill until the second quarter. Nor does it matter that, since the Heat last lost here on Jan. 22 to the Bucks, Miami has dropped nine of its 19 games on the road -- including double-digit losses to Oklahoma City and Indiana in which coach Erik Spoelstra's squad appeared lethargic and lost. Nor does any of this make any sense to anyone who watched the Heat last season, as it won only two more games at home than on the road; this season, the splits are 21-2 and 14-11.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: Unlike last June when they clinched their first NBA title with a Game 6 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena, this time there was no wild and crazy celebration by the Dallas Mavericks. Gone were the bubbly smiles -- and bubbly champagne -- that accompanied last year's championship season. That's what Thursday's 106-85 loss to the Miami Heat did to the Mavericks. LeBron James and Chris Bosh scored 19 points each, and the Heat used a suffocating defense to smother the Mavericks. "We had trouble getting the ball in the basket," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "Second-chance points hurt us, and then they hit a flurry of transition points at some inopportune times for us. "It was disappointing because our start to the third quarter was strong, and then they answered back. It was a tough loss."
• Matt Calkins of The Columbian: Two minutes into the second quarter, Nicolas Batum, the Frenchman who has established himself as the Trail Blazers' premier outside shooter, passed up a wide open 3-pointer ... and fed the ball to Luke Babbitt. "I was already running back on defense when he shot it," Batum said. "I knew it was going in." Portland beating New Orleans 99-93 Thursday night is far from a compelling story on its own — especially considering the depleted Hornets' roster which listed just eight active players. But when you look at the stat sheet, and see that 16 of those 99 points came from Babbitt, the Blazer who just two hours earlier was best known for knocking down an otherwise meaningless 3-pointer that gave the fans free Chalupas two months ago — then it becomes a tale worth telling. Nearly two years ago, when Portland selected Babbitt with the 15th overall pick in the draft, an anonymous poll revealed that the University of Nevada product's peers considered him the best shooter from their draft class. But when Babbitt followed with a rookie season in which he shot 27.3 percent from the field, 18.8 percent from 3-point distance, and an absurd 33.3 percent from the foul line, it would be hard to argue he was one of the top 50 shooters from his draft class. It's a much more sound argument now.
• Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune: Another night on the road in a season winding down, and the Hornets found themselves again facing an opponent with similar unsettled storylines. And to make things more interesting for New Orleans, it had one less player than the night before. On Wednesday night in Oakland, New Orleans went against a team working through injuries and questions about whether it was coasting toward a more favorable lottery pick. Thursday night in The Rose Garden, the Hornets saw a Trail Blazers’ team that in the past two weeks fired its beloved coach Nate McMillan, named a 33-year-old interim replacement, and on Thursday afternoon faced news that it’s billionaire owner, Paul Allen, may be looking to sell the team. The 48-minute sanctuary on the court provided the Blazers with a 99-93 victory, but not without its scary moments against the thin Hornets. New Orleans played with just eight available players when it was determined less than 30 minutes before tip off that starting point guard Jarrett Jack would miss with a sprained right ankle.
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: It’s a good thing Thursday’s game against the Washington Wizards wasn’t based on style points because it would have been a toss up on which team would have won the game. Danny Granger said it best about their victory over the Wizards, “Very ugly game,” We clawed and scraped and got the win, so that was huge. A win is a win. We have to keep winning as many games as possible.” The Pacers will take a victory any way they can get one after losing at New Jersey on Wednesday. The Wizards shouldn’t have been able to stick around for most of the game. But there they were, a John Wall turnover over from possibly tying the game with less than a minute left. ... The Pacers get a day off before they start another six-game in eigh-night stretch when they head to the Lone Star state and play San Antonio and Houston on Saturday and Sunday. So don’t be surprised if you see some more ugly basketball from the Pacers. It’s all about wins and losses for them these days.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: In his 10th season, and back on a lottery team, Nene believes the Wizards (11-39) are going through similar growing pains as his team in Denver. And, after the Wizards lost, 93-89, on Thursday to the Indiana Pacers, Nene said he remained encouraged by how his new team is playing and drew a parallel to his challenging rookie season. “I learned,” Nene said. “This is a long process. It’s hard. I’m going to repeat this every time: This young team, a lot of second-year players, a lot of rookies. You need to learn. You need to get this type of game. See what you can learn from the loss and get better. To win, you need to learn from losing a game. It’s a big experience right now. We work, step by step, we’re improving in a lot of areas.” The Wizards have lost five in a row and are just 2-7 since acquiring Nene, but they have been a scrappier, more physical and more competitive team in defeat. And they have been staunch defensively. The Pacers became the seventh consecutive team that failed to score at least 100 points against the Wizards. The Wizards haven’t held seven straight teams below triple digits since December 2007.
• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: Before this year, college basketball players had until May 8 to evaluate their NBA options, then were given until one week before the June NBA draft to declare whether they were coming out for the draft or returning to school. This gave players several weeks to not only get feedback from the NBA, but go to the Orlando, Fla., pre-draft camp, work out for individual teams and get all the information necessary to make a smart decision. Here's the rule now: College players such as Indiana's Christian Watford have to declare they are looking into the NBA by April 3 and must declare or withdraw by April 10. Which, by the way, is one day before the spring signing period. According to the NCAA, this coach-inspired rule is being imposed "to help keep student-athletes focused on academics in the spring term and to give coaches a better idea of their roster for the coming year before the recruiting period is closed." Right. Academics. Truth is, it's all about the latter, all about protecting coaches and the college product. Also, those coaches want to go off and take vacation rather than talk to NBA scouts about their prospect. ... The NBA draft isn't until June 28. So why should kids have to rush into an important decision April 10? NCAA President Mark Emmert has said he wants to rid the organization of its dumbest rules, especially the ones that have a deleterious effect on athletes. Here's one that needs to be expunged.

• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: In an attempt to generate more revenue, the NBA is pondering the idea of placing ads on the jerseys of every player from the 30 teams. This transition could create approximately $31.18 million in revenue in TV exposure alone. The NBA Board of Governors will meet next month to discuss the possibility of adding advertising on jerseys. The idea has been met with much support from players and coaches. Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban also said it's an idea whose time has come. "I've been trying to tell [the NBA]," Cuban said. "If someone wants to give us $10 million, I'll make it happen." Cuban believes NBA commissioner David Stern can be convinced that putting ads on jerseys is a viable concept for the league. If the amount's enough, David will jump up and down," Cuban said. "He's not going to do it for $200,000 from Power Balance, but if somebody offers us $25 million, it's done."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: NBA Commissioner David Stern joked that he was attacked in the US Airways Center lower bowl before Tuesday night's game, making light of the attention brought to his first visit to a Suns home game since he incensed their fans by suspending Amar'e Stoudemire and Boris Diaw during the 2007 playoffs. On Tuesday night, fans greeted him, asked for pictures and thanked him for reaching a collective-bargaining agreement to salvage a shortened season. Stern patted the league's back on the work that the new CBA has done. ... Stern cited the Lakers' trade-deadline moves and Dallas' off-season moves and David West's two-year contract with Indiana as indicators of how high-payroll teams have been affected by how the new CBA will institute a greater luxury-tax penalty in 2013. Stern met with Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver for two hours before the game. Stern was in the Valley for meetings with Adidas. He watched the early parts of the game from a lower-bowl seat before moving to a midcourt suite with a business group. Stern lauded the league's TV ratings, including a 30 percent bump on NBA TV, and said the NBA will take a "robust" look at goaltending rules. Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver added that there has been no increase in injuries with a compacted schedule. Stern was critical of the NCAA rule that forces players to declare for the NBA draft by mid-April, cutting the time to get input from NBA evaluators.
• Jason Quick of The Oregonian: Team president Larry Miller said the team has reopened its search for a general manager. Go ahead, get your jokes in. What's the rush, right? It's only been 308 days since Rich Cho was fired. But I have a feeling there is a reason why the search has lingered for nearly a year. I wonder if the Blazers are waiting on Steve Kerr. Kerr was pursued by the Blazers after Cho was fired. But the former Phoenix general manager and current TNT TV analyst said he wanted to spend time with his family, particularly his kids. One of his sons, Nick, has since graduated, and is now playing for the University of San Diego. He has two other teenage children. Has one year been enough for Kerr? Is he the man on the Blazers' radar? Kerr was unavailable for comment Tuesday. Miller, when asked about Kerr, paused, smiled, and then reiterated the franchise stance since Cho was fired: the team will not comment on candidates.
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman: Two-time scoring champ Kevin Durant will make an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night. The show tapes at 6:30 p.m. and airs at 11 p.m. on KOCO-5 (ABC). This will be Durant's first stop on the major talk-show circuit. “It's new for me,” Durant said. “It should be fun. I'm excited.” Asked if he was nervous about his talk-show debut, Durant smiled and said, “Nah, we're just talkin'.”
• Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register: Kobe Bryant took his relationship with the Lakers a bit further in the NBA record book. After Bryant's 30 points helped the Lakers beat the Golden State Warriors, 104-101, only Karl Malone with the Utah Jazz has scored more points for one franchise. The Lakers needed Bryant's scoring on a night when their other primary scorer, rising star center Andrew Bynum, was benched for most of the second half after launching a 3-pointer outside the structure of the Lakers' offense. Bynum, 24, then sat apart from the team during ensuing timeouts while the Lakers gathered around Lakers coach Mike Brown. ""He took me out of the game. So I just sat where he put me," Bynum said. Said Brown about Bynum's 3-point attempt: "That's something that I felt could've taken us out of rhythm, and that's why I took him out of the game." Bryant came into the game needing 24 points to match the 29,277 points Michael Jordan scored for the Chicago Bulls. He got there on a 3-pointer that gave the Lakers a 65-55 lead — and it happened just after Brown immediately went to reserve Josh McRoberts after Bynum's 3-point miss.
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle: Since Monta Ellis was traded to Milwaukee on March 13, Klay Thompson has averaged 19.7 points (setting personal highs three times), 3.1 assists and 2.2 rebounds. In 38 games as Ellis' backup, Thompson averaged eight points, 1.3 assists and 1.8 rebounds. More important than the rising numbers is Thompson's approach. The laid-back Southern California kid rarely speaks in the Warriors' locker room. Put a future Hall of Fame shooting guard in his presence, however, and Thompson perks right up with questions to spare. He arrived at Oracle Arena hours early for a game this month so he could pick the brain of Boston's Ray Allen. Thompson took notes about how to carry himself off the court, and he has started to change his diet while living alone in an Oakland condo. When Chris Mullin and Rick Barry were in town last week, Thompson learned about Mullin's work ethic and Barry's desire to not have back-to-back poor shooting games.
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: With an assist from the U.S. government, the Spurs have their new backup point guard. Finally. Patrick Mills, an Australian national and former Portland Trail Blazer, was in uniform at last Tuesday against the Suns, his immigration hurdles cleared. Mills, 23, originally signed a two-year deal with the Spurs last week but could not play or practice until he obtained a work visa. That process ended Monday in Mexico City, where Mills spent six days organizing paperwork to get cleared. He met the Spurs in Phoenix later that afternoon. “It was a long wait,” Mills said. “But it will be worth the wait, I think.” Mills played 4:23 of the second half in Tuesday’s 107-100 victory over the Suns. It was his first game action since before Christmas, when he was in the Chinese Basketball Association. Mills’ addition — the fourth new player the Spurs have added since the March 15 trade deadline — fills an immediate need on coach Gregg Popovich’s roster. Regarded as one of the quickest guards in the NBA, the 6-foot Mills could be in line for immediate minutes backing up All-Star point guard Tony Parker.
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: Marreese Speights — unwanted in Philadelphia — flew over and blocked the shot. The Griz offense careened the other way. Tony Allen, naturally, missed one from in close. So Dante Cunningham — unwanted in Charlotte — scored on the put-back. The crowd roared. Roared for two guys who weren’t even Grizzlies at the start of camp. Roared for an ethic, a relentless state of mind. What is it about this franchise anyway? Give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses. Because there’s a good chance they’ll be needed to fill in for someone tomorrow night. Tuesday, the someone was center Marc Gasol, who showed up with his foot in a boot. Sprained ankle. Out for one game and maybe more of them. It felt like some kind of cruel test. Sure, you Griz can survive without Rudy Gay. And you can hang in there without Zach Randolph, too. But how about Gasol? Let’s see how you manage without him! Answer: Griz 93, Timberwolves 86. “Our team is resilient,” said head coach Lionel Hollins. Yeah, but do they have to keep proving it again and again?
• Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: From the start of this up-and-down season, the Timberwolves have done a pretty good job of atoning for the past. One after another, the Wolves have ended nasty losing streaks to the likes of Dallas, San Antonio, Portland. But a few remain. And this is one of them. Once again, after a nasty, back-and-forth affair, the Timberwolves lost to Memphis at FedExForum. After Tuesday's 93-86 loss, some of the Wolves cried foul -- or, at least, whispered it -- after the Grizzlies more than doubled the Wolves' production at the free throw line. But the loss had a very familiar feeling. The Grizzlies set the tone and got the calls. Memphis scored 21 points off Wolves turnovers, outscored Minnesota in the paint and was the aggressor in the crucial fourth quarter. The result? The Wolves' sixth consecutive loss here and their 10th in the past 11 trips to Memphis. "I think they shot 28 free throws to our 13," noted Kevin Love, who scored 28 points and had 11 rebounds. "And, you know, without going too far to get fined, you guys saw what happened out there." Yes, it was all right there.
• Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel: It's time for Monta Ellis to put this team on his shoulders. Mike Dunleavy has been doing it off the bench. Now the time has come for Ellis to take ownership of the team. With 33 points, he did exactly that in a big 108-101 victory against the Hawks. This is why the Bucks got him, to carry them down the stretch and mesh with Jennings - 51 combined points - as he did for the first time since the trade. From the start, Ellis played as if there were no mental hangover from the night before. Because his jump shots had not been falling, he took it straight to the rim. And when Ellis does that, no one in recent team memory, at least as far back as Ray Allen, is as explosive to the hole. Ellis took it right at Hawks, a much more athletic team than the Bucks. Still, the Bucks were separating the Hawks from the ball. Only Marvin Williams, whom the Bucks passed over in the 2005 draft to take Andrew Bogut, was causing damage. The Bucks gave up Bogut so maybe Ellis could shoot them into the playoffs. Against the Hawks, Ellis did what shooters do. He shot himself, and maybe the Bucks, right out of a slump.
• Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: The Hawks were playing their fourth game in five days — including Sunday’s four-overtime thrilling win over the Jazz — and Drew was concerned how his team would respond. “There are just some guys where fatigue has started to settle in a little bit,” Drew said before the game. “We are just in a stretch of the season where we’ve played a lot of games — certainly three in three nights and the way those games panned out it put a little tear on us. But this is the NBA. Other teams have to go through similar situations — maybe not four overtimes. We’ve just got to gut it up.”
• Tom Moore of phillyBurbs.com: The 76ers are turning more to Sam Young. Young, a forward the Sixers acquired March 15 from the Grizzlies, has been bringing hard-nosed play the Sixers are looking for since he entered the NBA from Pitt three years ago. Young had the best of his five games as a Sixer in Sunday’s road loss to the Spurs. With Andre Iguodala out due to left knee tendinitis, Young finished with eight points and nine rebounds in 30 minutes. Iguodala missed Tuesday’s home date with the Cavaliers, which meant another expanded role for Young. “He brought a physical presence,” Sixers coach Doug Collins said. “He drove that ball to the basket, dunked a couple of times. I thought he played well. “We’re going to need him because he’s tough and we need toughness. He’s tough. It’ll be interesting to see how we continue to get him into the mix.” Collins cited Young as the only Sixer who “threw himself into the pile and wasn’t concerned about (himself)” Sunday.
• Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer: It was bound to happen. Kyrie Irving wasn’t going to cross-over dribble and spin-move his way through every lane from Boston to Portland. In the past few games opponents are starting to clog the key and force Irving and his Cavaliers teammates to beat them from the perimeter. The athletic Sixers did a masterful job of it Tuesday night in a 103-85 victory in the Wells Fargo Center. Irving finished 4-of-13 from the field for 12 points to go along with seven assists and five turnovers. He has averaged 13.6 points in the past three games, all losses, all contests in which the club failed to score more than 85 points. Philadelphia turned the lane into a no-fly zone for Irving. “I don’t think I had one uncontested layup tonight ... ,” said Irving, who's averaging 18.6 points. “The last three games have been tough to find my rhythm. Teams are giving me different looks every game, too ... I have played a few games in the league now, so teams have enough film on me to know my strengths and weaknesses.” Now, it’s up to Irving and the coaching staff to find ways to counter it.
• Marc Engel Fort Worth Star-Telegram: On Thursday, Mark Cuban and the Mavs will return to play the Heat in South Beach for the first time since they won the title there last June. Cuban said he has no special plans to wear his NBA championship ring for that game, which he says he actually never wears but rather keeps at home on a chain with a pair of dog tags that have his son's names. When the Mavs played the Heat in Miami during the regular season after that 2006 series, he said, he used to really hear it from the fans. Since the Mavs returned the rather large favor of pain to the Heat masses, Cuban said he has no special plans to do anything out of the ordinary for Thursday night's game. "When I walk in it will be fun and when I hear from all of their fans it will make it more interesting," Cuban said. "I didn't like all the smack the fans would talk. If I didn't like it, it's not right to return volley. I did think about wearing my (ring) down there, but, no. I'd become one of those people."
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: Rookie guard Courtney Fortson went from happy just to get a 10-day shot to being needed for more than such short-term opportunities. A day after his 10-day contract expired with Monday’s game, Fortson signed for the rest of the season and another non-guaranteed season, assuring he can go through the Rockets’ offseason program and summer league with a likelihood he can go to camp with the team next season. “It’s a long grind,” said Fortson, who played in five games with the Rockets, after a stint with the Clippers early this season. “All year, was a long, long grind. I continued to grind hard every time I got cut. It finally paid off. I think this is the best thing because now all I have to do is earn my money. For a guy coming from the bottom, from the D-League, I want to earn my money. ”

• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: In one of the most memorable contests in Jazz history, Utah fell 139-133 in quadruple overtime to Atlanta at Phillips Arena. It was the only four-OT game in the Jazz’s 38 years as a franchise, and the first in the NBA since Phoenix beat Portland 140-139 in 1997. For Utah and Atlanta, Sunday’s combined numbers were staggering: 272 points, 233 field-goal attempts and 128 rebounds during a contest that officially took 68 minutes and lasted 3 hours, 17 minutes. All of Utah’s starters played at least 49:33, with four passing 51 and Hayward clocking a game-high 57:28, which tied a record set by Karl Malone in 1992. The lead changed hands 14 times, the Jazz and Atlanta were tied 19 times, and when the fury was finally over, the teams had tied for the third-longest game in NBA history. "That’s what basketball’s made of. That’s what we play this game for: chances like that, games like that," said Millsap, who scored 25 points and collected 13 rebounds. "Even though it hurts afterwards — we didn’t come up with the win — it was still a fun game to be part of. I just wish we could’ve won it."
• Jeff Schultz of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Yes, Joe Johnson makes a lot of money. He will continue to make a lot of money. He probably has an ATM in his pantry, just to the left of the case of Beluga caviar. He is the only person in Atlanta who this week will drive past that billboard that reads, “Mega Millions: $356 million” and think, “You know, I just don’t know if I want to fill out all of that paper work for another direct deposit account.” But in what is turning into a rather remarkable Hawks’ season, Johnson has been far more than a dollar sign with ears lately. The guy known for 2-ton-W-2, with too few big moments and too few big games, has been a relative wonder on the court. Johnson scored 18 points in a perfect eight-for-eight first quarter Sunday night against Utah. Then the legs went dead, or so we thought. On a night when the Hawks continued to amaze — winning a four-overtime game on the third night of a back-to-back-to-oh-my-back — Johnson provided the most jaw-dropping of moments.
• Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman: Think of those odds. Entering the game, Perkins had 16 dunks and Ibaka 20 assists all season. “Our bigs were really good,” Brooks said. “Our big-to-big passing was probably the best so far this season.” Count Durant among the big boys. When he plays like this, the Thunder is hard to beat. On a night when Durant was the game's high scorer (28 points), missed by one being the game's top rebounder (he had nine) and played solid defense on LeBron, Durant's most impressive trait was his passing. “It was one of his best all-around games,” Brooks said. “One thing I tell Kevin, he has to become more of a playmaker. The good teams are not going to allow him to load up and get scores.” Durant is listening. He's up to 3.6 assists per game, and this was his third straight game with at least five assists, all Thunder victories. He had five assists to Perkins alone Sunday night. That's a recipe for beating not just the Heat, but any team in the NBA.
• Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: LeBron James and Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant drew lots of attention for their flag football contest in December during the NBA lockout. There are plans for a rematch, but it may have to wait until after next season. Both players considered doing it during the summer, but will be unavailable because of the Olympics in London. "The rematch in flag football will happen," James said. "I don't know if it's this summer because of the Olympics but it will happen at some point." James' team won 73-63 in a game that was streamed live on the Internet. The moment showed the strength of their friendship that began when Durant was in high school. They remained in contact over the years and worked out together last offseason. "We called it 'Hell Week,' " James said. "Monday through Friday, we went twice a day. It was one of the toughest weeks we've both had as workouts. It was some great work that we've got out of it."
• Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: The Grizzlies took a detour on their trip out west by going back down a road well traveled this season. Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins turned to the starting lineup he’s used the most, re-inserting Marreese Speights in place of returning power forward Zach Randolph. The move helped the otherwise lost Grizzlies head back in the right direction with a 102-96 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night in the Staples Center. Memphis ended a three-game skid and avoided being swept on its four-game road trip. With a willing Randolph, who had 10 points and 12 rebounds, playing off the bench, the Griz displayed a renewed spirit and played arguably their most cohesive basketball on both ends of the court in a week. The teams entered the game going in opposite directions. Memphis lost five of its past six games. Los Angeles had won seven of nine. But it was the Lakers who looked out of sorts most of the night.
• Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News: Now that he's moved into the starting lineup and now that he's met Lakers courtside royalty in actor Jack Nicholson, it's time to ask the $1 million question about new point guard Ramon Sessions. How do you pronounce his first name? "Rah-mahn or Ra-mone, it doesn't matter," Sessions said. All right. On to another pressing question. Have you been surprised by your sudden impact on the Lakers? "I wouldn't say it caught me by surprise," said Sessions, acquired March 15 from Cleveland. "It's something I knew deep down inside if I ever got the opportunity to showcase my skill I knew I could fit in with one of the best teams in the league. My career has been kind of like this. I've played well. I've just been (with teams) like Milwaukee, Minnesota and Cleveland that don't get much coverage. I know guys in the NBA circle know I can play. It's a dream come true for that trade to go through and be put in this situation."
• Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: When Marcin Gortat scored the first 10 points of Sunday's victory against the Cavaliers, the baskets in the paint all came assisted as usual. If only someone would do the same for Steve Nash. Though Gortat has the benefit of having about four-fifths of his baskets assisted, mostly by Nash, the NBA's top backcourt shooter has only 18 percent of his baskets assisted. Nash's scores that are set up by teammates usually are 3-point shots. Nash went until the final minute of the first half Sunday without taking a shot, when he drove for a layup after his previous playmaking against Cleveland's traps had the Cavaliers frozen or guessing wrong thereafter. "He's basically generating all his baskets himself," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "It needs to go up about 32 percent. I'd like for him to be assisted on half the baskets he gets, but we don't have that luxury with a playmaker at the four or five position." Nash's rare shots usually come in transition for quick pull-ups, in pick and rolls when defenses drop to the roller or when a teammate drives and he winds up with the ball when it is kicked out and swung to him. Nash, who made both his unassisted shots Sunday, is shooting 54.3 percent from the field this season. It reminds Gentry of his years as a Suns assistant when he would help warm up Nash simply by standing under the basket for all the makes.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: The Cavaliers were unanimous in assessing where they stand after Sunday's effortless loss to the Phoenix Suns, 108-83, at The Q. "We are just not a very good team right now," coach Byron Scott after a third straight defeat and the sixth in seven games. The Cavaliers are now 17-29. "That's the bottom line." Rookie Kyrie Irving agreed completely. "We're not together out there," said Irving, who led the Cavs with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists. "We've got to figure it out one way or another." It seems ludicrous to even bring up the playoffs, given the way the team has stumbled around since its surprising three-game winning streak at Denver, at Oklahoma City and against Houston two weeks ago. But the Cavs left the court 5.5 games behind New York for eight place in the Eastern Conference, four games behind Milwaukee.
• Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News: Jackson played with Diaw in Charlotte, and he says Diaw’s passing is on another level. “His basketball IQ,” he said, “is through the roof.” Sunday said the same. Then, Diaw set picks and defended and found his teammates with crisp passes. He ended with seven rebounds and three steals, and his two-assist total was low because various Spurs missed shots with his passes. “It’s been that way,” he deadpanned, “my whole career.” He won’t be Horry. He won’t be knocking down point guards or clutch threes. But he will be reliable and smart, and he will let those who should shoot do just that. Diaw will be calm in Dallas in late April, and he will see the floor in Oklahoma City in May, and he has the ability to compete with the talent in Miami in June, too. He’s living in Tony Parker’s guest house for now, and there’s reason to think he’s at home. His entire career he’s been asked to do more, after all, and now he doesn’t have to. So can Diaw help the Spurs win? Just as he did five years ago.
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: At the end of the 76ers-Spurs game on Sunday night at AT&T Center, the box-score sheet that was handed out listed the reason for Tim Duncan not playing as OLD. As the Spurs were playing their third game on consecutive nights, coach Gregg Popovich decided to rest his 15-year veteran. But someone on the Spurs staff decided to have a little fun when describing the reason for Duncan's DNP. Despite not having to play against Duncan, there was no fun to be had for the Sixers. They scored just 27 points in the second half, had a season-high 21 turnovers and possessed an attitude similar to a spoiled child not getting his way in a 93-76 loss that dropped them to 27-22. Combined with Boston's 88-76 win over the Washington Wizards, the defeat shrunk their lead to a half-game over the Celtics in the Atlantic Division. San Antonio improved to 33-14 and swept the back-to-back-to-backs for a fourth straight win. Further adding to the Sixers' misery: Just before the game, starting forward Andre Iguodala was pulled from the lineup due to patella tendinitis in his left knee. It is the first game Iguodala has missed this season, after missing 15 last year, most of them due to tendinitis in his other knee.
• Matt Calkins of The Columbian: Portland’s 90-87 win over Golden State on Sunday likely didn’t shock the rabid Rose Garden fans. But the fact that Raymond Felton scored 24 points and knocked down four of his seven 3-pointers might have had them doing quadruple takes at the stat sheet. The 27-year-old has been one of the more maligned Blazers of the past few years, but after his clutch fourth-quarter led Portland (23-26) to a win, he may get a temporary reprieve. “I can score if I have to, but if I don’t need to, we’ve got enough scorers. Guys weren’t hitting their shots — it happens like that sometimes,” said Felton, who knocked three 3-pointers in the final period. “It felt good. It’s just good to get a win.”
• Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press: In the past three games, the Wolves are averaging 119.0 points. Their 257 combined points against Denver and Oklahoma City are a club record for consecutive games. Where is all this offense coming from, particularly in the aftermath of Rubio's season-ending injury? The Wolves are 3-6 since Rubio went down and there were fears that Wolves players would have more difficulty getting easy shots, a regular occurrence when Rubio was healthy. "Scoring is something we've gotten better at as the season's gone on," Adelman said. "That's something this team did last year, score. Offensively, the guys are getting a good feel for what we have to do to be successful."
• Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post: The Nuggets are trying not to panic. "There's still a lot of fight in us," point guard Ty Lawson said. "Just because we're maybe one game out of the playoffs doesn't mean we're going to pack it up and the season is over. We still have a lot of games to play, and a lot of games to win." The playoffs are the big picture the Nuggets are trying not to be photoshopped out of. But more efforts like the one they put on the court Sunday in a 117-100 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center will make it difficult not to be. Lately, the Nuggets ignore the details. Sure, key players are out of the lineup — Danilo Gallinari (injury), Arron Afflalo (NBA suspension) — but that doesn't have to mean their pick-and-roll defense has to slip. It doesn't mean effort on the glass has to wane. It doesn't mean bunches of layups have to be missed and unforced turnovers committed. Those are the things getting the Nuggets in trouble. The lack of detail in their performance has blown up to cause back-to-back blowout losses to start this seven-game road trip.
• Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: The Celtics were forced to use Avery Bradley at shooting guard Sunday because of injuries to Mickael Pietrus and Ray Allen. The move paid off, as Bradley scored 15 points in the first quarter against the Wizards and finished with a career-high 23 in the Celtics’ 88-76 win at TD Garden. Bradley may man the position for a while as Pietrus and Allen could miss multiple games. Pietrus has been diagnosed with a concussion, according to coach Doc Rivers, and the organization has not discussed when he will begin NBA-mandated tests before he can return. Pietrus has to pass a series of neurological tests and be cleared by a league-sponsored doctor. Pietrus was injured in the second quarter of the Celtics’ 99-86 loss to the 76ers Friday night, but was able to travel back to Boston Saturday. Pietrus did not attend Sunday’s game.
• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: In his fifth start of the season – and fourth since JaVale McGee was traded to Denver – Seraphin had 15 points, 11 rebounds and a blocked shot. He also was able to limit Kevin Garnett to just 10 points on 3-for-10 shooting, but the Wizards spent so much time playing from behind, Seraphin said his production felt hollow. “It doesn’t mean nothing. I had my career high but we lost the game,” Seraphin said. No one with the Wizards was pleased with the outcome on Sunday, when they trailed by 25 points in the first half, made a few feeble comeback attempts but never seriously threatened. But Seraphin continues to provide serviceable production since he became a regular rotation player. In his past seven games, Seraphin is averaging 10.4 points and 6.9 rebounds and may have to continue to play at a high level with Nene’s return uncertain because of back spasms. “It’s a lot sore right now,” Nene said after the game. “I want to see for tomorrow. I’m going day-by-day. Two days ago, I started to feeling it a little bit. Yesterday, after the game, I feel like, ‘Oh man.’ It was pretty tight.”

In the first weeks of the season, the Blazers were beating the likes of the Thunder, Lakers, Clippers, Sixers and Nuggets, while sitting pretty in everybody's power rankings as a force in the West.

About a week ago, they traded two of their best players (Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby) for prospects and a pick, fired coach Nate McMillan and finally parted ways with Greg Oden.

Now they are closing out the season with an interim head coach, an acting GM and question marks at almost every roster spot.

Is your head spinning yet?

Acting GM Chad Buchanan finds himself running the basketball office at a crucial time -- this summer the team will have cap space, possibly two lottery picks, and a once-in-a-long-time opportunity to rebuild on the fly around LaMarcus Aldridge, while he's still in his prime.

Buchanan says he has a vision -- he mentions Aldridge, Nicolas Batum, Wesley Matthews and Elliott Williams, and alludes to a short list of trade and free agency targets -- but it's unclear how long he'll have a job. He tells us what all that has been like.

Also, we talk to the people who have apparently won the race to have the first printed Linsanity book on the shelves.

The NBA Today with Chad Buchanan.