- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "The question everyone wants addressed (other than the identity of Ron Artest's hair stylist) might have been delivered with a counter-punch,18 games from the playoffs. Are the Orlando Magic better than they were last season and can they win the NBA title this time? The Magic hit back when the defending champion Lakers unleashed their full fury and beat them 96-94 on Sunday at Amway Arena. Sure, you can get a temperature reading on the Magic by listing their latest, greatest victims: They've beaten the Boston Celtics (twice), Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lakers while going 18-5 in the second half of the season. But attaching a face to the Magic evaluation makes it even more meaningful, if not credible, especially when it's Lakers coach Phil Jackson's. 'I think they're as good, maybe better, a little better than they were last year,' Jackson said."
- Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times: "Kobe Bryant was late for Sunday's pregame activities, but Ron Artest arrived on time, with a new blond dye job and several inscriptions in his hair. He etched the word 'defense' in three languages -- Japanese, Hebrew and Hindi, he said. In plain English, however, his defense was poor Sunday against the Orlando Magic. His assignment for most of the game, Vince Carter, had 25 points, including 10 points on free throws in the first quarter. The Magic beat the Lakers, 96-94. Artest was rubbed out by high screens on some possessions but lacked the defensive flair he'd unveiled in recent weeks. One play pretty much said it all: He went for a steal in the third quarter and didn't get it, leaving Carter open for an easy three-pointer. 'He had a struggle tonight,' Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said. 'Couldn't make a shot and everything was a foul on Carter. Ron really didn't get a chance to play the defense he's touted to play.' "
- Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com: "The Lakers have lost three straight games for the first time in the 217 games they've played since Pau Gasol joined the team. What they discovered from this lull is a conundrum that's as hard to solve as any defensive overload or offensive scheme they will face the rest of the season: How should the team react when Kobe Bryant dominates the ball and the Lakers lose, knowing full well that the only reason they were even in the game at the end was because Bryant orchestrated a comeback by dominating the ball? Tricky, right?"
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post: "Andray Blatche was noticeably upset and appeared to hold back tears as
he explained his encounter with Kevin Garnett, which nearly got heated when Garnett approached Blatche and tried to wrestle the ball away from him. Blatche appeared to throw an elbow as Garnett continued to taunt him. Blatche later flung Garnett into a cameraman and sent him to the foul line for two free throws. Garnett smiled as he was helped off the ground. Reserve forward James Singleton said Garnett used his 'veteran senses' to needle Blatche and get under his skin. 'I see myself as defending myself as a player. I'm a man, just like they a man. If a man is talking to me this close to my face,' Blatche said, moving his hand toward his cheek. 'I'm going to say something back. He has to respect me just like I respect him. I just, 'Get up out of my face.' He was this close in my face -- I can feel his lips touching my cheek -- I wasn't bragging saying 'Ah we winning.' It was 'Back up.' ' " - Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: "A few months ago, re-signing Ray Allen seemed questionable at best because he was struggling mightily. Not only was he missing 3-pointers, he was passing them up when open, a clear indication he had lost his confidence. He and the rest of the NBA knew his name was being mentioned in trade talks. President of basketball operations Danny Ainge was determining a market for Allen’s expiring contract, but never got a deal he felt comfortable with and passed. And despite his constant denials that the trade talk was not affecting him, Allen took a deep breath, refused to take it personally, and focused on helping the Celtics. His numbers are sparkling since the trade deadline passed. In 10 games, Allen is shooting nearly 57 percent from the field and 44 percent from the 3-point line. Confidence in Allen is soaring to the point where Celtics coach Doc Rivers called a play for him to shoot a 3-pointer inside two minutes remaining in last night’s 86-83 win over the Washington Wizards with the Celtics down by 2 points."
- Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: "Mike Heisley is charming, accessible and wonderfully blunt. But he doesn't get it. He doesn't know how to build a successful NBA franchise in this town. ... If you had any lingering doubt about this, read Ron Tillery's riveting Q & A with the man in today's paper. It's Heisley at his best and his worst. He says he was right about Zach Randolph, which is true. He says Mike Conley 'is the type of point guard we need,' which is a stretch. But his most telling answer was to a question about the draft. Tillery asked if the Grizzlies have to draft better. The correct answer to this question is 'Yes.' Of course the Grizzlies have to draft better. Their No. 2 pick in the 2009 draft has been playing in Bismarck, N.D., having been beaten out at backup center by an undrafted Iranian. Their No. 4 pick in the 2007 draft would be an excellent backup point guard. How did Heisley answer the question? 'No, we don't have to do better,' he said. 'Nobody was asking me whether I was concerned about the draft when we were beating everybody's (butt) in December and January. What I'd like to talk about is people coming out and supporting this team. I'd like to see people paying $5 to see the games. I'd like to see people spend less than what they spend for a movie to come see one of the better up-and-coming teams in the NBA. I heard it for years that we aren't very good. Well, they can't say that now, and there's no big rush through the turnstile.' So a question about the draft turned into an answer about attendance. And the answer revealed Heisley really doesn't understand what's happened with his team. Memphis fans were never going to rush through the turnstiles because the Grizzlies started playing .500 basketball. A few months of surprising respectability were never going to fix everything that's gone wrong over the last six years."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "The lesson from the past week and even past few days is clear: Fall in line or fade away. So even after being benched at the end of three consecutive games, Michael Beasley opted against an I-told-you-so approach after Saturday's breakthrough against the Atlanta Hawks. Instead, after scoring 14 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, the second-year forward said he appreciated the approach coach Erik Spoelstra had taken leading to the victory that extended the Miami Heat's winning streak to three. 'The lineup coach decides to play is usually a good one,' Beasley said. 'I look at Coach Spoelstra like a guru. He usually knows what he's talking about, so I'm not really going to argue about my minutes I should be out there. I shouldn't. I'm just going to play the minutes I get and play them well.' Contrast that to the approach of point guard Rafer Alston, who, after being demoted from starter to third string, abruptly severed ties with the team before Friday's practice, failing then to appear at Saturday's game. 'He's away right now,' Spoelstra said, with the Heat holding its annual Family Fest charity event Sunday having yet to speak with Alston."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "After 62 games last season, the Bulls owned a 28-34 record and had gone 5-4 since making a major move at the trade deadline with the acquisitions of John Salmons and Brad Miller. After 62 games this season, the Bulls are 31-31 and have gone 4-5 since making two major moves at the trade deadline to shed salary and acquire Hakim Warrick, Flip Murray, Acie Law, Joe Alexander and a future first-round pick. Similar, right? Wrong. This season has a doom-and-gloom feel to it given that the Bulls have lost four straight, including three at home, and consecutively face six more teams .500 or better in a murderous stretch. Even more daunting is all this comes at a time that Joakim Noah is sidelined indefinitely with plantar fasciitis in his left foot. The Bulls' emotional leader is essential to the style they need to play to be successful -- get a defensive stop, grab the rebound and run. In fact, last season's team went 13-7 over the final 20 games and featured an absolutely potent offense that averaged 107 points down the stretch. Without Noah, this season's team is unpredictable at best and porous defensively at worst, as Saturday's 122-116 loss to the Mavericks proved yet again."
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: “ 'You should be ashamed of yourself, Scott!' Those are the words Rip Hamilton just yelled at official Scott Foster before he sat on the bench for the Pistons. As you can imagine, Foster yelled right back at Rip, telling him in no uncertain terms he better knock it off before he is watching the rest of the game against the Rockets back in the locker room. I'm not one to talk about officiating errors normally, but this scene highlights a growing sense of frustration among the Pistons about the lack of respect they are getting from the officials. I know, I know. This is a team that is 21-41 and counting so the last thing you want to hear is that they are crying about the officiating. But Hamilton had a point. He raced down speedy Rockets point guard Aaron Brooks midway through the third quarter, but all he appeared to do was yell at Brooks as he went in for the lay-up. Brooks stumbled and Foster called the foul. Replays indicated Hamilton had a gripe."
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "If there can be one weakness to improve, one area to repair, just one part of the game to address above all others with the 20 games left in the season, the Rockets should not have to think twice. ... Game on the line, defenses tightening, every possession crucial -- how do the Rockets respond? More often than not, they put their fate in the hands of their shot-making, hoping they can put in just enough tough or long shots to get the win. That works on occasion, but the teams that rarely ever lose games like Sunday's, the playoff teams, don't rely on somehow getting just enough shots to fall. They execute. When they miss, they execute again. When they get smacked by bad calls, big momentum swings, bad breaks, they execute because nothing can substitute for that."
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: "A sense of uneasiness has crept inside the Raptors, a feeling of impending doom if the team’s attention to detail continues to be ignored. For now, there’s no danger of missing the playoffs, but the danger lies in the Raptors’ inability to seize the moment. Staring at a four-game Western swing that tips off Tuesday in Los Angeles against the reigning champion Lakers, the last thing the Raptors needed was to get wiped out on their home floor. The Raptors weren’t just beaten, they were exposed. It wasn’t so much their deficiencies on defence, their refusal to attack the basket and get to the line, their uncharacteristically poor decision-making or sloppy ball-handling. What was alarming was the team’s mind-set, an approach to the way they play that must be addressed and corrected. And the quicker, the better."
- Jody Genessy of the Deseret News: "Home is nice and all. Sweet even. But when it comes to reading, watching TV and movies, hanging out with the guys, playing card games and, aaaahhh, snoozing, there's no place like the road for the Utah Jazz. The Jazz will have plenty of time to do all of that in the final stretch of the season, considering they'll occupy the visitors' locker room for 12 of their final 20 games. The most popular pastime on the road? Don't yawn, but it might be getting extra shuteye on comfy hotel beds. 'Sleep,' Jazz forward Andrei Kirilenko quickly said while cracking a grin when asked about his favorite road hobby. 'That's the only time of the year when you can sleep. Nobody around, (no) distraction. You just get to the room, get your sleep, so you kind of get your energy back.' Kirilenko isn't the only one who takes advantage of the slumber opportunities.'I sleep a lot,' Jazz shooting guard Kyle Korver admitted."
- Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: "The campaign for Tyreke Evans to win Rookie of the Year will pick up at Arco Arena on Wednesday when the Kings host the Toronto Raptors. It will be 'Rally for RekeROY' night. Fans at Sunday's game had the opportunity to record testimonials about Evans that could be played on the JumboTron on Wednesday. Evans was Western Conference Rookie of the Month the first two months of the season. The award went to Golden State guard Stephen Curry (January) and New Orleans guard Darren Collison (February) the last two months."
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