- Terence Moore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "For the moment, the Magic are in a solo gallop toward that elite duo in the East after a 106-102 victory over the Hawks. This was the first of a home-and-home series between the two, with the next game Friday night in Orlando. Except for the ridiculously sparse crowd of about 14,000 in this one, it had the feel of a possible matchup to come in the playoffs. If so, the Hawks have much to do between now and then, and it starts with this: little things. They become huge things in the postseason. Take free throws, for instance. The Hawks can't make them. They sank only 14 of 25 attempts against the Magic, which is pathetic but not surprising. They began the evening with the fourth-worst percentage in the league at the line. The Hawks also were inexplicably lethargic for large portions of the game while the Magic were energetic. Consider, too, that the Magic played Tuesday night, and the Hawks had three days' rest."
- Ron Borges of the Boston Herald: "These are the times that try men's soles. Not to mention their heels and their heads. ... What the Celtics are up against at the moment are a lot of things, including an apparent letdown after a long championship run and a sprint out of the gate in defense of that title. Last night, as has been the case for two weeks, their defense was a step slow when it counted and their shots didn't fall when needed. The reason had more to do with psychology and the beginning of an understanding on their part of why defending anything is a lot more difficult than storming the palace gates in the first place."
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "Other players peeked in from the shower room and the training room, hearing the bellows as the teams traded baskets, to check the score. In the end, the Rockets handed the Celtics their sixth loss in the last eight games, strengthening the Cavs' newfound hold on the best record in the NBA, which is now 28-6. The Cavs don't win anything for it, but it's the first time they've been on such a pedestal this late in the season since March of 1989. Plus there's the psychological advantage for Friday that the Cavs will be the hunted for a change. 'We'd never look past an NBA team,' said LeBron James of the effort against the Bobcats, in which he had 21 points. 'I can't say [Friday] is a just another game; I'd be lying. You want to win as many games and try to get homecourt throughout the playoffs.'"
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "How do NBA teams spell luxury tax relief these days? M-E-M-P-H-I-S. For the second time in the past month the Grizzlies consummated a trade in which they helped a team move farther away from the league's dollar-for-dollar penalty for exceeding the luxury tax threshold. In return, the Griz again gave up little to nothing and received cash considerations. That was basically the crux of a deal late Wednesday afternoon when the Griz traded a conditional 2012 second-round draft pick to the Miami Heat for guard Shaun Livingston and an undisclosed amount of cash. Memphis pulled off a similar transaction Dec. 24 when it sent a conditional 2011 second-round pick to Houston for veteran guard Steve Francis, a 2009 second-round pick and $3 million. The Miami deal had nothing to do with the draft pick or Livingston because the Griz immediately waived the former fourth overall pick from 2004. The 2012 pick to Miami just like the 2011 selection that went to Houston is protected through 55."
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "Most of Rasheed Wallace's best years in the NBA came as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. But the impact he made on the franchise is hard to see, unless you look at the franchise's record books in which he ranks among the team's all-time leaders in several categories. 'Real Blazers fans know that when we were out here, we were ripping it up,' said Wallace, whose sore right foot kept him out of the lineup for Wednesday's game."
- Michael Grange of The Globe and Mail: "While it's not as if the Raptors can disregard the veteran centre's averages of 14 points and seven rebounds a game, the continued improvement of Andrea Bargnani in the starter's role alongside Bosh seems to suggest allowing Jermaine O'Neal to be the focus of the second unit would be most profitable for all concerned. Whether the organization would be willing to ask O'Neal - at home in Toronto with Calderon rehabilitating his knee - and his $22.5-million (U.S.) contract to be a backup is another question. And whether the 12-year veteran and six-time all-star would accept the idea is yet another. But Bargnani is forcing the question. In his five games as a starting centre since O'Neal bruised his knee, he's averaging 21.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots while shooting a blistering 57.3 per cent from the floor and 61.5 from the three-point line."
- Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "I've told a number of people this, including Pacers PR man David Benner as we sat next to each other Wednesday, this is the best locker room I've had the opportunity to cover since I've been in Indiana and second overall (2003-04 Timberwolves were great). There's no jealousy or any cliques on the team. There's no finger pointing. I don't walk in the locker room and feel like there's any tension between players as in years past. The chemistry should get even better now that Mike Dunleavy is back."
- Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: "With 24 points and 17 rebounds Wednesday, Paul Millsap recorded his 19th consecutive double-double, the longest streak in Jazz history since John Stockton recorded 25 straight from Jan. 25 to March 23, 1991. Stockton owns the franchise record with 27 in 1989. Millsap is now averaging 18.5 points and 11.7 rebounds in the 20 games since he replaced an injured Carlos Boozer in the starting lineup. 'I never thought about it,' Millsap said. 'Right now, you've just got to win games. For anybody to have any chance of doing anything, you've got to win.' A former second-round draft pick making the NBA's minimum salary ($797,581), Millsap said he doesn't consider himself a Cinderella story. 'I know what I'm capable of doing,' Millsap said. 'I know my capabilities and I'm just getting out there playing right now. It's sad that Boozer's out right now, but I'm going to try to take advantage of as much time as I can.'"
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "The topic of conversation Wednesday afternoon at the Spurs' practice facility was Tim Duncan -- his offensive numbers and how they have gone up for him at age 32 instead of down. The consensus among the gathered media types was that this was a Big Deal. A lone voice sounded in dissent. 'Why are we even talking about this?' Duncan said, quickly transforming himself from interviewee to interviewer. 'I don't th
ink my numbers are that much different than in years past.' Duncan, of course, is right. And perhaps that is the biggest news to come out of the Spurs' season so far. Thirty-four games into his 12th NBA season, Duncan appears to be as fresh and as limber as he did 34 games into his first." - Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "The word out of Colorado is that Sean Williams is lighting up the D-League. Like an arsonist might, that is. The Nets' prodigal son has played in three games for the 14ers, and he hasn't exactly distinguished himself. In fact, according to an NBA official who has consulted with scouts on the scene at the D-League Showcase in Orem, Utah, Williams has already left all the wrong impressions. Playing small forward -- as per his request when he arrived in Bob McKinnon Jr.'s program -- Williams scored four points in his first game. ... In the second game, Williams was thrown out after getting hit with two quick technicals -- with his team down by three points, no less -- and the 14ers lost to Tulsa by seven. And in his third game -- a four-point loss against Austin at the Showcase -- Williams fouled out in 28 minutes. Worst of all, with scores of scouts and GMs in attendance, he refused to join his teammates in the locker room at halftime -- staying on the bench until there were three minutes left on the clock. 'He's getting what he wanted,' the NBA official scout said, 'and he's not exactly helping them out. I feel sorry for their team, because he's hurt them since he got there.'"
- Jeff Caplan of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "The Dallas Mavericks, like most teams, often think referees short-change their players and they want the league to know about it. ... Under the guidance of Ron Johnson, the NBA's new senior vice president for referee operations, the league has made it easier than ever for teams to voice complaints -- and receive explanations. A new process allows teams to send questionable calls to the league office on a game-by-game basis via a designated Web site. A league official reviews the play and provides the team with an interpretation. 'We like it,' Cuban said. 'We have been pretty good at picking the plays we challenge. We seem to have a pretty high batting average. I'm not sure how the league uses this information going forward, though.'"
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