Kenyon Martin, who had one of the All-Star Game's few true highlights, hopes to keep the Nets rolling in the second half. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images

And now for four words about Sunday's All-Star Game: It kind of stunk.

I concede I'm in the minority here. People tune in to see spectacular alley-oop dunks, and they certainly got their fill of them. But in a game never known for its defense -- nor should it be -- the lack of effort Sunday at the "other" end struck me as unprecedented, though I concede "lack of defensive effort" is a stat that can't be measured.

This is not to say that showmanship should be taken out of the game. It was terrific moment when Shaquille O'Neal grabbed a camera at the baseline and pretended to fix his non-existent hair. We were in Los Angeles, after all, not Baghdad.

But one of the consequences of such a defenseless and sloppy game is that it reinforces a stereotype that is erroneous to begin with -- i.e., that the NBA doesn't play any defense.

"That game showed everything that is wrong with the NBA," one of my friends told me. To which I replied: "You're full of crap." If the All-Star defensive effort were amped up by, say, 30 percent, the game could be a true showcase of all-around talents.

To that end, I thought the two "best" players in Sunday's game were Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant. I voted for Shaq as MVP because of his statistical impact on the game, but the effort shown by Kidd and Bryant, both of whom played spectacularly but seriously, should be what the game is all about. And as for the flat-out-on-the-run-left-handed alley-oop pass that Kidd made to a fast-breaking Kenyon Martin? In my mind it was not just a great pass, but the best pass I've ever seen.

Anyway, we're entering what could be called the stretch run of the NBA season, and eight teams strike me as particularly interesting. In reverse order, they are:

8. Denver Nuggets.  Last season's 17-win doormats are clinging to that eighth and final spot in the Western Conference. If anyone saw the Nugs as a playoff team before the year started, please e-mail me with dated proof of your prediction. They've made the fast break fashionable again, and the basketball world at large deserves to see Earl Boykins in a first-round playoff game.

7. Dallas Mavericks.  Most everyone (including me) has written the Mavs off as a playoff contender even though they're still in position to be as high as a fourth seed in the West. I'm still convinced that Antoine Walker was the wrong fit for this team, but I love watching it.

6. Detroit Pistons.  As this is being written, The New York Post's Peter Vecsey reports that Rasheed Wallace could be on his way to Larry Brown Land. Gee, if that happens, isn't there a concern that 'Sheed will take minutes away from Darko Milicic? Latest Milicic Minute Meter: 54 in 54 Pistons games. George Yardley has seen more action this season. The Pistons, remember, have to make it to the Finals to show that their firing of Rick Carlisle to make way for Brown was worth it.

5. Memphis Grizzlies.  Here's a name you haven't heard much about this season: Pau Gasol. The third-year forward is having an outstanding season, but in Hubie Brown's share-the-wealth system he's averaging only 32 minutes per game. If the young Grizzlies continue to follow Brown, it will be the greatest example of across-the-generations communication since Luke Skywalker paid heed to Obi-Wan Kanobi. (Incidentally, Hubie is younger than Obi by two years.)

4. New York Knicks.  I'm not sure what all of Isiah Thomas' changes ultimately have wrought in Madison Square Garden. Obviously, Stephon Marbury was an upgrade at point guard, but it still remains to be seen how he will play with Allan Houston, who has been on the bench with two sore knees. Thomas insists that his most recent deal, in which he landed Tim Thomas and Nazr Mohammed and lost Keith Van Horn, was as much about getting Mo as it was about getting Thomas. That had better be the case because Thomas and Van Horn are all but a wash, and I like Van Horn a little more. But, look, the Knicks needed a shakeup, and Isiah has done that. And if they finish seventh or eighth in the East, which they almost certainly will, they could face Indiana, the team that fired Thomas, in the first round. Think that series will have any intrigue?

3. Minnesota Timberwolves.  The standard thinking in the NBA is that a team can't make a quantum leap to the championship. After seven straight first-round playoff exits, the T'wolves want to prove that false. But their delicate balance is bound to be tested when Wally Szczerbiak and Michael Olowokandi return from injuries and take touches away from the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. Troy Hudson returned in Tuesday's win over Phoenix, and everything looked OK. But there's a long way to go.

2. New Jersey Nets.  Are you familiar with the NBA expression "tuning out the coach?" I admit that I had mixed feelings about the Byron Scott firing. I never considered him one of the great masters of the blackboard, but he did take a team that had finished 26-56 in 2000-01 to back-to-back Finals. It's become clear, however, that the Nets had tuned Scott out; witness their nine-game winning streak under Lawrence Frank, which could become 10 with a victory Wednesday over Atlanta. The Nets' battle with the Pacers for No. 1 will bring some long overdue attention to the Eastern Conference.

1. Los Angeles Lakers.  Ah, the true test of whether chemistry really matters. Kobe doesn't really like Shaq. Shaq doesn't really like Kobe. Kobe doesn't really like Phil Jackson. Phil doesn't really like Kobe. Kobe doesn't really love the Lakers because, though he says he wants to remain a Laker, he will test the free-agent market. The Lakers (except for Jeanie Buss, Phil's girlfriend) don't really love Phil because they have stopped talking contract extension. Gary Payton doesn't really love Phil's triangle offense. Karl Malone doesn't really love that everyone's not in love. Does that about cover it? But does anyone think that, with a healthy O'Neal, the Lakers won't make a serious run?

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for the magazine and is a regular contributor to SI.com.