Forget asking if the Lakers will make the playoffs. That one looks to have been answered. The question now is: Will Shaq, Kobe and Co. get home court? The answer to that one also is likely to be yes, at least in the first round.
Since New Year's Day, the Lakers have gone 22-7 to climb into the sixth spot in the Western Conference, and they're only getting better. In fact, through Sunday they'd won nine of their past 10 games.
Kobe showed what he's capable of by tying Michael Jordan's streak of nine consecutive 40-point games, and on Friday, Shaq had his best game of the season, scoring 40 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in L.A.'s 106-96 victory over Minnesota. He followed that with a 39-point, 10-rebound effort against Philly on Sunday.
If those games are indications that the Big Fella is hitting his stride, the fourth-place Trail Blazers and fifth-place Timberwolves need to start glancing over their shoulders.
Not known for coming up big when it counts, Portland and Minnesota are ripe for the picking now that the playoff stretch has started. The Blazers have lost two of their past three games, including Thursday's 88-60 humiliation at the hands of the Sixers, while the T'wolves have dropped three of their past four.
L.A., on the other hand, seems to find another gear come springtime, and this year doesn't look to be an exception. While that extra something may not be enough to get them past the Kings, Mavs and Spurs, it likely will have the Lakers playing a first-round series at Staples. And we all know what happens when the three-time defending champs get on a postseason roll.
MJ calls out Wizards
"It's very disappointing when a 40-year-old man has more desire
than a 24-, 25- or 23-year-old, diving for loose balls, busting
his chin and doing everything he can to get his team into the
playoffs, and it's not reciprocated from the other players on the
team," Michael Jordan said after the Wizards' 97-96 loss to the Knicks on Sunday. "Until guys let go of that macho, cool attitude and do the necessary things that it takes to play the game of basketball, it's going to be tough for Washington to make anything."
Security concerns in Boston
The Celtics and Clippers got a scare Friday night when someone released what was believed to be pepper spray behind Boston's bench. With a war looming and thoughts of terrorism on everyone's mind, Celtics coach Jim O'Brien tried to persuade head referee Hue Hollins to postpone or cancel the rest of the game. "We have directives we have to follow in situations like this," Hollins said afterward. "We can't just arbitrarily say the game was over."
Be careful what you ask for
This wasn't exactly what Jay Williams had in mind. The Bulls rookie voiced his frustration with the team's constant losing last week, saying, "Things need to get better here ... I see other teams knowing what we do, in and out, and maybe it's time to do something a little different." Head coach Bill Cartwright took Williams' words to heart and benched him in favor of Jamal Crawford in Chicago's next game, Thursday vs. the Warriors. The Bulls produced their highest scoring output of the season in the 119-105 win.
SWISH: Vince Carter
The Raptors forward had his best game of the season Saturday night against the Hawks when he scored 43 points on 16-of-24 shooting, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Carter scored 15 points in the first quarter and almost had matched his previous season best (27) by halftime with 26.
BRICK: Ron Artest
The NBA upheld a flagrant foul call against the Pacers forward and suspended him for Sunday's game against the Kings for accumulating six flagrant-foul points after Saturday's run-in with Portland's Bonzi Wells. As the suspensions mount with each subsequent flagrant foul, the Pacers will have to try to keep Artest in check down the stretch run.
SWISH: Golden State Warriors
Before dropping three in a row on their current Eastern swing, the Warriors had reeled off six consecutive wins, their longest winning streak in almost nine years. Their win against the Pacers on March 4 improved their record to 30-30, marking the first time the team had been at .500 that late in the season since April 24, 1994 -- the last season Golden State reached the playoffs.
BRICK: Miami Heat
Here's a perfect way to earn a Brick: be the team the Nuggets beat 98-92 to end their 14-game losing skid. The Heat have gone 1-3 on their current home stand, which ends Monday with a game against the Jazz.
SWISH: Kobe Bryant
With his 14th point in the Lakers' victory against the Pacers last Wednesay, Kobe supplanted Bob McAdoo as the youngest player to reach the 10,000-point plateau. The Lakers' All-Star guard was 24 years, 193 days old.
Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks, Monday, 8:30 p.m. ET
If the T'wolves want to prove their success this season is the real deal, they'll get their chance this week. The week begins with Minnesota trying to build on their win in Phoenix on Sunday by traveling to Dallas. Good luck with that.
San Antonio Spurs at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
The T'wolves are home for Wednesday's game, but the opponent doesn't get any easier. Kevin Garnett will have his hands full when Tim Duncan and the Spurs come calling.
L.A. Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
And finally, the week ends with the red-hot three-time defending champs. If Minnesota hasn't gotten a "W" yet this week, it may have another three-game losing streak to carry over into next week.
This department brings you thoughts and comments from around the country. Here's what people are saying this week:
Job security New Jersey Nets head coach Byron Scott got the dreaded vote of confidence from team president Rod Thorn this week. The New York Post reported that Thorn emphatically insisted that Scott, already the second-winningest coach in Nets NBA history, is safe despite the team's recent four-game losing skid. "We just need to make some shots late in the ballgame and make some defensive stops and everything will be fine with us," Thorn said.
More.
Politically charged
Dallas point guard Steve Nash made his political views public during All-Star weekend, wearing a T-shirt to a news conference that read: "No War. Shoot for Peace." Since then, he has talked at length with anyone who asks about his stance. For his trouble, the Star-Telegram says Nash has been torched on talk shows, in letters to the editor and in e-mails. But he's standing firm. "We've become very passive and very numbed by mainstream media. It's time that people just dug a little deeper and looked into issues. By no means do they have to give up their day job. Just think about it every once in a while."
More
Decisions, decisions
Hornets head coach Paul Silas is trying to figure out what starting lineup to use once point guard Baron Davis, who's missed 19 games recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, returns next week. The Times- Picayune says Silas has to decide if he wants to keep his big lineup with George Lynch at shooting guard or return to his regular lineup with Davis starting at point guard and David Wesley at shooting guard. In Lynch's 14 games as a starter, the Hornets are 10-4.
More.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Emanuel Ginobili came into his own in the past three games. Beginning with a career-high 20 points in the Spurs' victory against the Rockets on Sunday, March 2, the Argentinian guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals in three games last week. He shot 57 percent from the floor, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
Without fail, win or lose, Off the Glass says the season is more interesting when you swallow hard and make a deal. At the very least, there are different box scores to peruse and different stats to monitor. And then there's always the chance that it might propel your team into the mix. Upward movement is good movement.
This is the part where we ask you, the reader, to stop waving that towel on the sidelines, pull off the warmups, get on the floor and take some shots. Each week we'll ask a question and post the best responses a week later.
Last week WAAG asked which team would be the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The responses were pretty evenly split among the following:
Houston will be the final playoff team, because Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley will realize that they have a 7-foot-5 center who can score on the low post and can shoot from the outside. -- Dokk Ochoa, Los Angeles
You have to go with Golden State. The Warriors might not have the talent of the other three teams, but they have the best athleticism and the best chemistry. -- Greg Thomas, Garden City, Kan.
Golden State and Phoenix are both young and inexperienced teams, which are prone to late-season collapses. Combine that with the fact that Ray Allen is playing out of his mind, and I'd say Seattle will squeak in there. -- Chris Patton, Bellingham, Wash.
The Suns will close the season out strong once Penny Hardaway and Big Jake return from injury and easily take the last spot. -- Evan, Tempe, Ariz.
Seattle has too much ground to make up, and the Warriors are the Warriors. Phoenix and Houston will both get in as Utah wears down! -- George Thompson, Philadelphia
Who cares? It's all about the top teams in the West, ain't it? Sacramento, Lakers, San Antonio and Dallas! -- Kofi Andah, Accra, Ghana
This week's topic: As the Lakers appear to to be headed in the right direction down the stretch, how far will they go in the postseason?
"Week at a Glance" appears each Monday during the season.
San Antonio Spurs rookie Emanuel Ginobili came into his own in the past three games. Beginning with a career-high 20 points in the Spurs' victory against the Rockets on Sunday, March 2, the Argentinian guard averaged 17.3 points, 4.3 assists and 3.6 steals in three games last week. He shot 57 percent from the floor, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range.
