They are the Eastern Conference’s stealth team. Talented, but lurking in the pack all season, the Hornets are just now starting to make some noise.
Before Sunday’s loss to the Nets, they had ripped off eight straight wins to pull within a half game of the No. 4 spot in the conference.
Like the red hot Sixers, the Hornets could be a dangerous team down the stretch. They’ve got a proven Go-To Guy in Jamal Mashburn, a strong frontcourt led by Jamal Magloire and P.J. Brown, and one of the league’s top three-point shooters in David Wesley.
Yes, they have had a tendency in the past to go soft, but if Baron Davis comes back healthy, look out. An energized New Orleans team could be a load. Either way, coach Paul Silas, who has yet to get a contract extension, will put them in position to be a factor.
San Antonio Spurs They won at Boston on Sunday to make it 15 of 17 overall and 10 of 11 on the road. They’re also 8-2 this season without David Robinson, who’s back on the injured list with a sore back.
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Sacramento Kings High prices are nothing new at this Arco. Sunday’s triumph over the Pacers upped their home record to 125-29 (.838) over the past four seasons, including 53-6 (.898) against Eastern Conference teams.
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Dallas Mavericks They’re the NBA’s road warriors, with a 21-9 road mark that is far and away the NBA’s best. But they could be tested this week with three straight toughies at Seattle, Golden State and Sacramento.
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L.A. Lakers For Phil Jackson, the only thing more painful than kidney stones might be a six-game road trip featuring stops at Detroit, Minnesota and Sacramento. At least his Lakers, winners of 14 of 16, have found their form.
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Detroit Pistons Chauncey Billups shot down the Warriors on Sunday to make it two in a row and put them back atop the East. After all, they currently own the tiebreaker over both Indiana and New Jersey.
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Minnesota Timberwolves No rest for KG: They won at Phoenix on Sunday to snap a three-game losing skid, but the rest of the week’s schedule is brutal: at Dallas, then home for the Spurs, Lakers and Blazers.
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Philadelphia 76ers Everybody said they were starting to resemble the 2001 Finals team, so they went out and signed Tyrone Hill off waivers from the Cavs. Now if they could just get Matt Geiger to come out of retirement.
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Portland Trail Blazers Their inconsistent play of late has raised new concerns over their lack of a finishing kick. Over the past five seasons, their best finish over the final 20 games was a 12-8 mark back in 1999-2000.
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Utah Jazz DeShawn Stevenson has been showing signs as a fill-in for the injured Matt Harpring. Over a recent three-game stretch, he averaged 15.3 points on 52.5 percent shooting in 31.0 minutes of playing time.
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New Jersey Nets They won at New Orleans on Sunday to snap a four-game losing skid, but 10 losses in 15 games has them on edge. They’re hoping visits this week from Eastern rivals Boston and Philly can stoke their fire.
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Indiana Pacers With Ron Artest suspended for flagrant fouls, they lost at Sacramento on Sunday to make it 10 of 11 defeats and nine straight on the road. The good news is they play nine of their next 11 at Conseco Fieldhouse.
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New Orleans Hornets Eight straight wins (before Sunday’s home loss to the Nets) have them buzzing again. Also, Baron Davis (arthroscopic knee surgery) could be back in time for Tuesday’s big game in Indiana.
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Boston Celtics They beat the Clippers at the Fleet Center on Friday in a game delayed by noxious fumes near the home bench. Unfortunately, they couldn’t blame pranksters for Sunday’s stinker against the Spurs.
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Orlando Magic Grant Hill makes it official: He won’t be back this season. Not that Tracy McGrady has noticed. T-Mac outscored the Nuggets by himself, 37-32, in the first half Sunday en route to 43 points.
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Houston Rockets With home dates against the Clippers and Bulls this week, they need to take advantage. Meanwhile, Glen Rice is shooting 47.4 percent (18-of-38) from downtown since coming off the injured list on Feb. 18.
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Phoenix Suns They beat the Blazers and Spurs last week before stumbling Sunday at home against the T'wolves. For the season, Phoenix is 21-14 against teams with a winning record but just 12-14 against teams under .500.
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Milwaukee Bucks By George, don’t count them out. One day after stealing a victory at Washington, they rallied from 17 down in the fourth Saturday to beat the Warriors in OT and move into the No. 8 spot in the East.
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Golden State Warriors Consecutive losses at Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit last week have burst their playoff bubble. But at 30-33 on the season, they’re still the NBA’s most improved team so far.
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Seattle SuperSonics After winning five in a row, they had dropped two in a row through Monday. Now comes visits from the Blazers, Mavs and Warriors this week, and Brent Barry (knee tendinitis) is ailing again.
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New York Knicks How about a little credit for Don Chaney? Despite key injuries, tons of turmoil and a mismatched roster, he has somehow managed to get them within shouting distance of a playoff spot.
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Washington Wizards Despite back spasms, Michael Jordan scored 39 points in his Madison Square Garden finale on Sunday. But losses to the Heat, Wizards and Knicks last week had MJ calling out his mates.
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Memphis Grizzlies They won consecutive road games (at the Cavs and Raptors) last week for the first time in two years. Overall, they own an 8-6 record since Feb. 12, and they had scored 100 points or more in 10 of their past 13 games.
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Toronto Raptors Welcome back, Vince! Air Canada pumped in a season-high 43 points in Saturday’s win at the Hawks. They’ll need similar efforts to survive this week’s five-game road trip out West.
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Atlanta Hawks Nazr Mohammed (stress fracture, right foot) is out for the season. But DerMarr Johnson, who suffered a broken neck in an offseason car wreck, could begin practicing with the team this week.
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L.A. Clippers Despite not having their starting frontcourt, they won at Chicago on Saturday to give interim coach Dennis Johnson his first victory. Meanwhile, rookie Chris Wilcox has flashed some potential.
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Chicago Bulls Jay Williams gets a seat on the bench after airing his complaints about the triangle offense. Through March 5, he was averaging just 9.4 points (on 37.1 percent shooting) and 5.0 assists in 28.2 minutes per game.
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Miami Heat Here’s how bad it’s become for them: They held the lowly Nuggets to nine points in the first quarter Saturday at home -- and still lost! With Eddie Jones out, they have no reliable scorer.
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Denver Nuggets It might not have been a day at the beach, but they won at Miami to snap that horrid 14-game losing skid. Still, they’re only one game up in the loss column on the Cavs for the NBA’s worst record.
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Cleveland Cavaliers They vehemently deny Bimbo Coles' assertion that they're tanking games for LeBron James. However, they have officially changed their team mascot to St. Bonaventure.
