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Rounding into shape

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Sports Illustrated's Marty Burns surveys the NBA landscape every Monday with his Roundball Roundup. Check back throughout the week for Marty's columns, power rankings and NBA mailbag.

To send a question to Marty's mailbag click here.

After a slow start, the Blazers are finally beginning to resemble a championship-caliber club. But will Portland regret not picking up games on the Lakers early in the Pacific Division standings? It could mean no home-court advantage against L.A. in the playoffs and a second-round pairing with the Spurs. ... Vince Carter's strained left quadriceps couldn't have come at a worse time for the Raptors, who were just starting to put it together. Carter is listed as day-to-day. ... The Heat's acquisition of Cedric Ceballos for conditional draft picks is a steal. Yes, he's injury-prone, a poor defender and a bit of a head case. But he can score and rebound, and he's in the last year of his contract so he should be motivated. ... Who says NBA players lack the emotion of their college counterparts? After committing two costly turnovers late in a heartbreaking loss to the Knicks last week, Magic guard Darrell Armstrong left the court in tears. ... How appropriate that Karl Malone will probably someday pass newly crowned John Stockton as the all-time leader in games played with the same franchise. It'll be Stockton-to-Malone all over again.

Beantown bye-bye

Rick Pitino's rant about resigning after the season really isn't a surprise. He has stated all along that he would fire himself as coach after the season if the Celtics don't make the playoffs. Maybe he's angling for a college job already. But as one player personnel director notes, the more Pitino talks about leaving the harder it's going to be to get his players to do what he wants.

Cleveland rocks

The surprising Cavaliers are 9-4, and sitting atop the Central Division. Give GM Jim Paxson credit. He found a way to dump Shawn Kemp's huge contract (thanks to Paul Allen) while adding quality veterans like Chris Gatling, Clarence Weatherspoon and Bimbo Coles. They lack the star power to make a serious run in the East, but at least there's reason for optimism again on the shores of Lake Erie.

Finals rematch?

For the first time since last year's Finals, the Pacers and Lakers square off Tuesday night at the Staples Center. Of course, you can't really call it a rematch. After all, Derek Fisher is hurt and won't be in uniform. Oh yeah, some guys named Bird, Jackson, Davis, Smits, Rice and Green won't be playing either.

An opposing coach sizes up Suns second-year forward Shawn Marion, who's averaging 18.8 points and 12.1 rebounds per game: "Legitimate star on a good team. Very athletic, and he brings it every night. It has just been a natural maturation process for him. Also, he benefits tremendously from playing with Jason Kidd. He can run the floor and get easy baskets because Kidd will find him. The only weakness I can see is maybe he needs to add a little range to his shot. He's a good mid- range shooter, but he could take it out further. We tell our guys to play him soft with a hand in his face to see how he's shooting the ball. Another thing I like about him is his court demeanor. He doesn't show much emotion. He just plays the game."
Quiz
This week's theme: Global feats. 1. Which NBA player currently holds two of Great Britain's high school records in the long jump and triple jump? a. John Amaechi b. Tariq Abdul-Wahad c. Michael Olowokandi 2. As a teenager in Russia, Suns backup center Jake Tsakalidis was a candidate for the Soviet Olympic team in what sport? a. Volleyball b. Swimming c. Ice hockey 2. Which NBA player's grandfather served as ambassador to Denmark under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford? a. Christian Laettner b. Steve Kerr c. Chris Dudley answers: c, b, c. Marty Burns covers pro basketball for CNNSI.com. To send a question to Marty's mailbag click here.

 

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