Hoop Scoop

Although he has never put up big numbers in his 12-year pro career, Knicks forward Charles Oakley has long been one of the hardest workers in the game. He's the guy who grapples for key rebounds, dives into the crowd for loose balls and sinks the open 15-footer when New York's offense is stuck in neutral. He's also the guy who speaks up in the locker room when needed, as he did recently when he questioned his team's toughness after bad home losses to Orlando and Cleveland. Yet Oakley, who is averaging a typical 10.8 points and 9.7 rebounds this season, is overlooked when talk arises about deserving veterans—such as teammate Patrick Ewing and Rockets forward Charles Barkley—who have yet to win a championship. "I don't care about that," he says regarding the lack of national attention. "You don't have to pat me on the back every time I come out of a game. I'm not into that. I just want to win a championship." Oakley, 33, plans to play three more seasons before he retires, title or no title, to run his car washes and laundromats, among other pursuits....

With 27 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists against the Bulls on Sunday, Pistons swingman Grant Hill registered his 12th triple-double of the season, by far the most in the league. Pacers guard Mark Jackson and Hornets forward Anthony Mason were next, with four triple-doubles apiece....

Phoenix coach Danny Ainge can chuckle at the towel-throwing incident earlier this season that played a part in forward Robert Horry's being traded from the Suns to the Lakers. After a timeout late in his team's 114-98 loss at the Great Western Forum last Friday, Ainge picked up a towel from the bench and playfully threw it at Horry as he was walking by the Phoenix bench. Horry laughed....

As if it isn't bad enough that fans will be charged up to $12 to attend this summer's NBA draft in Charlotte, consider that the hometown Hornets have no picks....

Atlanta's reserves were outscored 25-4 by Charlotte, 20-7 by Detroit and 32-10 by New York in a recent three-game span. That's not a bench—it's a splinter....

Since Michael Jordan entered the NBA in 1984, the Bulls have won all 18 playoff series in which they held the home court edge....

After the Blazers found themselves on the wrong end of some tough calls in a loss to the Suns on April 5, guard Kenny Anderson opined that coach P.J. Carlesimo—who at the time had just one technical foul all season—and his assistants should work the refs better. "The staff should say something once in a while," Anderson told reporters. Two games later Carlesimo picked up his second technical....

Suns forward Cedric Ceballos figures Barkley, his former teammate, will play at least two more seasons. "He'll need a year to win a ring and a year to brag about it," says Ced....

Tom Chambers's comeback didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped. First the 37-year-old Chambers, who signed with the Hornets on Jan. 30, missed 12 games with tendinitis in his left foot. Then he reported having several hundred dollars stolen from his locker during a game at New Jersey. Finally he was waived on April 8 after averaging just 1.6 points in 12 games. The golf course probably never looked so good.