NBA BASKETBALL
The NBA Week
<January 23, 2002>

By InsideHoops.com

Wednesday, Jan. 23: L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers is a fun matchup now that the Clipshow, hovering around .500, wins games. Point guard Jeff McInnis, who due to Keyon Dooling's injury is playing huge amounts of minutes, has been consistently solid. He must develop an outside shot. There's a log-jam at shooting guard, with Eric Piatkowski starting ahead of the more versatile Quentin Richardson and Corey Maggette. At small forward, Lamar Odom's wrist has been a problem. He's making just under 20% of his 3-point shots. Fortunately, Odom does lots of other things that almost makes up for his decreased scoring. More can be expected from him once the wrist is fully healed. Elton Brand has been excellent all season. Michael Olowakandi defends and rebounds, and can contribute offensively when given touches. The team is fun to watch. As for the champs, Shaquille O'Neal is back. This takes pressure off of Kobe Bryant and other Lakers who had to do more as Shaw served his 3-game suspension for trying to eliminate Brad Miller from Earth. The Lakers need Shaq happy, healthy, and playing his best by playoff time, or they can and just may get taken out. Derek Fisher lately has been hitting from outside. Kobe Bryant will benefit from Shaq's return. Rick Fox is shooting worse than ever. He needs to recover. Samaki Walker is still learning his role. Devean George has come alive this season. For the Lakers, it's all about getting to the playoffs healthy and at the top of their game.

Also: San Antonio at Utah features Karl Malone against Tim Duncan. The Spurs just battled the Nets and could be worn out... Memphis at Golden State showcases Jason Richardson and Shane Battier doing battle, while Antawn Jamison and Pau Gasol try to match each other's scoring... Seattle at Charlotte features Gary Payton and Baron Davis in an epic battle of great point guards. Payton has shown almost no signs of aging, while Davis has emerged as a star.

Thursday, Jan. 24: Utah at Sacramento is solid. The Jazz are hovering just above the .500 mark, which is very good considering how badly their season began. They've steadily improved. John Stockton keeps doing what's expected of him - hitting shots and getting assists. DeShawn Stevenson, the starting shooting guard, has shown flashes. He recently played some point and showed a knack for it. Stevenson doesn't do much other than jump really high, but the potential to become a real player does exist. Donyell Marshall has been out, but in his place has been a bright spot, rookie Andrei Kirilenko. He's not consistent just yet, which is understandable, but he's a keeper. Karl Malone keeps trucking. At center, rookie Jarron Collins has been a nice surprise. Utah has won twice as many games as they've lost when Collins has started. Zone defenses make it hard to run the pick-and-roll, and that's partially why Utah struggled early on. They're adjusting. As for the Kings, they had won a gazillion games in a row (that's the exact amount - a "gazillion") before losing to Portland in overtime on Tuesday. Offensively, the entire team can explode. Every player knows how to pass and set teammates up. The Kings take good shots, and because they work so well as a team on offense that it leaves them extra energy to do things on defense they might not be able to do otherwise. Mike Bibby's knee is feeling better, so he's producing. Doug Christie does a bit of everything on both ends of the floor. Peja Stojakovic can hit shots from the parking lot, which makes it easy for Chris Webber to work the inside. And Vlade Divac is perhaps the most versatile center in the league. He's been slowed by injuries lately and wasn't playing up to par, but he'll bounce back. As long as the Kings hustle on defense, they're tough to beat.

Also: Dallas at Denver features Steve Nash against Nick the Quick... Memphis at Portland should result in a Blazers win, but it'll be fun seeing what Pau Gasol can do against the likes of Rasheed Wallace... Miami at Orlando features Eddie Jones against Tracy McGrady. Just as InsideHoops.com predicted about two weeks ago, the Heat have picked things up and now win some games... Phoenix at New York isn't a key matchup, but it's always good to check on Stephon Marbury as he plays in his home city... Seattle at Milwaukee has plenty of nice individual matchups.

Friday, Jan. 25: San Antonio at L.A. Lakers is huge. Check Lakers commentary above. Again, their main issue is Shaq's health. As for the Spurs, David Robinson's age has caught up with him, and he may go the route of Hakeem Olajuwon and Patrick Ewing sooner than expected. Playing less than 30 minutes per game, the Admiral typically sits on the bench late in games when it counts. He's not happy about it, but the smaller, quicker Malik Rose has been better at staying mobile and hustling on both ends when crunch times arrives and everything kicks up a notch. Robinson's lost a step, and it shows. For the Spurs to really compete in the playoffs, he's got to find it again. At the point, Antonio Daniels has been filling in for the injured Tony Parker. Daniels doesn't rip the net from outside, but he does everything else reasonably well. Charles Smith has shown flashes at shooting guard. Steve Smith, playing small forward because of Bruce Bowen's injury, basically just stands outside and waits for open 3-pointers. Tim Duncan is an MVP candidate. Coach Popovich recently called the team "soft," pissing them off. They need to hustle for all 48 minutes.

Also: Charlotte at Indiana features lots of solid individual matchups... Minnesota at Toronto is fantastic because it's an honor to have Kevin Garnett and Vince Carter on the floor at the same time... Philadelphia at Boston is worth watching because the 76ers are finally working together as a team and doing some good things. They'd love to make a statement by beating Boston and making it known they are still a contender in the East... Detroit at Atlanta features Jerry Stackhouse and Jason Terry both going for 30.

WEEKEND

Saturday, Jan. 26: New Jersey at Miami is solid. The Heat are rolling lately and they'd love to prove something by knocking down the conference-leading Nets. Alonzo Mourning's health is improved, and he's playing with fire. Todd MacCulloch has size and some mobility, and could annoy him by playing physically... Dallas at L.A. Clippers should be a joy to watch. Go out of your way to see it if you can... Sacramento at Utah features Karl Malone against Chris Webber, while rookie Andrei Kirilenko chases Peja Stojakovic all over the court... Houston at Charlotte grants us the privledge of seeing Baron Davis and Steve Francis go at it.

Sunday, Jan. 27: Orlando at Toronto - Tracy McGrady against Vince Carter. Oh my. Enjoy it... L.A. Lakers at Philadelphia will serve as a gut check for the Sixers.

Enjoy.