NBA BASKETBALL
The NBA Week
<January 28, 2002>

By Jeff Lenchiner,
InsideHoops.com editor

Monday, Jan. 28: Miami at Utah features the surging Heat against the up-and-down Jazz. Utah has had it very rough lately, losing 5 of their last 6 in tough games against the Mavericks, Spurs and Kings. John Stockton keeps chugging along at the point. John Starks, recently made a starter (which could be very temporary), has always been a streak shooter, but at his advanced age is now often off more than on. DeShawn Stevenson, who had been starting, still has a lot to learn. Bryon Russell has fallen off and is having a lousy season on both ends of the floor. Karl Malone goes outside a bit more than he used to, but still gets the job done. At center, Jarron Collins, barely old enough to see PG-13 movies, plays better than the disappointing Greg Ostertag or John "What the hell, he's terrible" Amaechi. Donyell Marshall's bruised hip will keep him out until February. Andrei Kirilenko, barely old enough to see Rated-G movies, tries to fill his shoes. Utah is 1-9 against the top 5 teams in the West. The Heat, meanwhile, are hot. Rod Strickland, an early disappointment, has been terrific on the offensive side of the floor. Eddie Jones has also picked things up, offensively as well as defensively. Kendall Gill is healthy and doing what Pat Riley acquired him to do - play tough defense. Brian Grant has struggled all year, and still hopes to contribute more. Alonzo Mourning's health will always be a concern, but his stamina is far better now than earlier in the season, and he's picked things up. The Heat bench is inconsistent. This should be a solid matchup.

Also: L.A. Clippers at Memphis will be fun, like a good college game should be.

Tuesday, Jan. 29: Boston at Milwaukee features two of the East's best. The Celtics have been trading wins with losses. Some key guys (Paul Pierce, Tony Battie) are playing with injuries. Kenny Anderson is still playing well, and making shots when it counts. Since Joe Johnson isn't too impressive right now - he's decent but not special, yet - coach Jim O'Brian had been giving Kedrick Brown time at shooting guard. All we know so far about Brown is that he can fly and throw down insane dunks. He got hurt, unfortunately, so now Erick Strickland handles the spot. Antoine Walker is terrific, and amazingly versatile. Tony Battie is playing hurt, and his defense and boxing out has weakened. The Bucks have been winning a bunch of games in a row and then stacking up losses just as quickly. They live and die by their outside shooting, and could really use Glenn Robinson (injured). Sam Cassell's been hot lately, putting up massive stats. Ray Allen, who shot the lights out for a few weeks, suddenly couldn't throw a rock into the ocean. He should bounce back soon. Tim Thomas is inconsistent and better suited coming off the bench. Anthony Mason still doesn't fit seamlessly into the offense just yet, but he plays solid defense. Center Joel Przybilla is hot lately. Lets see if he can keep it up. The main man off the bench is Michael Redd, who has proven his worth. This team is coming off injuries to key players. They'd love to knock down the Celtics tonight.

Also: Charlotte at San Antonio is a solid game... L.A. Clippers vs. Dallas features the fun Clippers against Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki.

Wednesday, Jan. 30: Minnesota at Philadelphia should be a quality game. Minnesota has been trading wins with losses lately. Chauncey Billups did a terrific job filling in for the injured Terrell Brandon, but now Brandon is playing, and stealing most of those minutes back. Terrell was out with a knee injury, and he should try to be cautious for another week or two until he's sure it's healed. Wally Szczerbiak has been a bit off lately, but he's still having a fantastic season. Kevin Garnett is Kevin Garnett. Joe Smith has been shooting with his eyes closed. Someone should mention that he's allowed to open them. The center spot has been a problem, with Rasho Nesterovic struggling recently, and Loren Woods improving at the speed of a turtle that got run over by a bus. Anthony Peeler contributes off the bench. Gary Trent is still out. Meanwhile, the 76ers have reason to be optimistic. They are starting to pick things up, looking better with each game. Now hovering around .500, they'd like to pretend that the first half of the season never happened. Eric Snow is sometimes up, sometimes down, but usually helps the team. Allen Iverson's been hot. Matt Harpring's entire game is built around hustle, so when he's got it, he's got it. Derrick Coleman has been hit by injuries all season, and the latest is an inflamed foot. He's playing, but still hopes to reach full health. Dikembe Mutumbo has picked things up and has been far more effective lately. He's inconsistent, but defending better than before, and making a difference. Aaron McKie's Achilles' tendon is bad. With the 76ers, defense and constant hustle makes is key.

Also: L.A. Lakers at Orlando features a not-too-shabby matchup at shooting guard.

Thursday, Jan. 31: Milwaukee at New Jersey is a possible Eastern conference finals preview. See above to catch up on the Bucks. As for the Nets, their record has earned coach Byron Scott a job coaching the East All-Star team. In the entire 26-year history of the team, this is the first time they've been in first place at this point in the season. Jason Kidd's shooting still leaves a lot to be desired, but all other aspects of his game are incredible. Kerry Kittles is shooting extremely well. Kenyon Martin remains solid most of the time, with an occasional bust-out performance (to go with an occasional cheap-shot to the cranium). Keith Van Horn's rebounding is up, but his shooting remains down. Todd MacCulloch is solid offensively, but he's got to spend the next year or two gaining some quickness, because quicker opposing centers blow past him pretty easily. New Jersey's bench is rock-solid. This game should be lots of fun.

Also: L.A. Clippers at San Antonio pits Tim Duncan and Elton Brand against each other... Boston at Toronto features three terrific All-Stars... Sacramento at Seattle features Gary Payton trying to make Mike Bibby his beeeeeooooootch! (That just came out of nowhere, but hey, it's true. You go, Gary! Make him your beeeeeeooooooootch!)

Friday, Feb. 1: Minnesota at Boston - I love the sound of this matchup right now. See above for comments on both teams. Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak on the floor together is a must-see. I sense triple-overtime... San Antonio at Miami is very solid. See above for discussion on the Heat. As for the Spurs, last week they traded wins with losses. They have not been able to handle the league's top teams. Besides Tim Duncan, the Spurs live and die by their outside shooting. When they hit their 3-pointers, they win. It's that simple. Tony Parker, back from a sprained ankle, is playing well. This kid could be an All-Star a few years after he's legally allowed to drink alcohol. Antonio Daniels, playing shooting guard since Steve Smith shifted to small forward, has shot badly all year, but last week he did pick things up a bit. Smith, playing the 3-spot because Bruce Bowen is out, stands outside and tears the net. He shouldn't even set foot inside the arc. Tim Duncan is Tim Duncan. David Robinson has lost a step, but once in a while he finds it again. His defense and rebounding is extremely important, but the Admiral isn't providing it on a consistent basis. Off the bench, Terry Porter and Malik Rose are solid. This game should be bump-and-grind the whole way through.

Also: Charlotte at Houston features Steve Francis and Baron Davis... Orlando at Detroit pits Tracy McGrady against Jerry Stackhouse.

WEEKEND

Saturday, Feb. 2: Toronto at New Jersey should be good. The Raptors would love to prove somethings to themselves by taking down the conference-leading Nets... Philadelphia at Milwaukee features the surging 76ers against the inconsistent (as of late) Bucks... Portland at Utah pits Rasheed Wallace against Karl Malone.

Sunday, Feb. 3: L.A. Lakers against Dallas is a big game. The Lakers have struggled for the last two weeks, even with Shaquille O'Neal. They'd love to shut everyone up and beat a top team. Although, with Michael Finley hurt, the Mavericks are not at full strength. Still, watch this game... Sacramento at Minnesota is huge. The Kings are easily the NBA's most balanced team, with a starting lineup consisting of five guys who can all pass and create for each other. The Timberwolves aren't as hot as they had been, sometimes forgetting how to play together. This is their ultimate test.

Enjoy.