NBA BASKETBALL
This Week in the NBA
<February 12, 2002>

By InsideHoops.com

Monday, Feb. 11: No games scheduled.

Tuesday, Feb. 12: Washington at L.A. Lakers features the best of yesterday and today: Michael Jordan against Kobe Bryant. For Washington, Richard Hamilton makes all the difference. Upon Rip's return the Wizards have won 5 straight. Chris Whitney has been hot, scoring around 15 a game on great shooting over the last week and a half. Hubert Davis and Courtney Alexander handle things at shooting guard. Davis has been very solid all season, and Alexander, after a slow start and then injury, is improving. Backing up Michael Jordan at small forward is Tyrone Nesby, who has given it his all and produced. Popeye Jones is everybody's favorite power forward named Popeye. Err. Anyway, he's been solid, and Etan Thomas has shown improvement. Rookie center Brendan Haywood, after hitting the so-called "rookie wall," needed rest, and should have a second wind after the break. The Lakers, meanwhile, are coming off a home loss to the Bulls. Without Shaq they are just 5-4. At point guard, neither Derek fisher nor Lindsey Hunter has been particularly impressive. Kobe is Kobe. Rick Fox's shot has been on and off (mostly off) all season, and he needs to find it and keep it. Samaki Walker has played fine. As InsideHoops.com reported long ago before his recent problems, Shaq's foot issues could become more serious, and they have. Behind closed doors, the Lakers are a bit worried. Mitch Richmond continues to enjoy lounge time on the bench. Tonight is a night to watch Kobe and Jordan anytime they're near each other on the floor.

Also: San Antonio at Sacramento features Tim Duncan and his recently-disappointing supporting cast going against the most versatile team in the league.

Wednesday, Feb. 13: Dallas at Portland should be terrific. The Blazers have been trading wins with losses lately. They were hot in January, but then fell off a bit going into the All-Star break. They also have a health concern, as Derek Anderson's toe has issues. Damon Stoudamire has produced nicely. Bonzi Wells is an enigma, capable of dropping 30 one night and 12 the next. Scottie Pippen has been producing, making it hard to find substantial minutes for Ruben Patterson. Rasheed is Rasheed. At center, Dale Davis has been rock-solid. Off the bench there have been positive Chris Dudley sightings. The Blazers still run things as much through Pippen as they do through Stoudamire. As for the Mavericks, they've been toying around with zone defenses lately. Wang Zhizhi has been improving, and recently scored a career-high 15 points in New Jersey. Offensively, this squad has no problems. Defensively, there is room for improvement. Steve Nash has been hot all season. Michael Finley is easing his way back into full-game minutes. Dirk Nowitzki bounces around at all three frontcourt positions and excels no matter how he's used. Juwan Howard has played his best basketball as a Maverick. Even Shawn Bradley is worth putting on the floor lately. This game is a real test for the Blazers.

Also: Phoenix at Minnesota should be a terrific offensive showdown. Should Marbury and Penny switch positions? Are the Wolves better when Chauncey Billups runs point instead of the aging Terrell Brandon?

Thursday, Feb. 14: L.A. Lakers at Seattle is an even matchup with Shaquille O'Neal not on the floor. Shaq went on the injured list just before the All-Star break. See above for Lakers notes. Meanwhile, the Sonics are a happy team right now. Gary Payton, showing love for his teammates, gave watches as gifts to everyone for their efforts this season and "helping him" make the All-Star team. Very cool of him. At 33 years old many thought Payton might begin showing signs of old age, but he's as good as ever. He's shooting better than he has in years, and dishing more assists than ever before. At shooting guard, Brent Barry is having his best season ever, doing a bit of everything. Young small foward Rashard Lewis keeps improving by the month. Vin Baker has found the offense that left him a few years ago. Vin still needs to rebound and defend better, but at least he's stopped plummeting and has become a real player again. Center Art Long leads the NBA in fouls per minute, but he does hit the boards and play some successful defense. Seattle has proven to be able to slay giants. Lets see how they do against the Lakers when L.A.'s key giant is out.

Also: Washington at Sacramento features East and West NBA finals contenders doing battle.

WEEKEND

Friday, Feb. 15: Boston at Portland features lots of sweet individual matchups... Washington at Phoenix features Michael Jordan against Shawn Marion, and Richard Hamilton against Penny Hardaway. Beautiful stuff... Indiana at Charlotte is a good battle between Eastern teams that both show potential to be better than than are, but are not yet living up to that potential. The point guard matchup between Jamaal Tinsley (Rucker Park, Harlem, New York!) and Baron Davis is quality. Tinsley hopes to someday be as good as Davis now is, but that won't stop him from trying to show Davis up.

Saturday, Feb. 16: Dallas at L.A. Clippers is almost guaranteed to be fun. Both teams are a joy to watch. Go out of your way to see this.

Sunday, Feb. 17: Denver at New Jersey pits Jason Kidd and Nick Van Exel against each other. This will be a true defensive test for Kidd, as Van Exel, who scores in heaps as it is, while have even more energy due to being so pissed off at having to wear a Nuggets jersey... Philadelphia at Indiana is solid. Look for Philly to keep improving as the season goes on... Milwaukee at Toronto pits Ray Allen against Vince Carter... Miami at Minnesota is a balanced matchup. Rod Strickland is playing his best basketball in the last few years for the Heat. Eddie Jones has stepped things up as well, and he'll be up against Wally Szczerbiak. Up front, Brian Grant and Alonzo Mourning will have fun trying to contain Kevin Garnett... Dallas at Phoenix should be a fun, high-scoring shootout... L.A. Lakers at Portland will be a rugged battle. Portland has the upper hand with Shaq out... Seattle at Sacramento is a terrific matchup as well. This is the best day of NBA basketball in recent memory.

Enjoy.