Now that the ankle-challenged Spurs have played their way back to the field with four losses in five games -- Tony Parker missed the last four and Tim Duncan missed four as well (overlapping on just one) -- the Mavericks 3-point win over the Suns was that much more intriguing.

There are few matchups in basketball more fun than when the Mavs and Suns meet, with the depth of Dallas tending to push them to a big lead because nobody on the Suns matches up with Dirk Nowitzki. And then invariably, they will squander that advantage in terror as Suns point guard and Nowitzki's old buddy Steve Nash dances through the Mavs' cheesy defense to bring them back.

It happened again Wednesday night, with the Mavs leading by 18 at one point and by 14 in the fourth, only to see it slip to 106-105 when Amare Stoudemire converted a 3-point play on hook shot and-one thanks to Dirk's weak foul with 8.5 left. Dirk atoned with a pair of foul shots for the Mavs, and when Nash's good look on a 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short, the Mavs had suddenly raised their winning streak to four games. The Spurs' lead atop the Western Conference now has dwindled to a precarious half game over the Suns, with the Mavs a half game behind them.

And while the Spurs still have the most tools when healthy, it also reinforced the New Age NBA dynamic. In this young season, the other teams in the West with the combination of inside power and speed -- the Nuggets, Jazz, Lakers and Hornets -- don't appear to have the long-term capability of playing at the same level as the Suns and Mavs. And, as surprised as I am to admit it, the Warriors may actually belong up there with the Suns and Mavs in the New Age club. Keep in mind the W's are 15-5 after that dreadful 0-6 start, 14-5 since Stephen Jackson returned from suspension and Baron Davis is once again playing at an All-NBA level. If B-Diddy stays reasonably healthy, the Warriors will be in the hunt.

The Hornets have very quietly hung in there, and when we say quietly, it's perhaps only because there are so few people watching their games in the midst of restoring the city of New Orleans. And because of the inevitable struggles there to keep the team afloat financially, it was particularly interesting that Cox broadcasting elected to televise their game in Seattle Tuesday night in Oklahoma City. That the Hornets breezed to a 14-point win isn't the point. Either the Sonics or Hornets will be playing in Oklahoma City by the opening of the 2010-11 season, and from a strictly market-value basis, it's more likely to be the Hornets. In the unlikely event the federal judge in Seattle rules in favor of the Sonics (and they move to Oklahoma City next season), they will be forced to honor their lease through 2010, and by that time, a new building situation will be in order in Seattle and the Hornets will be on life support financially in New Orleans.

That's coming from an unbiased view from the Pacific Northwest, of course.

And while we're trying to dry out from the incessant rain up here, we can dip down I-5 to the hottest team in the NBA ... the wet-behind-the-ears Blazers, who came from behind to whip the impressive Raptors for their NBA-best ninth consecutive win. It's the most wins in succession for the Blazers since the 2001-02 season, and they were led by their 2007 rookie of the year Brandon Roy's 25 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists -- still sizzling with back-to-back Western Conference player of the week awards already in his pocket. Who knows how long they'll stay at this level, but keep in mind LaMarcus Aldridge missed the previous five games to Wednesday with plantar fasciitis, so they're just beginning to figure out how good they can be.

The other young team making waves would be the Atlanta Hawks, who moved to 13-12 Wednesday night, the latest they've been over .500 in 10 years. Their triplets -- Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and Josh Smith -- with veteran point guard Anthony Johnson, were just too much for the Heat to handle in a 117-111 overtime win. And were it not for Dwyane Wade's bizarre march to the free throw line seemingly every two seconds (he was 20-of-22 on the way to 36 points), the game wouldn't have been that close.  If they stay healthy, the Hawks look like they're going to hang around all season, and with the talent of their triplets - plus Josh Childress when he returns from a groin strain - it's only a lack of experience that can prevent them from causing serious damage to somebody when posteriors tighten in the spring.

And while D-Wade is trying mightily to keep the dreadful Heat (7-18) afloat without much success, they suffered a huge blow Wednesday night. We have probably seen the last of Alonzo Mourning, who tore the patellar tendon in his right knee. He'll be 38 in February, has been battling kidney disease for years and already said he will retire at the end of this season. So long Zo ... maybe this can ignite your buddy Shaq to raise his level of play and get this team back in the hunt. All sorts of deals are swirling about the Heat with Mike Bibby and Ron Artest from the Kings being kicked around. But what talent does Pat Riley have to offer in a trade ... other than Ricky Davis' expiring contract and less than inspiring game?

Maybe it was just because it was the seventh road loss in a row for the Jazz, but something in the workout Michael Jordan gave his young Bobcats on Tuesday got through. They sent the Jazz tumbling to a 6-point loss and for all the beating the Bobcats took for getting Nazr Mohammed from the Pistons, he had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in his first start. With Mohammed and Emeka Okafor in the blocks, Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace on the wings and Ray Felton running the point, that is a talented quintet that can beat anybody on a given night. They just don't have any depth in the wake of season-ending knee injuries to Adam Morrison and Sean May.

After coming out of the blocks 6-1 and having people buzzing despite a ridiculous point guard situation, the Rockets are in big trouble. They've lost 13 of 20 and Tracy McGrady is back in the training room. He bruised his left knee in Saturday's loss to the Mavs and was 5-of-18 from the field. Then Wednesday night after a miserable 1-for-10 in the first half of a 5-point loss to the Magic, he closed it down. They've now lost 12-of-18 since that quick start and other than Yao Ming, they've got nothing going on a regular basis. They've lost two of their last three, the lone win at 3-point grinder over the Pistons, despite Yao averaging 22.7 points, 14.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in these big games. The fatal flaw is still bad point guard play.

The last word: We'll head back to the Spurs third loss in four games, this one to the Grizzlies. Not only did Mike Miller have a season-high 31 for rookie coach Marc Iavaroni, but Rudy Gay hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer over Tim Duncan. Gay, coming off back-to-back 32-point games, finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 2 blocks. Acquired from the Rockets during the draft with Stromile Swift for Shane Battier, the 6-8 UConn product can pluck dimes off the top of the backboard. In the first 25 games, he's improved in virtually every category (slightly down in 3-point percentage), scoring at a 19.7 clip, up from 10.8 and is shooting .483 from the floor and .819 from the free throw line, while now grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game at small forward. Retired Grizzlies' president Jerry West raved about this guy for good reason. He isn't quite the ballhandler he can or should be, but with his body potential, shooting range and explosion to the rim, as long as he continues to assert himself (that was always the question at UConn) this guy will be an All-Star for a long time.