The Southwest Division standings look so odd -- New Orleans, Houston, San Antonio, Dallas and Memphis. Of course, the Grizzlies would finish fifth in that division; and the Mavs are just 2.5 games behind the Hornets in this frenetic four-team war in the division.

It's just hard to fathom the Spurs in third and just a half-game out of fourth. The defending champs have won the NBA title three of the past five seasons and the division five of the past seven. In fact, do you even remember the last time the Spurs finished lower than second in their division?

That would be the now infamous 1996-97 season.

You remember that, don't you ... superstar center David Robinson broke his foot six games into the season, Gregg Popovich replaced Bob Hill as coach 13 games later, they finished 20-62, stunningly won the lottery, drafted Tim Duncan and the rest is history. They were rolling along so smoothly this season as well until losing six of the past seven games. They've even lost four in a row - the first time that has happened since the last four games of the 2004 conference semifinals to the Lakers. And they haven't done that during the regular season since the 2000-01 season ... before Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili came aboard.

So what gives?

They blew a 22-point lead to the Celtics at home on Monday night (though some would say "Join the crowd" when it comes to blowing a lead to that bunch). And perhaps they showed some signs of snapping out of their funk. Popovich went back to his starting lineup of Duncan, Fabricio Oberto, Bruce Bowen, Michael Finley and Parker - the one that was there for the 2007 title. Back to the bench go Ginobili and Kurt Thomas, joining rugged Ime Udoka, Jacque Vaughn and Robert Horry as the significant others.

The big move is Ginobili returning to the bench. He's always been the guy who has made them special - and a good portion of the time it's come with him as sixth man. In playoffs when he's on, they win titles. When he's not, they don't. But this season has been different - he's put up career numbers.

And when Parker really began to struggle with a serious bone spur problem in his heel, Popovich put Ginobili in the starting lineup and he turned it up another notch with extraordinary numbers that ignited an 11-game winning streak and the top seed in the West. But that's been followed by the current tumble and Ginobili looked tired until his 32-point outburst against the Celtics in his return to sixth man. He had scored just 33 points combined in the previous three games.

So we'll have to see how they respond. Chances are it will be up to Ginobili, unless Parker begins to show wear on that heel again. Duncan's numbers have stayed virtually the same, although 35-year-old Finley has clearly dropped off with the worst field goal percentage of his career -- during the current seven-game spin he's shooting just 25 percent from the field and averaging 4.5 points in 24 minutes. That won't do.

Despite four titles in nine seasons, they've never won back-to-back. And it certainly doesn't look like they'll be able to pull it off this year either, unless Ginobili comes to the rescue again.

Shots from the perimeter

* The Cavs are 9-6 since their blockbuster deal at the trade deadline that brought Ben Wallace, Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West. Unfortunately, it was almost concurrent with a back injury that sidelined center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, so it's been tough to get a real read just yet. But we do know is coach Mike Brown should never ... EVER  play Wallace and Andy Varejao together unless everybody else on the roster is hurt. That is a hideous combination in the offensive post. James, by the way, has had at least 20 points in 46 consecutive games on the heels of his 30-point effort in Wednesday's win over the Pistons. James. Just three months after his 23rd birthday, he is just five points short of becoming the Cavs all-time scoring leader - passing Brad Daugherty.

* The Nets responded from their horrible loss Tuesday night at Chicago to regain the eighth seed with an 8-point win over the Hawks. They got 39 points from Vince Carter, 33 from Richard Jefferson, and young point guard Devin Harris had a career-best 26 points and 9 assists despite a sprained ankle. It may be time for the Hawks, but the Nets should be in the playoffs. With these three guys - all with plenty of playoff experience - and all the young talent up front, it would be inexcusable for coach Lawrence Frank not to get them there.

* Wizards star Gilbert Arenas has been pushing it this week, and says he could be back some time next week. Arenas had knee surgery in November - the second one in six months. Although he's been physically inactive with the team until the past week or so, it hasn't stopped the mouth of the self-proclaimed Agent Zero. Zero and the club are waiting on his latest MRI results to set a more definitive timetable.

* The Heat hit a new low this season when the squeezed out just 54 points in their 41-point loss at Toronto Wednesday night. Since the shot-clock was implemented in 1954, only two other teams have scored less - the 49 points by the Bulls in a 1999 loss to the Heat being the record. The Heat managed just 9 points in the fourth quarter and shot just .256 (20-of-78) from the field. They played without Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Jason Williams, Udonis Haslem, Marcus Banks, Alexander Johnson and Dorell Wright.

* This sorry state of affairs with the Heat brings to mind the obvious question of how in the world they won at Milwaukee Monday night. The response by Bucks owner Sen. Herb Kohl was to fire general manager Larry Harris Wednesday, but somehow the other Larry - Krystkowiak - managed to keep his job as coach. At 23-44, they are one of the gross underachievers of the season, and you have to wonder how long Kohl is going to hang on to this team that is bleeding money. Doug Collins has surfaced as a possible president of basketball operations for the Bucks.

* These are trying times in the land of the Clippers these days. Despite the public contention that problems between coach Mike Dunleavy and owner Donald Sterling have been resolved, that is not the case. And the only reason he hasn't been fired is green - as in three years left on his contract extension worth at least $5 million a year. Word on the streets is Sterling may take out his frustration by firing general manager Elgin Baylor, since Dunleavy makes the final call on personnel anyway. It appears prodigal point guard Shaun Livingston will not play at all this season due to tendinitis following the reconstructive knee surgery from February of 2007. The Summer League figures to be his first return to action, and it will be interesting to see what happens to Elton Brand and his decision coming off Achilles tendon surgery that has kept him out all year ... i.e. the Olympics.

* Quotable: Heat coach Pat Riley on the 54 points his club scored Wednesday night: "We've had four or five games like this, this year. And when it goes, it just absolutely goes."