In the daily drama As the Western Conference turns, the Dallas Mavericks are the latest team to be in trouble and it isn't likely to get better any time soon.
Not only did the Mavs blow a 12-point second half lead and lose 88-81 to the San Antonio Spurs Sunday afternoon, but they lost All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki for what owner Mark Cuban predicted to be two weeks after the game.
With 3:18 left in the third period and the Mavs leading, Nowitzki raced back on a fast break for a brilliant block of Ime Udoka's drive to the glass. But Nowitzki landed awkwardly on his left leg that crumbled as he hit the floor writhing in pain - suffering a lower leg injury that won't be detailed until later Monday. He was helped off the floor and attempts to put weight on it heading to the locker room were fruitless.
"I fell awkwardly and my left leg got caught underneath me," Nowitzki said in a statement released by the team Sunday after the game. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning (Monday) and I hope to have more information then."
Right now, not much information coming from the Mavericks camp is good. Not only did Nowitzki go down after the block, but Tim Duncan got the rebound for the Spurs and converted it into a 3-point play to give the Spurs their first lead of the second half. They never trailed again.
It was the third loss in a row for the Mavericks - all at home - and they have fallen to just a half game ahead of the eighth place Warriors and two games ahead of the ninth place Nuggets. Granted, the losses were to the Lakers, Celtics and Spurs, but this is the first time they've lost three consecutive games in Dallas since December of 2004.
More disconcerting is how they have struggled to adjust to the much ballyhooed trade that brought Jason Kidd (plus Malik Allen and Antoine Wright) to Dallas in exchange for Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager and retired Keith Van Horn. The primary reason that some didn't like the deal for the Mavs was steeped in Kidd's limited window as a star at 35, and the loss of Diop as a defensive presence inside.
That was supposed to be a big picture issue.
Instead, the snapshot has been far more disconcerting than anyone anticipated.
Seventeen games into it, the Mavericks still aren't comfortable with Kidd running the point. They are 9-8 overall, but 0-8 against teams with winning records and 3-7 against the West. Instead of being the leader on the floor at crunch time, coach Avery Johnson clearly is prickly about leaving Kidd in the game because of his poor shooting. While he's always been an erratic shooter, other coaches have always let him play through it because of what he does for everybody else, not to mention his rebounding and defense.
Still, Johnson's point is reflected by Kidd shooting 3-of-10 Sunday and 4-of-21 with 10 total points the past three games - his 21 assists in the three games notwithstanding.
His uneven playing time has ostensibly become a particularly sore subject between Johnson and owner Mark Cuban, who spent a fortune for the deal - coaxing Van Horn out of retirement for a ludicrous $4 million just so the salary cap figures could work - and then there is the forthcoming luxury tax. Money isn't the issue here, though ... winning is.
During one stretch Sunday as the game was slipping away, Johnson didn't even have a point guard in the game, and after a timeout, brought in recently signed free agent Tyronn Lue instead of Kidd. It didn't help matters any, and just brought more attention to Kidd's ineffectiveness thus far.
On the other hand, without Nowitzki, it may very well force Johnson to play smaller and faster which should play into the strength of Kidd. Can he afford to play 6-7 Josh Howard and 6-5 Jerry Stackhouse up front together for the bulk of games against the big front lines in the West - becoming dependent on zone defenses and center Erick Dampier? Certainly the three inches Devean George has on Stackhouse for defense and rebounding doesn't give them much more comparing the overall impact of the two players. And that also translates into Jason Terry, all 6-1 of him, playing most of the game with Kidd in the backcourt if Stackhouse moves up front more often.
Or perhaps he'll just remain conventional with young power forward Brandon Bass or the aforementioned Malik Allen starting in place of Nowitzki. They'll have to play both forward and center at least some of the time anyway.
Seven of the final 12 games are on the road for the Mavericks, including three of the next four. At 44-26, they are on the brink either way you look at it. With the precarious advantage over the streaky Warriors and Nuggets, both of whom won close games against playoff-bound teams on the road Sunday, the good news is two of the next four games for the Mavs are against the battered and lowly Clippers. On the flip side, the other two are huge games at Denver and Golden State that will have enormous playoff ramifications. Add to that, the Lakers, Suns and another game with the Warriors during this two-week stretch, their fate may be decided before Nowitzki returns.
On the heels of blowing the 2-0 lead in the Finals of 2006 and the incredible first-round loss to the eighth-seeded Warriors last season as a top seed, the hangover has been palpable all season. The Mavs won 67 games last season, including 31-10 on the road. They are 15-19 going into this week away from home and light years behind last year's team-record pace with essentially the same core team as a year ago.
It may be just a touch too early to refer to the Kidd deal as a panicky move that will necessitate other moves in the offseason ... but not by much.
Now they've lost three in a row in Dallas and Nowitzki, presumably for an extended period of time. It's time for Johnson to let Kidd prove his leadership and in many ways justify the trade. The possibility of them slipping out of the playoffs isn't likely, but it certainly is very real.
Should that occur, the wrath of Cuban won't be far behind and the Mavericks as we have known them the past 5-6 years may very well be history.
Voting on the top-five for the most valuable player in the NBA this season will be easy compared to figuring out how to pare down to the top three coaches.
In the Western Conference alone there are at least eight great candidates, and three more in the East. Trying to squeeze 11 guys into three spots isn't going to be easy.
But we will go about this unenviable task over the next month and start thinking about it seriously right now. Since the East has only a few contenders, let's start there with the best one -- Doc Rivers of the Celtics. Rivers is proof positive how much better a coach can be the second time around, and with this team he has been magnificent. Sure, he was handed Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen on a silver platter by general manager Danny Ainge, who is a lock to be executive of the year. Ainge even did a brilliant job of filling in the blanks with veterans to augment what Garnett, Allen and incumbent All-Star Paul Pierce do. Let's not forget the development of youngsters Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe and Glen Davis by the coaching staff either.
But what we couldn't know is that they would become the best defensive team in the league. Not only do they have the best scoring differential, but they are leading the league in fewest points allowed, lowest field goal percentage and lowest 3-point percentage, while ranking third in offensive field goal percentage and ninth in scoring. That translates into the team sticking to the game plan, rotating and closing out, and most importantly, really playing hard. Some of that comes from the great leadership of Garnett, et al, but Rivers has put it all together. With already 30 more wins than last season, they will shatter the all-time turnaround record.
Stan Van Gundy has coaxed the Orlando Magic to an entirely different level, too. He's got evolving Superman Dwight Howard to dominate, but he has also pushed Hedo Turkoglu to playing at All-Star status, even if he didn't get picked, and integrated Rashard Lewis to create the best frontcourt in either conference. They don't have the goods to go anywhere in the playoffs, but he has managed to have the second best road record in the league and at least stay in shouting distance of the Pistons for the second best record in the conference despite very pedestrian point guard play.
Speaking of the Pistons, we have to mention Flip Saunders attempting to get the Pistons to a record sixth consecutive Eastern Conference final, as he and management have figured out how to develop a bench this season. Too bad they haven't figured out how not to be so dependent on mercurial Rasheed Wallace to win a playoff series.
Let's throw kudos to Eddie Jordan for preventing the thin Wizards from falling apart despite not having Gilbert Arenas for virtually the entire season and losing Caron Butler for the bulk of the second half as well. And only a pure cynic would overlook the job Mo Cheeks has done prodding the young Sixers back to not only respectability but into the seventh seed in the East and on their way up.
Cross the Rockies and this coach of the year stuff is much more complicated, with 2.5 games separating the top seven teams, 4.5 the top eight and 6.0 the top nine.
Consequently, we're start from the top, with the Rockets and Lakers tied. It's impossible not to be overwhelmed by the job Rick Adelman has done in Houston, coaching the Rockets to an amazing 22-game winning streak in his first season -- reeling off the last 10 without All-Star center Yao Ming. They've done it with a great synergy on defense and on the offensive end. It's hard to know how they'll respond from Tuesday's loss to the Celtics and finishing the season with 10 of 15 on the road could cause them to drop like a rock in this tight race. But that doesn't minimize the second longest streak in the history of the league.
Hanging at or near the top all season have been the Lakers, and the way coach Phil Jackson has kept them together may ultimately make this the best coaching job of his career. He had to compartmentalize the Kobe Bryant trade demand and sit him out of training camp for a while, develop youngsters Andrew Bynum and Jordan Farmar, re-integrate Derek Fisher into the starting lineup and then take it to another level with the theft of Pau Gasol from Memphis. As if that wasn't enough, Bynum has been out for months with a knee injury and won't play until the playoffs and Gasol may not either with a high ankle sprain. Of course, Bryant makes all of this easier ... but Jackson makes it all hum.
On the other hand, nobody has done a better job than Byron Scott has with the Hornets, which oddly enough seems almost like a secret. They've been hanging out near or at the top of the conference and the rugged Southwest Division all season. Budding superstar point guard Chris Paul has had plenty to do with it, as has young All-Star forward David West and rapidly developing center Tyson Chandler. But Scott, like Rivers, is proving that a lot of the criticism from his first job has paid off in the second one, and the Hornets - despite a lack of depth - are legit challengers in the West. Having won two conference titles in the East as coach of the Nets plus his three championship rings playing for Pat Riley on the Lakers make him eminently qualified to compete with anybody.
Always overlooked in the balloting, but constantly in the discussion is Utah Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, who now has coached the Jazz 20 seasons, the longest tenure in league history. Their 29-3 home record is the best in the NBA and will be the best in franchise history, built around Carlos Boozer and Deron Williams, a second generation Stockton and Malone.
Despite winning just 32 games last season and losing top overall pick Greg Oden for the season to knee surgery before training camp even began, Nate McMillan has develop the Trail Blazers into a legit team above .500 in the West. They won't make the playoffs, but that's not the point. After a 5-12 start, they won 18 of 20, including 13 in a row and he has developed youngsters Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and Travis Outlaw into explosive young players. They all defend every night and they'll be scary next year with Oden in the middle of that lineup.
Of course, Gregg Popovich has once again done a stellar job keeping the defending champion Spurs in contention and the same goes for Avery Johnson, despite the exaggerated criticism he gets even with the Mavericks always in the mix. And it's great to know the howling has stopped around Suns coach Mike D'Antoni now that they've won five in a row while assimilating the huge round peg - Shaquille O'Neal - into a quite small square hole in their lineup.
It also would be wrong not to mention how well last season's darling Warriors have hung on for Don Nelson and the bizarre possibility the Nuggets could win 50 games for George Karl and still not make the playoffs - but the latter two carry asterisks because both teams have the fatal flaw of not playing a lick of defense.
Now that we've gone through the exercise, it's time for the top three, with the caveat that I still have a month to change my mind on the second two - particularly if the Rockets and/or Hornets crash:
The consolation prize is dangling with the enticement of a toxic carrot for one team in the Eastern Conference to back into the eighth playoff spot. And the good news is most of the inter-conference play is over, which means they'll essentially be slugging it out between themselves for the distinction of being put to bed by the powerful Celtics.
That doesn't mean there isn't the obvious benefit of experience and extra money for teams that haven't been there forever like the currently No. 8 Atlanta Hawks. Their last postseason was nine years ago, so both general manager Billy Knight and coach Mike Woodson have been regarded as on the verge of being unemployed because of that familiar underachievement song.
Or consider the long-shot Charlotte Bobcats, suddenly five games behind the Hawks with 15 to play. . They were in the mix to crash the party for the first time in the five-year history of the franchise until the past week under rookie coach Sam Vincent; a four-game tailspin has essentially taken them out of the picture.
And in between we're left with the New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers - all of whom have suffered horribly disappointing seasons. Playing for the final spot as opposed to home court brings to mind whether their preference is to make the playoffs or slip into the draft lottery with the infinitesimal odds of moving into the top four in the NBA Draft.
In the case of the Hawks, it's a moot point because their pick goes to the Phoenix Suns as part of the payback from the controversial Joe Johnson sign-and-trade acquisition in the summer of 2005 that created a split in the ownership group that continues even today. With a half-game lead over the Nets, they desperately need to get into the playoffs - particularly after swinging the trade for Mike Bibby last month that presumably ended the perpetual need for a point guard.
Despite their recent three-game winning streak that pushed them ahead of the Nets, they Hawks have won only four of their last 10 games - so vulnerability lingers. But on the bright side, eight of their final 15 games are at home, with only three of those games against teams playing better than .500 ball. In many ways, this is the perfect opportunity for Johnson, who has averaged 27.8 points and 7.1 assists over the past nine games, to prove he's more than just a token All-Star and the guy who can carry them to a new height.
It's a different deal for the Nets. They've been in the playoffs the past six years and into the second round the last two. President Rod Thorn is rebuilding them on the fly - unloading discontented Jason Kidd and adding youth around veterans Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson - the most prominent being Kidd's replacement Devin Harris.
The Nets seemingly have the edge - certainly in experience and generally speaking in talent. However, nine of their final 16 games are on the road, with six of those games against winning teams. And we'll learn a lot quickly, with New Jersey playing at Chicago tonight before the Hawks come to Meadowlands in a big one tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Bulls and Pacers have been dancing around each other most of the season as they generally do, only this season while languishing. The Bulls are still trying to see if their new pieces fit. Ten of their final 16 games are at home, including the next four against the Nets, Spurs, Pacers and Hawks. Perhaps more importantly, they'll find out how well Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden add to the cause less than a month after their big three-way trade with Cleveland and Seattle.
And lastly we have the broken-down Pacers, lost in the abyss since their brawl with Pistons fans 4
Just as we suspected, the landscape of the Western Conference continues to change-- which means the big trades that seemed so clearly defined have taken a U-turn as well.
In other words, this is all still shaking out.
We're all still flabbergasted by the crazy 22-game winning streak of the Rockets -- second only to the 1971-72 Lakers in NBA history -- which has leapfrogged them into the top seed of the West. It's a remarkable story that is continuing to add chapters.
And then there is the eye-widening tale of Shaquille O'Neal's 330 pounds of mass leaping into the stands last Sunday that may not only have tilted the foundation of the U.S. Airways Center in Phoenix, but the Pacific Division and the West as well.
You see, well on their way to yet another defeat at the hands of the Spurs, O'Neal's wild hustle play to save a ball from going out of bounds ignited the home crowd and sparked the Suns to a come-from-behind win and that may have very well changed everything.
While everyone has been singing the praises of the Pau Gasol theft from the Grizzlies that pushed the Lakers to the top of the conference and the Pacific Division (and rightfully so); lost in the excitement had been Gasol's failure to play 60 games in two of the previous three seasons with foot problems until he sprained his ankle last week. Now he's out indefinitely.
Not coincidentally the Lakers have lost three of four.
People had begun writing off the Mavericks for giving up so much to get Jason Kidd. Now they've won five in a row.
Throw in the Hornets, Jazz and Warriors keeping pace and a measly 4.5 games separate the top eight teams in the West with 4
They began the season 14-3 and still have the third-best road mark in the NBA with a virtual lock on the Southeast Division. And yet, the buzz in the Eastern Conference always surrounds the Celtics, Pistons and Cavs.
So what will the blossoming Magic do when the playoffs begin ... just disappear?
Never mind that Dwight Howard has become the best center in the NBA at the age of 22, leading the league with 57 double-doubles and 14.5 rebounds a game while standing fifth in blocks at 2.36 and still averaging a career-best 21.8 points. And yet, all anybody wants to talk about was his spectacular Superman-esque dunk display over NBA All-Star Weekend.
It seems far too easy to ignore the ascension into an impact player by Hedo Turkoglu, a prime candidate for most improved player while averaging 19.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.9 assists - all career bests.
And while maximum-paid free agent Rashard Lewis has been riding a roller coaster of effectiveness all season, he's producing 18.5 points, and 5.2 rebounds, leads the team with nearly 1.2 steals a game, and has become more consistent lately.
There is no frontcourt trio in the NBA putting up better numbers on a nightly basis than these guys. Are they ignored simply because they have accomplished this in the East and a 42-24 record going into Friday's games just isn't impressive enough?
Maybe it's the always-candid comments of coach Stan Van Gundy that put it into perspective this week after beating Atlanta. They've been too erratic for anybody to be sold on them as a serious contender just yet.
"I think we have to deal with situations better," Van Gundy said. "And one of the situations for us is when things are going well. The other night we come off a big win in Washington. We come in, we're playing well, we play Golden State and we have a good first half and then we sort of shut it down. We didn't deal with the success of the first half very well, and we really didn't tonight either coming out in the second half.
"We've got to get more into a 48-minute mentality of playing every minute. We have a tendency to really relax with a lead. I think that's a maturity thing, but it needs to change and we need to take advantage of those situations and put games away. It's really just about energy and focus and understanding that, No. 1, we have a lot we need to improve before the playoffs and ,No. 2, we still have a lot left we need to accomplish. That's sort of the message we're trying to give the team."
Nonetheless, this has been a ground-breaking season for the Magic, figuratively and literally. All the talk about them being sold and perhaps moving has vanished. They're selling out most games these days and have a new building on the horizon in a spectacular downtown complex.
They're on their way to 50 wins for the first time since 1996, when Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway led them to 60 wins - Shaq's last season there before stunningly bolting in a mastermind plot from then-president Jerry West. And they haven't won 45 games since 1997; or even had a winning season since 2003 for that matter.
All of that explains why the national bandwagon remains virtually empty.
And then there is the point guard situation, with Jameer Nelson and Carlos Arroyo splitting the position - neither capable of taking control of the job nor exhibiting the kind of consistency at the position a serious contender must have. They've tried a number of combinations in the backcourt, with Maurice Evans now the starting shooting guard, while Keith Bogans and Keyon Dooling have also made their play for the spot. Occasionally, Turkoglu will slide back to shooting guard and with his superb ballhandling skills on his 6-10, 230-pound frame, Van Gundy has even dabbled a bit lately putting him at the point.
A lot of that is because turnovers are still a problem. It killed them while blowing that aforementioned game to Golden State and Van Gundy didn't mince words about who needs to step up. They need somebody to be the difference-maker with the ball in their hands.
"Offensively our three main guys (had) 15 turnovers - Jameer with three," Van Gundy said. "It's just not good enough; you can't handle the ball like that and expect to win. And then they gave them opportunities in transition and we couldn't get our defense set."
Nonetheless, Turkoglu became the first player in franchise history to have two triple-doubles in the same season with his performance against the Hawks. At 28, he is establishing himself as a great clutch player to go along with myriad skills - including a career-high in 3-pointers. Not coincidentally, when the Magic hit their first trey in Friday's game at Miami it will be their 623rd, a new franchise record.
Howard continues to get stronger and more dominant, responding exceptionally - his sub-60 percent free-throw shooting notwithstanding -- when Van Gundy challenged him to focus more on rebounding and defense and not worry about scoring. It was a gamble the first-year coach took with his young superstar, and it speaks volumes about both of them.
There is a question about the bench, with Arroyo, Bogans, Dooling and forward Brian Cook streaky. Veteran center Adonal Foyle is solid for his 10 minutes a game to hold the fort defensively and on the boards, highly-regarded shooter J.J. Redick still hasn't earned consistent playing time, and Pat Garrity can do little other than drain a 3-pointer on occasion these days. All of that makes it obvious why Van Gundy has shortened his bench of late in preparation for the playoffs. There isn't a lot of dependability there.
The remainder of the schedule is dominated by sub-.500 teams, with the key matchups a couple of games with the Cavs and a home game against the defending champion Spurs. Meanwhile, they are 5-4 against the cream of the East, splitting four games with the Pistons, winning the series with the Celtics 2-1, and 1-1 with the Cavs.
They've already proven they can compete with the best of the East during the regular season. The big question is how they will do in the playoffs, where they haven't won a series since 1996. And despite playing so well on the road, they've been completely unpredictable at home - even struggling there a good bit early in the season. But they appear to be gaining traction at home now, having won seven of their last eight. On the other hand, they had lost three of four in the Magic kingdom before this recent turn of events - the losses coming to the Cavs, Lakers and Mavs.
"It's not so much (about) building momentum," Van Gundy said. "We need to get better, but when you're fighting so hard to get a home-court advantage in the playoffs we have to play better on a consistent basis to make the home court truly an advantage. For us it's not a matter of home or away we just need to keep getting better."
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