http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/139839.html
And One: The weekly NBA buzz
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, March 18, 2007
by Scott Howard-Cooper
• Chris Webber said he might retire after this season, especially if the Detroit Pistons win the title and he can exit with a positive standing after years of criticism. Though a decision likely is months away, Webber told team president Joe Dumars he is playing as if this is the final run, wanting to push toward a crown and worry about the future from there. "If I win a championship, I may not come back," Webber said. "If I win, I may come back. I don't know."
• That was more than the Western Conference standings that tightened as the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns matched the buildup with their double-overtime thriller Wednesday. It was the most anticipated regular-season game since Shaquille O'Neal faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since forcing a trade to the Miami Heat. Phoenix's Steve Nash scored eight points in the final 22 seconds of regulation and finished with 32 points and 16 assists. His clutch performance Wednesday will be a key for voters as Nash closes on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki in the MVP race. If the Suns catch the Mavericks for the best record and Nash remains the catalyst, it could push him over the top.
• The worst sign for the Milwaukee Bucks in the decision to fire coach Terry Stotts and replace him with assistant Larry Krystkowiak is that the front office apparently did not dictate the move. Krystkowiak had emerged as a leading candidate to become the coach at the University of Utah and reportedly was close to being offered the job when Milwaukee, not wanting to lose a local favorite and top prospect on the sideline, responded by promoting him to replace Stotts. The switch likely would have come in the offseason anyway, but at least then the Bucks would have been making the important call on their schedule.
• The latest Kobe Bryant image debate, with three disciplines for perceived cheap shots and coach Phil Jackson rushing to his defense with claims the league has a vendetta, is the least of the Lakers' problems. Once overachievers trying to push into the Western elite, they just lost 11 of 14, including a 108-72 thrashing at the hands of the Mavericks in the worst home defeat in 47 years, and are closer to joining the crowded pack scuffling for the last playoff spots.
And One: The weekly NBA buzz
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, March 18, 2007
by Scott Howard-Cooper
• Chris Webber said he might retire after this season, especially if the Detroit Pistons win the title and he can exit with a positive standing after years of criticism. Though a decision likely is months away, Webber told team president Joe Dumars he is playing as if this is the final run, wanting to push toward a crown and worry about the future from there. "If I win a championship, I may not come back," Webber said. "If I win, I may come back. I don't know."
• That was more than the Western Conference standings that tightened as the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns matched the buildup with their double-overtime thriller Wednesday. It was the most anticipated regular-season game since Shaquille O'Neal faced the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time since forcing a trade to the Miami Heat. Phoenix's Steve Nash scored eight points in the final 22 seconds of regulation and finished with 32 points and 16 assists. His clutch performance Wednesday will be a key for voters as Nash closes on Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki in the MVP race. If the Suns catch the Mavericks for the best record and Nash remains the catalyst, it could push him over the top.
• The worst sign for the Milwaukee Bucks in the decision to fire coach Terry Stotts and replace him with assistant Larry Krystkowiak is that the front office apparently did not dictate the move. Krystkowiak had emerged as a leading candidate to become the coach at the University of Utah and reportedly was close to being offered the job when Milwaukee, not wanting to lose a local favorite and top prospect on the sideline, responded by promoting him to replace Stotts. The switch likely would have come in the offseason anyway, but at least then the Bucks would have been making the important call on their schedule.
• The latest Kobe Bryant image debate, with three disciplines for perceived cheap shots and coach Phil Jackson rushing to his defense with claims the league has a vendetta, is the least of the Lakers' problems. Once overachievers trying to push into the Western elite, they just lost 11 of 14, including a 108-72 thrashing at the hands of the Mavericks in the worst home defeat in 47 years, and are closer to joining the crowded pack scuffling for the last playoff spots.
