the L

All eyes in the NBA at the moment are fixed on either the extraordinary battle for playoff spots in the Western Conference. Or the lottery.

There are 4 teams – the Lakers, the Rockets, the Spurs and the Hornets – all within 1½ games of each other at the top of the West Standings, whilst Golden State remain locked in an epic struggle for the final playoff seed with Dallas (1 game ahead) and Denver (2½ games behind).

This situation backgrounds our look into the league this week as we focus on 2 players and 2 teams that had a standout past 7 days;

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teams of the week

worriersGolden St Warriors

When Houston lost Yao Ming a fortnight ago, it seemed the perfect way to resolve the unprecedented 9-way crisis in the West; if a quality team like the Rockets, Mavs, Nuggets or Warriors were to miss the playoffs… the impact would be unthinkable; massive sackings, trades and front office recriminations would result. So Yao’s injury gave Houston an ideal excuse to stop trying, lose a few tough games, then drop out of the playoff race and hope for the lottery to reward them.

Instead, we all know what happened. And one of the under-appreciated implications of the Rockets history-making 20-game win streak is what it means for the future of basketball in Golden State.

The Warriors have a modest payroll ($61m, 5th lowest in the league), an enviable young core (Ellis, Biedrins, Barnes, Azubuike, Pietrus, Wright) and a beloved supercoach who inspires and delights players and fans alike.

And it is the sometimes prickly relationship between Don Nelson and the Warriors front office that poses the most risk for the franchise in the near future. In their 11 years apart, Golden State had a succession of terrible teams, poor coaches and unacceptable results. They had become so poorly performed that they actually attracted foreign travellers visiting California because Warriors tickets were cheap and always available – whereas the Lakers, Kings and even sometimes the Clippers were being sold out.

Yet ever since Nellie and the franchise were re-united at the start of last season, the cheers, the smiles, the gasps and all the other overpowering sensations of sporting success have returned. They were meant to be together - this unique coach with this unconventional roster.

The only trouble lies with Nelson’s assessment of how great a coach he actually is. He expects to be paid like Phil Jackson, despite his teams being judged a success if they make the playoffs, as opposed to making the Finals.

Nelson has the upper hand because he knows that GM Chris Mullin knows there’s no other coach that could turn this bunch of young, disparate and duplicate players into such a thrilling, successful team. This is why Nellie asked for, and got, an extension on his contract to take him to the end of the 2008-09 season this week.

But it’s a dangerous move. Nelson routinely wears out his welcomes, as successive organisations soon tire of his model which requires the bankrolling of flawed teams into low playoff seeds year upon year. Up-tempo, exciting basketball is fun when coming off a base of low expectations, but, as we saw in Dallas, it can become a chore to try and turn a running 50-win team into a half-court, slow-down NBA Champion.

What happens to Mullin and Nelson’s relationship if Golden State – on track for 52 wins this season after 42 last year – falter in their impressive growth spiral and fail to make the playoffs next season? The Bay Area isn’t big enough for both of them.

And there’s still unfinished business for this season too – the safety and satisfaction of a playoff berth isn’t secured yet. Although this week, the Warriors did what they needed to do – won three straight games – to keep themselves balanced in the 8th seed.

With 11 of Golden State’s final 19 games against fellow Western Conference playoff contenders, they need all the W’s they can get. Ironically, the ultimate fate of their season – and the immediate future of their coach and/or GM – may determined by 2 games in the space of 4 days against their old pals the Dallas Mavericks in 3 weeks time.

heatMiami Heat

Vladimir Illich Lenin is reported to have said there’s no such thing as revolution without bloodshed.

Pause. Take a breath. OK.

Pat Riley is taking precisely this approach as he implements a comprehensive re-modelling of his team over the next 6 months towards training camp 2008/09. There will be changes. There will, metaphorically, be bloodshed. Because their will, definitively, be revolution.

His current Miami Heat team, less than 2 years removed from an NBA Championship, is the worst team in the league.

Riley built the 2006 championship roster himself, and he will build the next one himself also. If this means tanking the rest of this season to get Michael Beasley or Derrick Rose, he will do it. If this means offering over-market contracts this summer to restricted free agents like Luol Deng or Emeka Okafor, he will do it. And if this means sacrificing Dwyane Wade or Shawn Marion for the greater good, he will do it.

Look at what happened last month when Riley did the impossible with Shaquille O’Neal’s “untradeable” contract. Look at what happened last year when Riley did the impossible with Antoine Walker’s “untradeable” game. This man is driven, extraordinary, powerful. He believes. Don’t doubt him.

The Heat release nearly $16m off their books this offseason thanks to the expiring contracts of Ricky Davis and Jason Williams – both guys who are now dutifully playing to their coach’s wishes and playing just well enough to lose every game this week. After getting embarrassed by 35 points against Golden State last Friday, the Heat cleverly gained 2 L’s in Atlanta on Saturday, then almost forgot their mandate in a pair of winnable games at home to the 21-42 Clippers (lost by 1 point) and the 19-46 Knicks (lost by 3 points), before coming through with the goods.

Their losing streak is at 6 games. And Riley couldn’t be happier.

Miami aren’t playing defense, they aren’t taking care of the ball, they aren’t holding leads. They are missing FTs, committing silly fouls, jacking up crazy threes. They are even starting Mark Blount. And keeping him out court for 30 minutes.

Wade has been shut down. Riles is busy scouting. The fans are staying away.

In the meantime, the rest of the Heat players and staff know what to do. Even though it’s unlikely they will be part of it, the future for the Miami Heat will be bright. It has to be.

players of the week

dirkDirk Nowitzki

The past 2 years have been the most triumphant in the career of the world’s best German basketball player. He lead his team over the San Antonio Spurs to the 2006 NBA Finals, then followed it up by winning 67 regular season games as his superb offensive play earned him the league MVP award. He has been injury-free, worked diligently both on his game and on his mind, and is a respected member of the game’s elite.

Of course, throughout the same period, his personality, his play and his results have been criticized, sniggered at, and demeaned.  He choked in the 2006 Finals. He had more turnovers than field goals in the biggest playoff upset in modern history. He may be the worst MVP since Bob McAdoo in 1975.

This week, Dirk Nowitzki returned from a 1-game suspension following an ugly tackle on Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko in the second of the Mavericks’ 3-straight losses to start the month. Since then, we have seen some deliberate adjustments in his approach to the game;

He is being more assertive with the ball – his scoring’s up around 2.5 per game

He is being expending more effort on defense – his steals are up 1.3 per game

He is being more confident in his shooting – his field goal percentage is up from 48% to 58%, and he hasn’t missed a single free throw.Â

Dirk is no longer deferring so much to Josh Howard, he is no longer letting Brandon Bass be the only guy diving onto for loose balls, he is no longer expecting Jason Kidd to make all the decisions.Â

Dirk is standing up. And he needs to. Dallas have won 3 games in a row. They are too good a team to even consider missing the 2008 playoffs entirely.

b sBobby Simmons

 When this photo was taken, Bobby Simmons had a smile on his face. But if you have seen him recently on the floor, or more often the bench, for the Milwaukee Bucks, he hasn’t been smiling.

The Bucks are coming last in the under-achieving Central Division, and have been playing without point guard Mo Williams or key forward Yi Jianlian this week through injury. Things aren’t very happy there at present. They dropped 4 games in the space of 6 days – losing to Portland, Philadelphia, Washington and Utah.Â

And throughout, Bobby Simmons -Â the same Bobby Simmons who established himself as a tenacious defender, reliable hustler and all-round nice guy during his 2 seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers – has played terribly.

In the 4 games, he averaged just 1.5 points on 3 of 16 shooting (.188) along with 1.5 rebounds and only 1 assist. He’s playing 13 minutes per game. And it’s hard to identify if his on-court effort warrants even that.

It’s hard to identify what has happened to the energetic, enthusiastic former second-round pick who made himself a legit NBA player through hard work and a good attitude. The guy they have now is listless, mistake-prone and part of the reason opposition players enjoy the trip to Milwaukee. The Bucks desperately need his leadership, his defense, his stablility. They need the Bobby Simmons they saw in LA.Â

This Bobby Simmons is the second highest paid player on a bad team.