A look back at the week that was – well, still is – in the NBA. A week in which a coach got dumped, a coach got fined, a coach got ejected and a coach got appointed. A week that Scottie Pippen considered, and decided against, retirement. And a week that, day by day, was a frantic but memorable one for these and many other reasons…

This was a week which started with the Denver Nuggets atop the Midwest Division and the San Antonio Spurs at the bottom. But since then, things have gone more or less as expected.

Saturday 6th December

Dallas, Jersey, Cleveland, Nyorleans, San Antone, Houston, Washington and Golden St all won. Shareef Abdur-Rahim scored 43 of Atlanta’s 85 points in their loss to the Cavs – when was the last time one player scored more than half of his team’s points? Against Milwaukee, Larry Hughes scored 36 points in 36 minutes, and didn’t register a single assist. Amare Stoudamire missed the New Jersey game with a sprained ankle. Mehmet Okur came off the bench to lead Detroit in scoring. Tom Gugliotta did not get a rebound in 19 minutes. Kurt Hinrich missed all 6 3-point attempts. Mike Dunleavy had 6 steals. Participated in a raucous Buck’s Party for my mate Dim.

Sunday 7th December

Larry Bird’s birthday. But the Pacers lost to Sacramento, Brad Miller registering a triple double. Jermaine O’Neal had 8 turnovers. Portland played Memphis, where Bonzi Wells performed superbly against his former teammates. Coach Cheeks got ejected. Corey Maggette made 10 FTs against Minnesota, but the TWolves won thanks to KG’s jumper. 31 of Denver’s 41 field goals came on assists, and still they lost, to Boston. Seattle do not play defense. Jalen Rose had 10 assists. Milt Palacio did not play. With Karl Malone suspended, Utah almost came back to beat the Lakers. I figured the M Williams who lead the Jazz in scoring was Monty, but it wasn’t. Had a relaxing afternoon BBQ down by the beach.

Monday 8th December

A twist of fortunes in Orlando, where the Magic celebrated like crazy after winning their 2nd game of the year, while the loss effectively sealed the fate of Suns coach Frank Johnson. Gordan Giricek did not miss (6-6 FG, 3-3 3s, 4-4 FT). Baron Davis did – taking 10 3-pointers in the Bugs’ game against Milwaukee, and guess how many he made? Yep, exactly. Atlanta suspended mercurial swingman Stephen Jackson for undisclosed “detrimental conduct”. The Celtics smashed Utah in Utah, both teams backing up. Mark Blount fouled out in 19 minutes. Andre Kirilenko didn’t pick up a single foul, in 34 minutes. Ginobili killed the Bulls. Why is someone called L Johnson (career stats 1.9ppg) starting and Fizer is DNP-CD? Worked.

Tuesday 9th December

The Lakers won their 10th straight, cruising past New York at home, although Scott Layden’s backcourt of Shandon Anderson and Howard Eisley scored 26 points. Each. Also in Cal, Elton Brand is back, but he had more turnovers than field goals as the Clippers fell to the Kings. Iverson did not play. Detroit lost their 2nd game in a row. As did Denver, who’d just won 6 straight. Washington missed all 7 of their 3-pointers against Indy, who made 7. Shawn Marion was the only Sun playing in their 20 point loss in Miami. Dale Davis, who shoots 54%from the field for his career, is at 48% so far this season was just 1-6 against Houston. He did have 5 assists, though. Zach Randolph (31 and 11) will win Most Improved. Golden State had 0 blocks against Minnesota but won on Jason Richardson’s 3 at the buzzer. Toronto beat Cleveland. Jersey beat Seattle. FAC beat WOFTAM.

Wednesday 10th December

The news that Phoenix dumped Frank Johnson barely rated a mention. Boston blew out the Sonics, shooting 58% from the floor, and the pressure’s now on Nate MacMillan. Or Maurice Cheeks, as Portland lost by 25 to the Spurs. Again on the other side of the ledger, the Magic hit a winning streak, beating Washington at home. Gilbert Arenas, who wasn’t even playing, got ejected in the first quarter. Glen Rice, activated that very morning from the Injured List, hit the game winner at the buzzer to beat the Mavs. Golden St scored just 2 points in OT and lost to the Bucks. Clifford Robinson, who turns 37 next week, played 50 minutes. Dan Gadzuric had 19 points on 9-13 shooting, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. New York lost their 6th straight. Memphis won their 6th straight. Cooked a paella.

Thursday 11th December

Cleveland beat Detroit, which was especially notable as it vaulted the Cavs over Chicago in the basement of the Central Division. Chris Mihm fouled out in 19 scoreless minutes, but did grab 10 rebounds – more than Ben Wallace had in 39 minutes. New Orleans spoiled Mike D’Antoni’s coaching debut in Phoenix, despite the Suns shooting 54% from the field and 53% from 3. There were 110 points scored in the 2nd half of this game, compared to 138 in total for the Houston/San Antone contest. 20 points total in the 2nd quarter. How ugly was it? Kevin Willis even played. Gave my new “boss” the bird.

Friday 12th December

Minnesota play Washington – TWolves by 6. Philly host Denver – with Iverson and Big Dog back, ‘6ers by 9. Streaking Toronto to beat the temporarily hot Celtics. Memphis by how many against the Heat. Indy by 14 over Atlanta. Detroit to bounce back against Seattle. Jersey to beat Orlando on ESPN. Bulls and Bucks in a must-win/must-not-watch. Sacto to beat Utah. Bugs over Golden St. And Dallas to end their 13 year losing streak in LA against the Lakers in the late game. Beer for dinner, as a new weekend, and a new week, beckons.