LeBron James and Blake Griffin could meet in the 2014 NBA Finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

It’s not hard to figure out who the NBA is pulling for in the 2014 playoffs. All you need is take one look at the TV schedule and you’ll find the answer.

ABC showcased the Clippers-Warriors opening game on Saturday, and Game 1 of the Heat-Bobcats matchup on Sunday. It’s a clear indication the league considers the Clippers and Heat as the two sexiest teams in the postseason, and potential showdown in the NBA Finals could generate major buzz.

Who wouldn’t want to see the Heat and the Clippers? The Heat are the two-time NBA champs and they have the best player in the world in LeBron James. And If Dwyane Wade’s knees are right, Miami has two of the most dynamic players in the league.

The Clippers don’t have history on their side but, between Chris Paul’s State Farm commercials and Blake Griffin’s Kia Optima and GameFly ads, they lead the league in most air times off the court.

And that whole Lob City thing isn’t too bad to watch either.

The league won’t admit it but it would be a major blow to Commissioner Adam Silver’s gut if the Heat don’t make The Finals.

No disrespect to the Indiana Pacers, who are a good team but not box office, the Eastern Conference playoffs are far more interesting with the Heat in it. Let’s not even waste time talking about the early rounds of the East playoffs because Miami is booked for the conference finals.

It would be a shame if Miami and Indiana didn’t play each other in the conference finals, but LeBron and Co. could care less who they play. The goal is to reach The Finals for the fourth consecutive year. Ratings would take a nosedive if the Heat are not playing in June.

Silver would prefer not to explain the NHL-type ratings should The Finals include the Pacers and the Spurs, or Pacers and Clippers, or Pacers and Thunder.

Unfortunately for the new commish, the Spurs will have a major say in the whole playoff picture. San Antonio should get by Dallas in the first round and should beat the upstart Blazers in the semifinals. Tim Duncan and Co. will most likely avoid their playoff nemesis in Oklahoma City because the Clippers — assuming they take care of business against the Warriors, which won’t be easy — will knock off the Thunder, setting up a Spurs-Clippers Western Conference finals.

The playoffs are all about matchups and the Clippers do not match up well with the Spurs, who have owned the Clips going all the way back to their San Diego roots.

The Clippers under Doc Rivers are a far better team than they were last year, but they’re still not in the Spurs’ class in terms of defense and discipline.

The Spurs have proven during the course of the regular season that they’ve rebounded from last year’s stunning loss in The Finals and are ready to retake the throne from King James.

It’s not unusual for a superstar to yell at a teammate on the sidelines. However, it’s extremely rare to see a superstar admit he was wrong for yelling at a teammate.

LeBron James admitted he lost his cool when he aggressively went after Mario Chalmers during a timeout. James was caught by ESPN cameras rushing at Chalmers and both players had to be separated. The argument was triggered by a blown defensive assignment on Paul George during the third quarter of the Heat-Pacers game. James rode Chalmers hard during a break in the action, which is nothing new because Chalmers is the Heat’s unofficial whipping boy — mostly hearing it from James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh the last four seasons.

But Chalmers fired back at James during their war of words, and that’s when The King snapped and uncharacteristically lost his cool. Once things settled down, LeBron seemed apologetic about the whole situation. If you read his lips, he said, “Rio. I was wrong. My bad.”

Immediately after the Heat defeated the Pacers, 97-94, LeBron took to Twitter to issue a public apology to Chalmers.

It takes a big man to say he was wrong, and LeBron earned a lot of respect for what he did. Too many athletes today like to dish blame but don’t like it when they’re getting criticized. The James-Chalmers sideline spat could have escalated to something much worse, but LeBron immediately squashed it by admitting his mistake. A sign of a true leader.

You could sense the Heat-Pacers game Wednesday had a playoff-like intensity. It was no ordinary game. In fact, if it were an ordinary game LeBron would definitely sit out and rest his bum ankle.

But this was Heat vs. Pacers, round 2. A rematch of the 2013 Eastern Conference finals that went seven games and a preview of the 2014 Eastern Conference finals. The way the East is unfolding (or folding), the Heat and the Pacers have a free pass until May when they’ll likely see each other with an NBA Finals berth on the line.

James wasn’t about to miss one of the most important regular-season games for the Heat. Indiana won the first meeting, now Miami returned the favor by winning the second game behind a huge second-half surge that erased a 15-point Pacers lead. Round 3 is in March in Indiana. To borrow a quote from former Jets linebacker Bart Scott, “Can’t wait!”

Joel Huerto is editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

LeBron James is called for an offensive foul while setting a screen on Lance Stephenson.

Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Miami Heat and the Indiana Pacers was headed for another classic finish but for whatever reason another Big 3 took over: Joey Crawford, Rodney Mott, and Derrick Stafford.

They were the referees who officiated Tuesday’s playoff game, a game that was brought to its knees by some of the worst calls you’ll see in a basketball game.

The most crucial call came with 56 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the Pacers holding a 96-92 lead. LeBron James was called for an offensive foul while setting a screen against Pacers guard Lance Stephenson. It was LeBron’s sixth foul, sending the Heat star to the bench for good. It was only the second time LeBron fouled out of a playoff game, and the fifth time of his career.

When you watch the video, James barely touched Stephenson. It was the kind of call you’d hardly make during a hard-fought playoff battle in which physically dominates every minute of every game.

“I didn’t believe it was an offensive foul,” James said. “I was going to set a screen and I feel like I was stationed there. D-Wade rejected the pick-and-roll and Lance actually ran into me.”

“I believe I was straight up and down on Paul George on the drive, on the and-one,” said James, who continued by recalling two more questionable calls on him that added to his foul-plagued game. He mentioned the “foul” on Roy Hibbert and the “swinging of the elbows” against David West, as the two main head-scratchers.

“There was a couple of fouls that I didn’t feel like personal fouls on me, but that’s how the game goes sometimes,” James said.

LeBron wasn’t the only Heat star who was bitten by the Official Big 3. Dwyane Wade was called for a questionable traveling violation on a step-back play he has made a thousand times. The call was costly because it robbed the Heat of a 3-point shot by Shane Battier that would have cut the lead to 96-95.

The bad calls wasn’t just on the Heat. The Pacers got robbed of a fourth-quarter possession when Hibbert’s missed shot that clearly hit the rim but Crawford awarded the Heat the ball for what he thought was an air ball and a shot-clock violation. That sparked a Heat run that tied the game at 83, and Miami eventually took an 89-86 lead. But that would be the last time the Heat would have the lead, as the Pacers — and the refs — took over and held the Heat to just three points the rest of the game.

“We had several guys in foul trouble,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The last time LeBron fouled out in a playoff game was last year in Boston. It doesn’t happen very often. Dwyane [Wade] was in foul trouble the whole game, CB [Chris Bosh] was in foul trouble. You have to overcome a lot in the playoffs. It’s not easy to compete for a title.”

Conspiracy theories will point to these controversial games as reason enough to believe that the NBA league office are pulling the strings and dictating the number games in a series.

The Western Conference finals ended in a sweep, so having another short series leaves the NBA with a bunch of off days before the start of The Finals. Hard to defend the league after what transpired in Game 4 between the Heat and Pacers.

Roy Hibbert powered the Pacers into the Eastern Conference finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

The NBA slogan “Go Big or Go Home” definitely applies to the 2013 playoffs because three of the four teams left have one thing in common: They’re big.

The Indiana Pacers are in the Eastern Conference finals thanks in large part to 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert. The Memphis Grizzlies are in the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history because of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph, arguably the best center-power forward tandem in the Association. The San Antonio Spurs are back in the West finals for the eighth time in Tim Duncan’s 16-year career mainly because of the emergence of 6-11 center Tiago Splitter.

The Miami Heat are the only team left in the 2013 playoffs that prefers small ball, but they have four-time league MVP LeBron James. What makes Miami the exception to the rule is LeBron’s ability to fill two roles: power forward and point guard. LeBron is not only the best power forward in basketball, but he’s also the best point-forward in basketball.

For the past few years NBA coaches have become enamored with small lineups, moving small forwards to the power forward spot and turning shooting guards into small forwards. The term “stretch 4” is like that new mobile app everyone is downloading, as more and more teams look for big men who prefer to play out in the perimeter instead of the low post.

But like all trends, they tend to fade away. Remember the “wildcat” offense in the NFL? It was so popular two years ago, now you hardly see it. The same can be said about “small ball” in the NBA. It took off during the 2004-05 season when Mike D’Antoni unveiled it in Phoenix and several teams embraced it, including the last two NBA champions: Dallas and Miami.

Entering the 2013 playoffs, the Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder all ran a variation of the small-ball concept. They play an up-tempo, exciting brand of basketball that seemingly filtered around the league. However, all of them are now home watching the playoffs.

Small ball has taken a huge hit this postseason, none more evident than the New York-Indiana series in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Knicks were absolutely pounded on the boards by the big, bad Pacers with a traditional frontline that includes Hibbert, 6-9 power forward David West, and 6-10 small forward Paul George. The size and length of the Pacers eventually wore down the Knicks, as Indy won the series in six games. The Knicks’ bread-and-butter was the 3-point shot, and when that was taken away they struggled to score points.

“You always construct your team to beat the world champions, which is the Miami Heat. But nobody thought about the Indiana Pacers,” Knicks superfan Spike Lee said on ESPN’s First Take. “We were not constructed to deal with them dudes. They’re too big, too strong, and they’re young. So, we were looking at Miami but were sleeping on the Pacers.”

The Pacers pounded the Knicks on the boards, outrebounding them 269-222 in the series. After the Pacers outworked the Knicks 53-40 in Game 3, New York coach Mike Woodson ditched his small-ball starting lineup in favor of a more traditional lineup, as he paired Kenyon Martin with Tyson Chandler. But it didn’t matter who Woodson threw out there. Hibbert and West were too much. Hibbert was a beast on both ends, tipping in missed shots on offense and shutting down Knicks drives on defense.

“The beauty of this team is we really don’t adjust to other teams,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “We do what we do in terms of our starting lineup and our rotations.”

The signature play of the series came with five minutes left in the fourth quarter of Game 6 and the Knicks ahead 92-90. Carmelo Anthony spun past George on the baseline and thought he had a clear path to the basket. Hibbert met him at the rim and rejected Anthony’s potential dunk with his left hand. That play sparked a 7-0 run by the Pacers and eventually closed out the Knicks’ season.

Hibbert was simply too big and too strong for the Knicks. That’s been the theme of this year’s playoffs.

Things could get real physical between Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. (GETTY IMAGES)

The Eastern Conference playoffs, also known as the Miami Heat Invitation, will tipoff this weekend with games on TNT and ESPN. Even though teams in the East may not have the same offensive firepower as teams in the West there are still some very intriguing playoff matchups worth watching. Here’s how the first round could unfold:

FIRST ROUND
(1) MIAMI HEAT vs. (8) MILWAUKEE BUCKS
The Heat are just too loaded with talent to have much trouble with the Bucks. Milwaukee has an excellent guard rotation with Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis and J.J. Redick and that’s their best chance at trying to pull off an epic upset. However, the Heat have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who are looking for another NBA title. Prediction: Heat in 4

(2) NEW YORK KNICKS VS. (7) BOSTON CELTICS
Carmelo Anthony averaged 36.9 points in the last eight regular-season games, and is heating up at the right time of year. J.R. Smith averaged 22 points over the same stretch and this dynamic duo give the Knicks the scoring punch they need to take out an aging Celtics team that is without point guard Rajon Rondo and has a gimpy Kevin Garnett in the starting lineup. Prediction: Knicks in 5

(3) INDIANA PACERS VS. (6) ATLANTA HAWKS
The Pacers finished the regular season losing five of their last six games, not exactly finishing strong. It’s quite possible they miss Danny Granger’s presence and I think they will struggle against the Hawks. Atlanta has a solid frontcourt in Josh Smith and Al Horford. I think the Pacers will win the series because of Paul George’s ability to step up and continue his amazing season. Prediction: Pacers in 7

(4) BROOKLYN NETS VS. (5) CHICAGO BULLS
This is the most intriguing matchup of the first round. The Nets closed out the regular season by winning seven of their last 10 games and are playing well. But their bench is a cause for concern. Deron Williams, Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson will score the bulk of the points, but they can’t play 48 minutes. Gerald Wallace signed a big contract in the offseason, but is limited offensively and does his best work on defense. The Bulls had a pretty good year, despite playing without Derrick Rose. The Bulls’ defense allowed just 92.9 points per game, third-best in the NBA and they can slow down the Nets. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s team defense is a great equalizer and the Bulls will play it to perfection. Prediction: Nets in 6

Darren Jacks is a regular contributor to OneManFastBreak.net. Send him an email at djroxalot@hotmail.com.

Joakim Noah and the Bulls have the best record in the East. Is that enough to carry them to the NBA Finals? (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Home-court advantage and the No. 1 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs have not resulted in a championship the past two seasons. Just ask LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

James powered the Cavaliers to 66 and 61 wins and the No. 1 seeding in the East two years in a row, but a great regular season turned into a nightmare in the postseason. Last year was the most painful one, as the Celtics eliminated the Cavs in the conference semifinals and LeBron walked off the TD Garden floor with his head down, took off his Cavaliers uniform for the last time and bolted for South Beach.

This year, Derrick Rose has powered the Chicago Bulls to 62 wins and the No. 1 seeding in the East. Even though the Bulls have clearly been the best team in the East this season, the playoffs are a totally different challenge. Can these upstart Bulls and their soon-to-be crowned league MVP handle the immense pressure and scrutiny of the playoffs? That’s the No. 1 question facing first-year coach Tom Thibodeau.

FIRST ROUND

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (8) Indiana Pacers
The Bulls took three of four games from the Pacers, who may be able to win one game in this series but that’s about it. Too much Derrick Rose, too much Bulls defense. Prediction: Bulls in 5.

(4) Orlando Magic vs. (5) Atlanta Hawks
Last year the Hawks were thoroughly dominated by the Magic and had no answer for Jameer Nelson. The Hawks picked up defensive specialist Kirk Hinrich at the trade deadline and he should help deal with Nelson’s dribble penetration and contest his jumpers off screen-and-rolls. However, the Hawks didn’t pick up anyone to deal with Dwight Howard in the post and that will ultimately be, again, their Achilles’ heel. Prediction: Magic in 6.

(3) Boston Celtics vs. (6) New York Knicks
Most experts feel this could be the best first-round series. From a pure entertainment standpoint? Yes. In terms of the length of the series? No. Chauncey Billups and Amare Stoudemire both have health issues, and the Knicks play way too loose on offense and defense to keep up with the highly efficient and battle-tested Celtics, who could break out of their shooting slump against a very forgiving and extremely soft Knicks defense. Prediction: Celtics in 5.

(2) Miami Heat vs. (7) Philadelphia 76ers
The Heat’s biggest weaknesses are at center and point guard. Fortunately for Miami, Philly doesn’t really have a low-post presence who can command double teams. And point guard Jrue Holiday is playing in his first postseason so don’t expect this series to be competitive. Prediction: Heat in 4.

CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS

(1) Chicago Bulls vs. (4) Orlando Magic
This is where the shocker of the postseason occurs. Orlando has a significant edge in the middle with Howard, and Chicago really has no one on its roster who can keep Orlando’s 6-foot-11 beast out of the paint. Joakim Noah is still bothered by an ankle injury and backup center Omir Asik will be in foul trouble throughout the series because he’s not athletic enough to stay in front of Howard. Another matchup problem for Chicago is Jason Richardson, who should win his one-on-one battles with Keith Bogans, Kyle Korver and Ronnie Brewer. And as good as Rose has been all year, he has yet to lead the Bulls out of the first round. Prediction: Magic in 6.

(2) Miami Heat and (3) Boston Celtics
Miami’s victory over Boston in the fourth meeting between the two teams was not only a huge confidence booster for the Heat but it was also a reality check for the Celtics. The addition of Mike Bibby gives LeBron and Dwyane Wade a true sniper who can spread the floor and be counted on in the fourth quarter. For the Celtics to win this series, three things must happen: 1) Shaquille O’Neal plays 24 minutes a game,2) Rajon Rondo makes some jumpers, and 3) Paul Pierce averages more than 20 points per game. All three will be very difficult to achieve against a Heat squad that is coming together at the perfect time. Prediction: Heat in 7.

CONFERENCE FINALS

(2) Miami Heat vs. (4) Orlando Magic
In 2009, Howard and the Magic denied LeBron a trip to the NBA Finals. This year, James has D-Wade to lean on when the going gets tough. James’ biggest obstacle the past two postseasons has been his inability to raise his game in big moments. That’s where Wade comes in. This is the series where Wade turns into Jordan and LeBron happily takes on the role of Pippen. The two teams split the season series, so that means home court will decide the outcome of the battle of Florida. Prediction: Heat in 7.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

Ron Artest enjoys his first NBA championship. (NBAE/GETTY IMAGES)

A lot of people may not know this but Ron Artest is a loyal guy to the core. He has never forgotten where he came from (say Queensbridge!) and he goes out of his way to thank all those people who have helped him along the way – including his therapist.

During his proudest moment as a basketball player, just minutes after having a game for the ages in the deciding game of the 2010 NBA Finals to capture his first NBA championship, the ever unpredictable Ron Artest recalled his time with the Indiana Pacers and managed to recognize his former teammates and former managers Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird, saying how disappointed he was that he couldn’t share his greatest moment with them.

“When I was younger, I bailed out on my Indiana team,” Artest admitted after the Lakers’ 83-79 victory over the Boston Celtics in Game 7.

“I was so young, so egotistical and I bailed out on Donnie, Larry, Jermaine [O’Neal], [Jamaal] Tinsley, [Jeff] Foster, who never bails out. He just fights for you, for your team. Steve Jackson, who already had a ring, and he continued to fight for us,” Artest continued. “Sometimes I feel like a coward, you know, when I see those guys because, now that I’m on the Lakers, I had a chance to win with you guys. I never thought God would put me in this situation because of that.”

Artest feels that he owed the Pacers something after the ugly incident he ignited 16 years ago at The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., where he infamously went into the stands with Jackson and started an all-out brawl that still haunts the league to this day.

He may feel like he let down the Pacers but he certainly didn’t disappoint his new team, the L.A. Lakers, with the way he performed in Game 7 of The Finals against L.A.’s chief rival.

In the biggest game of his career, Artest played a superb all-around game, scoring 20 points, grabbing five rebounds and recording five steals in 46 minutes. And his defense throughout the series on Celtics forward Paul Pierce was top notch.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson said Artest was the Lakers’ MVP of Game 7 and was a big reason why the Lakers were able to escape with hard-fought victory and a big reason why the Lakers are celebrating their second consecutive NBA title and the franchise’s 16th overall.

“I want to thank Dr. Santi. She would come and help me relax in these moments because I’m not good at these moments,” Artest admitted. “And I know that about myself. So, what do I do to be good a these moments? We figured it out. I needed some type of way to relax during these moments. I missed a couple of threes, but then I trusted everything that she told me.”

So Ron Artest tells the whole world that he owes it all to his therapist. Great. Now, this surely validates the notion that a good therapy session can remedy all the craziness in Hollywood.

Artest’s outside shooting was absolutely therapeutic, though, because the Lakers badly needed offense on Thursday night against a very stingy Boston defense. With Kobe Bryant struggling and the rest of the Lakers were shooting just 28% from the field, Artest rescued the offense with some timely 3-point shots and his tenacity on defense kept Pierce and company from blowing the game open.

Artest said that even though Bryant was having an off night, he was still impacting the game.

“Kobe wanted to win. He didn’t want to lose. He was determined. He was Kobe Bryant, Black Mamba,” Artest explained. “Later in the second half, he started to move the ball and attack and pass. He trusted us and he made us feel so good, and he passed me the ball. He never passed me the ball.”

The “pass” Artest was talking about was the one Bryant fed him late in the fourth quarter. With the game hanging on the balance, Artest drained a 3-pointer from the wing with under two minutes remaining to put the Lakers ahead by six, 79-73. As Artest jogged back to play defense, he blew kisses to the crowd.

“Kobe passed me the ball and I shot a three,” exulted Artest while raising his arms up and down during his postgame press conference.

“And Phil didn’t want me to shoot the three. I heard him because he’s the Zen Master,” Artest said while pointed to his ear. “He can speak to you and he don’t need a microphone. You can hear him in your head, ‘Ron, don’t shoot. Don’t shoot.’

“I said, ‘Whatever. Pong! Three! Woo, hoo!’ ”

Of course, Artest was being overly dramatic with his story a little bit, but he’s Hollywood now. And you can’t blame the guy for being happy. He’s finally a world champion and this title can’t be taken away from him.

“My history in the playoffs is I’ll have two good games then I’ll have a bad game. Today was one of those where I trusted myself and I didn’t settle for shots. I just want to thank Coach Jackson and Kobe for having me and giving me this opportunity.

“I’m just really, really enjoying this. I just can’t wait to go to the club.”

Say Queensbridge! Say Queensbridge!

Five years ago, on Nov. 19, 2004, the Indiana Pacers visited the Palace of Auburn Hills, Mich., to play the Detroit Pistons. As with every Pacers-Pistons game during that time, the game was very chippy and physical.

With 45.9 seconds remaining in the game and the Pacers ahead 97-82, Pistons center Ben Wallace and Pacers forward Ron Artest got tangled underneath the basket. Wallace didn’t appreciate Artest’s hard foul so he shoved him with both hands.

After referees and players tried to separate the two, Artest goes to the scorer’s table and lies there for a few seconds. What transpired next was the ugliest bench-clearing, fan-clearing melee in NBA history – and quite possibly in American sports history.

Five years ago, Ron Artest went into the stands at the Palace of Auburn Hills and forever embeded an ugly image of the NBA and its players.

A fan threw a cup of beverage in Artest’s direction and, in TruWarier fashion, Artest rushed up the stands to confront the perpetrator and the pushing and shoving turned into an all-out Mike Tyson-like punch-0ut.

Pacers forward Stephen Jackson went into the stands with Artest and began throwing haymakers as if he was in a “Toughman” competition. Soon, fans were punching back and the brawl spilled over onto the court.

A man in a Pistons jersey approached Artest on the court, shouting at him. Artest punched him in the face, knocking the man to the floor before leaving the court. Artest was pulled away, and the fan charged back. Artest’s teammate, Jermaine O’Neal, stepped in and punched the man.

Former Pistons ticket holder and the infamous fan that threw the cup at Artest retold the incident to ESPN’s Jay Crawford Thursday morning.

“I remember throwing the cup, actually a cup of Diet Coke, not a beer, but I had been drinking and I’ve had issues with alcohol in the past,” Green told “ESPN First Take.” “I remember [Artest] running into the stands and grabbing the wrong person and I felt bad. I grabbed Artest from behind, the whole thing was kind of a huge blur. It happened so fast.”

“Just a very bad scene,” he added. “It was a scary situation.”

Green said Artest called his home several months ago to apologize.

“He said that he was sorry, that … the whole thing embarrassed him as it did me,” Green said. “He wanted to do something for the community for troubled youth. Of course, I can’t do much on this end without him.

“We tried to come up with something to give back to the community and come up with something positive. It’s not like it’s not always going to be known as the brawl, but maybe we could take something good out of it. We’re going to try to do something in inner-city Detroit or L.A., maybe after the season ends and he has more free time on his hands.”

Green was convicted of misdemeanor assault — he punched Artest when the player stormed into the crowd at Detroit’s Palace of Auburn Hills — and sentenced to 30 days in jail and two years’ probation. He also was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous and anger management counseling, and was banished for life from Detroit’s home games.

Artest, who now plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, was suspended for a record 73 regular-season games and 13 playoff games, and lost approximately $5 million in salary. Overall, the NBA suspended nine players for more than 140 games combined, including a 30-game suspension for Jackson, 15 for O’Neal, five for Pacers guard Anthony Johnson and six for Wallace. Others got one-game suspensions for leaving the bench.

Artest and Green will never live down the Brawl at The Palace, but both men claim they have changed since their tempers ignited a firestorm the NBA is still trying to extinguish.

“You know, I realized then the trouble I got in that night pretty much stemmed from alcohol,” Green said. “I wouldn’t have done that sober. Look at the video of people throwing stuff. One little thing triggered this huge event with people throwing stuff and getting way out of hand. It all stemmed from alcohol. If we can control that, we can control these situations.”

As for Artest, Green said: “He’s reached out to the community. He’s trying his hardest to let people know he’s not the same person.”

Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers fell to Allen Iverson and the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center back on Nov. 20. (GETTY IMAGES)

Before we crown the Los Angeles Lakers world champs for the 2008-09 season, let’s taper down the myopia and examine this team closely. Sure, the Lakers are rolling but their three losses are head-scratchers. The one-point loss to Indiana on Dec. 2 and the blowout loss at Sacramento on Dec. 9 were due to a lack of focus. The Lakers suffered from a serious case of “bitchassness.”

One of the symptoms of bitchassness is the feeling of “being better than others around you.” The Lakers came to Indianapolis and Sacramento thinking they were better than the Pacers and Kings, and played uninspired. Their turnstile-like defense and soft play inside allowed both teams to stay in the game. And I just wish Kobe Bryant would quit throwing passes to himself, such as the one where he shot the ball off the backboard with the intent of getting it back for his own put-back. That play was the epitome of bitchassness.

As for the other Lakers’ setback, suffered at the hands of the Detroit Pistons at Staples Center back on Nov. 14, that game re-opened a couple of old purple and gold wounds.

Let’s face it. The Lakers are far from being a great defensive team. They can slow teams down in spurts, but they cannot lock down on an opponent for long stretches. I’m not convinced the Lakers can stop good teams with their defense, at least not the same defense the Pistons, Spurs, Celtics or even the Cavaliers play. The Lakers’ greatest strength on defense is their length, but if teams can spread the court – like the Pistons and Pacers have done  – you can expose some of L.A.’s weaker one-on-one defenders like Derek Fisher, Sasha Vujacic, Vladimir Radmanovic, Pau Gasol and Jordan Farmar, who are all good defending in space but struggle in keeping guys out of the paint.

Also, the Lakers have yet to get over the mental block of playing against physical teams. It happened in the 2008 NBA Finals when the Celtics disrupted the triangle offense by putting their hands on the Lakers. The Celtics, Cavaliers and Pistons all play physical defense and all three teams are well-schooled in the art of pushing and shoving. When that happens, the Lakers need to toughen up and push back. This is the Lakers’ greatest deficiency. They play with a certain arrogance when they are ahead, but once the other team gets rough, they all tend to fold their tents. Schematically, there is nothing Coach Phil Jackson can do to fix this. This mental block is the most important aspect of the game the “fellas” must overcome in order to win a championship.

Despite their flaws, the Lakers still have the best player in the game in Kobe Bryant and the nobody in the Western Conference can matchup with their length and their depth. The three teams that can stay with the Lakers are Boston, Detroit and Cleveland. But all three reside in the East and only one can get to the Finals.