the knicks will be fine IF and when isiah can deal van horn. otherwise that light at the end of a tunnel is a train bearing down on us.

Pacers are tops, end of story.

I think we have a nicely balanced roster right now-- We're at least 2 deep at every position. Even more important, our versatility (thanks to Penny/KVH/Thomas) allows us to shift positions and give the team a new look for speed or power. Are we the best? Well--- I'd say we're on par with anyone now.

I'm becoming a believer in Marbury now. It's really strange having a PG putting up 20/10-type numbers so easily. His ability to get to the foul line is a part of his game I hadn't truly considered. The foul-shot discrepancy might be a thing of the past. Marbury is averaging about 6 free throws a game, and on an given night, draws 3-6 fouls that Ward/Eisley never would have drawn. His speed and penetration cause big problems for other team's players.

Indiana has Artest & O'Neal doing most of the damage; their excellent coach has the team as a whole playing defense and doing the little things to win. They're a tough team, but Artest can't guard Houston, KVH, and Marbury. We also at least have the size to make O'Neal work.

Detroit's success still baffles me-- they have a lot of good, not great players. I don't comprehend Rip Hamilton's success. He's a SG who can't shoot the 3. Billups' shooting and playmaking is erratic. Ben Wallace is a defensive stud, but also can't shoot or make free throws. Okur puts up numbers on occassion, but I don't really get how-- he seems so slow and out of shape (bad body?). I guess they rely on their balance and team play. There's no single imposing force on offense you need to stop... but with Prince's emergence, they now have a perimeter stopper to go along Wallace.

NJ seems to get worse every season--- the productive KVH & Todd Mac tandem was traded for the injured Mutombo, yet they still made it to the finals in spite of that. They dump Mutombo for nothing, and sign Mourning, who will likely never play again. Rodney Rogers continues to do nothing. So once again, they've gotten worse-- luckily Martin/Jefferson have improved their output a little bit each year to take away from the bite. Signing Griffin will help, but IMHO this team has taken some big steps back from their finals team 2 years ago. Their biggest advantage compared to the Knicks is the sheer athleticism of Jefferson/Martin and their recent playoff success/experience.