The Rockets didn't lose once in February. The SuperSonics lost by 52 points last week. But none of it is lost on Fast Break, as we look at Bruce Bowen's dirty rep, Pacer execs on the hot-seat, and an ice-cold Kirilenko. Read on as we track the NBA's best, worst and most notable for the coming week...
 

   Quick Hitz  
    In the PAINT...
    On the SHELF...
    Best and WORST...
    Three-POINTERS...
    Quick ANALYSIS...
    And the final WORD...

  In the PAINT... 

GAME OF THE WEEK
Rockets @ Suns, 10 pm ET, Sat., Mar. 22
Regardless of whether the Rockets' incredible streak is still on when these two teams meet, it's a showdown between two of the NBA's best squads. It will also be a huge test for the new-look Suns, who are still adjusting to Shaquille O'Neal.

GRUDGE MATCH OF THE WEEK
Beno Udrih, PG, Kings @ San Antonio vs. the Spurs, 8:30 pm ET, Fri., Mar. 21
At the start of this season the defending champion Spurs spurned Udrih, trading him to the Timberwolves for a second-round draft pick. Since then Udrih has become an above-average starter for the Kings, and will be sure to be motivated in his return to San Antonio. That is, if he can play despite a sore back.

  On the SHELF... 

- Lakers' power forward-center Pau Gasol is out indefinitely because of a sprained ankle, but he may be able to return next week. With him out the Lakers have turned to gritty Ronny Turiaf in the middle.

- Wizards' star guard Gilbert Arenas will return this week if an MRI on his surgically-repaired knee comes up clear, according to the Associated Press. If Arenas does return, look for Antonio Daniels to head back to the bench.

- Raptors' star Chris Bosh is close to returning from a nine-game absence caused by a sore knee, several reports say. When he does, look for Rasho Nesterovic to head back to the Toronto bench.

- Hornets' star point guard Chris Paul has been slowed by a sore left ankle lately, but he may not miss any time. If he does, Jannero Pargo is likely to step in for New Orleans.

- Hornets' star forward David West is day-to-day with a sore right ankle. That should mean a bigger role for rookie Julian Wright as long as West is slowed by the problem.

- Heat forward Shawn Marion has missed the past few games for Miami because of a sore back. Expect the Heat to bring him back slowly, and for Earl Barron (now back from a sore knee) to see more playing time as a result.

- Celtics' shooting guard Ray Allen jammed his heel recently and is day-to-day, but the team is being careful with him. Expect Tony Allen to step up and fill in.

- Clippers' center Chris Kaman has missed four straight games to a sore back and is day-to-day. With him out, Josh Powell has been starting for the Clips.

- Kings' point guard Beno Udrih is day-to-day with a sore back. Anthony Johnson appears to be first in line to replace him.

- Cavaliers' center Zydrunas Ilgauskas recently returned from missing two weeks to a sore back. His return is earlier than expected, and sends Anderson Varejao back to the bench.

- Bucks' center Andrew Bogut has a bruised thigh and is day-to-day. Dan Gadzuric and Michael Ruffin will try to pick up the slack when Bogut is out.

- Knicks center Eddy Curry is expected to be gone for the rest of this season after he gets impending arthroscopic knee surgery. David Lee is most likely to step into the starting five as a result.

- Suns' swingman Grant Hill is day-to-day due to a sore wrist. With the Suns likely to be cautious with him, look for Gordan Giricek to see a big bump in playing time.

- Clippers' rookie forward Al Thornton has a leg contusion and is considered day-to-day. With him out, Cuttino Mobley should see the biggest bump in minutes for L.A.

- Grizzlies center Darko Milicic is day-to-day due to a sore foot. With him out, athletic forward Hakim Warrick is actually playing center for Memphis in a small-ball set-up.

- Heat power forward Udonis Haslem remains day-to-day due to a sore ankle. Alexander Johnson likely gets the nod for Miami whenever Haslem is out, as long as Johnson's sore knee holds up. Otherwise look for Joel Anthony to fill in.

- Cavaliers' swingman Aleksandar Pavlovic returned to action Mar.12 after missing seven weeks to a sore foot. He is back to starting games for Cleveland at shooting guard, meaning less playing time for Devin Brown and Wally Szczerbiak.

  Best and WORST... 

TOP 3 TEAMS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Houston Rokets (Western Conference)
Tough to make any kind of case against a team that wins 22 straight. Even without monster numbers, Tracy McGrady must be getting some votes for MVP.

2. Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference)
They're the best in the East, but how would they do in the superior West? Probably almost as well, since they have a 20-4 record against West opponents.

3. Los Angeles Lakers (Western Conference)
Losing Pau Gasol really hurts them, but both he and Andrew Bynum will be back soon enough and then, this could be the scariest team in the Association. Make that, will be the scariest team in the Association.

BOTTOM 3 TEAMS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Miami Heat (Western Conference)
Now Shawn Marion is hurting (possibly because he's playing so many minutes). Pretty soon the Heat are going to have to get Pat Riley back in uniform.

2. Seattle SuperSonics (Western Conference)
They should probably top this list for recently giving up the most points this season (168 to the Nuggets) but the Heat are just that bad. Then again, they gave up 10 assists to Marcus Camby.

3. New York Knicks (Western Conference)
So what it they have a few more wins than Minny and Memphis? No one expected the T-Wolves or Grizz to do much, but the Knicks have the second-highest payroll in the league.

TOP 3 PLAYERS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers
The recent ankle injury to Pau Gasol will test Kobe's leadership. He's still probably the MVP frontrunner.

2. LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers
LeBron would be an easy pick for the top of this list if he could hit outside shots and free throws more often.

3. Chris Paul, PG, Hornets
Pound for pound, he may be the best player on the planet. He's certainly the league's best player under 6-5.

BOTTOM 3 PLAYERS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Stephon Marbury, PG, Knicks
Nineteen million bucks got the Knicks 24 games, a suspension, lots of headaches, and a point-guard who hit 71 percent on free throws.

2. Eddy Curry, C, Knicks
His season-ending knee surgery puts the cap on one of the league's biggest disappointments. When healthy, this 7-footer averaged 4.7 rebounds per game. Enough said.

3. Quentin Richardson, SG, Knicks
He's shooting 35 percent from the field and making $8 Million doing it. Yikes.

  Three-POINTERS... 

ON THE RISE

- Mickael Pietrus, SG/SF, Warriors: In March Pietrus has seen 32 minutes per game, and has responded by averaging 12 points 7.8 boards, and 1.6 steals per outing. He seems set as the Warriors' new starting small forward.

- Chris Wilcox, PF/C, SuperSonics: He always seems to turn it on down the stretch, and this season is no different. In March he's averaging almost 17 points and eight boards per contest.

- Jason Williams, PG, Heat: With Dwyane Wade out for the rest of the season, Williams is poised for major minutes. If his knees can hold up, he can fill it up with threes, assists, and a few steals.

ON THE DECLINE

- Andrei Kirilenko, F, Jazz: He's not getting the minutes (mostly due to a sore hip) but he's also not doing much with the minutes he's getting. In March he's averaging just nine points, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.5 blocks per game.

- Vince Carter, SG, Nets: He has broken the 20-point mark just twice in eight March games. Maybe it's the loss of Jason Kidd, but Carter is looking less-than-dominant.

- Jermaine O'Neal, PF/C, Pacers: Will he return soon or won't he? At 29 he's starting to look about a decade older, since he hasn't played 70 games in a season since 2003-04.

DEFENSIVE DEMONS

- Andrew Bogut, C, Bucks: A thigh bruise came at the worst possible time for Bogut, who averaged a whopping four blocks, one steal, and 13.5 boards over two outings last week.

- Drew Gooden, PF, Bulls: Since becoming a starter recently for Chicago, the talented Gooden has been superb, especially on the defensive end. Over two games last week he averaged 9.5 rebounds, 3.0 blocks, and 1.5 steals.

- Dikembe Mutombo, C, Rockets: Let the finger-wagging continue. The 41-year-old Mutombo doesn't play much but he's a force when he does. He averaged 2.5 blocks and seven boards over four contests last week.

BURIED ON THE BENCH

- Channing Frye, PF/C, Trail Blazers: He showed in his rookie season of 2005-06 that he can be an above-average post option, but Frye is barely playing more than 20 minutes per game these days for the Blazers.

- Ike Diogu, PF/C, Pacers: The No. 9 overall pick of the 2005 NBA Draft has struggled with injuries in his young career, but lately he's healthy and is often a lineup scratch. Which is too bad, because Diogu has Elton Brand-like qualities when he's on his game.

- Joey Graham, F, Raptors: Despite his top-tier athleticism, Graham has been mostly ignored this season by Toronto head coach Sam Mitchell. He has the talent to be a starter but is averaging just 8.9 minutes per game.

SIXTH SENSE 

- Chucky Atkins, PG, Nuggets: In two games last week Atkins averaged 18 points and 4.5 assists per game, and he's likely in line for an increased role going forward.

- Jason Kapono, SF, Raptors: Over the past couple of games Kapono has been one of the Raptors' primary bench guys, suggesting the role may stick. He is the NBA's best three-point shooter, so he's worth keeping an eye on.

- Travis Diener, PG, Pacers: The recent insertion of Ronald Murray into the Pacers' starting five makes Diener a sixth man. He's not much of a scorer, but he will continue to put up solid assist totals for Indy.

ROOKIE LOOKS

- Spencer Hawes, C, Kings: The Kings are trying to get Hawes more playing time lately, but a strained left foot may limit him for the next little while. Still, he has scored in double-digits twice this month.

- Jason Smith, F/C, Sixers: He doesn't get a lot of playing time but Smith has been impressive lately in limited spurts. He had two 3-block outings last week and seems to be getting a longer look from head coach Mo Cheeks.

- Juan Carlos Navarro, G, Grizzlies: His up-and-down season has swung up again, as Navarro averaged 19 points over three games recently in limited minutes and he's getting starts again.

  Quick ANALYSIS... 

D-LEAGUE CORNER 

- The Trail Blazers this week sent rookie big-man Josh McRoberts to Idaho of the D-League. The former North Carolina Tar Heel has appeared in just five NBA games this season, averaging two points and 0.8 rebounds per game.

- This week the Bulls recalled sweet-shooting swingman Demetris Nichols from Iowa of the D-League, and replaced him there with center Cedric Simmons and guard Shannon Brown. Simmons and Brown were recently acquired from Cleveland in a trade deadline deal.

- On Mar.14 the SuperSonics recalled center Mouhamed Sene from Idaho. In his first game back, Sene posted seven points and a blocked shot in just nine minutes against the Nuggets. He may see a boost in playing time down the stretch.

COACH'S CORNER
P.J. Carlesimo has done an okay job with the rebuilding Sonics this season, but after his team's March 16 outing against the Nuggets, P.J. might want to get his guys to work on their defense a little. That's because the Sonics allowed a mind-boggling 168 points in the game, which didn't even go into overtime.

EXECUTIVE SUITE
Two execs firmly on the hot seat right now are Pacers' prez Larry Bird and CEO Donnie Walsh. Why? Because Indiana's team is not only dismal at 25-41, but they are better known for the almost constant off-court troubles of their players. Jamaal Tinsley, Marquis Daniels, and Shawne Williams are the most recent distractions in a long line of troubled players Walsh has brought in that also includes Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson. Will Bird and Walsh ever realize that a team full of bad apples doesn't win championships?