SPORTS N STUFF

Well, that was quite a 24-hour swing. One day after the Calgary Flames looked done for the season, they went out and dominated the league’s top team.

Having reached the desperation point in their bid to make the playoffs, the Flames scored four goals in the first period Sunday and beat the Washington Capitals 5-3.

Captain Jarome Iginla had said the Flames needed to “run the table” to get into the postseason after a 5-0 loss at Boston on Saturday. He and his teammates responded by salvaging a three-game road trip that began with two losses.

Complete Playoff Race

“We played with the effort that we’re supposed to,” defenseman Robyn Regehr said, “and we have to do that for the rest of the year.”

The win moved Calgary within four points of eighth-place Colorado and within five of seventh-place Los Angeles in the Western Conference, pending the result of Colorado’s game later Sunday.

Ales Kotalik, Ian White, Jay Bouwmeester, Niklas Hagman and Rene Bourque scored for the Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff, who was pulled in the third period of the loss to the Bruins, made 31 saves against the Capitals as Calgary won in Washington for the first time in 11 years.

“We’re all talking about that we want to be in the playoffs,” Iginla said. “But we’ve got to go earn it and earn a chance. Now we’re in position where we’re just trying to earn a chance and see what other teams do.”

Alex Ovechkin got his 46th goal for Washington and also had an assist to reach the 100-point mark for the fourth time in his five-year career. David Steckel and Mathieu Perreault also scored for the Capitals, who lost at home in regulation for only the fifth time in 36 games this season.

“We didn’t have any energy,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said. “It looked like we were skating in quicksand. Their sense of urgency was so tremendous. They’d been embarrassed in Boston. We didn’t meet their push.”

Washington’s Jose Theodore was pulled at 10:34 of the first period after allowing three goals on nine shots, but his franchise-record 19-game streak without a regulation loss (17-0-2) remains intact because the Capitals later scored three goals. That made Semyon Varlamov, who gave up the fourth goal, the goalie of record.

“For the first time in a long time,” Boudreau said, “it looked like Theo was struggling a little bit.”

The Flames also spoiled a chance for the Capitals to clinch the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history, but Washington claimed the No. 1 spot when New Jersey lost 5-1 at Philadelphia on Sunday night.

Three of the Flames’ goals were carom shots off Capitals goaltenders, including the first two. Kotalik stuffed in a rebound off Theodore’s left leg just 2:35 into the game, and White put a rebound off Theodore’s side as the goalie was falling on his back during the power play at the 8:28 mark.

Bouwmeester’s tip-in of Bourque’s pass made the score 3-0, chasing Theodore. The Flames kept scoring, however, with Hagman putting a backhander from the right circle inside the near post. The goal put the Capitals behind by four goals, a deficit they’d faced for a combined 4:32 on the entire season coming into the game.

First period summation: Calgary had four goals; Washington had four shots. Even more stunning was the fickle display by some Capitals fans. The runaway top team in the standings actually heard boos on the way to the locker room.

“When you’ve lost four out of 35 at home, give the guys at break,” Boudreau said. “I could see it if we were doing this on a regular basis.”

Ovechkin’s wrister from the right circle on a power play made it 4-1, but Bourque and Steckel traded goals to make it 5-2 going into the third. Perreault, recalled from the AHL earlier in the day, pulled the Capitals within two again when he put in the rebound off Ovechkin’s shot during a power play early in the third.

“You just put that one behind you and live for the next day,” Washington right wing Mike Knuble said. “It’s no indication of anything. It’s just one of those games you’re probably due for. It’s probably good for us at this point.”

Notes

The Flames’ last previous win in Washington was a 5-4 overtime tally on March 13, 1999. They had gone 0-4 with a tie in five trips since. Perreault was recalled because C Brendan Morrison was out with a lower body injury that appears to be minor, and C Brooks Laich remains sidelined with facial injuries after getting struck in the face by a puck in practice last week. Washington D Shaone Morrisonn missed the game after having his wisdom teeth removed.

Perhaps you’ve noticed this phenomenon as the playoffs approach: There’s a lot of concern being expressed about the goaltending of some top contenders, yet little seems to be directed at the Detroit Red Wings.

Now, that could strike you as being a little strange. After all, Detroit has been to the past two Stanley Cup Finals and to every postseason since 1991 but always has goaltending questions dogging it as the playoffs roll around.

Howard stepped forward while veteran Chris Osgood took steps back. (Getty Images) Not this season, though, and it tells you just how much of an afterthought Detroit has been when it comes to playoff and, especially, Stanley Cup talk around the league. But expect that to change now that the Red Wings are locking in on a playoff spot that was in doubt not long ago, and doing so behind some very solid work from goalie Jimmy Howard.

Detroit has heated up in a hurry this month, going 9-2-1 since the Olympic break and beating several of the league’s top teams in the process. The Red Wings have taken over the eighth seed in the West with a bit of a cushion, and have also moved into position to finish as high as fifth. More to the point, they have now claimed the unofficial title of being the team no top seed wants to face in an opening round.

Howard has been in goal for all the games during the post-Olympic run, part of 20 consecutive starts in which he has made the most of his first true shot at being a go-to guy for Detroit.

“It’s a lot easier when you get out and play,” said Howard, who has gone 12-5-3 during his streak.

It’s also a lot easier to erase some doubts within the organization when you play. The 26-year-old rookie has been in the Red Wings system for five seasons but has developed slowly, even by the organization’s patient standards. And in his brief previous appearances with the big club, Howard seemed incapable of gaining the confidence of coach Mike Babcock.

Problem was the Red Wings didn’t have the cap space to add goaltending during the offseason, and veteran Chris Osgood failed to distinguish himself when he and Howard split the duties the first half of this season. So Howard became almost a default choice when he took over as starter in late January, and as a result, he has set himself up for the kind of scrutiny he hasn’t had to worry about all season.

But he’s earned it.

“Suddenly he’s in top three numbers in three categories,” Babcock said after Howard picked up his 30th win by stopping the St. Louis Blues. “That’s fantastic.

“He’s a young man, and only time will tell whether he can do it 10 years in a row. But he looks like he’s a goalie. He battles, he has a good attitude and he’s getting better. So good for us.”

Western Conference
SeedTeamGPPts1San Jose741002Chicago73993Vancouver74944Phoenix75985Nashville75916Los Angeles73907Colorado73898Detroit7387Still alive9Calgary748310St. Louis747911Minnesota747812Dallas747813Anaheim737614Columbus7472Eliminated15Edmonton7355 Complete Playoff Race

Even better for the Wings is the fact they are healthy, really for the first time all season. Detroit has again been able to put together two big scoring lines with Pavel Datsyuk centering Johan Franzen and Tomas Holmstrom, and Henrik Zetterberg in between Todd Bertuzzi and Valtterri Filppula. So these days Detroit is getting the offense, playing the kind of puck possession game it’s known for and, in the process, turning the debate about them from whether they can make the playoffs to how far can they go.

It’s a far cry from when several obit writers wrote them off early in the season, suggesting that the perfect storm surrounding the team made it an opportune time for the league’s model franchise to accept a bump in its dynastic run and recalibrate.

Detroit did lose several key players to free agency last summer, and even more to long injuries soon after the schedule began. And before long, the Red Wings had essentially relinquished their eight-year hold on the Central Division title to the Chicago Blackhawks, so the fatalists’ arguments had some merit.

But while the Red Wings generally struggled to stay around the playoff cutoff line as bodies healed, they never fell too far below. Howard has played better than anyone expected, the defense led by perennial Norris candidate Niklas Lidstrom has been effective, and now Detroit is entrenched in the playoff pack. And it has veteran players who have gone through deep playoff runs in the past two seasons much fresher than they would usually be, along with role players who generally see limited ice time having had a chance to handle more responsibility.

“It was tough with a lot of guys injured, but at same time, guys who aren’t used to playing a lot of minutes get more and gain confidence,” Zetterberg said. “When you get back healthy and you have those guys with that experience, it’s better.”

Especially when the timing is right.

“The fun part of the season is coming up,” Zetterberg said. “There’s a good chance of us making that, and when we’re in, we’re going to have a good team.”

Dwyane Wade got a warm reception when he was introduced before the game. It was a Chicago crowd’s way of saying welcome home to a native son who’s a star and could become a major free agent.

Wade doesn’t always score big at the United Center and Thursday night he didn’t have to.

Eastern Conference
SeedTeamGB1y-Cleveland-2x-Orlando73x-Boston10.54x-Atlanta10.55Milwaukee176Miami197Charlotte19.58Toronto21Still alive9Chicago23.510New York30.511Indiana31Eliminated12Philadelphia3213Detroit33.514Washington3515New Jersey48.5 Complete Playoff Race

His game was well-rounded, even if he did score only 12 points, as his Miami Heat rolled over the Chicago Bulls 103-74 in one of the most lopsided games of the season for either team.

“I was laying in bed today and I was wondering why I don’t play good here like I play other places on the road,” Wade said.

“I decided I play too fast here. I decided to come out and play like I normally play, with a lot of patience. … My game plan going out there was to get my teammates involved. I knew they were going to bring two at me and pack the paint a little bit. So I decided to make sure to get my teammates involved and it opened things up.”

In 29 minutes, Wade had 10 assists and five rebounds. He entered averaging 26.5 points. Jermaine O’Neal scored 24 points, shooting 9 of 14 against a soft Chicago defense, while Michael Beasley scored 15 and Udonis Haslem 14.

Pushing for a better playoff seeding, Miami’s third straight victory and ninth in 12 games lifted the Heat into the No. 6 slot in the Eastern Conference, a half game ahead of idle Charlotte.

“One of our best road wins of the season,” Wade said.

“Right now we’re playing some of our best basketball. March is a great time of the year for that. Everyone is understanding and settling into their role now.”

The Bulls have lost 11 of 13, including a 10-game losing streak, and are in ninth place in the East.

“No good answer for anything,” Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said of the loss. “They just attacked us with O’Neal and Beasley. … It’s disappointing. We didn’t have enough fight in us tonight.”

Hakim Warrick led the Bulls with 14 points while Taj Gibson and Derrick Rose had 12 apiece.

Wade had eight first-half points, hitting a jumper just before the buzzer to give the Heat a 63-33 lead as the boos poured down on the home team at the United Center.

Miami shot 60.5 percent in the first half, while the Bulls made only 28 percent. Miami finished the game at 52 percent with many easy shots against a listless Chicago defense.

O’Neal worked at will on the inside and had easy short-range jumpers, hitting 7 of 11 and scoring 18 points in the opening half. Haslem came off the bench with 10 points in the first half and the rout was on. Chicago was without injured forward Luol Deng (calf) and Joakim Noah played limited minutes as he recovers from plantar fasciitis.

“We were a little shocked about it,” O’Neal said of the game’s one-sided nature. “More than anything we felt like we had to come out and jump on those guys.”

Miami’s Quentin Richardson, another former Chicago prep star, scored nine points in the final three minutes of the opening quarter as Miami closed on a 23-9 run for a 31-19 lead.

There were some heated words last time the teams met in Miami, a 108-95 Heat victory earlier this month. This time there wasn’t much to say. The Heat’s play did all the talking.

“The last game was a little chippy, but we put that aside,” Wade said.

Notes The Heat’s largest margin of victory this season was 34 against Indiana in December. The Bulls lost to Atlanta by 35 in December. Miami led 86-49 after three quarters. The Heat’s biggest lead was 39. It was Chicago’s lowest scoring game of the season.

Turns out the strong finish told a lot more about Steven Stamkos than the weak start.

Good thing for the Tampa Bay Lightning, since it has translated into the 20-y not to mention a lot faster than what might have been reasonable to expect. If nothing else, that’s something upbeat for the Lightning to hang on to as another demoralizing season winds down.

Stamkos has grown stronger and smarter in only his second pro season. (US Presswire) These days, Tampa Bay is all but officially playing out the string after being the thick of the playoff race in February. The coach and general manager have acted as though they are at odds since the team was sold at a steep discount a few weeks ago, and rumors about inevitable offseason changes are all over the place. Yet with less than a dozen games to go, the Lightning still have a positive storyline to follow because Stamk for the goal-scoring title.

Stamkos remains the long shot in that race, but with 43 goals and a league-leading 19 on the power play, he has built dramatically on what was a respectable, if hardly eye-popping season in 2008-09 for a first overall draft pick. And along with the irrepressible veteran Martin St. Louis, Stamkos has brought the right kind of attention this season to Tampa Bay, elevating his game enough for coach Rick Tocchet to name him an alternate captain last weekend.

“He represents the young guys well and deserves to wear the A,” Tocchet said. “He’s an emerging young leader who has done a nice job of it this year.”

Being a focal point is the role Stamkos has seemed destined for since the team drafted him first overall in June 2008. Stanley Cup winners Vincent Lecavalier and St. Louis were still around, but the team’s new owners built their first market in the area had ever seen play, and effectively portrayed him as a savior of a franchise that had been heading south for several seasons.

Problem was, they left Stamkos to a hand-picked coach who decided the best way to develop the youngster was to shatter his confidence. Barry Melrose lasted only six weeks doing that, yet managed to undermine Stamkos enough to create doubts about him, limiting the rookie’s ice time and playing him mostly with third- and fourth-line players.

There wasn’t just one reason the Lightning were in a mess when Tocchet took over, but as the door was hitting him on the way out, Melrose made sure to tell everyone that he felt Stamkos should still be playing junior hockey.

“It was a tough situation because there was a lot of turmoil and I didn’t know how to react to it,” Stamkos said. “I wasn’t playing a lot, so I wasn’t able to do what I was capable of doing and I started to doubt myself a lot. My confidence just wasn’t there.”

Phenomenal since February Goals since Feb. 17, 2009 Player, Team G Alex Ovechkin, Capitals 60 Steven Stamkos, Lightning 59 Sidney Crosby, Penguins 57 Ilya Kovalchuk, Devils 51 Dany Heatley, Sharks 51 Patrick Marleau, Sharks 49

Apparently it didn’t return immediately after Tocchet took over behind the bench. Stamkos was used to being a star on every team he played for since he was a kid, but Tocchet provided him with the dubious sensation of being a “healthy scratch.”

In the second half, though, the sessions that resulted from Stamkos charting defensive zone coverage and watching video started paying dividends. Stamkos picked up 21 of his 23 goals last season after the All-Star break and has scored more than anyone in the NHL but Ovechkin since then.

“A lot of it has to do with confidence,” Stamkos said with a shrug. “I started playing more in the second half and feeling part of the team and it went well. So did the world championships and the summer, and I knew what to expect this year, so you come in with the confidence both physically and mentally. It’s part of the learning curve.”

Part of that curve, anyway. Like most young players, Stamkos needed to work on his play without the puck. This season his positional play is drawing kudos and favorable comparisons to legends Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic.

“He’s very offensively gifted, but what I’m most proud of about Stammer is his play away from the puck,” linemate St. Louis said. “Before you get to this level, you play with the puck the whole time because you are just better than everybody else. But here you don’t have the puck a lot and you have to figure out how to play without it. I think that’s the biggest thing that he’s done this year.”

Stamkos has gotten stronger, too, the result of an intensive offseason training regimen with former NHL player and fitness freak Gary Roberts. That’s made Stamkos more difficult to knock off the puck and has made his quick release even more dangerous.

And he says he has learned to think the game better, being aware of the puck and finding ways to get open. Being smarter on the ice is what Stamkos calls it. And maybe smarter off the ice, too.

“Everyone always waits for the sophomore slump,” Tocchet. “Well it’s obvious he’s thrown that theory out the window.”

other than in the LeBron Watch bo the countdown to July 1 passed the 100-day mark over the weekend. The most anticipated free-agent class of the post-Michael Jordan era is now 98 days away.

Something else happened recently that could dramatically affect the free-agent cataclysm that’s about to hit. Henry Thomas, the Chicago-based agent for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, joined forces with Leon Rose, the agent for LeBron James, at Creative Artists Agency.

In a move that the parties involved have will be joining the coaches’ division at CAA. Wesley, one of the most connected and influential men in basketball due to his ties to James, Kentucky coach John Calipari and essentially every tentacle of the game, will go from being unofficially powerful to officially powerful in the next 2-3 months, according to a source familiar with his plans.

With these three in its stable, Creative Artists Agency becomes the biggest power player in the NBA this summer. (US Presswire) What does all of this mean? Simply put, the top three NBA free agen an advantage that will allow them to freely share information about what will be a dizzying, unpredictable free-agent signing period. The college coach who would make the biggest splash and most money if he returned to the NBA soon could be on board in the form of Calipari, via Wesley. It is a nexus of power not seen since 1996, when David Falk represented free agents Jordan, Alonzo Mourning, Juwan Howard, Dikembe Mutombo and others at a time there was no maximum contract,. The domino effect could result in what one rival agent described as “sweeping changes” in the NBA landscape by the time it’s over.

“I think the process is going to entail three individual circumstances, but the knowledge is centralized on all three,” one NBA team executive said. “It gives them absolute control of the market, for one. You have the three most sought-after clients.”

The Big Three have been in lock step since they signed their most recent contract extensions, negotiating simultaneous player options to maximize their flexibility. Teammates on the 2008 Olympic team that won the gold medal in Beijing, they’ve spoken at various times about the possibility of playing together.

Now, they’re more than merely friends and Olympic teammates. They’re business partners, with power and leverage that are united with the agency that will dictate the tempo and terms of the 2010 free-agent market.

But this is much more complicated than steering two of the three biggest free agents to the same team, an outcome that remains a long shot for logistical reasons. For one thing, there are other potential free agents with powerful agents; Joe Johnson, for example, is represented by Arn Tellem, who brokered the trade sending client Tracy McGrady to New York to help the Knicks clear enough cap space for two max free agents. For another, Rose and Thomas have other clients, too, and their first obligation is to get each player the best situation for him.

“We’re just under the same umbrella,” Bosh said. “I don’t think that’s something that anybody feeds off of. We’re all our own individuals. We just happen to be with the same agency. So maybe in the future, with the same contacts, maybe we can find something that in some kind of way everybody will benefit from.”

Wade also downplayed CAA’s 2010 monopoly, saying, “I don’t think it changes anything.” But he’s forgetting about one extraordinarily valuable commodity come July 1: information. While team executives and rival agents will be expending countless man hours trying to predict what the Big Three will do, their options and strategies will be centralized under one roof.

“It’s a possibility we might know a little inside scoop,” Wade said. “But at the same time, if we didn’t go to CAA, I think we would know a little bit, too, because we’re all family either way. We’re all friends.”

The common threads going beyond CAA soon will include Wesley, the behind-the-scenes power broker who also is tied to presumed No. 1 pick John Wall, who plays for Calipari at Kentucky. Wesley’s influence covers all the biggest assets the Big Three free agents, the No. 1 pick, the No. 1 pick’s college coach, and on and on.

One person involved in the coaching business called Wesley’s decision to join Rose, his longtime associate, in an official capacity “a good move by CAA.” But others have questioned why he would want to give up his back-channel, unofficial influence for official coaching representation.

“Wes can get a coach [hired] any time he wants,” the person said. “Why would he want to become official?”

But if there were ever a time to take the plunge, this would be it. Wesley’s sway over LeBron has been built over years and won’t disappear when James is making the biggest decision of his career. In fact, his power would only expand by virtue of having the official capacity to influence coaching situations throughout the NBA.

Reached for comment Tuesday, the media-averse Wesley said, “I don’t discuss CAA business.” In a couple of months, that’ll be part of his job description.

LeBron and Wade have said all along they intend to play out the season and explore all their options, which is why both turned down extension offers from their teams last July. Toronto GM Bryan Colangelo took a different approach with Bosh, not offering him an extension initially because all indications were the answer would be no.

Needing more clarity from Bosh before the trade deadline, Colangelo offered a max extension in late January, according to sources. By that point, Bosh presumably had a better feel for where the team was heading. At the time, Toronto was playing well and was in the process of pushing its record to six games above .500 before the All-Star break. Still, Bosh’s camp reiterated he wanted to wait until after the season. The Raptors (35-34) have lost 10 of 14 games and are in a tough fight with Charlotte and Chicago for the final two playoff spots in the East.

“We’re a playoff team,” Bosh said. “We’re just not where we want to be. I think it’s just not being as consistent as we could be. Sometimes we have opportunities to get better and we just come up short.”

The possibilities presented by all these connected relationships are “endless,” Bosh said. And at some point, they could get complicated. What if Wade, for example, instructs Thomas not to share his plans with Bosh or with LeBron’s agent, Rose? In that case, Thomas would be able to “at least advise Leon and share some insight without giving him everything,” the team executive said. When the dominos start falling, a little information will be better than none at all.

“The No. 1 domino to fall is going to be LeBron, because everyone will be waiting to find out what he does and it’s going to impact the whole free-agent flow,” the executive said. “There’s going to be some deals signed out of the gate, but those are going to be the teams that don’t think they have a shot at LeBron. Anybody who thinks they have a legitimate shot at LeBron is going to take that shot.”

In what Chicago coach Joel Quenneville had billed as the biggest game of the year, the Blackhawks got the kind of goaltending they’ll need once the playoffs start.

Antti Niemi made 28 saves against the NHL’s hottest team to get his sixth shutout and the Blackhawks ended Phoenix’s nine-game winning streak Tuesday night, beating the Coyotes 2-0.

Western Conference
SeedTeamGPPts1Chicago72992San Jose73983Vancouver73924Phoenix74975Los Angeles71896Nashville74897Colorado72878Detroit7285Still alive9Calgary738310Dallas737811St. Louis727712Anaheim727613Minnesota737614Columbus7370Eliminated15Edmonton7355 Complete Playoff Race

“Nobody gets those too often, so it gives you more confidence,” Niemi said.

The win allowed the Blackhawks to take over the points lead in the Western Conference, where they have 99. San Jose has 98 and Coyotes 97.

“A big win,” Niemi said. “I think we played more compact on our own end than last time. Even when we were leading 2-0, we wanted to play good defense and not give them too many scoring chances.”

Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa scored second-period goals for Chicago, which beat the Coyotes for the first time in four meetings this season. Phoenix’s nine-game winning streak that tied a franchise record had included a shootout win over the Blackhawks on Saturday night when Chicago twice squandered two-goal leads.

“I’m sure there’s some disappointment. We’ve been on a good run and we’ve got some bounces our way and tonight we didn’t generate enough to earn those bounces,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said.

“We all know the meaning of the game and the implications of the conference,” Quenneville said. “They are on an amazing roll. That’s a good hockey team … It never looked like it would be easy. Antti persevered to the end.”

Kane fired a high shot from the middle of the left circle that eluded Ilya Bryzgalov on the glove side, 1:45 into the second. It was Kane’s team-high 28th goal of the season and gave him 20 points in his past 15 games.

Patrick Sharp’s pass between two Coyotes was deflected but recovered by Hossa, who also scored from the left circle for a 2-0 lead at 7:16.

Niemi then stopped a point-blank rebound shot by Petteri Nokelainen to preserve the two-goal cushion and later reached around behind his back to thwart a tuck attempt by Taylor Pyatt.

In the final period with the Coyotes on a power play, Niemi again turned away a close-in shot from Pyatt.

“I thought that was a goalie win. He made some amazing saves,” Quenneville said.

Lee Stempniak, who’d scored nine goals in nine games since being traded to the Coyotes, said the end of the winning streak means the Coyotes must start another.

“They came out and had a better start than us. They scored on their chances. We had a lot of chances, or a lot of pucks laying in the crease,” he said.

“The other goalie played well and you’d like to see us bear down a little bit more and finish a couple of those chances because we certainly had ours.”

Shane Doan skated behind the net and scored an apparent goal to give Phoenix a first-period lead. But the score was disallowed because the Coyotes’ Matthew Lombardi was in the crease.

“Teams like Chicago and San Jose, a month ago they were out of reach for us, so we know that we’ve played some good hockey,” the Coyotes’ Adrian Aucoin said. “Tonight shows we can still get better.”

Notes

Chicago D Brent Seabrook returned to the lineup after missing two games with a concussion. He was leveled last Wednesday by Anaheim’s James Wisniewski, who drew an eight-game suspension for the hit against his former Chicago teammate. Seabrook got a big cheer in the second when he drove Vernon Fiddler into the boards. He said there were no lingering effects from his injury. The Winnipeg Jets, who moved to Phoenix in 1996, also won nine in a row from March 8-27, 1985. The Blackhawks are 5-4-2 since the Olympic break. They have 10 shutouts this season total. Chicago D Brian Campbell, who will miss the rest of the regular season with a broken collarbone and broken rib after a hit from Washington’s Alex Ovechkin on March 14, said he has no target date for a return. There is a slim possibility he could be back, if the Blackhawks go deep into the playoffs.

I’m often criticized for having shown the Milwaukee Bucks no respect this season. Let’s examine the facts.

It’s been pointed out I placed the Bucks dead-last in my initial CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings in October. Can’t dispute that.

Scott Skiles’ Bucks are 15-2 since acquiring John Salmons (right) from Chicago. (Getty Images) Some say I haven’t given Brandon Jennings his just due in a season in which he has been one of the league’s top rookies from Day 1, despite having watched nine guys get selected ahead of him. Gotta say: That’s probably true.

Then there are those who note I basically wrote off the Bucks after Michael Redd blew out his ACL in January. Yeah, they’re right about that.

And many have complained as recently as last week that I’ve been slow to move the Bucks up the rankings, despite the fact they’ve been playing some of the best ball in the league since the All-Star break. OK, I’ll give ‘em that.

Recapping, a team I thought would stink has gotten better and better, led by a low-lottery rookie rather than the guy universally seen as its top player. They’ve gone 15-2 since Feb. 19, yet I’ve still had them languishing in the teens in the rankings.

OK, so I was wrong. Hey, at least I’ve spelled Bucks right most of the season.

The question is: How has this remarkable run happened?

Even I know the answer to that one: Scott Skiles. He has to be the Coach of the Year.

Yeah, I know. Mike Brown has done a remarkable job of keeping the Cavaliers focused despite endless banter about this being LeBron James’ last season in Cleveland unless he wins a championship. And maybe even if he does get one.

And what can you say about Scott Brooks, who has directed a young Thunder club solidly into the heart of the Western Conference playoff picture one season after the team won just 23 games?

Honestly, though, the choice has to be Skiles. He led this turnaround despite Milwaukee not having a top-five draft selection since using the No. 1 overall pick in 2005 on Andrew Bogut, otherwise known as Andrew Bogus until Skiles came to town last season.

The Bucks are amazing. They edged the Hawks on Monday night when Skiles called the same play for Bulls castoff John Salmons basically every possession of the fourth quarter.

That was two nights after, at the end of a Western trip, Skiles gave some guy named Ersan Ilyasova 32 minutes and he responded with a double-double in an improbable win at Denver.

Did I mention Skiles is a genius?

I’m so fired up about this team, I think I’m going to move it up a spot or two (OK, three!) in the CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings this week. Sorry for the delay, Bucks fans.

Power Rankings
CurrentTeamPrevious1Cavaliers · Trends1LeBron James beats Kobe Bryant by two years in race to 15,000 career points. … Still work to do: Cavs’ last four road games are at San Antonio, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta.2Magic · Trends4Let’s be honest: Surging club is playing better than Lakers, as March 7 head-to-head win can attest. … T for trouble: Technical-foul leader Dwight Howard claims refs are out to get him.3Lakers · Trends2Been there, done that: Team marching forward without injured Andrew Bynum. … Epitome of unimpressive: Wins over Warriors, Kings, Timberwolves, Wizards by total of 25 points.4Nuggets · Trends3Critical trip looms: Division lead on line during seven-day roadie featuring Celtics, Magic, Mavericks. … Fashion update: Chris Andersen no longer gelling hair.5Jazz · Trends5Fear not: Loss to possible playoff foe Phoenix was first in last four meetings. … Added dimension: C.J. Miles heating up, averaging 19.7 points in last three games.6Suns · Trends9Five-game win streak highlighted by wins over Jazz, Blazers. … Who’s gonna stop ‘em? Mostly Eastern lightweights among next six foes.7Hawks · Trends8Busy week (five games in seven days) features overtime wins over Bobcats, Spurs. … Hot-shooting Jamal Crawford (14 straight in double figures) clinches first playoff berth in 10-year career.8Spurs · Trends10Perennial contender heating up (only March losses: Cavaliers, Magic, Hawks) without losing focus (resting injured Tony Parker). … Ultimate test: Lakers, Cavs, Celtics up next.9Celtics · Trends12Signs of life: Paul Pierce leads way in road wins at Houston, Dallas. … Mr. May: Kevin Garnett (three double-singles this month) saving best for postseason.10Bucks · Trends13Club has best record in NBA since John Salmons steal from Bulls. … Who needs him? Brandon Jennings pours in 35 at Sacramento, then totals 11 in wins over Nuggets, Hawks.11Mavericks · Trends7Even 7-3 record (losses to Knicks, Celtics, Hornets) a bit embarrassing given cupcake schedule this month. … Wildly inconsistent Caron Butler goes for 27 in win over Bulls.12Thunder · Trends6First chinks in armor: Losses to Pacers, Spurs put Thunder on Western playoff bubble. … Kevin Durant becomes first to score 45 or more against Spurs this century.13Trail Blazers · Trends11Loss vs. Suns is sign of times: Club’s last quality win was more than month ago. … Priority 7: Win Sunday at Oklahoma City could go long way toward avoiding Lakers in Round 1.14Heat · Trends15Sneak attack: Quentin Richardson gets hot in key win over Bobcats. … Etch it in stone: Remaining schedule points to Heat-Celtics matchup in playoff opener.15Bobcats · Trends14Bad time for a slump: Club averages 85.7 points in losses to Pacers, Hawks, Heat. … Welcome, friends: Five-game homestand looms, featuring three creampuffs.16Grizzlies · Trends17Not giving up: Club has won eight of 11 since last stop at .500. … Team hoping season finale at Oklahoma City is meaningful, but road there is rocky.17Rockets · Trends16Club loses Shane Battier (sprained knee) at bad time with Thunder showdown on tap. … Houston’s 7-4 month keeps hopes alive, but can ill-afford more losses to teams like Kings, Pistons.18Raptors · Trends19Chris Bosh hits winner in season-saving victory over Hawks. … It’s now or never: Any win a good one with Jazz, Nuggets, Heat, Bobcats on deck.19Bulls · Trends20Things looking up: Club loses 10 in a row with Joakim Noah sidelined, but he returns for wins over 76ers, Rockets. … Bulls will be plenty fired up for rematch with rival Heat on Thursday.20Hornets · Trends18Just being there helps: Chris Paul returns in win over Mavericks, but club scores 23 straight with him on bench. … Hornets’ record in star’s absence: season-dooming 8-17.21Pacers · Trends23Earl Watson shows way as Indiana beats Bobcats, Pistons, Thunder in six-day stretch. … Troy Murphy’s rebound average reaches 10.0 in effort for fifth double-figure season.22Knicks · Trends21Home-and-home sweep sends statement: At least we’re better than 76ers. … Tracy McGrady’s scoreless fourth quarter vs. old team helps assure loss to Rockets.23Kings · Trends22Concussion-forced absences cut into Tyreke Evans’ Rookie of the Year lead. … Remember me? Beno Udrih takes over at point, has 17 assists in victory over Clippers.24Warriors · Trends25Got a spare $400 million? Warriors announce Chris Cohan putting team on market. … Latest Development League call-up, Reggie Williams, goes for 28, 22, 29 in 15-day stretch.25Clippers · Trends27Home triumph over Bucks comes out of nowhere; Clippers hadn’t won in L.A. since March 1. … Steve Blake more productive as Clipper (5.8 assists) than Blazer (4.0).2676ers · Trends24Free-falling club has just one home win in last month, and that hardly counts (Nets). … Marreese Speights explodes for 17 vs. Bulls after totaling 14 previously in March.27Pistons · Trends26Not like old days: Crushing loss to Cavaliers completes first season-series sweep in 30 years. … Best news of season: Rodney Stuckey returns from scary collapse, scores 25 vs. Pacers.28Wizards · Trends28Prideful in defeat: Western trip ends with competitive losses to Nuggets, Blazers, Lakers. assist figure (5.3 last three games) impressive.29Timberwolves · Trends29The 0-for-March skid continues with close loss to Raptors. … Triangle working for Wayne Ellington: He’s averaging 13.2 points in last six games.30Nets · Trends30Chill the champagne: Chance for second two-win week of season with Kings, Pistons visiting. … Highlight-reel stuff: Josh Boone pulls 20 rebounds in loss to Hawks.

Isn’t this a little early for the San Jose Sharks to lose their bite?

The Sharks have been a perennial powerhouse from the Pacific Division since the lockout, at least in the regular season, playing like an elite team until the playoffs arrive before becoming major disappointments.

Evgeni Nabokov has been on the skids since the Olympics. (US Presswire) Now things are falling apart ahead of schedule. With less than three weeks remaining on the schedule, San Jose is crashing, with its worst losing streak in four years dropping the Sharks from the division and conference leads for the first time since October.

San Jose has essentially come unglued since the Olympic break ended and the team’s league-high eight participants returned. The Sharks have gone 3-6-1 and have been dominated in many games, squandering a 12-point lead in its division and a four-point lead in the Western Conference in the process.

“There’s something missing right now and we’re going to have to figure out what it is pretty darn quick,” coach Todd McLellan said after the Sharks finished the week with a 5-1 loss to Edmonton, the league’s last-place team.

It was the latest debacle in a situation that looks worse by the day for the Sharks. Top scorers Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley and Joe Thornton have managed just one goal each during the losing streak. Goalie Evgeni Nabokov seems to be having a Tommy Salo-like crisis of confidence since his Olympic meltdown. And San Jose is making enough mistakes not only to lose games, but to lose them badly.

It’s not a good sign for a team that has not gotten past the second round since the lockout despite averaging well over 100 points in each season, and went down in the first round last season after hitting the playoffs as the top overall seed. Still, McLellan said there might be a bright side to having some of the expectations lowered by the slide.

“As we’ve experienced in the past, [seeding] is not necessarily all that important,” he said. “Quite frankly, if we’re one of the eight to qualify for the playoffs, we’ll be happy. After that you’ve got to make good on it.”

Which would be a first for the Sharks.

The rankings through Sunday night’s games:

Power Rankings
CurrentTeamPrevious1Capitals · Trends1Jose Theodore hasn’t lost in regulation in two months and according to coach Bruce Boudreau is “making a great case” to be the go-to guy in the playoffs. 2Coyotes · Trends4The league’s hottest team isn’t using smoke or mirrors. Phoenix is 7-2-2 against San Jose, Chicago and Vancouver this season. 3Canucks · Trends3A little trouble holding on to leads lately, but no problem holding on to key players like Ryan Kesler, who has been in overdrive since starring for Team USA.4Sabres · Trends11Jochen Hect has five goals in five games and Buffalo’s overall offense found its groove on a successful trip through the Southeast.5Blackhawks · Trends6In a funk lately and looking more ordinary than at any time this season. Missing three D-men hurts, but someone has to hit the ‘on’ switch soon.6Red Wings · Trends8In a funk lately and looking more ordinary than at any time this season. Missing three D-men hurts, but someone has to hit the ‘on’ switch soon.7Predators · Trends9Pekka Rinne has been nearly unbeatable since the Olympic break, going 8-1 with three shutouts for the surging Preds.8Canadiens · Trends10Showing no signs of slowing down since the Olympic break and about to get a big boost with the return of high-scoring Mike Cammalleri.9Sharks · Trends5Nabokov is 3-6 with a 3.67 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage since the break ended.10Devils · Trends14How many other teams want the defending Stanley Cup champs in the playoffs? Then again, how many sweep a season series against the Pens?11Penguins · Trends2Consistency concerns in Pittsburgh, where the reigning champs have an ugly record against the top 10 teams in the league.12Kings · Trends12The young Kings might have hit a wall with only three wins in eight games. That has cost the team any chance of starting the playoffs at home.13Avalanche · Trends7Fading in the Northwest race, but Paul Stastny has 16 points, including 11 assists, in the 10 games since play resumed.14Flames · Trends17The offense has been better of late and the Flames are winning their share, but making up ground in the playoff race isn’t easy and time is running out.15Flyers · Trends13With Michael Leighton gone and Brian Boucher left to carry the load, the Flyers could end up slipping right out of the playoff picture.16Bruins · Trends15A nice bounce-back win after Pittsburgh against the Rangers, but the bigger test comes this week from the Thrashers, who are hot on their heels.17Thrashers · Trends26Getting offensive contributions from several different players in a four-game winning streak that has the Thrashers back in the thick of the playoff race.18Ducks · Trends21Teemu Selanne’s 600th career goal will go down as the highlight of an otherwise frustratingly inconsistent season.19Blues · Trends19The Blues continue to undermine their playoff chances with their play at home. Their record in their own building is still the worst in the league.20Hurricanes · Trends18Looks like Carolina’s belated push for a playoff spot was dealt a fatal blow with a loss at home to the Sabres.21Senators · Trends16Remember when the Sens were in the Northeast race? Neither do they. Goalie Pascal Leclaire is 0-6-1 in 2010, with a 4.05 GAA and an .868 save percentage.22Wild · Trends22One thing that hasn’t changed under a new regime in Minnesota is the Wild’s ability to close things out. They are 20-1-2 when leading after two periods.23Rangers · Trends20Their season may have ended with a four-minute power play against Boston that didn’t produce a scoring chance. New York has lost seven of its past 10 on the road. 24Maple Leafs · Trends27Toronto seems intent on keeping the Bruins from turning their pick into first overall in June. Meanwhile Kulemin, Bozak and Kessel have 12 goals and 26 points in the past seven games.25Stars · Trends24The Stars have basically played themselves out of what were long-shot playoff hopes by going 3-6-2 since the Olympic break ended.26Panthers · Trends23Does anyone want the season to end faster than Tomas Vokoun? He was pulled twice last week and blew a win on a last-minute shot from center ice.27Lightning · Trends25They’ve dropped 12 of 14, including five in a row and four on a homestand when the Bolts scored only five times.28Islanders · Trends28John Tavares had a good West Coast trip with seven points, but the Islanders keep hurting themselves by being outscored by 38 goals in the third period.29Blue Jackets · Trends29Rick Nash looked no worse for wear coming back from a three-game injury absence with two goals.30Oilers · Trends30This might have been the best weekend in an otherwise miserable season for the Oilers with home wins over Detroit and San Jose.

When the Trail Blazers fired vice president of basketball operations Tom Penn last week, it barely made a ripple outside the Pacific Northwest. The average basketball fan read the wire story, said, “Tom Who?” and went back to juggling his fantasy lineup.

But this was not about Penn, a good man and one of the top salary cap experts in the NBA. That much became obvious Monday, when the real target of this coup d’état was surrounded by more than two dozen media members at the Blazers’ practice facility.

Despite recent on-court success, GM Kevin Pritchard’s days in Portland could be numbered. (Getty Images) Penn’s firing over “philosophical differences” has turned up the heat on general manager Kevin Pritchard, whose confidence and swagger were stripped away just as surely as his right-hand man was last week. Alone to face the music, Pritchard clearly has run out of dancing partners. And so it was in that context that team president Larry Miller blew the following kiss of death Pritchard’s way Monday, when he uttered the six words no executive or coach wants to hear: Pritchard will be evaluated “at the end of the season,” Miller said.

“He’s done a great job getting this franchise where it is,” Miller said. “At the end of the season, that’ll be evaluated –- and it’s not just Kevin. It’s all major decisions.”

But for some reason, another major decision -– to fire Penn only 10 months after promoting him, extending his contract, and giving him a raise -– couldn’t wait. This was a nuance that Miller didn’t get around to explaining Monday, but the end result was all too obvious. With the typically cocksure Pritchard squirming his way through an uncomfortable 15-minute news briefing, the desired effect was achieved.

“My friend,” a rival team executive said Monday night of Pritchard, “he’s done.”

In retaliation for the firing of his cap expert and close friend, Pritchard could’ve followed the lead of his agent, Warren LeGarie, who also represents Penn. He could’ve resigned, or he could’ve put on a combative, defiant show for the media. He did none of the above.

“I want to be here,” Pritchard said. “If you take anything away from here, it’s that I enjoy being here and I’ve enjoyed being in the trenches.”

In the trenches with him was Penn, and no one can deny the renaissance they orchestrated –- from the Jail Blazers to one of the NBA’s indisputable success stories. The rumors circulating about what Penn must have done to get canned get more ridiculous by the day –- arguments, shouting matches, simmering disagreements about basketball decisions. None of them was the real story, according to a person with direct knowledge of the organization’s dynamics.

Exhibit A: Someone in the organization got his feelings hurt because he became convinced that the offer Penn had last summer to become the Minnesota Timberwolves’ general manager wasn’t as impressive or ironclad as Penn and LeGarie made it out to be. This was a fine time to draw that conclusion, 10 months after the fact. One rival GM, puzzled by this conspiracy theory, put it this way: What team gives a coach or executive a raise for no reason, over fake leverage? If the Blazers are that bad at reading the job market for their own employees, they have more problems than we knew.

Even if the extent of Penn’s offer from Minnesota was in dispute, the Blazers fired the wrong person. They should’ve fired the guy who gave Penn the raise. Instead, they fired Penn and didn’t consult Pritchard about it; Miller went around his back and did the dirty work himself, which tells you everything you need to know about where Pritchard stands.

A lot of people in the NBA don’t like Pritchard. They bristle at his swagger and smugness, and seethe with envy over the supposed advantages he has working for Paul Allen, a billionaire many times over. As if other NBA teams aren’t owned by billionaires. As if the Blazers sell out game after game after game because people want to come see the suits from Allen’s Seattle-based Vulcan Inc. sit courtside and eat popcorn.

They come to see the team Pritchard, Penn, Nate McMillan and the basketball support staff have built, a team that is on pace to win 50 games this season with an effective payroll of $49 million if you strip away Darius Miles -– whose sham of a cameo in Memphis last season dumped $18 million back on Portland’s cap. Despite injuries to 2007 first-round pick Greg Oden, his backup, Joel Przybilla, and half the roster, the Blazers will be in the playoffs. However that works out, they’ll be poised to continue that run of success with tradable assets like Przybilla and Andre Miller entering the last year of their contracts. (The third year of Miller’s three-year, $21 million deal is non-guaranteed, a useful technique executed by –- guess who? -– Penn.)

The question of who will be making those trades is very much an open one. By firing Penn for no good reason, the Portland brass rigged the trapdoor beneath Pritchard’s feet with a remote control. Now, though, the secret is out. Working for the Blazers isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Who will be the next to learn that lesson? Two people familiar with the situation said one strong possibility to replace Pritchard is Denver GM Mark Warkentien, the reigning NBA Executive of the Year with ties to Miller through their Nike connections. Warkentien has a home in Portland, and is on the last year of his contract with rumblings of a serious front-office shakeup afoot in Denver. He also had a hand in the creation of the Jail Blazers, something that will be difficult -– if not impossible -– to sell to a community that will never forget that damnable era.

Also, much like Pritchard -– who watched his colleague, Penn, get promoted and paid -– Warkentien did not have his contract extended along with coach George Karl’s this season. There are rumblings that owner Stan Kroenke is ready to move on without Warkentien and VP of player personnel Rex Chapman, with advisor Bret Bearup orchestrating the coup and Kroenke’s son, Josh, on a fast track to a bigger role.

Meanwhile, Pritchard’s adversaries are delighting in his imminent downfall, the end of the road for a rival who did an unassailable job in a “just ask him” sort of way. If arrogance were a fireable offense, Pritchard would’ve been gone a long time ago. So would some of the people having a field day with him now.

Bill Parcells used to say of the NFL, “This is not a game for the well adjusted.” For some reason, that quote came to mind when I listened to the audio of Miller’s news conference Monday -– the part where he said Pritchard would be evaluated after the season –- and found myself thinking, “On what?”

The chorus of cheering fans was a welcome change for goalie Tuukka Rask after the Boston Bruins won just their second home game in nearly three months.

The reaction to Sunday’s 2-1 win over the New York Rangers was far more enjoyable than the send-off on Thursday night when the crowd didn’t appreciate Boston’s lackluster performance in a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Eastern Conference
SeedTeamGPPts1y-Washington721062Pittsburgh72903Buffalo71884New Jersey71885Ottawa72796Philadelphia72797Montreal72798Boston7176Still alive9Atlanta727510N.Y. Rangers727111Florida716912Carolina726813N.Y. Islanders726814Tampa Bay726815Toronto7264 Complete Playoff Race

“At least we didn’t get booed out again,” Rask said after Sunday’s victory tightened the Bruins’ grasp on the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

For the Rangers, who need a dramatic turnaround to overtake the Bruins, it was a very disappointing performance in a critical game as they dropped their third in a row.

“Sure, this was a team that we’re chasing and we needed those points,” New York’s Vinny Prospal said. “It’s a big loss for us, but, on the other hand, we can’t just say it’s over.”

Miroslav Satan broke a scoreless tie with his fifth goal of the season on a pinpoint pass from Andrew Ference with 3:24 left in the second period. Dennis Wideman made it 2-0 with 9:40 to go in the game on a backhander from the left circle, his fourth goal of the season and first since Jan. 9, also against New York.

Then the Rangers, who generated few solid scoring chances, cut it to 2-1 with 3:04 remaining on a goal by Michael Del Zotto. They pulled goalie Henrik Lundqvist and swarmed around Rask in an effort to tie the game.

But they fell short.

Boston has 76 points with 11 games remaining. The Rangers remained in 10th place with 71 points and 10 games left. The Atlanta Thrashers are ninth, a point behind the Bruins.

“It’s been an effort the past few weeks to try to stay positive,” Lundqvist said.

Rask has played very well since taking over the No. 1 spot from Tim Thomas on Feb. 4.

“I can’t even remember when we won the last game 2-1,” he said, “but it’s something the team needs. We need these tight games and we need to win them. I think that’s going to help us.”

The last time the Bruins won 2-1 at home was Jan. 1 in the Winter Classic over the Philadelphia Flyers. But that was at Fenway Park. Since then, they were 1-8-3 at TD Garden before Sunday.

The low point might have been Thursday’s shutout loss in which they managed just 17 shots.

“I don’t think we were thinking too much about the loss last game,” Boston’s Milan Lucic said. “We knew [the Rangers] were right behind us in the standings and we knew it was going to be a playoff-type game.”

The Rangers had a good opportunity midway through the second period with a 4-minute power play after a double-minor penalty to Zdeno Chara. But they didn’t get a single shot on goal.

“It was a key point in the game,” New York’s Chris Drury said. “It kind of livened them up a little bit.”

Satan scored just 23 seconds after Boston’s Daniel Paille failed on a penalty shot that deflected off Lundqvist’s glove.

“He comes up with a big save there and then the next shift they score a goal where we have three guys staring at the puck,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “It’s a tough one.”

And a satisfying one for the Bruins, especially after Thursday night’s performance that drew boos from their own fans.

“We were skating a lot more. We were battling,” Wideman said. “We were a lot more prepared to play than we were on Thursday.”

Notes Boston plays at Atlanta on Tuesday night. The Rangers’ next game is at home against the New York Islanders on Wednesday night. The Bruins are 0 for 17 on the power play in their last six games. Top playmaker Marc Savard missed his seventh straight game with a Grade 2 concussion. Eleven penalties were called in the first period, starting with fighting majors against Boston’s Steve Begin and New York’s Brandon Prust just 2:40 into the game. The Rangers won the season series 3-1. New York’s Ryan Callahan missed the third period with a lower body injury.