New Jersey general

Now that the Big Baby has been put to bed, Billy Packer has waddled off to hibernate in a cave and we've reaffirmed that "One Shining Moment" is one crappy song, it's time to take in some NBA "action." The uniforms are uglier, the players are taller, the facial hair is more fully realized ... and the dance squads! My Lord, men, the dance squads!

Lost in the miasma emanating from the substandard coaching efforts of his Atlantic Division counterparts, Nets coach Lawrence Frank has quietly turned in a Coach of the Year-quality performance at the helm of his red-hot team. Of course, it took New Jersey six weeks to worm its way into the realm of the mediocre (the Nets lost 12 of their first 21) and another three months of fiddling around to start its current 12-game winning streak. So New Jersey's little general will probably have a hard time getting more than one or two first-place votes toward his profession's highest individual honor.

No matter, because Frank seems happy just trucking from shootaround to shootaround, deftly pointing his charges in the proper direction while creating the league's newest defensive monster. The Nets have given up an average of 90.2 points a game over their current streak, and their season-long mark of 104 points allowed per 100 possessions is good for third in the NBA, behind only San Antonio and Indiana. Impressive stuff, especially for a group that barely goes seven deep at this point.

How do they do it? Well, timing is part of it. As is their custom, the Nets wanted no part of games against teams such as the Bobcats on random Wednesday nights in December. (Considering the bread these cats are pulling down, that's a pity, but that's another story.) Come the spring, the time of year this veteran club has been built for, the Nets play as if Tony Robbins were an assistant.

More and more, this team looks capable of becoming a conference finalist. A second-round pairing with the Heat appears to be a certainty (especially if the Pacers continue to falter), and with the Nets within spitting distance of the second seed (down three games with 10 to play, six of which are against potential lottery teams), Frank's club may even host the series. For a team that has beaten the Heat in three out of their four games this season, New Jersey's hope for a date with Detroit may not be so far-fetched.

? The Mavericks rebounded nicely from a three-game losing streak with a 24-point win over the Nuggets on Sunday, but Avery Johnson's team still has quite a bit of work to do to catch the Spurs (down 2� games), win the Southwest and earn the West's first seed in the playoffs. At this point, though, Johnson would probably settle for a solid three weeks of good defensive basketball to finish out the season after demonstrating little over the last two weeks that has reminded anyone of the group that ruled the West for the bulk of winter.

The Mavs' swoon began with a 122-121 loss to the Warriors on March 23 in which Dallas allowed Golden State to dictate the pace, thwarting a 53-point effort by Dirk Nowitzki. The Mavs won by 15 two nights later in Atlanta, but Johnson had to call timeout after timeout in the second half to remind his team to stay focused. This was followed by back-to-back-to-back losses in Detroit, Cleveland and Orlando. At that rate, it seemed only a matter of time before Nowitzki hauled out a marker to scratch out "41 All Alone" on his sneakers.

Of course he's not alone; this is the most balanced Mavericks team since the late 1980s, but injuries have taken their toll, sidelining Josh Howard for the bulk of the last month and still keeping Adrian Griffin and Devin Harris on the shelf. Since Griffin pulled a hamstring and Devin strained a quadriceps muscle on March 12, the Mavs are 6-6. Things won't get any easier down the stretch, with five of their last eight contests against playoff teams.

? Indiana has lost 11 of 17 while combining Caspar Milquetoast-type play with Rasheed Wallace-worthy whining -- surely the signs of a team frustrated with just about everything worth getting frustrated over. Jermaine O'Neal winces every time he has to take to the pivot and he has little time to rest before the playoffs. David Harrison can score but can't rebound. Scot Pollard excels at rebounding but needs 40 minutes of playing time just to put up 9.1 points. And Jamaal Tinsley looks to be half the player he was this time last year.

? It's hard not to root for Raptors rookie Charlie Villanueva, but you have to have your timing down to know when to tune in to Toronto's tilts. The big forward tends to bring the good about twice a week, alternating fits of brilliance with Ed O'Bannon-ish play. Dig: