I don’t mind the talk of play-in tourneys, rumblings about how teams are dogging it as the season nears its final month. It’s understandable and it’s nothing to ignore.

But this should be a very important time of year for teams on the outside of the playoff bracket. The teams that lose focus with just 15 or 20 games left and breeze through the season’s final weeks are digging themselves a deeper hole than they’d likely anticipated, because they’re sustaining bad habits that don’t tend to go away with a summer off.

I’m looking at the Kings right now, and I’m liking what I’m seeing. The very talented Zach Harper of Cowbell Kingdom put a post together Friday morning detailing just how the Kings have improved of late, on the defensive end especially, and it’s worth a good read. And the Kings? They’re worth paying attention to.

Because a hot end to the season carries over. All sorts of playoff participant surprises, from the 2001 Dallas Mavericks to the 2005 Chicago Bulls to the 2007 Golden State Warriors got in a little late-season work the year before that led to them making the playoffs the following season. In the case of the Warriors and Bulls, this work didn’t exactly translate to wins (and the Warriors weren’t even playing under the same coach the season before) but a precedent was set. The thirst for winning and playing a competitive style of basketball was established.

Which is why the Kings, who came out of nowhere a few weeks ago to start talking up defense like it was some heretofore unknown concept suddenly worth obsessing over, like finding out how much you like smoked almonds ("I can’t stop eating the things!"). And it was about damn time.

According to Zach, the Kings were stuck at 27th in defensive efficiency 57 games into the season, but over the last eight games the Kings have been rather average defensively. Don’t slough that off. Average defense with a team featuring a host of youngsters on top of not-quite-there-defensively vets like Beno Udrih(notes) and Spencer Hawes(notes) is a bit of an accomplishment, and with practice and sustained effort, there’s no reason why the Kings can’t keep this up.

Because offensively, though the team is far from the most efficient outfit out there (20th, right now), the Kings should come around. The talent is there, and it’s just a matter of refining things and getting past stagnant seasons from Hawes and Jason Thompson(notes). And getting to that offseason, one that will see the Kings nearly $20 million under the cap (not accounting for cap holds). Hemorrhaging money, the squad might not use all that space, but help is clearly on the way on that end.

Which is why you have to end strong. Have to. The attitude has to be in place, that idea that everyone is held accountable has to sustain, and the Sacramento coaching staff has to make its mark right now. Because while the Kings have some $25 million in expiring contracts on the roster, those deals are owned by guys who aren’t in the rotation, save for the mercurial Sean May(notes).

This is to say, everyone’s coming back. Better get ‘em working for you now.

I can’t stress the importance of this final month enough. And wins (Sacramento is 4-4 over the last eight games since the defensive uptick) don’t really matter. It’s the way you play. I know that’s a cliché, but seeing a squad working in a different (better) way is startling to those who have been watching all these games since October. And you better believe these things carry over. Especially for a team that will be returning just about everyone.

I like Paul Westphal. He’s not a ranter or a raver, but he knows the game and can coach. His issue has always been toughness and how to instill it in his players. And Zach Harper credits what clearly has been the difference for the Kings over the last eight games.

Bump a chest, instill some defensive principles. Sounds about right to me.

But keep it up. And see how it carries over to a season, 2010-11, that will count.

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But no matter what your path to NBA GM-hood is, it will never be quite as amazing as the path that Neil Olshey took to become the new GM of the Clippers.

Olshey recalled riding the New York subway with Jerry Orbach after a show taping and his words of career advice when Olshey was on his way to his night job at a local bar.

"Jerry Orbach, God rest his soul, was the one who convinced me, ‘Look, the payoff [here] isn’t big enough. You need to go to L.A., where you can hit a home run,’ " Olshey said.

A former actor, turned coach, agent and scout, then named front office executive. Typical basketball stuff.

And while I really like this story, I can’t help but thinking the spin-offs are going to be better. Maybe Ice-T convinces one of his buddies to play jazz in Memphis, then they end up running the Grizzlies. Or Jeff Goldblum might have a friend move to San Francisco to be a television reporter, but then that friend ends up playing for the Warriors.

(h/t ProBasketballTalk)

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If you’d like, you can watch all eight of McGee’s dunks and marvel at the boom-ness. It’s pretty fun, if you like dunks. And who doesn’t like dunks?

Eight is a lot for a game, no duh. But it’s also more than a lot of players have this entire season. According to CBS’s Dunk-O-Meter, here’s a sampling of some notable dudes with less than eight dunks this entire season.

Juwan Howard(notes) (7)
Baron Davis(notes) (6)
Travis Outlaw(notes) (6)
Rashard Lewis(notes) (5)
Brad Miller(notes) (5 - shockingly high)
Rudy Fernandez(notes) (4)
Nick Young(notes) (4)
Nate Robinson(notes) (3 - shockingly low)
Mike Miller(notes) (2)
Zach Randolph(notes) (2)
Earl Boykins(notes) (0)

Not bad, JaVale McGee. You’ve somehow bested a three time dunk contest champion, a guy who was in the dunk contest, and a guy who can do a behind-the-back 360. And Brad Miller and Juwan Howard.

You, sir, deserve the cover of Men’s Health.

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Previously, Tyreke fever!

Winner, rccostner: "Vitiligo is a problem in the Evans family."

Runner-up, Phil: "If you look closely at the top right hand corner you can see that since moving to the Score.com Tas Melas has really let himself go."

Second runner-up, gaborik10m: "Tyreke: So hot right now. Tyreke."

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Changing numbers is the new big thing in the NBA, especially if you choose to wear 6. Gilbert Arenas(notes) is the latest to file a petition to switch numbers, and he’ll be joining LeBron James(notes) in his tribute to Eddie Jones(notes).

While LeBron is just going to need a new logo, Gilbert is going to need a whole new identity. Ever since the Wizznuttz dubbed him "Agent Zero," that’s been his moniker. But if he’s not wearing the number, he can’t have the nickname.

Naturally, I figure we can lend him a hand. We know Arenas loves his nicknames, so these have to be good.

Here’s some suggestions to start.

• "Six Shooter" - Nevermind.

• "Gilbo" - If Arenas were more obsessed with winning a ring this would make more sense.

• "Seis" - "Six" in Spanish, which is a reference to Gilbert’s Cuban roots. 

• "Bonesaw" - This is just a good nickname for anyone.

• "Hibachi" - It just seems natural that Gilbert’s catchphrase could morph in to a nickname.

• "Tigerbelly" - Well, he does have a tiger on his belly.

This is a lot harder than you’d think. But speaking of what you think, let us know in the comments. Surely you can do better than I did.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
• Rich pro athletes who lost their fortunes

• College player leaps over opponent for dunk

• Top college program’s NCAA streak ends

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But it’s not like those muscles just appeared out of nowhere. When Dwight entered the league out of high school, he was a stick-thin 6-foot-10, 215 pound pogo stick. Six years later, he looks like he does now.

That was by design, of course. And though it might seem like he’s been crafted in the mold of a certain Orlando big man with a superhero fetish, in reality, his inspiration is far more ancient.

As soon as the Magic brass made Howard the number one pick in the 2004 draft, they got busy with their throwback experiment. The plan was to revive an ancient weapon that had disappeared from pro hoops: the all-around, old-school, multithreat big man. Orlando wanted someone who could operate deep inside enemy lines, someone who could block the paint, own the airspace, fire laser-sharp passes, finesse finger rolls, and never, ever foul out.

In a word: Wilt.

Yep, Wilt Chamberlain.

Oversized personality? Check. Incredible athleticism in an enormous body? Check. Bad free-throw shooting? Check. Seems like the Magic knew what they were going for.

And even though Dwight’s got those gigantic shoulders and biceps, it’s not all about glamour. The added heft has left his trainers calling him "freakishly indestructible" and claiming that "he never gets hurt."

It’s all part of a plan that Dwight hatched when he was just 11 years old. His dad told him there would be sacrifices to making it to the NBA, but that didn’t trouble the youngster. It seems like he’s made up for missing out on fun as a kid.

"I’ve been playing with a smile on my face since I was 3," Howard says. "People keep saying it looks like I’m having too much fun. And I say, ‘Yes, I am.’ And it should be that way. I guess that can make me a little hard to understand."

Included in the story are explanations of exercises Dwight does, if you’d like to feel inadequate. I’m kidding, of course, but you’re probably not going to end up looking exactly like Dwight. C’est la vie.

The issue hits newsstands Tuesday, March 16, and it’s chock-full of amazing tidbits of Dwight’s strength and silliness. Pick it up if you need help fitting in to your new Ed Hardy shirts.

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Offense goes away. You can put as much effort as humanly possible into it, but when it comes down to shooting a ball from great distances into a rim perched 10-feet high, no matter how pure your heart, you’re still going to have some rough nights. It happens to everyone. Sure, you return to the mean after a while, but there will be stretches where nothing works.

Defense never goes away. It never, ever, goes away. And if your effort is strong and your mind is active, matched with sound communication, the defense will never go away.

Which is why I’m a little scared about the Portland Trail Blazers.

They started slow in this one, missing shots and turning the ball over, and that’s bound to happen no matter how great an offensive team you are. And the Blazers are a great offensive team. The problem is that they’ve been a great defensive team this season, and a poor defensive team this season, and the result is middling. On Thursday, they were great (in a fourth quarter that saw the Warriors score just nine points), and poor (overall, as they allowed a team that averages 106.7 points per 100 possessions score over 114 per 100).

And that worries me. I mean, it shouldn’t be fretting - the Blazers are likely locked into that eighth playoff seed, the team has a somewhat favorable first round matchup with the Lakers coming down the pike (I’m feeling seven games), and the team is really biding its time until everyone returns to full health for 2010-11 - but I do worry about next year. Defensive mindsets have to be established early, and as great a coach as Nate McMillan is, he’s never coached defense.

Don’t be fooled by the amount of points the team gives up. It’s a meaningless number mainly because the Blazers take the air out of the ball on the other end, letting the clock dwindle and giving the opponents fewer chances to score, even if they score with ease at times. The Blazers average the fewest amount of possessions per game, and though the team’s points allowed total is the fifth-best in the NBA, normalized per possession, they only come out 17th in the NBA. This is a mediocre defensive team.

That can be a great defensive team, mind you, as we saw for stretches Thursday night. Because they do stretch. Because even with two 7-footers on the injured list, this team is looooong.

Fantastic game from Brandon Roy(notes) in the win. He scored 41 points on 22 shots without even hitting a three-pointer. Just money, from all over, while getting to the line 17 times. Nine offensive rebounds for Marcus Camby(notes), though the Blazers did turn the ball over on 17 percent of their possessions, super-high for them.

Monta Ellis(notes) and Corey Maggette(notes) returned for the Warriors, and that’s not always a good thing. Ellis was missed down the stretch though, fouling out with nine minutes to go. Nine-for-27 shooting after building a 16-point lead for the Warriors. Collapse city, as sponsored by the Portland Trail Blazers LLC.

***

Atlanta 105, Washington 99

"If both teams were only allowed to use players under 24, the Wizards would have won easily."

So true. And that doesn’t include the people you think are 24 and under, like Randy Foye(notes). He’s out. I think a lot of Wizards fans wish that guy would be a Cavalier by now, and Mike Miller(notes) a Houston Rocket.

As it’s been since the trade deadline - good, interested effort from Washington, but Atlanta just has answers at every position. The Wizards didn’t run as much as I would have liked, that’s the way to beat the Hawks, and Atlanta made enough shots to keep this a relative in-hand game. Closed out quarters well, too.

Twenty turnovers and 12 missed three-pointers for Washington, which has begun the first back-to-back-to-back stretch since the lockout season. This is going to be interesting.

Andray Blatche(notes) had 30 points and 10 rebounds in the loss, Jamal Crawford(notes) continues to kill teams with 29 off the pine.

***

Chill bros.

Orlando 111, Chicago 82

The Magic are three steps better than the Bulls in any area you can possibly conceive. The Bulls have big forwards who play 26 minutes and pull in just one rebound (Hakim Warrick(notes)), guys that need 12 shots to score 11 points (Jannero Pargo(notes)), six shots to score five points (Flip Murray(notes)), and then there’s Kirk Hinrich(notes). The guy who missed five of eight shots, and didn’t really hurt his shooting percentage all that much. Though he will cross you over.

Orlando has a championship-caliber team. They defend like mad and they score at an efficient rate, and their players are healthy. Not much more I can say about this game without wasting your time. Happy Friday, cats.

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Nick Friedell, ESPN.com: "For the second time this season, a collision with the Orlando Magic’s Dwight Howard(notes) has knocked the Chicago Bulls‘ Derrick Rose(notes) out of a game. Rose suffered a sprained left wrist when he collided with Howard with 55 seconds left in the first quarter of Thursday’s contest. He stayed in for the rest of the quarter before leaving the floor. An X-ray initially revealed the sprain. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro said after a 111-82 loss to the Magic that the All-Star guard would have an MRI done on the wrist on Friday. Del Negro was unsure if Rose would play against the Miami Heat. ‘Derrick has a sprained wrist,’ Del Negro said. ‘I have no idea how bad it is. He’s going to get an MRI [Friday] to see how bad the damage is and see how he feels.’ "

Darnell Mayberry, The Oklahoman: "Jeff Green on Thursday expressed his desire to sign a contract extension this summer and continue his career with the Thunder. ‘I’d love to,’ Green told The Oklahoman. ‘It’s a great thing going here.’ The Thunder can re-sign Green to an extension of up to five years. Under NBA rules, teams can begin negotiations with free agents on July 1. Green, however, has become lost in the shadows of Kevin Durant(notes), the team’s other third-year forward who also is eligible for an extension and recently voiced his feelings for wanting to remain in Oklahoma City. Green’s situation, though, in some ways will hold more significance to the Thunder’s long-term building. Durant’s deal is expected to be an open-and-shut maximum contract. How much money Green will command after this season could have a long-lasting impact on the team’s salary cap and the caliber of players the Thunder can sign this summer with the future financial state always in mind. ‘When that time comes it comes,’ Green said. ‘I’m worried about what we got this season, and I’ve got to focus on what we’re trying to accomplish this season. I can’t worry about what’s going to take place this summer.’ "

AP: "Cavaliers star LeBron James(notes) is tired of watching basketball and ready to start playing again. James missed two games after twisting his right ankle last Friday against Detroit, but is likely to play at Philadelphia on Friday night. ‘I’m always a guy who wants to play every game, but I think now looking back it was definitely the right decision to give the injuries I had some rest,’ James said Thursday after practicing for the first time this week. ‘It’s not often you can look in the schedule and get a week off and only miss two games, so we took advantage of it.’ "

Ted Kulfan, Detroit News: "Rodney Stuckey is getting closer to his apparent return to the court. The Pistons said Wednesday that Stuckey has undergone a complete negative cardiac evaluation at the University of Michigan, Cleveland Clinic and Detroit Medical Center. The combined opinion of the medical personnel involved is that Stuckey might return to a progressive exercise program. ‘Yeah, I want to,’ Stuckey said before Wednesday’s game against Utah. ‘I just have to see what happens. Right now, I’m just taking it day by day.’ Stuckey is through with the necessary medical tests. ‘I’m done talking about this stuff,’ he said. ‘I did all the tests and everything was good. I got cleared. I’m good, man. I feel good. The doctors did a good job. I did every possible test I could and everything came back good. We’ll go from here. I’m normal. It was a little freak accident.’"

Michael Cunningham, Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "During the Hawks’ recent visit to New York, Joe Johnson(notes) was peppered with questions about his pending free agency this summer. Reports speculated that Johnson’s history with Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and agent Arn Tellem’s relationship with Knicks boss Donnie Walsh could lead to Johnson signing with the Knicks. But Johnson said not to read too much into it. ‘That is always going to be kind of scrutinized and everybody wants to know what’s what,’ he said. ‘So we’ll see. I don’t know what is going to happen, to be honest with you.’"

Josh Robbins, Orlando Sentinel: "Orlando Magic C Adonal Foyle(notes) is in his 13th NBA season - far beyond his expectations when he finished at Colgate back in 1997. And he doesn’t see an end in sight. Foyle, who turned 35 on Tuesday, said prior to the Magic’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers that he wants to keep playing after this season. ‘I’ve been very fortunate to be around this game for as long as I have,’ Foyle said. ‘It’s been fun. I really enjoy it and I still do. It’s wonderful.’ He later joked that someone eventually will have to rip the jersey off his back. ‘I’m not giving it up,’ he said, grinning."

Michael Lee, Washington Post: "[Josh] Howard was the main acquisition, from a talent and financial perspective, when the Wizards made their roster overhaul last month. The Wizards had no intention of picking up the one-time all-star’s $11.8 million option next season, even before the knee injury. The team began touting the salary cap flexibility provided by his expiring contract immediately after acquiring him from Dallas for Caron Butler(notes), Brendan Haywood(notes) and DeShawn Stevenson(notes). But according to two sources with knowledge of the Wizards’ thinking, the team is now considering re-signing Howard, albeit at a price less than his option, when he becomes an unrestricted free agent. The sources were encouraged with Howard, who averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 rebounds and brought a positive attitude and enthusiasm to a locker room in desperate need of a jolt. Howard said he would like to return to Washington next season, citing the Wizards’ two first-round picks and significant salary cap room this summer. ‘I feel like I’m in a good place right here in Washington if they give me a shot. Great city, fan support. Another top-notch organization. Can’t beat it. And I’m close to home,’ said Howard, a North Carolina native. The Wizards ‘gave me a fresh start. Being able to come to an organization that’s great, leaving another great one where I learned a lot. I’m hoping that I can still teach people what I learned there.’ "

Kevin Ding, Orange County Register: "Kobe Bryant’s father, Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, is applying for the vacant head-coaching job for the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team, according to KHON-TV. Joe Bryant, one-time head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, said he intends to turn in his application Friday."

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It’s a TNT Thursday, and I’m little underwhelmed.

Honestly, even with all Portland’s injuries, because of all of Golden State’s injuries, the
Warriors just aren’t in Portland’s league. I’m mainly picking this game not
because it will have any postseason significance, but because it will likely be
the most entertaining back and forth of the evening.

Oh, Atlanta and Washington might be fun, and probably
competitive, but I can’t pick a League Pass game on a night designed for the
casual fan. Come on. And Chicago/Orlando will be a blowout. If it isn’t, then
this will mean Orlando will have done something terribly, terribly wrong.

So have fun with the Blazers and the Warriors, two disparate teams in terms of
running sensibilities (Portland uses the fewest amount of possessions per game,
Golden State the most, by far), but a good watch nevertheless. And if that
doesn’t suit your fancy, you can always flip over to the Olympics.

(You say what now?)

Comment away.

Portland Trail
Blazers: 38-28, 87.8 possessions per game (30th), 110.3 points scored pre
100 possessions (seventh), 107.1 points allowed per 100 possessions (17th).

Golden State Warriors:
17-46, 100.1 possessions per game (first), 106.7 points scored per 100
possessions (14th), 110.7 points allowed per 100 possessions (28th).

All statistics
courtesy basketball-reference.com.

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Or maybe he’s just not comfortable with the structured, archaic format of the contest, and he’d rather do his amazing dunks during a game. The dunk contest is just too easy and he needs to up the difficulty.

That must be it, because a dunk like this gets you some hardware and a chance to sit on the hoop.

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