A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: SB Nation. While we try to figure out what's wrong with the New York Knicks and who's to blame for the 3-1 hole they're in, Paul Flannery takes the radical step of suggesting we take a look at the team that's beating them — the Indiana Pacers, a marvelous collection of defensive monsters and rising talents that's very much for real.
PF: Memphis Flyer. Chris Herrington's got 10 dynamite notes and nuggets to digest before Wednesday's Game 5 between the Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder, including a doozy about the Grizzlies' "clutch" defense that had me racing to NBA.com's stat tool to double-check it.
SF: The Classical. Whether he's authoring legendary victories, flaming out during horrendous defeats or just vomiting uncontrollably on the bench, it's almost impossible to know precisely what Nate Robinson will do next, which is what makes him one of the most compulsively watchable players in the NBA, as Jim Cavan writes.
SG: New Orleans Times-Picayune. Days after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle, New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard Eric Gordon says he played with bone spurs since the All-Star break: "My ankle bothered me everyday, even on days when I wasn't active."
PG: USA TODAY Sports. On the eve of the NBA draft combine, a good read from Jeff Zilgitt on the valuable contributions some recent late first-round and second-round picks are making to teams still alive in this year's playoffs.
6th: NBA.com. Chris Dortch offers a nice look at the rocky road from big-time college ball to the NBA draft traveled by Glen Rice Jr. — yep, he's Glen Rice's son — that includes a great line from the trainer preparing the former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket for the draft: "I haven't seen anything Glen sucks at."
7th: Hang Time. Jeff Caplan connects the dots between Oklahoma and Tennessee in the journey of All-Defensive Team guard Tony Allen, and the role a college assistant you've probably never heard played in changing the future of the Grizzlies.
8th: HawksHoop. A modest proposal from Bo Churney: It's time for Atlanta Hawks center/power forward Al Horford to start taking more 3-pointers.
9th: SB Nation. A nice, quick breakdown by Ricky O'Donnell of how the Miami Heat's high-pressure traps of the Chicago Bulls' pick-and-roll game led to Chicago's historically awful Game 4 offensive performance.
10th: E:60. Lisa Salters hangs out with Chris Bosh, getting a glimpse of what makes the Heat All-Star "a little different" in ways that sometimes make him a target of fans' jokes.
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