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HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS -- Hang Time's Grizzlies aren't done yet.

They haven't conceded that eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference race to the Trail Blazers just yet.

Sure, it's going to take a significant stumble from the Blazers to get the Grizzlies all the way back in the thick of the race (and no, we are not rooting for a tumble in Portland, not with all the injuries the good folks of Portland have had to deal with this year).

But a late-season playoff push for Hang Time's favorite team is not completely out of the question.

Of course, it would help if our Grizzlies could get a piece of the Celtics regularly.

Because there's no better group for an upstart squad to deal with these days than the Cs, who got trounced by 20 at home Wednesday night by our Grizz.

As you'd expect, Kevin Garnett was not pleased with his team's performance. Neither was Cs coach Doc Rivers, who has been sounding the alarm for months in his own locker room (to a group that is clearly hard of hearing or just plain stubborn).

The fact is, these Celtics are exactly who we think they are.

Same as the Knicks (who secured their ninth straight losing season with Wednesday's loss in San Antonio), Warriors, Wizards, Timberwolves and Nets.

Obviously, the Cs don't have anything in common with those teams from a won-loss standpoint. And they remain a significant speed bump for some team with designs on a trip to the Eastern Conference finals.

But like the Knicks, Warriors, Wizards, Timberwolves and Nets, they are a finished products as far as we're concerned. We know how their seasons will end.

For all of you believing that the KG and crew will knock the dust off in a few weeks and mount some cosmic run at a second title in three years ... have fun with fantasy basketball.

The fans at TD Garden Wednesday night know of what we speak. For the first time in the Big Three era the fans hit the exits early, per the Boston Globe. And they showed their disapproval with a chorus of boos that startled many, including Cs captain Paul Pierce.

"Yeah it surprises me," Pierce told reporters after the game . "You come out on your home court, get this kind of loss, and get booed by your home court I haven’t been on a court where we’ve been booed ... it’s been a couple times this year. It’s been about five or six years since I’ve seen that. We’re still 17 games over .500. All the fans want is a constant effort night in and night out. I think we gotta be more consistent with that regardless of if we win or lose.”

Other news, notes, quotes and opinions from around the league:

Nets swing and miss agaisnt Mavericks

Julian Garcia of the New York Daily News: "Jason Kidd thinks the Nets have a bright future. And Wednesday night, the future almost came a lot sooner than he was anticipating. But the Nets blew an 18-point first-half lead and lost to Kidd's Mavericks, 96-87, to fall to 7-57. Dallas (45-21) has won 13 straight games - the longest streak in the NBA this season - to move to No. 2 in the West behind the Lakers. Kidd scored 20 points - double his season average - and had nine assists to help Dallas overcome the struggles of Dirk Nowitzki, who missed 13 of 16shots to finish with 12 points. Devin Harris, who swapped teams with Kidd two years ago, led the Nets with 21 points and seven assists. Brook Lopez had 10 points in the first quarter but did not score again. Kidd hit a pair of three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, the second giving Dallas an 81-69 lead with 9:46 left. But the Mavericks went scoreless for the next 2:20, giving the Nets a chance to come back, which they did by rattling off 11 straight points. With 3:09 left, Harris made a layup that trimmed Dallas' lead to 87-85. But Kidd came through with another three on the Mavericks' next possession, putting his team up by five with 2:43 left. The Nets pulled to within three when Terrence Williams (18 points, 13 rebounds) made a layup with 2:10 left, but Kidd's shot proved to be the dagger. "He picks his spots really, really well," said Harris, who missed a nine-footer that could have made it a three-point game with 1:31 left."

Mavs nab No. 13 (Cuban considered "earing it down)

Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News: "Before Wednesday's game, Mark Cuban  spent time on the stair-stepper, as he usually does. And he detailed the thinking that went into the All-Star Weekend trade that rejuvenated his team. He said it was the result of running through every scenario, including "tearing it down." By that, he meant getting rid of everybody except Dirk Nowitzki. Cuban said he made these consider-any-option evaluations where he usually does - in the shower. "I had to go over every possible scenario," he said. "That's why I paid for a good water heater."  Cuban is nothing if not thorough. And you have to appreciate a man who can office in his bathroom. Probably has high-speed in there, too. What this means for Mavericks fans is they should be ecstatic about the future. Cuban not only considered ripping up the team before the trade deadline, he, Donnie Nelson and Rick Carlisle were smart enough to know that wasn't the best option. Looking forward, it's a sign that Cuban will explore every nook and cranny this summer, when the big free-agent fish are ready to spawn. "That's what I'm supposed to do," he said. "If it's based on cap room, we're not a player. If it's based on sign-and-trade, we have an opportunity."

Nuggets work to keep pace with Mavs and Lakers

Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post: "The Nuggets were as flat as Mike Tyson singing "In The Air Tonight." Lifeless Denver trailed Minnesota by five points at halftime Wednesday night, making one wonder if the Nuggets would blow yet another game to the lowly Timberwolves. But they Clark Kent-ed it into the locker room, and out came a pair of super heroes — Birdman and J.R. Swish. In the Nuggets' 110-102 victory at the Target Center, Chris "Birdman" Andersen soared around the paint for three second-half blocks, while J.R. Smith hit a trio of 3-pointers in the third quarter and dunked a how-is-that-possible, 360-alley-oop. The Nuggets (43-21) outscored the Wolves 62-49 in the second half. But on a night when Memphis brutalized Boston and New Jersey led Dallas by 18 at one point, Denver faced the frightening reality that no wins are automatic, but every win is desperately needed. "As usual, when we play against (sub-) .500 teams, we don't come out with the spark and energy I wish our guys had," said acting Nuggets coach Adrian Dantley, whose team is 16-10 against teams .500 or worse. "We've got to correct that and come out and play harder, but no matter how much George (Karl) or I might tell them, we still took it easy in the first half. We don't like that, but it worked out for us tonight." It won't always work out, and the Nuggets have three upcoming precarious road games — Friday at New Orleans, Saturday at Memphis and Monday at Houston — teams right around the .500 mark. The Nuggets, playing without the injured Kenyon Martin and Ty Lawson, are 3 1/2 games behind the West-leading Lakers, one game behind No. 2 Dallas and one game ahead of No. 4 Utah. It's too late in the season to play casually and "mess with the game of basketball," as Karl has often said. If Andersen and Smith hadn't resuscitated the Nuggets, it could have been a seed-changing loss. But the fact is, the duo did save the day, and it was a thrill to watch. Smith was scoreless in the first half. But he took advantage of Minnesota's small, scrambling lineup to spearhead a 15-0, third-quarter run."

Evans is triple double trouble for Kings

Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: "As the fourth quarter of the Kings' 113-90 blowout over Toronto played out at Arco Arena on Wednesday, it was clear that Evans wasn't entirely out of touch when it came to the game's history. As he sat one assist from his first triple double – a feat that would be timely considering the fanfare of the night centered around him – he walked by Kings  radio color man and one of the league's most underappreciated point guards in Fat Lever. "I told him they cheated me on my assists," Evans would say afterward. "I was just messing with him, trying to get some more assists. I know (his reputation). That's why I went to him to pad my stats." While the debate over the merits of each of his assists surely will come today, the stat sheet will still read: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. And rest assured, it was a historical night that Evans or anyone else on hand won't soon forget. Evans became the first Kings rookie in the Sacramento era to record a triple double, and he is the franchise's first since Norm Van Lier of the Cincinnati Royals had 13 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists on Nov. 5, 1969 vs. San Diego Clippers. He is the second rookie to do it this season, joining Golden State's Stephen Curry. Yet while Curry's string of sensational play had certainly tightened the Rookie of the Year race so long led by Evans, Kings coach Paul Westphal said he didn't see it as a tight race at all. "There have been some phenomenal performances by some really talented young players," Westphal began politely. "But when you just look at it objectively from Day One, all the way through now, (Evans) has consistently been up there averaging 20 (points per game), five boards and five assists, and really taking steps to change the culture of this team. I just think that his consistency, as well as the obvious talent that he has, just really makes it an open-and-closed vote."

Thunder fans forgetting the Hornets

Mike Baldwin of the Oklahoman: "Funny how you don’t hear anyone these days wishing the Hornets had stayed in Oklahoma City. The first year after the Hornets returned to New Orleans — after temporarily relocating two seasons in the Ford Center as New Orleans recovered from Hurricane Katrina — fans that had invested emotionally in Chris Paul and the team pined for what might have been. The Thunder’s 98-83 win over the Hornets on Wednesday night was another reminder that Oklahoma City fans are just fine with how things turned out. "I think this is a far better opportunity for the city,” said season ticket-holder Scott Sachs of Edmond. "This is a far more talented team. They’re a young, talented team that’s only going to get better." What a difference two years make. Two years ago, the Hornets’ first season removed from the Ford Center, they won 56 games, earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and weren’t eliminated until Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Sonics finished a franchise-worst 20-62 in what proved to be a lame duck year in Seattle before moving that summer to Oklahoma City. Two years later, the Thunder is viewed as the NBA’s on-the-rise team, a lock to make the playoffs and on pace to win 50 games. In contrast, the Hornets are one game below .500 with almost no chance of making the playoffs, their future in question because owner George Shinn continues to slash payroll. Paul several times the past two years said his only regret his two seasons in OKC was the Hornets never brought the playoffs to the Ford Center. "They still have a ways to go to make sure they get in, but they would have a lot of fun,” Paul said. "It would be something this city deserves." The Thunder is a lock to finish ahead of the Hornets. With Wednesday’s win, Oklahoma City won the season series 2-1 to clinch the tiebreaker. If the Thunder goes 10-9 or better they’re assured of finishing ahead of New Orleans even if the Hornets finished 17-0. In a startling turnaround, the two franchises are headed in opposite directions. "This is our team,” said Jay McIntosh of Oklahoma City. "The Hornets needed to go back to New Orleans for that city. Seattle didn’t want their team. We got them. (Thunder) players have put a lot into the city. With these young players it’s only going to get better."

Williams leads Jazz past Pistons

Tim Buckley of the Deseret News: "If they can play every quarter like they did the second period on Wednesday night, the Jazz should be fine for the rest of their road trip. Remainder of the season, perhaps. But if it's anything like the other three, things can be perilous indeed. Deron Williams sensed just that after Utah beat Detroit 115-104 on Wednesday night at the Palace of Auburn Hills, using a 35-14 second-quarter surge to win their fourth straight and beat the Pistons for a 10th consecutive time. "I thought we played well, but then I look at the box score and they outscored us in every quarter except for the second — and they had, almost, three 30-point quarters," Williams said. "So, our defense still wasn't where we want it to be." But, he added, "The second quarter was great. We played great basketball. We got a lot of stops, we shared the ball ... we got out and (ran) in transition. It was a pretty flawless quarter." Williams played nearly half of it at the point for the 42-22 Jazz, with backup Ronnie Price filling in the rest. Together, they offered a period that was about as balanced as their night. Three players from Utah — Williams, ex-Piston Mehmet Okur and sub Paul Millsap — shared team-high scoring honors with 18 points apiece. All five Jazz starters scored in double figures — rookie Wesley Matthews added 14 points; Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko 11 each — and Kyle Korver came off the bench for 14 as well. Boozer had a game-high 12 rebounds for his 42nd double-double of the season, and Williams contributed a game-high 12 assists for his 33rd. "We've got a really good chemistry, with everybody," Korver said. "It's not like, 'This guy is gonna get shots, this guy needs to score this many points.' We've got a really balanced team. The extra pass is everything right now," he added. "We're playing really good basketball. The second quarter, it felt like no one even dribbled. We were just pass, pass, pass, shot — and we were hitting them."

Ginobili's surge continues against Knicks

Jeff McDonald of the Express-News: "

Manu Ginobili doesn't presume to know what it's like to be Tracy McGrady. Ginobili has had injuries, but not a knee injury. He's had surgery, but not microfracture. He's missed months, but not an entire season. Still, after watching McGrady feel his way around the AT&T Center in a New York Knicks jersey Wednesday night, during what became a 97-87 Spurs victory, Ginobili could sympathize with what McGrady was going through. This is what it looks like when a former star is just trying to be a basketball player again. “He's coming from a way worse situation than me,” Ginobili said. “It's not an easy spot to be.” The same McGrady who once scored 13 points in 33 seconds against the Spurs managed only six in 25 minutes Wednesday. If McGrady could take anything out of his 10th game of the season, it is this: People once wondered whether Ginobili could ever be Ginobili again, too. As he was in a loss in Cleveland on Monday, Ginobili was brilliant against the Knicks, pacing a Spurs offense missing injured point guard Tony Parker. Making his second straight start, he scored 28 points, with six rebounds and five assists and pushed the Spurs to a victory that only seemed difficult to come by. Facing a Knicks team that would clinch a franchise-record ninth consecutive losing season, the Spurs (37-25) led from wire-to-wire, and by as many as 15. When the Spurs tried to give the game away in the third quarter — going the final 5:35 without a field goal, a drought that bled into the fourth — New York (22-42) refused to take it. The stabilizing force was Ginobili, coming off a season-high 38 points against the Cavaliers. When he wasn't crossing over a defender on the way to the rim, he was hitting floaters or finding Malik Hairston, who played the entire fourth quarter, for a key 16-footer. Had Ginobili not missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth, he would have logged his first back-to-back 30-point games since February 2008. The Spurs' bench misses this Ginobili. The reserves accounted for 16 points Wednesday, with Richard Jefferson and Roger Mason Jr. combining for zero. “In the last two games I scored a lot,” Ginobili said. “Some others, I'll score less, try to create for others. It depends on how opponents guard you.” When Ginobili is rolling like this, teammate Keith Bogans said, “you just ride the wave."

Wade wins shooting contest with Butler as Heat best Clippers

Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel: "Former teammates staged a shooting contest Wednesday night at AmericanAirlines Arena. Rasual Butler opted for the higher degree of difficulty. Then again, life seemingly never is easy as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers. Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade took a simpler approach. With Wade shooting 15 of 17 from the foul line, the Heat rolled to a 108-97 victory, moving a game ahead of the idle Chicago Bulls for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. "I just tried to come out and be aggressive," Wade said. "I was very aggressive, trying to get to the free-throw line." Butler, by contrast, took his game outside, converting 6 of 11 3-pointers in keeping the Clippers competitive for most of the first three quarters. "Rasual was in a terrific groove," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "You're playing with fire." Ultimately, the percentages turned in the Heat's favor, as it extended its home winning streak to a season-best four in a row, removing at least some of the sting from Tuesday's key conference road loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. "We've got to move forward," Wade said. "We're in this playoff race. You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. So we came back today versus a good offensive team in the Clippers and fought." Wade, who sat out the entire fourth quarter, paced the Heat with 27 points, with the 15 conversions from the line matching his season high. Butler finished with 31, two off his career high, on 12-of-19 shooting, failing to score in the final period. "His teammates set some good picks for him and he stepped up," Clippers coach Kim Hughes said. Butler and Wade were teammates during Wade's 2003-04 rookie season with the Heat and traded smiles throughout their can-you-top-this efforts."