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California -- preaching on the burning shore
Knock, knockin' on the golden door
How about my Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Does anything happen to broadcasters who pick the wrong team in the pregame?
Sorry about the weather while you were here. It was only the warmest Jan. 26 in the history of San Diego. Missed you this dawn on Coronado -- that was spectacular! Sunglasses and sunscreen at 6:45 a.m.
|  | | Doug Christie, right, and the Kings seem to be a step behind these days. |
We're standing on the beach, the sea will part before me
Fire wheel burning in the air
Dallas and Sacramento have the two best records in the NBA. The Mavericks can't beat the good teams, while the Kings can't beat the bad teams. What's up with that?
Why does Shawn Bradley only play well against teams that aren't any good?
I was part of an ABC/ESPN Super Bowl party at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim on Friday night. Wow. And I used to think I was the luckiest guy on earth. Sheryl Crow performed -- she's really hot.
Like an angel, standing in a shaft of light
Rising up to paradise -- I know I'm going to shine
Don't look now but if the playoffs started today the Milwaukee Bucks are in. Maybe George Karl was right all along and we were all nuts. Or was it just opponent selection?
You've all been asleep, you would not believe me
Them voices telling me, you will soon receive me
The Houston Rockets are winless since beating the Lakers 10 day ago. The Lakers have won once -- barely beating the Clippers. That game -- so long ago -- was like the decisive game of an NBA Finals series or a heavyweight tile fight -- nobody left standing.
At the end of the day, there was nothing in the tank. Certainly not for Yao Ming, who has had nothing but heartache since standing toe to toe with Shaq. Playing in the NBA for youngsters is akin to swimming up the Colorado River before they built the dams.
Serious people are really talking about Michael Jordan playing on after this season. For whom and when are supplanting the questions about if and why.
Rainbows end down that highway where ocean breezes blow
Lakers at Suns on Wednesday -- Lakers at Kings this Friday. Worried Mavs' and Kings' fans are concerned that they might have to face L.A. in the first round -- if the Lakers can regroup to qualify. It might be easier to beat the world champs in a shorter series. Trying to select your opponent or worse -- hiding from them -- will never get it done. The best approach for Sacramento is to want the Lakers -- each and every round with the homecourt edge or without it. I can't say the same for Dallas -- Steve Nash is no longer having the impact he had earlier.
Golden State has a better record than the Lakers and beat L.A. at Staples the last time the two teams met.
If you are a player personnel director, what do you tell your boss when he asks why Earl Boykins was not in anybody's training camp this fall?
How would Gary Kasparov's computer opponent -- Deep Junior -- be programmed to compete against the Portland Trail Blazers, a team that seems to play better the more self-inflicted wounds they administer?
|  | | Zach Randolph averaged 13.0 points and 6.4 rebounds during Portland's five-game win streak without Rasheed Wallace. |
Are the Blazers better off without Rasheed Wallace? Zach Randolph seems to be doing fine, contributing comparable numbers with none of the junk, nonsense and garbage.
Why would Scottie Pippen even think about retiring?
The first game back from a tough road trip is always so difficult for the home team.
Orlando is a better team when Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill play.
Will the Indiana Pacers ever lose at home again? If they don't, they'll be 40-1 -- thus tying one of Larry Bird's most sacred records.
I readily acknowledge being completely out of touch, but I had six out of 10 different All-Star starters than are actually slated to tip it off in Atlanta, including four out of five in the Western Conference.
Is the war scheduled for this week or the week after? I keep losing track.
Way up in the middle of the air
I'll call down thunder and speak the same
My words fill the sky with flame
LeBron James might not be the best I've ever seen at his level but he is as quick a learner as I have ever come across. A high school senior who is already picking his NBA coach? That's a hard standard to beat.
How many people do you think will move here to San Diego after last weekend's Super Bowl?
Seems so long I felt this way and time's sure passing slow
California -- a prophet on the burning shore -- knock, knockin' on the Golden Door
Bill Walton, who is an NBA analyst for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.
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