Before we shed a tear for what Stockton and Malone have been, let's give credit to the Kings. They took advantage of opportunities to close this series down. "Any time you play a team this talented and they get 30 points off turnovers, you don't have a chance to win," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said. It was good to see this series turn into a competitive one. Vlade Divac was wrong about the urgency, but he was right about the outcome.

	Wallace

	Stojakovic

Gamer and Goat
Gamer: Look who came out of his shooting slump. Peja Stojakovic entered Game 4 shooting 35 percent from the floor and 3-point land. During the regular season, he stroked it at 48 percent and nearly 42 percent, respectively. Peja hit 4 of his 6 3-balls on Monday on the way to his game-high 30 points.

Goat: I have to tell the truth. This goat designation pains me greatly, but it is what it is. Ben Wallace was Ben Wallace on the boards ripping down 12 rebounds (six offensive), but he missed all six of his field-goal attempts. He must be very happy about the two free-throw attempts that made it through the net. The Pistons need more than that from Wallace, who averaged 11 points over the three previous games during 39 minutes of work.

	Clark

Bobby Jones Award
Hello Keon Clark! Nice double-double for the man who started a career-high 31 games this season for the Raptors. He dropped an impressive 19 and 16 double-double on the Pistons, joining the ranks of those on his roster who have shown a never-say-elimination attitude since dropping two games to open the series.

Clark loves to play golf, so he's my kind of guy. Since I imagine his goal is to keep it in the short stuff, his childhood nickname, Tree, probably only comes up during a round as a locator or a warning to an opponent.

In Case You Missed It
Saturday's Game 3 win was the Hornets' first victory after being tied 1-1 in a series since 1993. This marks the fourth series the Hornets stood locked in a 1-1 tie. Until the overtime victory, they had lost all seven games falling under this jurisdiction.

Next!
Hornets vs. Magic, Game 4 (Hornets up 2-1)
Tracy McGrady wants to start a battle in the media before going at it with the Hornets on the floor, but the Hornets aren't going there. T-Mac said he's the best player on the floor in this series. The Hornets think he's just rallying the troops, all the while putting all the pressure on his team to win.

Just so I have the record straight. P.J. Brown called McGrady's back injury bogus, and T-Mac guaranteed a win, saying there would be a Game 5 "in the little hive with the little bees." Boys will be boys.

Nets vs. Pacers, Game 4 (Nets up 2-1)
My brother, Jeff, will turn 28 on Thursday, so I made arrangements for him to see this game as an early birthday gift. Conseco Fieldhouse is just 90 minutes from his home north of Cincinnati, so he'll be in the house as the Nets look to advance. Jeff is the better athlete, so he thinks he knows the game better, but he doesn't (plus I got the looks so I'm not bitter). He believes Jamaal Tinsley can handle Jason Kidd, but Isiah Thomas isn't so sure. In Game 3, Ron Mercer spelled the rookie at the point, and according to today's edition of the Indianapolis Star, Zeke can see that happing again. Not a bad changeup to throw since Mercer is an estimated three inches taller than Kidd. Mercer could serve as an obstruction to Kidd's amazing ability to see the floor. Right, Jeff?

THE SACK

Scottie Pippen must have bet that his team would lose to the Lakers. I am shocked to see that no one from the media caught the real reason why the Blazers lost Game 4: 1. Pippen misses one of two free throws to move the Blazers closer. 2. Pippen then stays in the low post, leaving Horry wide open for the 3. 3. Pippen, finally inbounds the ball a la "elementary school" style, i.e. throwing it out toward the basket with the hopes that one of his teammates catches it. WHY? The Blazers had timeouts. He could have called a timeout and regrouped. Shocking. I thought he was supposed to be the "experienced" player. Pilar Austin, Texas Pilar, While I don't know if your examples lead me to believe that Scottie had "something" on the game, it does prove that when the game is nip-and-tuck, the six-time NBA champ can miss the mark. Pippen has produced nothing close to his title runs with MJ since the team was sent packing, but then again neither has Michael. Phil has been the only one to pick up where those three left off, but Kobe and Shaq might have something to do with that. More to your point, I believe greatness and perfection are two different things. The second eluded Scottie late in Game 3. Jason, You're characterization of Kenny Anderson's whine about the calls as "the best way to describe" the gap between free throws in Game 3 betrays your standing in my mind as an able and informed basketball analyst. How many games do the Sixers or any team with a driving, defensive mentality have to win before someone realizes that you can't shoot 3s for most of a game and expect to get the majority of the calls, and that likewise, you can't have the quickest first step in the league in Allen Iverson driving to the basket for most of a game, or penetrating for mid-rangers, without getting the benefit of the calls. It's just common sense. In fact, if you watch the game closely again, you'll see that the referees actually missed plenty of calls on AI getting fouled, that Paul Pierce flops more than any young NBA star of the day, and that in fact if there was any unfair referee dynamic to that game, it would be anti-homer Joey Crawford hosing the Sixers for the better part of Game 3 (not to mention the embarrassing out-of-bounds calls from Game 2). You are a successful, competent human being, and it's your job to know basketball. Act like it. Eli New York, N.Y. Eli, Your overall point, shared by many JaxLine e-mailers on Monday, is well taken. The Sixers took 63 shots inside the arc on Sunday, while the Celtics took 43. However, according to ESPN.com's NBA Gamecast Live, the Celtics went to the basket for 15 layups or dunks while the Sixers made the same hard trips inside 17 times. I refuse to look at two more trips deep in the paint as a justification for a 26-free-throw-attempt margin in favor of the Sixers. As to Iverson's quick first step, that is an advantage. I question if it should be an advantage that gives you more free throw attempts than your opponent's total. You hit the nail on the head when you alluded to the fact that calls aren't fair sometimes. I just want more calls based on what a ref sees versus what the moment or the star power of a player calls for at the time. Thanks for the back-handed compliment. I'll do my best to act like I know what I am discussing. I tell my wife all the time that I am fooling the world. Mr. Jackson, Thanks for strappin' it up every night. I think your colleagues have a lot of nerve questioning people's effort during the playoffs, e.g. KG, when they can't even sit down in front of a keyboard more than once a weak, oops week. The playoffs are about stepping it up and you are the only one that has met the challenge. Now can you help KG? Kevin R. from parts unknown KR, I am a proud Midwesterner. It is my duty to crank it out night after night. However, let us not throw stones at those who are required to provide less. Supply and demand doesn't work out well for everyone. If you combine the last few weeks of the season with Game 1 against the Mavs, you can justify the criticism of Kevin Garnett. KG went on to have a delicious Game 2 and 3, but the Mavs' stars just shined brighter. As for my personal ability to help KG, I would be a nasty point guard because I think pass first. I am going to go out on a limb and say the Big Ticket will be better served by the return of a 100 percent healthy Terrell Brandon (next season will be his 13th though).

Jason Jackson is the host of ESPN's "NBA Matchup," ESPN2's "NBA 2Night" and ESPN Radio's "GameDay with Jason Jackson." You can e-mail him at Jason.Jackson@espn.com. Please type JaxLine into the subject line of your e-mail.