Charles Barkley and the Rockets had trouble keeping up with the young Mavericks.

Anyway, here's Wednesday's version of Around The Rim, with no mention of the Mavericks' backup center, who blocked six shots last night. Any other comments, click here and e-mail us.

Right to the Heroes and Goats ... We've all wondered what the Blazers will be doing down the stretch in playoff games when someone has to step up and take the last shot. Might it be Scottie Pippen? And while we highlight just one Wizard in the Goats section, rest assured they have other candidates. Rod Strickland made only 3-of-10 free throws last night, Mitch Richmond looks horrible and the bench again outscored the starters in a blowout loss at home to Philly. Enjoy.

Heroes ...
Scottie Pippen Blazers 20, 13 and 5 vs. Heat, and did it down the stretch	Antonio Davis Raptors 24 and 15 and 4 blocks in win over Pistons	Michael Finley Mavericks Embarrassed Barkley with 28, 13 and 7. He and Dirk are nice pair

... and Goats
Ike Austin Wizards 0 points, 3 fouls in 14 minutes. Keeps proving he stinks	Tyrone Nesby Clippers Celebrated first start of year with 3-of-16 effort	Charles Barkley Rockets Went 1-for-7 vs. Mavs; You can't lose a game like this

The Hawks won because Jason Terry is getting most of the minutes at the point and Roshown McLeod can really play. These two combined for 40 points and 10 assists in the 103-98 win. Who needs Isaiah, anyway?

"I'm pleased the team gave that kind of effort with all the distractions that went on," said Wilkens. "We are a pretty good team. If you want to be a part of it, great."

Look for Terry to be a part of the starting lineup soon. Bimbo Coles got off to a great start this season, but in the last three games he has averaged 15 minutes and hit only three field goals. Since this is not a playoff-bound team, why not play Terry and McLeod a ton?

	SHAQ'S LINE FOLLIES
	Shaq did not play last night, but Monday he went 6-for-14 from the line, raising his free throw percentage. Anyone notice that in last night's Spurs-Pacers game the Pacers went to the line only six times? (San Antonio went 30 times). Shaq's season: 30-for-86, .349 percent Tuesday's bricklayer: Rod Strickland: 3-for-10

Tokyo, schmokyo
The whole first week of the season all we heard about the Kings and Timberwolves was that they had better win those games in Tokyo because a big-time slump was ahead. Typically, and we don't have the exact stats for proof, teams that open in Japan stink it up back in North America for about a month or so.

So far, Kevin Garnett and Chris Webber have yet to lose post-Tokyo and each team has risen into the top 10 of our Power Rankings. (By the way, our Power Rankings are going to run on Tuesdays from now on to accommodate NBA 2Night.) The Wolves have beaten a pair of playoff teams in New York and Phoenix, and Garnett has had help from Terrell Brandon, Wally Szczerbiak and Anthony Peeler, among others.

The Kings have only had to beat one good team among their three wins in the past week, but that team was Utah. Last night, with only Webber scoring more than 11 points, the Kings avoided a loss to Vancouver, exactly the kind of loss teams have suffered in the past after the Tokyo trip. The Grizz hung around until the end, outscoring the Kings 15-13 in a riveting final period, and had chances to win. Ultimately, getting as many fouls as points from a weak bench did the Grizz in.

Sacramento has managed to start out 4-1 despite the worst shooting backcourt in the league and a big-time slump from Corliss Williamson, who looks horrible offensively. Jason Williams (.343) and Nick Anderson (.327) aren't off to great starts, but it should be noted neither guy is going to hit half his shots either. Anderson, for one, has shot less than 40 percent two of the past three season. And White Chocolate hit 37 percent as a rookie. This team may want to improve upon its offensive rebounding, where it currently ranks 17th.

Quote of the Night
"I don't care what the critics say; we're a better team than they are. We had them on the ropes and didn't put them away. But we'll see them again."
-- Alonzo Mourning after losing to the Blazers.