Shaquille O'Neal had his second career triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in only 28 minutes and Antoine Walker had a season-high 32 points as the Miami Heat beat Toronto 106-97 last night, sending the Raptors to their ninth straight loss…Mike James scored 32 points, his fourth straight 30+ point game…O'Neal's only other triple-double was Nov. 20, 1993 for Orlando in a win over New Jersey when he went for 24 points, 28 rebounds and 15 blocked shots (!!!)…wow…

Speaking of Mike James, the 30-year-old PG is averaging 29.3 points and 7.2 assists per game in April…cha-ching…

Helping out the Raptors in the free agent market is the fact that the Knicks may have a PG they want ahead of Mike James…Speedy Claxton…When free agency begins July 1, the Knicks are expected to go after Hornet point guard Speedy Claxton with their $5 million mid-level exception. Claxton is a former Hofstra guard and a Hempstead NY native who played for Brown with the Sixers for two seasons.

At his current pace and with only 6 games remaining in the season, Gerald Wallace will soon join Hall of Fame-bound centers Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson as the only players in NBA annals to register two blocks and two steals nightly for a whole season.

31-year-old former Duke guard Jeff Capel was hired as Oklahoma's basketball coach Tuesday, resigning at Virginia Commonwealth to replace Kelvin Sampson and take over a program under NCAA investigation. Capel was 79-41 in four seasons as coach at VCU, his first head job. He signed a two-year contract extension with the Richmond, Va., school last month, running through 2012. But he left that behind and agreed to a five-year deal worth up to $850,000 annually to replace Sampson, hired as Indiana's coach March 29. Sampson was 279-109 in 12 seasons at Oklahoma, including a trip to the Final Four in 2002.

1) Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com with his 10 things column:

Struggling Pacers could miss the playoffs

This had become the best rivalry in the NBA this century. With coaches and players seemingly interchangeable between the franchises, not to mention the geographic proximity, there was no better matchup during the regular season or playoffs than the Detroit Pistons and the Indiana Pacers. Even after the horrid brawl of November, 2004 that sent the NBA and the franchises reeling, they had a great playoff series last spring. Now, all of it appears history in the wake of the Pacers' recent collapse.

1. Item: The Pistons embarrassed the Pacers 98-75 on Sunday afternoon, tagging the Pacers with their second loss in a row and seventh in their last eight games, as they dipped to 36-40 — the first time they've been four games below .500 all season. What this really means: The Pacers now have lost eight of 10 and 10 of 13. Although they are still the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, they are just one game ahead of the deadlocked Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls. It is not inconceivable that they drop out of the playoff picture entirely, as the team has lost energy and confidence as Jermaine O'Neal has struggled since returning from a torn groin and Jamal Tinsley continues to be in and out of the lineup. And if things aren't shaky enough, forward Peja Stojakovic went public this week with his desire to opt out of his contract this summer and enter the free agent market. It's time for a remake for the Pacers, whether it's a sign-and-trade for Stojakovic, checking the value of dealing O'Neal for multiple players or both. Not since they made the big deal for Ron Artest and Brad Miller from the Chicago Bulls have they remade their starting lineup so dramatically, but obviously it's time. No longer can they consider Tinsley their starting point guard for now or the future when he is constantly sidelined with a variety of maladies, then is out again before he regains his conditioning and confidence. Clearly it's time for a change to give coach Rick Carlisle a fresh start from the stench created by Artest and the injuries that followed.

2. Item: Meanwhile, the Pistons, at 62-15, are one game shy of their franchise record and in full command of retaining the top seed throughout the playoffs. What this really means: Few things have gotten in the way of the Pistons' machine-like performance this season under new coach Flip Saunders. But Friday night, there was a hiccup in their loss to the Orlando Magic. To be sure, it hurt that Rip Hamilton had left the team due to a death in the family, but the real eye opener was Ben Wallace erupting in frustration at Saunders when being pulled and later refusing to re-enter the game. They patched things up by Sunday, as Wallace's 22 rebounds, three steals and two blocks reflect. But the poor shooter has reached a new low making just five of his past 32 free throws. On Thursday night, they beat the Miami Heat for the third time in four meetings — a sound 95-82 thrashing. They enter this week having won seven of eight and clearly the team in charge of its own destiny entering the postseason.

3. Item: The Heat never really challenged the Orlando Magic on Sunday in a nine-point loss and now lead the red-hot New Jersey Nets by just two games in the loss column for the East's No. 2 seed. What this really means: In the process of losing to the Pistons, Heat center Shaquille O'Neal went off on the officiating and NBA executive vice president Stu Jackson for the way he is mistreated, and Jackson promptly responded by fining him $15,000. Despite losing some 20 pounds and apparently feeling healthy, the buzz around the league is how O'Neal should stop worrying about the officials and focus more on getting the rhythm back to his game. His 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocks in more than 36 minutes are good stats for most centers, just not of the $20 million variety on a team that has little else. More importantly, they have split their last 12 games, with all the wins against sub-.500 teams. With the loss to the Pistons, they finished the season 2-6 against the Pistons and Nets — the other two division leaders in the East, and 0-8 against San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas and Denver — the four best teams in the West. It isn't fair to pin it on O'Neal, when you consider that the talent around him and Dwyane Wade is not too hot. But a big part of his responsibility is leadership, and whining about the officiating won't do the team any good when he needs to get things right on the floor. They remain dangerous because of Wade and O'Neal, but are they serious contenders to win the title? That's a real stretch.

4. Item: The Nets' franchise record 14-game winning streak came to a crashing halt Saturday when LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers back from a five-point deficit in the final 75 seconds for a 108-102 victory. What this really means: The loss notwithstanding, the Nets are for real with their perimeter defense led by Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson — with Vince Carter playing the most inspired defense than of his career. And that will be the difference-maker should the Nets be serious enough to get past the Heat (presumably their second-round opponents) for a shot at the Pistons in the conference finals. Just before the streak began, there were serious rumblings about the future of coach Lawrence Frank with the franchise. It got so loud at one point that president Rod Thorn had to go public to essentially give his head coach a vote of confidence. The Nets have since won 15 out of 16 with a 12-point win over Milwaukee Sunday. At 47-29, they moved to within two games of the Heat in the loss column with six to play in the race for the East's No. 2 seed.

5. Item: James, meanwhile, scored 18 of his 37 points in that huge fourth quarter Saturday night, locking the Cavs into the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. What this really means: Guard Larry Hughes is now back full blast from his broken finger and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is expected back from a sprained ankle early next week. The Cavs haven't been in the playoffs this century, but they have clearly blossomed this season with the incredible growth of James and the hiring of Mike Brown as coach. James now has scored at least 35 points nine games in a row, and is now making a strong bid in what promises to be the closest and most diverse Most Valuable Player balloting in many years. Whether it's Chauncey Billups, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki or Dwyane Wade — there can be a case made for all of them. But nobody is taking his team further than James is taking the previously woeful Cavaliers — and should he win the MVP, he would be the first Cavs' player to win it.

6. Item: The Philadelphia 76ers and Chicago Bulls split two games this week — each winning on the other's floor — and entered this week deadlocked for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. What this really means: Much has been said and written about the struggles of the Sixers as a team on the floor and as an organization overall. But the circumstances of the Bulls are just as interesting. Because they elected not to gamble on the heart condition of center Eddy Curry, they dealt him to the New York Knicks in a package deal that gave them, among other things, an unprotected first round pick in the upcoming draft. Considering the Knicks will have one of the three worst records in the NBA, the Bulls have a great shot of getting the first overall selection. What we've learned in the absence of both Curry and Antonio Davis (also lost in the trade) is that Tyson Chandler is a terrific rebounder, decent shot-blocker and barely competent offensively. Coach Scott Skiles still has them playing tough defense, with guards Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon — along with Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni up front. What they lack is an exceptional scorer up front, and whether that comes in the draft or in a package trading for the pick, this is the next step for general manager John Paxson. Whether the Bulls edge out the Sixers (or maybe even the Pacers) to sneak into the playoffs or not, they are clearly in a better place age and talent-wise than the Sixers. Not that it's saying much, but in the shaky Eastern Conference, it's enough.

7. Item: Along with all the tumult over whether Kevin Garnett will remain with the Minnesota Timberwolves next season has come tendonitis in his right knee. In fact, he missed Sunday's one-point win over Atlanta, marking the end of his NBA-high 351-game streak as a starter. What this really means: It just shows how pathetic this season has been for the Timberwolves that they are so far out of the playoff hunt that Garnett would sit out with tendonitis — a condition he has been playing with for years. Ironically, second-leading scorer Ricky Davis didn't play either on Sunday, with rookie Rashad McCants lighting up the Hawks with his career-high 28 points and Trenton Hassell hitting the game-winner. There is no better player in this league than Garnett, and the Timberwolves will undoubtedly be receiving continuous offers from teams around the league all summer. Garnett does not like the thought of changing venue, but also wants the organization to step up and put together a group that can win around him. The sad part is that it is very likely the best days of the Timberwolves are history and there is little chance of Garnett having a good group around him for years to come. And considering his loyalty, he deserves much better than that.

8. Item: The Dallas Mavericks went into San Antonio Friday night and beat the Spurs 92-86, led by Dirk Nowitzki's 30 points and 10 rebounds. Then on Saturday night they buried the New Orleans Hornets by 24 and enter the week just a game behind the Spurs in the race for the top seed in the West. What this really means: With the return of Josh Howard, the Mavs now are in place to unseat the Spurs for the top spot provided they stay healthy the rest of the way. Because coach Avery Johnson has the Mavs playing better defense than any other time this century, they are much more capable of winning close games down the stretch. A lot of that is the result of the shot-blocking presence of DeSagana Diop at center. With him tending to the basket, it allows everybody else to play much tighter perimeter defense in key situations. What we don't know is how Jason Terry and Jerry Stackhouse will handle their roles as the pressure cranks up several notches down the stretch. The Spurs have been beaten up all season and this is the best opportunity the Mavs will ever have to unseat them. A lot of people believe it can happen. The real question is whether or not the Mavericks believe it themselves.

9. Item: The NBA Developmental League announced the addition of four teams for next season, increasing the size of the league to at least 13 for next season. What this really means: But this is different because this latest expansion — which includes the Dakota Wizards, Idaho Stampede, Colorado 14ers and Sioux Falls Skyforce — is the result of pulling the quartet from the Continental Basketball Association. Through this past week, 29 players have been optioned from 19 different NBA teams to the D-League, with 15 players being called up. This latest move not only strengthens the league; it also weakens the CBA. Whether or not there will ultimately be a D-League team to match up with each NBA team is uncertain, but the growth of the D-League is inevitable. With teams now in Bakersfield, Albuquerque, Arkansas, Austin, Fayetteville (N.C.), Fort Myers (Fla.), Fort Worth, Roanoke and Tulsa, growth is inevitable — whether they are selling tickets or not. The worst-case scenario is one D-League team for every two NBA teams in the future, and that will only enhance the play of the younger players — something that is absolutely necessary.

10. Item: Finally emerging from the cellar of the Eastern Conference, the New York Knicks entered the week with a three-game winning streak and perhaps the answer to their backcourt questions for next season. What this really means: Jamal Crawford averaged 30.3 points in the three wins, including the game-winning shot in a two-point win over Indiana on Friday night. Next to him has been Nate Robinson, the diminutive and excitable rookie who has been dancing in and out of coach Larry Brown's doghouse most of the season. Both products of Seattle's Rainier Beach High school, they both are young and very willing to buy into Brown's "play the right way" mantra. The bigger question now is whether or not Isiah Thomas keeps his job once his sexual harassment lawsuit with former Knicks executive Anucha Browne Sanders has been resolved. That could be the easy part. What happens to $50 million worth of salaries owed to veteran guards Stephon Marbury, Steve Francis and Jalen Rose is the bigger question. The coachable young duo and the performance of rookie 7-footer Channing Frye before he went down with a knee injury are the only positives.Crawford, Robinson and the three-game winning streak create some salve for the deep wounds of this hideous season.

2) Chris Ekstand of Si.com with a report on the Portsmouth Invitational:

Big time - Smaller players come up big at Portsmouth camp

It was the "Year of the Little Guy" in college basketball. Fans from coast to coast got caught up in the magical run of George Mason, the 11th seed that reached the Final Four. Fellow underdogs Bradley and Wichita State also confounded the experts and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Although none of those universities are small in terms of enrollment (George Mason is actually the biggest university in the state of Virginia), they were portrayed as giant killers slaying the mighty powers of college basketball. George Mason itself took down hoops Goliaths Michigan State, North Carolina and Connecticut. The "Year of the Little Guy" took on a similar meaning at the 54th annual Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, the first significant NBA pre-draft event of the spring. Although some big players helped their status in the eyes of NBA general managers and scouts, it was a player under 6-feet who took home the Most Valuable Player trophy and another who broke two tournament records and was regarded by at least one scout as the "real tournament MVP." Three other players 6-2 or under were included on the all-tournament team chosen by the PIT's own Player Selection Committee. Most of the players competing in Portsmouth, open to seniors by invitation only, are battling for recognition and respect from NBA team talent evaluators. The best among them are likely to be second round draft picks, with a chance for one or two in their company to sneak into the first round, as Jason Maxiell (Cincinnati) of the Detroit Pistons did last year. Every year, though, 6-10 prospects from the PIT find their way into the NBA as second round picks or rookie free agents, and for one week every April, these players have the full attention of draft-day decision-makers. Let's take a look at who made the best impressions this year.

Keydren Clark, Saint Peter's College - Clark was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player after averaging a PIT-best 19.3 points per game and leading his team to three straight victories and the PIT championship. Clark, listed as 5-10¾ and 180 pounds, is a charismatic scorer who finished third in the nation in scoring behind the slightly better-known Adam Morrison and J.J. Redick. Clark led the nation in scoring as a sophomore and as a junior en route to scoring 3,058 career points to rank sixth on the NCAA's all-time scoring list. Clark has dynamic speed and impressive shooting range, and he utilized both to set an electric pace in Virginia. He shot 3-pointers, fearlessly knifed into the lane and drew tons of fouls. He led the tournament in free-throw attempts and made every key play -- from rebounding his own miss and converting a layup among the tall trees to hitting key free throws to preserve a one-possession lead late in another game -- to help his team win two close games. "I've always wanted to be on the court with the best players in the country," he told the Daily Press, a Hampton Roads, Va. newspaper. "I feel that Portsmouth has some of the best and I showed I could hold my own against them."

Jose Juan Barea, Northeastern - Back in February we spotlighted seven terrific players who were playing in relative anonymity outside the major conferences. One of those was Jose Juan Barea, another diminutive point guard who epitomized mental and physical toughness with a tournament performance for the ages. Barea, at 5-10¾ and 176 pounds, virtually the same size as MVP Clark, smashed the PIT records for assists in a single game (16) and for a three-game tournament (35) set in 1990 by Bennie Seltzer of Washington State (an assistant coach at Oklahoma last season). The star of the Puerto Rican National Team passed his way to a staggering 41 assists (with only five turnovers) over three games, including a record 18 assists in his final game. "Juan Barea had one of the best games I've ever seen," said 79-year-old NBA Scouting Director Marty Blake, who has been watching basketball games since being hired by the Milwaukee Hawks in '54. Barea's influence on his team was dramatic. Once his new teammates, all perfect strangers from other Division I teams, realized that he was going to push the ball into the frontcourt at breakneck speed every single time down the floor, they started to sprint along with him and fill the lanes, efforts that were rewarded with passes that led to a bevy of dunks and layups. Eric Hicks of Cincinnati, who had scored 11.5 points in his first two games with another team, joined Barea's team as an injury replacement for the final game and parlayed Barea's deliveries into a tournament-high 27 points. He was overheard leaving the court saying that playing with Barea made all the difference. Barea averaged 14 points and 13.7 assists per game for the tournament. In addition to Clark and Barea, several other players had excellent performances and kept their names alive as far as serious draft consideration. Most of them will get another chance to showcase their skills at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp, scheduled for June 6-9 in Orlando.

Eric Hicks, Cincinnati - Hicks, an extraordinarily strong if not particularly tall, power forward, did his best Maxiell impersonation in his final game with 27 points and 17 rebounds. At 6-7 and 240 pounds, he will have to make it as an undersized power forward, since his game is all about power and strength. A big-time shot-blocker in college, Hicks finished sixth in the country as a senior with 3.3 blocks per game. A scout from the Green Bay Packers came to Portsmouth to evaluate players for the same sort of crossover move made so successfully by star tight end Antonio Gates. You would have to think Hicks might be one of his targets, since he showed he can move seven-foot centers out of his way with ease.

Solomon Jones, South Florida - The 6-11, 216-pound Jones may be thin, but he has the type of wingspan that pterodactyls would envy, if there were any still around these days. Jones blocked, intimidated and changed shots all week long in helping Clark's team to the tournament championship. He showed some offensive skills and controlled the backboards as well, averaging 14 points and 9.7 rebounds to go along with two blocks per game. Jones will need to add more weight and strength to his frame to succeed in the NBA, but it's easier to add those things than to find what Jones already has: a well-balanced skill set and the size NBA teams covet.

Steve Novak, Marquette - Every scout in the country knows about Novak's shooting prowess, but it was still pretty amazing to watch him deliver one of his celebrated shooting streaks Saturday night in the third-place game. Novak hit six 3-pointers in eight attempts in the first half of a game to score 18 of his team's 36 first-half points. By the time Novak hit his third 3-pointer in three trips, with each one barely moving the net, teammates were smiling as they ran back on defense, knowing they were seeing something special. Novak finished that game with 25 points, the second-highest scoring output of the week.

Carl Krauser, Pittsburgh - Not many players approach the game with the exuberance of Pitt's point man. It's clear every time he takes the floor that Krauser loves to play. Even when Krauser didn't play well for the Panthers, he always played hard. In Portsmouth, Krauser played as well as he ever has, looking like a true -- and experienced --point guard while hitting jump shots with a consistency heretofore unseen from him. Krauser averaged 15 points per game and was third among all players with 7.3 assists. Most shocking, he made 54 percent of his shots, including four of seven 3-pointers.

Sean Dockery, Duke - The senior guard was sort of a forgotten man this year as Player of the Year Redick and freshman point guard Greg Paulus got most of the attention in Durham. But Dockery embraced his role as the team's defensive stopper in the backcourt. At the PIT, though, Dockery showed offensive abilities seldom seen from him during the season. He made excellent entry passes into the post, knocked down important 3-point shots and free throws in the final minute of a close game and created mayhem for opponents and layups for teammates with several well-timed steals. In short, he looked like a terrific point guard prospect ready to follow Chris Duhon and Daniel Ewing into the NBA. Dockery averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 assists, second-best to Barea in the tournament.

C.J. Watson, Tennessee - Watson shot the ball well from the beginning of the tourney and really got on a roll, hitting from the perimeter as well as finishing his drives. Watson was able to modulate his team's attack to fit the needs of the game, pushing the pace at times while running half-court sets designed to get his team good shots at other times. Many of those were made by Watson himself, as he averaged 16.3 points and shot 57 percent from the field.

Others whose fine play was noticed included Yemi Nicholson of Denver, Rashad Anderson of Connecticut, David Noel of North Carolina, Greg Brunner of Iowa, Akin Akingbala of Clemson, Chris Quinn of Notre Dame and Chris Hernandez of Stanford.

3) Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star reports on the future of the Pacers:

Carlisle will be back, but who'll be gone?

There will be changes this Indiana Pacers summer, seismic changes that will alter the face of this increasingly stale franchise. Team president Larry Bird doesn't need to see his team sleepwalk through anymore games; he, too, has reached the widely held conclusion that it's time to detonate that locker room. "Won't be much golf this offseason,'' Bird said, standing in a hallway near his team's locker room before the Pacers' 101-82 victory over the New York Knicks. "It's going to be a working summer. To say right now that we're going to trade a bunch of guys, we can't do that because we don't know who's going to be out there. But obviously, we've got to get this thing right.'' Who's gone? Who's back? Bird, naturally, is not going to show that hand or advertise a fire sale. Read between the lines, though, and an offseason plan begins to take shape.They certainly will move Jamaal Tinsley. They likely will move Stephen Jackson. If they can get good value in return, they will try to move Jermaine O'Neal. (That doesn't even include Peja Stojakovic, who will entertain free agent offers.) One area that will not be changed, though, is on the Pacers' sideline, where Bird said coach Rick Carlisle will be back -- even if his players seem intent on getting him fired. Yes, Bird hears the groans of dissatisfaction coming from all corners of the Pacers' locker room. And no, he's not lending a sympathetic ear. "They didn't complain when we were winning 61 games,'' Bird said. "I didn't hear anything when we were winning 44 games. Rick's had two very good years here, and he's done a good job this year considering what's happened -- the injuries, the Ron Artest thing and everything else. When you start losing, everybody wants to point the finger. ". . . Right now, it's up to the players. We can talk about it until we're blue in the face. I'm happy with our coaching staff. I just think our players need to look in the mirror and say, 'It's on us now.' " When the season began, Bird thought he had a team that could reach the Eastern Conference finals, maybe even the NBA Finals. He knew he had some high-maintenance players who would have their bad moments, but in the end, he figured there was enough talent and depth to go deep into the playoffs. Now, there's a chance the Pacers, who for more than a decade have viewed the postseason as a birthright, may not earn a spot in the dreadful Eastern Conference. "If anybody's going to take the blame, it's got to be me,'' Bird said. "Because I had so much confidence in this team. I just think the team chemistry hasn't been close to what I expected it to be . . . At times, we've looked like we haven't played together all year. "They can tell you they like each other, and they probably do, but they're not playing like they like each other. I can see it, missing guys who are wide open, guys forcing shots, the ball movement isn't there, guys breaking plays and going one-on-one. There's no real trust in one another to play the game. I think they try, they want to win, but they don't trust each other.'' Some of the Pacers' coming decisions are no-brainers. Tinsley, who (ouch) was taken ahead of Tony Parker in the draft, has to take his act elsewhere. Jackson has had his flashes, including Monday night's 28-point performance, but his volatility continues to be an issue -- especially on a team that lacks a dominant personality. And then there's O'Neal. Think Monday night's performance was instructive? One day earlier, he had called out his team for going through the motions against Detroit. Then against the Knicks, he scored 10 points on 1-of-7 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. That, too often, has been the problem -- words, not deeds. Nobody blames O'Neal for getting hurt so often the past two years, but behind the scenes, the Pacers have taken issue with O'Neal's conditioning, and wonder if that hasn't contributed to his long stays on the inactive list. "Some guys can lead and some guys can't,'' Bird said. "I have a lot of trust in Jermaine and I know he wants to be a good leader. But to just throw him in there and say, 'OK, you're our leader,' that's tough, especially when you're injured a lot. You lead by example and not with words, and when you're not out there every day in practice and games, it's hard to lead.'' For the Pacers, this is not going to be an easy fix. They aren't good enough to think that a little tinkering will make them contenders again. At the same time, they're not bad enough to count on a high draft choice. They will have some salary-cap maneuverability this summer, but not enough to pursue a big-time free agent. Bird doesn't think the Pacers need to take three steps back and return to Lottery Land to take one huge step forward. Ultimately, though, he may have no other choice. The Pacers you see now will not be the Pacers you see in the fall. Not if Bird remakes this roster the way he wants. Golf will have to wait.