But as the NBA 2000 version of the playoffs move forward, the Portland Trail Blazers have bounced back from their mid-season malaise to appear more than formidable for the Lakers in the Western Conference finals.

That said, what are we going to do about the East?

All things being equal, all the teams appear equally incapable of winning the conference.

We have to give it up to the Indiana Pacers for retaining the best record in the conference for nearly the entire season. They were virtually perfect in their sparkling new home Conseco Fieldhouse for most of the season, and almost finished at .500 on the road, which is all any of the Eastern Conference teams can say.

Then the Pacers began the playoffs, and were within a jump shot -- or fair officiating -- from getting bounced by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. Bucks point guard Sam Cassell never should have been called for a touch sixth foul in the final couple of minutes. That is an NBA sin.

Now the Pacers are struggling with the Sixers -- a great team to love as overachievers but not championship material yet -- with Game 6 in a hostile Philly (OK, that's redundant) coming soon to a theater near you. Rik Smits, Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose ... man, they sure sound impressive. Too often, they just don't look it, despite Mark Jackson doing everything conceivable to get everyone the ball.

"All year we've had trouble getting a good start," Pacers coach Larry Bird said after a stunning 21-point loss in Conseco Monday night. "When we lead in the first quarter, we usually win the game. We have to find a way to match their intensity."

It's tough Larry, especially when too many of your old guys are yawning because it's past their bedtime.

Then there is the second-seeded Heat, who play with as much offensive energy as a claymation replica of a pro basketball player. Tim Hardaway is finished as an effective point guard, Dan Majerle's body parts will be scooped off the hardwood one day soon, and Alonzo Mourning might ultimately have his head explode from all the intensity he tries to muster every second of every game.

Jamal Mashburn continues to be one of the great players on paper you'll ever see ... unfortunately, the ball just won't bounce off paper. As for P.J. Brown ... he must have pictures of Pat Riley from long ago considering how many trades Riley has shirked to keep his beloved forward.

Said Riley after a pathetic offensive display a day after a 91-83 loss in Game 4: "I'm not going to try to explain it anymore. I'm not going to try to teach it anymore. Today, I'm disgusted. Tomorrow, I'll start coaching again."

Ah, cheers to our favorite master pop psychologist.

Patrick Ewing and the Knicks take on the Heat on Wednesday in Game 5. The best-of-7 series is tied at 2.(AP)

That leaves the defending conference champion Knicks, who are very much like the Pacers. From Patrick Ewing to Allan Houston to Latrell Sprewell, they'll look like world-beaters one day and just plain beat the next. I'm still sticking with them as my pick, since that's the team I went with from Day One to win the East, but nobody picking the Knicks could possibly be oozing with confidence considering they're heading back to Miami tied at 2-2.

And remember, going into the playoffs, everybody had great things to say about the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors. Well, the Hornets were bludgeoned by the Sixers in four and you'll find the Raptors under the rubble of dust in the corner of Madison Square Garden after getting swept by the Knicks.

So does this mean it doesn't really matter whether the Lakers or Blazers win the West because either team will destroy whoever comes out of the East?

Not at all. The Eastern Conference champ will have the advantage of not having been battered by L.A. or Portland in the conference finals and might actually pull of an upset.

Just don't count on it.

Shots from the perimeter

• Can a market with 200,000 less people than Salt Lake City be home to an NBA team? That's what Houston Rockets owner Les Alexander and his representatives are trying to figure out about Louisville, Ky. They will pony up the cash and an arena, and basketball is religion in the Bluegrass State. This could get interesting, unless the city of Houston bounces back. But considering what they've done for the Astros and to get football back, it doesn't look good for the Rockets to get a new facility, too.
• Can you imagine the pressure on opposing backcourts if Gary Payton and Sprewell were the starting backcourt for the Knicks? The Knicks would have to give up Houston, Marcus Camby and probably Charlie Ward for Payton and another player to make it work on the salary cap. It won't happen, but man, it sure sounds interesting as Payton continues to struggle with Sonics coach Paul Westphal.
• Two defensive player of the year awards in a row for Mourning look real nice, and are reflective of Riley's focus. But where do 'Zo and the Heat go from here? Not very far, and it looks like Isaiah Rider might be the one explosive offensive element they can actually attain. The Heat also could gain additional revenue by charging admission to watch Riley and Rider in practice.
• As if things haven't been bad enough for the Hornets and Panthers in Charlotte, now Anthony Mason is threatening to sue the Comedy Zone in Charlotte. The owner of the club told local reporters that Mason and Carolina Panthers running back William Floyd got into a fight, and Mason threw beer on a woman. Mason doesn't drink beer and both athletes claim there was no fight and are demanding a public apology from the owner.
• Wouldn't there be some poetic justice if the next coach of the Clippers would be Rick Barry? He has bellowed for years about how he deserves a chance to coach in the NBA. Well, the Clippers are waiting for you, Rick.
• And before you start getting too excited about all these sign-and-trade scenarios that include free agents, keep in mind that all teams that are over the salary cap must deal with base-year compensation issues. That means, the salary slot they retain is from the previous contract, not the bigger one just signed. To translate, they'll need the three teams under the cap -- the Clippers, Magic and Bulls -- to serve as a weigh station to eliminate the base year. And how benevolent are they going to be to anybody? Look for a lot of teams to use their first-round draft choices in these deals -- nearly every team is overwhelmed by the lack of talent and experience in this year's draft.