GAMES OF THE WEAK: Orlando at Cleveland and New Orleans at Phoenix, April 7. On the off day of the Final Four, the NBA does another great job of loading up the schedule with unwatchable basketball.
TWO MINUTES: Two weeks ago, Bucks guard Brandon Jennings was grumbling about how the media was treating him for looking to pass more. Last week, he had a 1-of-15 clanger that earned Line of the Weak. And this week, he said he was being picked on by coach Jim Boylan. The two had words 
when Boylan yanked Jennings in the third quarter – and didn’t go back to him – of Wednesday’s loss at Philadelphia, resulting in the first scoreless game of the point man’s career. “I don’t see any All-Stars in this locker room,” said Jennings, who believed he is being held to an unfair higher standard. “I think that everyone should be held accountable. There’s no maxed-out players in this locker room. So don’t try to put me on a pedestal and just give everyone else the freedom to do whatever they want.” Jennings also sat the last eight minutes of Thursday’s win over the Lakers. He will be a restricted free agent this summer, and it is looking more and more like the Bucks will allow another team to establish the market. Teams with cap room that may be interested include the Mavericks, Jazz, Pistons and Kings. … Chris “Birdman” Andersen has been more than a good luck charm since joining the Heat in late January. While Miami is 30-2 when he plays, Andersen is making an impact. His per-36 numbers are 11.1 points, 8.6 boards and 2.3 blocks. And his percentages of .576 from the field and .720 from the line are at or near his career bests. … The Lakers nearly blew a 12-point lead in the final three minutes of Wednesday’s win at Minnesota because the Timberwolves began intentionally fouling Dwight Howard, who went 2-of-8 from the line in a one-minute stretch and was 7-of-17 overall. Afterward, coach Mike D’Antoni sounded very unconvincing. “We’re not going anywhere without him getting over that. He’ll get over it.” Really? This is Howard’s ninth season, and he is shooting a career-low .486 from the line. The following night in Milwaukee, he was 3-of-10 from the stripe, giving him 17 misses in two games. Ray Allen has missed 16 free throws this season. … Since missing a driving reverse layup in the closing seconds that could have ended the Heat’s winning streak on March 8, Sixers center Spencer Hawes is averaging 16.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.67 blocks while shooting 54 percent from the field, 50 percent from the arc and 84 percent from the line. Philadelphia is 6-3 in that stretch. … In mid-March, Clippers guard Jamal Crawford winning the Sixth Man Award appeared to be a foregone conclusion. But Crawford has had just one 20-point game as his team has stumbled, and Knicks guard J.R. Smith has erupted. Smith’s 37 points in Friday’s win over Charlotte was the most by a bench player this 
season and his league-best third game of at least 35 off the bench. (Denver’s Wilson Chandler has two.) Furthermore, Smith has three straight 30-plus games off the bench, the longest streak since Milwaukee’s Ricky Pierce had four from Feb. 22-27, 1990. That season, Pierce missed 23 games due to injury but still had 17 30-point games and averaged 23.0 points. And yes, he won the Sixth Man Award. … Since they were traded for each other as the primaries in a six-player deal, former Buck Tobias Harris is averaging 34.2 minutes, 16.3 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 46 percent overall and 21-of-58 from the arc for Orlando, while former Magic J.J. Redick is averaging 27.7 minutes, 11.9 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 41 percent and 29-of-91 from the arc for Milwaukee. Harris, 20, has two years totaling $4.1 million left on his rookie deal while Redick is making $6 million and headed for free agency. So who won that trade again? … Injured Wolves star Kevin Love was given his team ring for being part of Team USA’s gold medal squad at last summer’s Olympics. “I ordered it a size bigger so it can fit my fat finger when I’m 50 or 60,” he cracked.
Trivia Answer: Detroit Pistons. … Happy 18th Birthday to my angel, Carolyn Bernucca. I could not be prouder of you. … Is the NCAA Tournament over yet?
Chris Bernucca is the deputy editor of SheridanHoops.com. His columns appear Monday during the season. You can follow him on Twitter.
It’s not going to happen. Probably for the best, Boston would get steamrolled for all the passion they would bring. That rivalry deserves better.
Next year’s ECF playoffs, with a Rose-led Chicago, a Rondo-led Boston, perhaps a Bynum-led Philly, probably a Wall-led Washington, Indiana reinforced either by Granger or by whoever they get in trade for Granger… should be a humdinger.