The NBA weekend that changed everything

If you were paying attention this weekend, a lot of assumptions were called into question across the league. For example:

Assumption #1: The Spurs are just flat-out better than the Mavs, especially on defense.

Color me guilty of that one. The Mavs proved several things during their confidence-building 92-86 win in San Antonio on Friday. Dirk proved he could score on Bowen down low. Howard proved that putting a "traditional" power forward on him, even one as good as Duncan, can result in 15 first-quarter points being rung up on your a**. Terry proved he could fight through San Antonio screens to stay with Parker and disrupt the pick-and-roll plays that have killed the Mavs in the past. And the Mavs proved they can gut out a close in on the road down the stretch.

Dallas shot over 50% on the night, the Spurs less than 40%. The Mavs got to the line more, turned the ball over less, and forced the Spurs into too many long-range shots. Will Dallas catch the Spurs in the standings? Probably not. But if they're tied up going into the last game, Houston will have a chance to spoil San Antonio's regular season by ringing up a division loss on the Spurs and handing the Mavs the tiebreaker. Either way, though, the Mavs staked a real claim to legitimacy on Friday night.

Assumption #2: Detroit should breeze through the East.

On Friday night, without Rip Hamilton, the Pistons dropped a roadie to the hapless Magic. Hamilton's far from their best starter, but with just one of their critical cogs missing, the Pistons proved vulnerable. As we mentioned earlier in this space, if any one player goes down in Detroit, Cleveland and New Jersey will be waiting to pounce. Flip may want to rest up heading down the stretch.

Meanwhile, the Cavs went into the Meadowlands and dispatched those media darlings in New Jersey on Saturday. The Pistons will have to face one of these teams in the second round and the other (or Miami) in the conference finals. Cleveland's the hottest team in the league right now and they have a chance to scare the Pistons in Detroit on Wednesday. The Nets split the season series with the Pistons and can expose Rip Hamilton with either Carter or Jefferson. The East playoffs may be worth watching this year. Go figure.

Assumption #3: The Suns are the only other contender in the West.

Phoenix is 8-9 since their recent 11-game winning streak, and they got popped by lowly Seattle this weekend, a team John Holliger pointed out is actually the worst defensive team of all time. Ouch.

All Sacramento has done is waltz into San Antonio and wax the Spurs, beat the Clippers twice in a week, and move into 7th place and a matchup with the Suns in the first round.

Dunno about you, but I'm betting on the Kings in that matchup right now.

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Yep, just when you think the playoff picture has come into focus, teams like the Mavs and Kings make a move and muddy it back up. Stay tuned for a raucous postseason.