DUNCAN'S OFFENSE-HOWARD'S DEFENSE

On offense, Howard has a huge edge in power, while Duncan's ability to hit jumpers was his primary advantage. Also, TD has more ways of scoring in the low post and is a much better passer from there (he had three assists to none for Howard).

On defense, Howard utilized his strength well, but was a bit slow in his lateral movement. Duncan is a better help-defender by a wide margin.

Howard is, of course,the superior rebounder, having better hands, quicker hops and a wider range of influence.

Howard will certainly overtake Duncan in the long run, but only if he broadens his offensive repertoire and becomes more savvy on defense.

In the here and now, Howard wins the first round by a unanimous decision.

Vox Populi

Who do you think is the best backcourt in the NBA right now? I'm thinking maybe the Spurs or the Celtics. — Brandon Peppel, Benton Harbor, Mich.

I agree with your nominations, and here's the way I see the pairings:

1. San Antonio's Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili are a tad more resourceful than Boston's tandem.

2. Rajon Rondo and Ray Allen perfectly complement each other.

3. Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher rate this high only because Kobe and anybody comprise a top-notch backcourt.

4. Phoenix's new combo of Steve Nash and Jason Richardson is explosive offensively but mostly ineffective on the other end of the court.

5. Even though Mike Bibby has lost some of his game, Joe Johnson remains at the top of his.

6. With the emergence of Devin Harris, Vince Carter's erratic play (especially in the clutch) is not quite as damaging.

Straight shooting

It's open season on coaches — but when isn't it? And with the firing of the likes of P.J. Carlesimo and Reggie Theus, the real question is this: Why are so many inferior coaches hired in the first place?

Before trying to solve this particular puzzle, let's take a look at the employment records of all the coaches who have survived so far.

Rick Adelman was fired three times — at Portland, Golden State, and Sacramento.

Larry Brown can't seem to last anywhere too long. (Chuck Burton / Associated Press)

My abacus is too limited to count the number of times Larry Brown has been dismissed.

Rick Carlisle was let go by the Pistons and the Pacers.

Mike D'Antoni is the ex-coach of Denver and Phoenix.

Mike Dunleavy was pink-slipped by the Lakers, the Bucks and the Blazers.

George Karl was fired four times — at Cleveland, Golden State, Seattle and Milwaukee.

Nate McMillan used to coach in Seattle.

Don Nelson was canned in Milwaukee, Golden State and New York.

Jim O'Brien walked out on the Celtics, then was fired in Philadelphia.

Terry Porter only lasted two seasons in Milwaukee.

Doc Rivers was shown the door in Orlando.

Leading the Nets into the Finals in successive seasons couldn't save Byron Scott's job in New Jersey.

Scott Skiles was fired in Phoenix and Chicago.

Jerry Sloan has been on Utah's bench forever, but before that he was fired after coaching the Bulls from 1979-82.

Stan Van Gundy was replaced in Miami.

Except for the rookies and the newly installed replacements, only six holdover coaches have yet to be fired: Mike Woodson, Marc Iavaroni, Lawrence Frank, Mike Brown, Gregg Popovich, and (discounting his being fired by a team in the Puerto Rican summer league) Phil Jackson.

Here are some basic reasons why coaches get hired and rehired:

Charley's NBA tour

FOXSports.com's Charley Rosen has been watching every team closely this season. Now he has a scouting report on each one.

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Eastern Conference
Atlantic	Central	Southeast
76ers	Pistons	Bobcats
Nets	Bulls	Magic
Celtics	Bucks	Heat
Knicks	Pacers	Wizards
Raptors	Cavs	Hawks
Western Conference
Northwest	Pacific	Southwest
Thunder	Suns	Rockets
Nuggets	Kings	Grizzlies
Wolves	Lakers	Spurs
Blazers	Clippers	Mavs
Jazz	Warriors	Hornets

But the most significant reason why the same coaches get rehired ad infinitum is simply the fact that, since they'd been previously vetted and hired by an NBA team, they're considered to be a "safe" selection. Which means that the GMs' butts are covered.

In any case, the coaches' carousel never stops spinning.

Travels with Charley

My stint as coach of the Oklahoma City Cavalry coincided with a local extravaganza called The Festival of the Horse. The festivities included the showing of some kind of rare breed of horse flesh at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, a concert by Tony Bennett and a H-O-R-S-E contest at one of the malls.

The general manager of the Cavalry, Chip Land, was eager for me to participate in the shooting competition and I readily agreed. However, Land insisted that I dress for the event in a business suit replete with necktie and civilian shoes. When I protested, he said that since highlights of the event were to be featured on all the local TV stations, I had to be properly attired. And he refused to back down.

So there I was, matching shots with sneaker-clad opponents in my shirt-sleeves (he ultimately agreed that I could abandon my jacket and loosen my tie) and slippery city shoes. Even worse, the temporary basket was installed on a highly polished tile underfooting. It was all I could do to keep my balance while launching my corkscrew jumpers, but the necessary concentration and awkward physical contortion quickly exhausted me.

By some miracle I won three rounds, before being soundly trounced in the finals by a local sportscaster.

My shirt and long pants were drenched with sweat as I accepted the second-place trophy. Even so, Land was irate. After all, I was the coach, and my losing made the Cavalry look bad.

I told him that I would have had a much better chance of winning had I been allowed to compete in sweats and sneakers.

"You don't understand, Charley," he insisted. "It's all about image and class."

Oh. My bad.