It's tiring how the NBA continues to be so driven by television.

I'm all for not biting the hand that feeds you, but it is utterly ridiculous that there are three days off between Game 2 and Game 3 of the Pistons' series with Cleveland. It hurts the competitive element of the series because neither team needs that much time off, even the Cavaliers, who were involved in a grueling seven-game opening round series with Washington.

These are games, not television shows. Wish the NBA would wise up and start treating them as such.

When does Jimmy Howard become the man?

You have to wonder when the Red Wings will have enough courage to make Jimmy Howard their primary goalie. On his side is the fact that Carolina's Cam Ward has been so dominant during the playoffs. He is just 22 and had little experience before replacing Martin Gerber, who was so brilliant during the regular season, but so awful during two losses to open the playoffs against Montreal. Another factor on Howard's side is how well former Michigan State star Ryan Miller is performing for Buffalo this postseason.

Howard is 22 now and will be 23 during the playoffs next spring.

It looks like Anaheim, San Jose, Carolina and Buffalo will be in the conference finals. None of those teams is using an experienced playoff goalie.

Clippers not Kobe own LA

The Clippers are to the NBA what the Lions are to the NFL. As such, they haven't gotten a lot of credit. They are strong upfront, however. Elton Brand is under the radar, but one of the top handful of players in the league. Bet if you took all the NBA players off their teams and had an open draft, Brand would be selected ahead of the Lakers' Kobe Bryant. I like the Clippers chances of beating Phoenix.

It's good to see Central Michigan's Chris Kaman doing so well for the Clippers. Central's basketball fortunes nose-dived after he left, costing coach Jay Smith his job this week.

Knucklehead of the Week

Jose Canseco. Just saw an interview of him trashing Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire on CNBC. Please. The guy is the ultimate hypocrite. He is no better than they are. And when he talks, he's all over the place. It's difficult to understand what he is trying to say. He seems very unintelligent.

This and that

- Should the Lions have signed just one of the two free agent quarterbacks they did, either Jon Kitna or Josh McCown, instead of both? Then maybe they could have gone after Steve McNair.

- Does anybody doubt the Nets-Heat series is headed for seven games? That would be good for the Pistons, who aren't having much problem with the Cavs and should be well-rested for the Eastern Conference finals.

- This should be an interesting series for the Tigers this weekend. Cleveland hasn't been playing that well. Will the Tigers take advantage?