NP: The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses

I don't know if the Washington Post's basketball writers are feeling like they're getting squeezed out by all the coverage of the new baseball team, or what, but they seem to be overcompensating for something.

It's great and all that you made the playoffs after a long layoff. Really, it is. We here in Chicago obviously empathize. But the testimonials of how badly the team wanted this game, and how hard they came out and fought, sorta lose some steam when you consider this was a Bulls squad missing starting center Eddy Curry and both starting small forward Luol Deng and his replacement Andres Nocioni. As if that weren't enough, Tyson Chandler got tossed in the first quarter, leaving only nine players dressed with Adrian Griffin and Jared Reiner having to pick up more slack than they're used to.

On the plus side, beating the team they very well might face in the first round may give the Wizards a false sense of confidence when they have to go up against a more fully-manned squad.