By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

A FINALS WORTH REMEMBERING

Can you believe it?

Can you believe the New Jersey Nets and San Antonio Spurs are playing in the NBA Finals? This season?

And are these the two teams you picked to play for a championship way back in October?

I sure didn't. I think I predicted a matchup of Sacramento and Philadelphia. Or was it the Lakers and Milwaukee? I honestly can't remember. The only thing I know for sure is I sure didn't pick the Nets and the Spurs.

In fact, if I remember correctly, all anyone ever talked about before the season was the Lakers and the Kings. Everybody was predicting a rematch of last year's Western Conference finals, and saying how the Kings might finally be ready to overtake the Lakers.

But the Spurs? Well, nobody said much about them.

And the Nets? Their run through the East was just a fluke, claimed the critics. No way would the Nets get back to the Finals.

But here they are -- the Nets and the Spurs.

And there's plenty to get excited about if you love the NBA. From San Antonio's Tim Duncan vs. New Jersey's Kenyon Martin, to the Nets' Jason Kidd vs. the Spurs' Tony Parker. Or if you're a real nut like me, you're even anticipating the Kerry Kittles-Bruce Bowen matchup at shooting guard.

Most of the talk in this series surrounds Kidd, who will be a free agent at the end of the season -- and supposedly will be courted by the Spurs. But allow me to be the first to tell you that Kidd isn't going anywhere. He'll be back with New Jersey next year.

Still, the Kidd-Parker battle at point guard will make an interesting sideshow.

Of course, I'm even more curious to see how Duncan and Martin fare in the low post. Duncan is the most fundamentally-sound big man in the game, and Martin is one of the most athletic -- and definitely the most hyperactive. Talk about contrasting styles.

Finally, what no one seems to be saying about these Finals is that the Nets and the Spurs could meet again next year.

Hey, why not?

Spurs guards Stephen Jackson and Manu Ginobili will only get better with age and experience, as will Nets forward Richard Jefferson and center Jason Collins.

Obviously, the Spurs will need to replace retiring center David Robinson -- who doesn't put up the numbers of his prime, but is still effective, especially when it matters most. And both teams might need to do some minor tinkering with their benches.

But the Nets and the Spurs? In the Finals again? It could happen.

Look no further than this year's Finals for proof.

FINALS NOTES

-- In case you missed it, the Nets' flight to San Antonio before Game 1 had some of the players thinking about a career that didn't involve travel. Turbulence for the flight was so bad that Nets guard Lucious Harris wasn't sure there would even be a Finals. "It was one of three flights that I felt like, 'Hey, it's all over,'" Harris told the Bloomberg News. But after circling the airport a few times, the plane finally landed safely.

-- The Nets' troubles remind me of the story about how an airplane carrying the Lakers in the late 1950s was forced to land in an Iowa cornfield. Current Jazz broadcaster Hot Rod Hundley was on that team, and he once recalled how the cornfield was blanketed with snow, which cushioned the Lakers' arrival. Of course, Hundley is a native of West Virginia, and word has it that most of the state's newspapers ran the same headline the next day: "Lakers' plane crashes -- HUNDLEY OK!"

-- For more on the Lakers' frightening flight and other stories of the NBA's early years, be sure to check out Terry Pluto's magnificent book, "Tall Tales."

-- Anyway, back to the Finals ... don't be surprised if the Nets win at least one game on San Antonio's home court. But don't think it will bother the Spurs, who have been the league's best road team in the playoffs.

LOTS OF COACHING TALK

-- Just last week, I wrote that the Pistons would be crazy to get rid of Rick Carlisle as coach. Well, guess what? The Pistons are crazy. I don't understand why a team would fire a guy whose team overachieved for two straight seasons, then made it all the way to the conference finals. It's even more insane when you consider Carlisle's Pistons beat his replacement's team in the playoffs. And I would argue that the lineup of his replacement (Larry Brown) was more talented! Brown is a very good coach, but Rick Carlisle is better. The Pistons will end up regretting this move.

-- Wasn't it just plain weird how Carlisle sat with Pistons director of basketball operations Joe Dumars at the post-firing press conference? This was a bad plan, and it was poorly handled to boot. Guess there's a reason reader Mark Lazerus has taken to calling the Pistons, "Duh-troit."

-- If the Pistons thought Carlisle was too rigid, just wait until they get a load of Brown. That's no knock on Brown, who clearly is one of the game's great minds. But he is very controlling, and it's almost as if he expects the players to perform like robots. Again, that's not always a bad thing -- but I don't see how it's any better than Carlisle's approach.

-- I'm not trying to trash the Pistons, but they sure set themselves up for some criticism. The thing that bothers me most is there was never really any reason given for firing Carlisle. Know why? The Pistons couldn't think of one, other than they just wanted to hire Brown.

-- Carlisle is expected to interview with Washington and the Clippers, and he'd be the best thing that's ever happened to either of them.

-- The Clippers also interviewed Mike Dunleavy and Mike Fratello, but I'm not so sure either of those guys is more deserving than Dennis Johnson, who coached the team on an interim basis last season.

-- It seems everyone has forgotten about Golden State and Eric Musselman. By that, I mean the Warriors did the right thing by finding a good young assistant, rather than chasing down some veteran who's currently working as a color commentator. Musselman is proof that a guy doesn't need to be a big name -- he only needs to know the game.

-- Thankfully, Toronto and Philadelphia are taking this approach, as both teams are going after the league's top assistants. New Jersey's Eddie Jordan will be a head coach somewhere next season, and rightfully so. Also, the 76ers are looking at Larry Brown assistant and former NBA guard Mike Woodson.

-- Meanwhile, Houston will probably land Jeff Van Gundy, and while I think he's a little overrated, Van Gundy would be a great fit with the Rockets. The only thing the Rockets need is to learn how to play under control, and that's Van Gundy's specialty.

-- One team that's been left out of all this coaching talk is Atlanta. That's mostly because the Hawks are in the middle of an ownership change. They are also waiting to see where everyone lands before they start pursuing people. Doug Collins is one possibility.

-- Reader Barry Richardson e-mailed to ask if I thought Lenny Wilkens might resurface. I highly doubt it -- at least, I doubt Wilkens will resurface as a coach. Some teams have reportedly asked him if he'd be interested in becoming their general manager or president of basketball operations. One other report had the Wizards hiring Wayne Embry as GM, and Embry hiring Wilkens as coach, reuniting the two men who had a good thing going in Cleveland 10 years ago. But that's pure speculation.

-- Finally, I've written it a million times and I'll do it again. I think the Cavaliers hire the best available coaching candidate in Paul Silas. He's bright, his players work their tails off, and he doesn't allow off-the-court stuff to distract his team's mission. It's been a great offseason for the Cavaliers, and to think it all began with a return to the old colors of wine and gold.

-- Reader Marc James took issue with me saying Silas was the best candidate. James wrote, "Silas is NOT a great coach. He is constantly praised for getting his team to the playoffs for four straight years, but the Hornets never got to to the conference finals, they never got over that hump. Silas also seems to accept losing, saying things like, 'Well, we were tired. This is to be expected.' What kind of coach takes a stance that it's OK TO LOSE? Players love him, but the fact of the matter is he has had nothing but mediocre success."

-- True, Silas never got the Hornets to the conference finals, but he did take a team that had no business going anywhere to the playoffs, and he did it consistently. Before Silas, Jamal Mashburn was a good pro. Now Mashburn is an all-star. That tells me Silas knows how to motivate (especially when it comes to defense, because Mashburn acted like that aspect of the game was a mere rumor before Silas came along). Silas coached the Hornets and Clippers, meaning he's worked for the two wackiest owners in the NBA. I'll be shocked if New Orleans doesn't take a step back without him.

-- Finally, isn't it neat how everyone else is moving around, but Jerry Sloan will be back for what seems like his 100th season in Utah? The Jazz don't fire coaches, and there's something to be said for the stability they provide for their front office, players, fans.

DRAFT TALK

-- Players to keep an eye on during the Chicago pre-draft camp: Pitt point guard Brandin Knight; Boston College point guard Troy Bell; Creighton forward Kyle Korver; Kentucky guard Keith Bogans; Tennessee forward Ron Slay; and Duke guard Dahntay Jones. All are on the brink of the first round, and their play here will go a long way in determining if they actually make it.

-- North Dakota big man Jerome Beasley was very impressive at the Portsmouth (Va.) Invitational, as his 6-foot-10 frame and soft shooting touch remind some scouts of a poor man's Tim Duncan. Not bad for a kid who played Division II ball. Beasley is also participating in the Chicago camp.

-- Brigham Young guard Travis Hansen also gave a strong showing in Portsmouth, and could be a first-round sleeper. Hansen has great range on his shot and is extremely aggressive on defense.

-- This draft will be especially deep at point guard. Among the names you could hear called in the first round are Texas' T.J. Ford, Oregon's Luke Ridnour, Arizona's Jason Gardner, San Diego State's Tony Bland, and Brazilian Leandrinho Barbosa, who might be the best of them all.

-- Be sure to check out the mock drafts on two of my favorite Web sites: Inside Hoops (www.insidehoops.com) and NBA Draft Net (www.nbadraft.net).

FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- Anyone else tired of hearing the phrase "coaching carousal?" Just like for almost everything else, I blame ESPN.

-- The worst thing that's happened to the NBA in my lifetime? Teams being given trophies and banners for winning CONFERENCE championships. Whenever I see a team celebrating a conference title, I immediately turn off the the television. One thing is for sure, I don't ever remember seeing Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, or Magic Johnson dancing around until they got a ring.

-- It might be hard for Memphis fans to accept, but the Grizzlies are reportedly trying to move swingman Shane Battier. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Grizzlies and Bulls are discussing a Battier-for-Marcus Fizer trade. The Jazz are also said to be interested in obtaining Battier.

-- In 2001, the Boston Celtics promised Tony Parker they would draft him with their 21st pick if he was still available. Instead, the Celtics drafted Joseph Forte, and Parker went 28th to the Spurs. Orlando (No. 22) and Utah (No. 24) are two other teams that worked out Parker then took a pass.

-- Denver general manager Kiki Vandeweghe told the Denver Post is trying to trade for another first-round pick. The Nuggets currently own the No. 3 selection, and are expected to use it on Syracuse forward Carmelo Anthony.

-- Look for Denver to be awarded the All-Star Game for the 2005 or 2006 season. And golly, isn't that just what the NBA needs? Twenty-four all-stars gasping for air in the middle of the first quarter because of the high altitude. I'm getting winded just thinking about it. All in fun, of course.

-- I promise to get back to publishing your thoughts next week, and will surely have more to say on coaching changes and the draft. In the meantime, enjoy the Finals, and keep those e-mails coming!

NEWSLETTER NOTES

-- I'm happy to announce that the Amico Report is quickly approaching 11,000 readers. So I just wanted to say thanks for signing up your friends. Make sure to tell them everyone from NBA commissioner David Stern to my very own mother receives it, and most of all, that it will always be free.

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