(My Sportsbook) - Obviously if you reach the NBA Finals and take the eventual champs to six games you have to be considered a legitimate NBA title contender.

But, after watching the Boston Celtics torture the Los Angeles Lakers on the glass last June was Phil Jackson's club really all that close?

Without Andrew Bynum, the Lakers couldn't rebound or defend the pick-and-roll against the Celtics. Now that the 22-year-old phenom is back from a fractured kneecap suffered last January, Los Angeles looks much better equipped to take the next step.

At 7-foot-1 and 280 pounds, Bynum is a beast on the boards and easily the Lakers only top-tier rebounder. Pau Gasol puts up numbers but when it really comes down to pushing and shoving in big situations, the Spanish star is more likely to beg off when things get rough inside.

Bynum craves contact and has the size and strength to wilt the opposition. He also has the athleticism to show on the pick-and-roll and still scurry back to make a play from the weak-side if necessary.

While Bynum is still shaking off the cobwebs, he has shown flashes during the Lakers impressive 6-0 start. The New Jersey native still hasn't found his touch from the floor, shooting just 42.9 percent, but his presence allows Kobe Bryant and Gasol to freelance at the defensive end. A fact that isn't lost of Bynum, who understands his role despite his age and inexperience.

"You are always going to be able to hang in there when you play good defense in the fourth quarter," Bynum recently said.

TWO HORSE RACE

If anyone is going to challenge the Lakers in the Pacific Division this season, it's going to be the Phoenix Suns.

Questions engulfed the Suns during the offseason when the franchise decided to pull the plug on coach Mike D'Antoni and his seven-seconds-or-less offense in favor of the defensive-minded Terry Porter.

With Shaquille O'Neal on hand and in the twilight of a brilliant career, changing gears certainly made sense. While O'Neal is just a shell for his former MVP self and a third option here behind Amare Stoudemire and Steve Nash, he's still a formidable presence in a league desperate for legitimate big men.

O'Neal lacks offensive consistency these days. The big man logged a 29-point effort in Milwaukee Saturday but followed it up with just nine points on 3- for-8 shooting before fouling out on Monday vs. Memphis.

"When I get a lot of attempts I'm just going to keep shooting," O'Neal said after the Bucks game. "Guys are looking for me. Coach kept calling my name. We were just trying to make them double-team and they weren't doubling. If they did I was just trying to kick it out to my teammates."

Despite the up and down play, O'Neal still provides quite a presence in a half court game. The big man doesn't have the wheels to run the floor and clean up things in a run-and-gun offense, however.

Porter, whose 6-2 start is the best by a coach in franchise history, realizes that and Phoenix should be better off because of it.

HOME SWEET HOME

The Sacramento Kings looked like the worst team in basketball during a season- opening four-game road swing in which they lost all four by an average of nearly 20 points per game.

Of course swingman Francisco Garcia was out with a strained right calf, center Brad Miller was serving an NBA suspension and point guard Beno Udrih was battling his way through a left hip flexor injury. Still, 0-4 is what it is and excuses weren't going to help Reggie Theus find the win column.

The Oasis known as Arco Arena did, however.

The Kings missed out on a chance for a perfect four-game homestand Tuesday when Detroit's Allen Iverson posted a terrific all-around effort in getting his first win in a Pistons uniform. The diminutive one scored 30 points, dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds in Detroit's 100-92 victory over Sacramento.

The Kings played without their leading scorer, however, as Kevin Martin is expected to miss at least a week of action after spraining his left ankle against Golden State last week.

Now Theus and the Kings, who started the 2007-08 season 0-9 away from home, must prove they can win on the road.

They get started Wednesday against the 1-6 Los Angeles Clippers.

"It's very difficult to start off the season (with) four games on the road without two players that mean a lot to your team in Brad (Miller) and Francisco (Garcia)," Theus said last week. "(We have come) back and played really hard and showed that there's some pride there."

NELSON GAINS POWER

Things are certainly swinging Don Nelson's way in Oakland.

In a below the radar move, the Warriors announced the hiring of Larry Harris, the son of Del Harris, a longtime Nelson ally, as an assistant coach.

In the past two months, the Warriors have given Nelson a two-year extension, refused to extend general manager Chris Mullin's deal, fired Mullin compatriot Pete D'Alessandro and replaced him with Nelson's former assistant Larry Riley.

This latest move is just another indication that Nelson is the one calling the shots in Oakland.

On the court, the Warriors continue to struggle without the services of top scorers Monta Ellis and Corey Maggette but did manage to secure a 113-110 overtime win over the lowly Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

Stephen Jackson had 30 points, including the shot that sent the game into overtime and two clutch shots in the extra frame to lead the Golden State Warriors in a dramatic 113-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"We are a wounded team right now," said Jackson. "I have been getting doubled as the season started, more since guys got hurt and are not on the floor. Teams will keep doing that until we find a way to counter it. I can't be frustrated right now because it can be a domino effect for the whole team."

WINNING IS BETTER THAN LOSING

Especially when you have dropped six straight to start the season.

Mike Dunleavy's club finally got off the snide Sunday when Baron Davis scored a team-high 22 points and added 10 assists as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated a deflated Dallas Mavericks team, 103-92, at the Staples Center.

Al Thornton chipped in 17 points, while Chris Kaman added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Clippers, who snapped a six-game losing streak to start the season and 13-game losing skid overall, dating back to last season.

"It's great to win and it's a lot better than losing," Davis said. "Our young guys played great. We've been patient with each other and we're working together. We concentrated on rebounding today and Marcus Camby is working his way back into shape. We were able to pressure their defense. It just feels good to get a win."

Now the Clips must build on the win and the key to that seems to be keeping Davis and Camby on the floor together.

Dunleavy recently noticed that when Davis and Camby were on the court together, the Clippers have been outscored by a total of just 10 points. When Davis and Camby are both on the sidelines, the opposition goes wild, outscoring the Clips by 144 points.

The answer is obvious but keeping two veterans with a history of injuries on the court for 35-to-40 minutes a night is easier said than done.