NBA Roundup: AI's Got Nothin But Love For Ya

Notes on Tuesday's games in the National Basketball Association ...

• A Few Nuggets From AI. If you're like us, you have the feeling that Allen Iverson will be griping about the 76ers well into old age, even commissioning a parting shot or two be engraved on his tombstone. Something like, "On the whole, I'd rather not be in Philadelphia." If it were us, we would have shut up about it along about 1998. But then, we can't hit the 3 either. Iverson used up all his energy ripping his old team in pre-game, his Nuggets then going on to lose to the Sixers 108-97 in Denver. Iverson scored 30. But don't worry; he saved some vitriol for the officials ... it's all documented here. Whatever happens in Denver over the next couple of years, it's going to be fun.

• Remember Kids, Don't Do Drugs. Or Be Careful When Leaping. Or Something. It's always fun when the Dallas Mavericks are winning; Mark Cuban is in a good mood, and Dirk Nowitzki is making crazy-ass commercials in German. Nowitzki had 31 points and a season-high 15 rebounds, as the Mavericks won their 11th straight, 112-88 over the SuperSonics.

• Keep Getting Better, Big Boss Horse. Leandro Barbosa doesn't get letters from 58-year-old women in cat sweatshirts — we think — but he can win a game or two on the basketball court for you. His 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left won it for the Suns, 97-96 over the Bulls, on Tuesday. "They (showed) a lot of confidence in me; this was my biggest shot since playing for Brazil,'' said Barbosa, a member of the Brazilian national team.

• No Overtime For You, Isiah. Ron Artest continues putting the pedal to the metal, or something like that, as his career-high 39 points led the Kings over the Knicks 112-100 in beautiful Arco Arena in the River City. Actually it's not so lovely, unless cows are your thing. — RC