The headbands were a nice touch to a real good teammate. (The Associated Press calls it Kevin Martin's idea.) But the better homage came from the young big man, Spencer Hawes, who had Brad Miller type game.

15 points on 11 FGAs, 7 rebounds, 3 assists.

The per-games for Miller's first All-Star season (in 2002-03 with Indiana): 13 points on 9 FGAs, 8 rebounds, 2.6 assists.

Hawes has plenty of room to grow — he's still getting outhustled and outstretched for 3-4 boards a night, he's got to learn how to defend slashers and penetrators without hacking, and his renowned flat-footed "jumper" isn't nearly as potent as advertised.

His successful plays aren't nearly as jawdropping as those from Thaddeus Young or Julian Wright or Jeff Green. But they're repeatable and show tremendous court vision and that so-called "feel" for the game. It shows up in breakaway layups. It shows up in easy buckets off broken plays (like driving the lane when Beno Udrih draws a double on the post). It shows up in blocks off opponent offensive rebounds.

Great game. Great potential.

Around the roster: