COAST TO COAST

The calendar has flipped to March, so we thumbed through the schedules. Actually our crack research staff did much of the thumbing -- thanks again, Dr. Adornato -- but the point is that it's time to start analyzing the stretch runs in both conferences to see who has the edges. And who doesn't. As covered in Dimedon last week, Detroit has the most favorable schedule in the East over the final seven weeks with just seven road games in that span. What we didn't realize then is that the Pistons actually have the most favorable remaining schedule of any contender, so long as you're still willing to call a team from the East that just lost seven in a row a contender. The following is a quickie breakdown of the schedules that stand out in each conference ... Click for more on why Jamal Mashburn deserves to be considered for Team USA and what Jermaine O'Neal and the Pacers are telling Ron Artest.

SLAMS AND DUNKS

Payton Thank you, East. Thank you for the reciprocity. Some ESPN.com sap had the temerity in December to call you "the deeper conference." The idea was billed as a Hanukkah present to NBA commissioner David Stern, who has downplayed the notion of imbalance, but there actually was some sense to the idea. Teams like Indiana (14-2) and Philadelphia (15-4) got off to magical starts and the conference as a whole surged to an early advantage in East vs. West matchups. Three short months later, the deeper conference is better described now as The Conference No One Wants To Win. Indiana recently lost six straight games and still managed to reclaim the No. 1 spot in the East standings because Detroit dropped its seventh straight Sunday night to cap an 0-5 swing out West. New Jersey has lost four of its past five games and Milwaukee, despite adding Gary Payton, lost three of its first four games with GP and is tied for eighth with injury-hit Washington at a game below .500. As a group, the East suddenly looks no stronger than it has the past few years. The West of 2002-03 was simply slower than usual -- slower to assert its dominance ... Click for more on the latest power forward to turn down the Mavericks, the Sonics' singing in the rain and the feud between Jason Kidd and Byron Scott.

Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, send Stein a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.