Nate Robinson and Carlos Boozer respond as they should (Getty Images)

Nate Robinson’s game-winning shot against the Brooklyn Nets should not result in an inappropriate amount of fawning. After all, this was a reserve guard on a team missing three starters and its two top reserves downing another mediocre team from a terrible Eastern Conference. Then again, those same absences made it so Nate’s Chicago Bulls seemed like the ultimate underdog, especially after they were doubled up by the Nets by a 26-13 score in the first period, clearly outmatched by the favored Nets.

A comeback ensued, though. And Robinson, taking a page out of the injured Derrick Rose’s missing playbook, launched a game-deciding floater. Watch:

Nets All-Star center Brook Lopez, who torched Chicago for 20 first-half points, then had a layup blocked by Bulls center Nazr Mohammed and a long right-corner jumper rim out in the final seconds, as the Bulls clinched the win.

Deke, Coco, and ... Kevin Willis doesn't have a nickname (Getty Images)

Not much to see here, just Dikembe Mutombo, Conan O’Brien, and Kevin Willis hanging out at the Atlanta Hawks/New York Knicks game on Wednesday night.

Nothing much to see here, save for business to business casual to casual going from left to right.

Nothing much to see here, save for Dikembe Mutombo looking exactly how he has for years, including his most recent commercial work, ebullient (though on the ready, defensively) as always. Or Conan O’Brien – sans makeup chair and elaborate backstage hair-styling – looking exactly as he does in his TBS promos, much less his TBS show. Or Kevin Willis still looking like he could fill in for the injured Zaza Pachulia off of the Hawks’ bench and hold his own at age 50.

Just three tall guys, all probably bored with the Hawks, hanging out.

Gary Payton drives on Avery Johnson as Shawn Kemp looks on (Getty Images)

According to NBA.com’s Scott Howard-Cooper, former SuperSonics, Bucks, Lakers, Celtics and Heat guard Gary Payton will be announced as one of the newest members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday. Payton, who retired in 2007 after 17 years in the league, won a championship ring as a member of the 2005-06 Heat. He was a nine-time All-Star, he appeared nine times on the All-Defensive team and also won the Defensive Player of the Year Award (a remarkable achievement for a lead guard) while working for his 1995-96 SuperSonics team.

That Seattle team won 64 games and made it to the NBA Finals before losing in six games to the 72-10 Chicago Bulls. Of Chicago’s 13 losses that season, regular season and playoffs included, Seattle beat the Bulls three times — more than any other team. With all due respect to Shawn Kemp’s offensive exploits, the defensive-minded Payton may have been the best player on the best team of the 3-point era to not win a championship.

We will have more coverage on GP’s career and induction in late summer, when he takes to Springfield.

Josh Smith perfects the message (Getty Images)

The questions regarding Josh Smith’s upcoming free agency have been in place for a long time, dating back over a year ago in anticipation of the 2012 trade deadline. That's partially because Smith’s age — 27 as he heads into free agency this summer — likely means he will be hitting his prime as an NBA player over the course of his next contract. Mostly, though, questions about his free-agent worth because we’re still not sure what type of player Smith is, nine (!) years into his NBA career.

He’s improved through the years, to be sure, but not to a superstar level despite superstar gifts. And though his shot selection, nearly a decade in, still makes you want to bang your head against the wall … is it possible that's due to the similar play-calling and coaching styles of Mike Woodson and Larry Drew? Does Smith merely need a change of stage? And what’s the deal with him going on record to declare himself worth a maximum contract?

ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne recently spoke with Smith for a very good feature. And she found a subject, because of his significant experience with this free-agent chatter, that was very clear and deliberate as he talked up why, exactly, he discusses his impending free agency the way he does.

"The question was asked to me, 'Do I feel like I'm a max player?'" Smith continued. "And I gave him an honest answer. I said, 'Yes I do.' And the reason why I say this, is because if you don't know your worth, who will? I can't set my standards low. If you set them low, that's how people are going to view you. Like when you sell a house, you don't sell the house for $2 million. You put the $5 million sticker on there … and then you work it out. You negotiate.

Kyrie Irving and Emeka Okafor are not enjoy the turn of spring (Getty Images)

Kyrie Irving, for a few quick minutes on Wednesday night, was thought to have just about had it with Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott. Following Cleveland’s 113-95 thumping at the hands of the Brooklyn Nets, Elyria Chronicle-Telegram Cavs scribe Rick Noland sent this out:

kyrie on whether scott has lost players: "I think you should ask him. I'm not going to be the one to answer that."

— Rick Noland MG/CT (@RickNoland) April 4, 2013

And that got around quickly. I even re-tweeted it for Ball Don’t Lie’s Twitter account. Could Irving, stuck in a 22-52 season and headed toward the lottery two years running, be frustrated with his coach? Were the musings of The News-Herald’s Bob Finnan, who wondered on Sunday if Scott would be around in 2013-14, correct? Eh, apparently not. Noland later apologized profusely for mishearing Irving, and confusing the word “him” for “them.” As in, “go ask Kyrie’s lacking teammates if they’ve quit on Scott.”

Still, the rancor rings. Irving came back from a painful shoulder injury on Sunday to join a Cavalier team that is in the midst of a 10-game losing streak, and the team appears to be getting no better. Already one of the league’s worst second half teams, the Cavs started Wednesday night down 30 points after the first two quarters to Brooklyn, with Irving (who flourished in his first game back) struggling with a 5-16 night. Hell, Deron Williams even dunked.

Denver Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson officially went down for an extended period of time last week, suffering from the same plantar fascia tear that sat down Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol for 5 1/2 weeks earlier this season. And though former reserve Andre Miller is a capable replacement, many of us wondered how the veteran would adapt as a starter for the go-go-go and go-again Nuggies. If his and Denver’s play since Lawson’s diagnosis is any evidence, things are going to be just fine for coach George Karl's team.

And the highlights, as we saw Wednesday during Denver’s 113-96 win over the Utah Jazz, should still be as plentiful. Watch:

By this guy’s eye-test, that’s a flat-footed 65-foot alley-oop to a player (Kenneth Faried, 19 points and eight rebounds in the win) who was open, but not exactly all by himself on the other side of the court. Expertly placed, Dre Miller.

Roy Hibbert dominated in a win over Los Angeles on Monday (Getty Images)

The Indiana Pacers are rolling. The team is soon to win the Central Division for the first time since 2004, the squad continues to churn out a devastating defensive attack, and coach Frank Vogel’s crew is back home in Indiana after an impressive road trip that saw the Pacers take games against the Rockets, Mavericks, Suns and Clippers in six days. The team has won eight of nine, only losing in a one-possession game on the road to the Bulls on the second night of a back to back.

And in anticipation of what could be a statement game, Indiana has three days “off” between Monday’s win over the Clippers and Friday’s home matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder, just a game in back of the San Antonio Spurs for the top spot in the West, smell blood in the water with Spurs guard Manu Ginobili out for at least the rest of the regular season. And though the Pacers are playing fantastic ball of late, the team is still tied for the second seed in the because of the New York Knicks’ impressive nine-game winning streak.

Needless to say, it’s a huge game. To everyone but ESPN, we should point out, who decided to dump the game in order to telecast Friday’s Miami Heat/Charlotte Bobcats contest; clinging to that telecast even though the Heat’s streak ended one week ago.

Taj Gibson girds those knees for game action (Getty Images)

If you’ve followed my coverage from afar of the Chicago Bulls through the years, you know where this is going. The team has a well-earned reputation for allowing players to come back from injury whenever they want. And in the case of seemingly everyone but star Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, this results in players attempting to “gut” through injuries, because guts are much, much dumber than brains.

From various members of last year’s famed Bench Mob to current rotation types like Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson, and especially Luol Deng; it’s clearly obvious that these workers aren’t at full strength and can use further time off, and yet the Bulls have given these players clearance to do what they want. Coach Tom Thibodeau’s insistence in keeping starters on the floor deep into one-sided games does not help things, either.

[Also: Lakers retire Shaquille O’Neal's No. 34 jersey]

Forward Taj Gibson did not sit out a month with an MCL sprain, as some in and outside the Bulls organization have reported. He took in 24 days of rest for an injury that can either be given a “two to four week” or “indefinite” time frame for return. And, after a week of playing on that left knee, Gibson likely re-sprained the MCL in a loss to the Wizards on Tuesday. Afterwards, he credited coming back too early for the setback. From ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell:

"That's what happens when you rush back and try to help your team win," a frustrated Gibson said after the Bulls' 90-86 loss to the Wizards.