Heat coach Pat Riley is frustrated with the officiating in the NBA and he repeated his criticism of what he feels is a bias against his team yesterday. Harvey Fialkov of the Sun-Sentinel reports that Riley labeled the officiating during Monday?s loss to the Pacers as "absolutely one-sided".

Riley said that his team drove hard to the basket 32 times to Indiana's 19, yet the Heat finished 18 of 23 from the line to the Pacers' 26 of 39, including a 16-7 attempts edge in the fourth quarter. His Miami team is 27th in the league in free throws attempted, ahead of only the Sonics and the Knicks.

"We can't overcome the inconsistencies of those calls when the games are equal," Riley said. "Both styles are equal, so it's perplexing for me. I can stand here and complain about it, but unless the officials make a consistent effort to call the game collectively or equally, we'll be on the short end of the stick."

After Miami?s loss to the Sixers on Saturday in which Philadelphia out-shot the Heat from the line by a 35-17 margin, Riley only smiled and said, "I'll tell you one thing, Caron Butler was fouled just as many times as Allen Iverson."

In both games, which were lost in the fourth quarter, Indiana and Philadelphia combined to take 74 free throws to the Heat's 40. "We can't win that way," Riley said. "I'm not saying we don't deserve it. We deserve the calls and last night's whistle was one-sided, absolutely one-sided."

Riley was fined $50,000 in December when he criticized the officiating and referee Steve Javie in particular. "It's giving us absolute delight to watch you and your team die," Riley said were Javie's words during a disagreement.

When is an injured player who may never play again a valuable trade asset? In the luxury tax era of the NBA. Robbi Pickeral of the Pioneer Press reports that the Timberwolves are looking to deal injured point guard Terrell Brandon even though his knee may force him to retire.

Officially, the Wolves say that they are not shopping Brandon. Owner Glen Taylor said that trading the 32-year old point guard is "not part of our plans at the current time. Right now, he's either going to play next year or he's not going to play next year.''

But Pickeral writes that team sources said that there are teams interested in Brandon and his contract. The reason? If he retires because of the injury, the team that holds his contract will save money against the cap. While the Wolves would love to lower their team salary, they would also welcome the chance to trade Brandon for a player or players that could help them win now.

If Brandon retires and is deemed physically unable to perform by an independent NBA doctor, his team could apply for and receive salary cap relief two years after the injury, which in this case was February 2002.

Players mentioned as possible trade targets: Atlanta?s Theo Ratliff and Heat starters Eddie Jones or Brian Grant.

"I do believe there's trade value, and you could probably get a fairly good player, a player that could contribute, but a player that's overpaid,'' said TNT analyst Danny Ainge, a former NBA player and coach.

Ron Artest did his best to shake the Heat last night. His antics helped fire up his Pacers and led them to a come from behind 102-95 victory in Miami. Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald reports that Artest?s inappropriate acts may have left a bad taste in the mouth of the Heat, but their collapse in the fourth quarter hurt even more.

In the first quarter, after a technical foul called on Heat rookie Caron Butler who was protesting Artest?s physical play, Artest walked over to the Heat bench and had words with Pat Riley. The coach did not take kindly to what Artest had to say.

In the fourth quarter, after picking up a flagrant foul for shoving Butler out of bounds while chasing a loose ball, Artest got into more trouble with the Heat bench.

After hitting a layup while being fouled by Brian Grant, Artest walked in front of the Heat bench flexing his right arm. Miami assistant coach Keith Askins had some words for Artest. When Artest turned to confront Askins, Riley steped in and a crowd gathered.

Artest was assessed a technical foul for his display.

''I just flexed my muscles,'' Artest said. 'I'm 250 [pounds] -- I should be able to flex my muscles when I want to. [Askins] said, `Don't come over here doing that.' ''

Riley was not pleased with Artest?s act. ''The league ought to deal with that,'' Riley said. ``That's crazy. I mean, I scream like crazy. I scream at officials and I scream at my players. I never have ever talked to an opposing player, and I don't want anybody talking to me or coming over to my bench. That's not the way it is, and the officials are supposed to take care of that. That's how things get out of control. If they don't handle it early, it can get really ugly. From that standpoint, I think it's wrong.

After making his free throw, Artest raised both hands and held up his middle finger.

''It's just a bunch of [junk], really,'' Grant said. ``Ron just needs to play. We have the same agent. I respect his hard work and hard play, but he just needs to cool that out. Ain't nobody buying it.''

Don't expect to see the same Atlanta Hawks this time next month.

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Hawks are a team in turmoil, with everyone from interim coach Terry Stotts, who is 3-10 since taking over, to GM Pete Babcock feeling the heat from owners AOL Time Warner over the team's lack of performance and lack of interest from the community.

Smith writes that just about any Hawk could be had as this year's trade deadline looms, with Atlanta - who is in luxury tax waters - preferring ending contracts in an effort to get under the cap to allow them to start over.

"I can't accept it," said longtime president Stan Kasten. "If this keeps up, there will be more changes. I can tell you we're actively looking at everything."

One move that Smith writes could occur involves the Hawks and the Heat, with Miami acquiring Shareef Abdur-Rahim for the disabled Alonzo Mourning.  The logic behind the move is Abdur-Rahim would be better than anyone the Heat could get in free agency with their $7 million in expected cap space, and that isn't expected to increase unless the team can dump the contracts of either/both Brian Grant and Eddie Jones.  Thus far their have been no bites, but the Bulls continue to show interest in Jones.

Another option for the Hawks could be the Trailblazers, with Scottie Pippen and his expiring $19 million contract the drawing card.

Miami coach Pat Riley declared before the season started that the Heat were in rebuilding mode. Everyone pointed to the Summer of 2003 as when the Heat would use their massive cap room to sign the big-name free agents needed to get themselves back on track. Israel Gutierrez of the Miami Herald reports that it may not be that easy.

He estimates that the Heat may have only $6 million in cap space to work with this Summer. Not enough to make a dent in the free agent market. In order to have the money to turn the team around, they will have to deal Brian Grant and/or Eddie Jones. Both Grant and Jones entered this season, their third with the Heat, knowing the organization's No. 1 priority was to have cap room for 2003-04.

Grant accepts the business of the NBA.

''My philosophy changed after a couple years,'' Grant said. ``You go out there and do everything that they ask me to do, first of all. Then there are other things you know you've got to do extra. And if you do that and look at yourself in the mirror, you've just got to know that you did all that you can do. You can do all that and still get traded.''

Jones is taking a similar approach.

''I don't really care,'' Jones said. ``The only thing you can control is what you can do on the court. If it happens, it happens. So what. That's my attitude.''

With big-money contracts that run through the 2007 season, neither player will be easy to deal. Riley has denied a couple of rumors involving his stars, but they are being shopped. ''They're out there,'' one Eastern Conference general manager said. ``And it's pretty clear to most that [the Heat is] looking for less years in return.''

But is there much interest in either player?

''No,'' the GM said. ``Other teams are probably thinking in the same terms as Miami, so they won't take on either of those salaries. The good teams already have quality players at those positions or don't want to pay that much for role players.''

With a quick flip of the hand as he walked off the court, purple and teal streamers falling all around him, Caron Butler dismissed the 48 minutes of basketball that was just completed.

The Heat had just lost its fifth straight, this one coming 92-76 to the Utah Jazz at the Delta Center, and the Heat rookie was the face of the team's frustrations.

Playing without leading scorer Eddie Jones for the fourth straight game, the Heat got off to a poor start and was unable to fully recover. Heat coach Pat Riley warned that his young players would be taught a lesson against the precise Jazz offense, but this young team is tired of learning lessons.

"We are trying to execute, get back on defense and just play how we play," said Butler, who led Miami with 19 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. "I have no idea what's going on."

Matt Harpring is the master of a technique so simple, so obviously effective, that it's a marvel others don't emulate it: the layup.

He got nine of them ? and one dunk that may or may not have been a "statement"?and scored 31 points as his Utah Jazz defeated the Miami Heat, 92-76, Friday night at the Delta Center.
     
Over and over, Harpring knifed into the heart of the Heat defense to make shots that had the Miami players frustrated. At one point, Miami forward Brian Grant got so peeved over yet another Harpring layup that he whacked the Jazz forward in the back as he ran past him upcourt.
     
Naturally, Harpring's teammates deserve credit for getting the ball to him when he got open, and he paid them their due.
     
"Like I've said all year, it's fun playing with Karl (Malone) and John (Stockton) and Mark (Jackson)," he said. "I just cut, and they find me. It makes it easy on me."

The Jazz toyed with the Heat Friday night, and they nearly got burned.

The final scored made it look easy -- Utah 92, Miami 76 -- and things started out that way at the Delta Center as the Jazz jumped to an early 21-point lead.

But in between that fast start and late surge was an ugly stretch where the shorthanded Heat pulled to within three points of the Jazz.

"You get yourself in a situation where you get too casual for two or three plays," Utah coach Jerry Sloan said, "and there they are."

It's not exactly Babe Ruth delivering a home run for a dying boy, but Matt Harpring didn't disappoint his growing army of fans Friday night. Not with his 31 points, or the seven rebounds or the three steals, all of which helped power the Jazz to their ninth win in 11 games, 92-76 over Miami. No, Harpring did something even more amazing.
   
He dunked.
   
Well, sort of.
   
A two-handed, half-hearted semi-slam, the sort that Shaquille O'Neal would be embarrassed to claim -- "You think I'll be on ESPN?" Harpring joked afterward -- capped the third 30-point effort of his Jazz career and fulfilled the wishes of a Junior Jazz crowd the Utah forward addressed in Provo the night before.