Alan Hahn's hot shots

While the Cavaliers roll, the two teams best built to challenge Cleveland seem to be dealing with some inner turmoil. It started when Rajon Rondo suggested last week that there might be some chemistry issues in the Celtics' locker room. "I think we've just got to be a team with no agendas," he said.

"In the locker room, you can feel it," he added. He said he doesn't "feel like it's the same continuity and camaraderie" the Celtics had during their championship season in 2007-08. "It was a crazy spirit in the locker room," he said. "But now it doesn't feel the same."

Doc Rivers tried to downplay Rondo's comments and said the young guard was merely repeating things Rivers said to him in a recent conversation. But it's quite obvious that with Kevin Garnett - the heart- and-soul leader of that team - nowhere near 100 percent, the Celtics are missing something.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the rivalry, Pau Gasol's sarcastic remark after Kobe Bryant became the Lakers' all-time leading scorer - "I congratulate him," he told the Orange County Register. "Now we can focus on winning games again" - sparked concerns of brewing issues between the two All-Stars. Gasol elaborated on his frustration that the Lakers don't look to get the ball inside more often.

Bryant's shot selection and volume once again have become a topic of great debate around the Lakers.

Clippers deny

interest in Isiah

The Clippers on Friday quickly denied a report earlier in the day that said the team had reached out to former Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas about replacing Mike Dunleavy, who stepped down as coach Thursday. The report, by FoxSports.com, said the Clippers had plans to hire Thomas as general manager and coach.

ESPNLosAngeles.com cited two senior Clippers executives who denied the report and any interest in Thomas. "We haven't called him," one source told the Web site, "and we're not planning on calling him."

The situation, however, provided another opportunity for Thomas to become a punch line throughout the NBA for a few short hours. But while he bides his time as coach at Florida International University, there is little doubt that Thomas' goal is to get back into the NBA in the near future. Those close to him say the Hall of Fame point guard and two-time NBA champion is determined to restore his name at this level.

Security breach

Rudy Fernandez was standing outside the huddle during a timeout late in a game in Dallas on Jan. 30 when he felt arms around his waist. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but the voice is what stunned him. "Rudy, I love you," a woman's voice said. "Nice to meet you. Good game."

A perplexed Fernandez replied, "What?"

Apparently, the woman and her friend slipped past security at American Airlines Center and got all the way to the Portland Trail Blazers' bench. According to the Oregonian, the women were escorted by security off the court, but incredibly, they were allowed to return to their seats for the rest of the game, which went into overtime.

The Blazers were furious. Fernandez laughed off the incident, but he admitted he was scared for a few moments and even thought of the time tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a spectator in 1993.