The Grizzlies can be maulers now. They had won four of five before contending with Tim Duncan, David Robinson & Co. on Sunday night.

"They had an aggressive first half, and then they kept coming at us later in the second half," said Duncan, who did his best to dissuade the young Grizzlies with 27 points, 18 boards and seven blocks on the way to the Spurs' 83-79 victory.

"A lot of times young players will stop playing hard when they get a couple of their shots blocked," said Robinson, who had two blocks. "They kept coming."

During Media Day in 1997 to usher in the new season, Jerry Krause, general manager of the Chicago Bulls, was questioned by reporters wondering how the franchise would fare once Michael Jordan retired.

"Players don't win championships," Krause responded. "Organizations win championships."

Krause was trying to convey that becoming a championship-caliber team isn't as simplistic as being lucky enough to land a superstar. An organization must be astute at talent evaluation to bring in role players.

And the right coach is needed to guide the personnel.

Despite those valid points, Krause's words revealed jealousy that Jordan received most of the glory for Chicago's success during the 1990s.

But after forcing Coach Tim Floyd to resign last week, Krause confirmed that Chicago's six titles had little to do with his vision.

Krause, who inherited Jordan after Rod Thorn selected him in 1985, must have compromising pictures of owner Jerry Reinsdorf. That's as good an explanation as any for why Krause remains in power.

The Bulls are a case study that rebuilding is fraught with perils that can set a team back for years. But more than anything, it shows that management, which misconstrues fortune for brilliance, can turn a once-proud franchise into a laughingstock.

Krause's master plan began after the Bulls won the 1998 title. He decided not to re-sign Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Coach Phil Jackson.

Looking toward the future can be prudent, but Krause's initially questionable decisions have turned out to be stupefying.

Over the summer, Krause traded for Charles Oakley, ostensibly to help groom Chicago's younger players.

Last season, Oakley slapped two opposing players in separate incidents. It wasn't long before Oakley made derisive public comments about Floyd that brought a $50,000 fine.

Before the 2001 draft, Chicago traded Elton Brand to the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 2 pick, which turned out to be Tyson Chandler, a high-school star. Unless Chandler becomes the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the move borders on incompetence.

The 22-year-old Brand averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds during his first two seasons. And almost as significant, Brand was a classy player with a strong work ethic who showed optimism about Chicago's future.

Most players would have demanded a trade after Chicago's summer of 2000, when everything was supposed to come together like a finished Rubik's cube.

The Bulls had millions to offer to Grant Hill, Tim Duncan and Tracy McGrady.

But players like Glen Rice used the Bulls to get more financial attention elsewhere. And Chicago had to overpay Ron Mercer, whose NBA career achievement consists of scoring for losing teams.

Krause deserves credit for contributing to Chicago's championships with some prudent moves: fleecing the Sonics in the Olden Polynice-for-Pippen trade; hiring Phil Jackson out of the CBA; selecting Horace Grant in the 1987 draft; and dealing Oakley for center Bill Cartwright despite Jordan's objections.

Although Reinsdorf has been overlooked in Chicago's troubles, the aloof owner deserves almost as much blame as Krause. Reinsdorf sided with Krause while passing on hiring Jordan into management upon retirement.

And in the summer of 1996, Reinsdorf showed that ego and arrogance are part of his organization's culture.

Jordan became a free agent after the Bulls defeated the Sonics in the 1996 NBA Finals. Jordan had been the NBA's best bargain during the first four championships before Chicago signed him to a record one-year deal for $33 million.

"We shook hands, but one comment stuck with me when we left," Jordan recalled in a revealing interview years ago with the New Yorker. "And I lost total respect for (Reinsdorf) when he said it: 'I know I'm going to regret what we just did.' "

Now, Bulls fans regret Krause's philosophy that organizations win championships.

The two Jerrys have shown that in Chicago's case it was mostly the players ? especially someone named Michael Jordan.

MILWAUKEE ? The rock 'n' roll beat isn't about to let up.

The Spurs have been racing pall mall the past couple of games against the Milwaukee Bucks and Dallas Mavericks.

They lost both, and both were at the Alamodome.

The feverish tempo continues tonight at the Bradley Center, and again against the hot-shooting Bucks.

Before Sunday, the Spurs' 3-point shooting ? which has been the best in the league almost all season ? provided the perfect complement to Duncan's inside scoring. In the losses to Dallas and Milwaukee, however, the Spurs missed a combined 30 of 43 3-pointers.

"We've shot in the mid-30s (percentage-wise) the last two games," Popovich said. "And if you do that at home, you're probably going to have a little bit of a problem winning."

Talking about the herculean performance by the Mavericks against a Hercules-type player in San Antonio's Tim Duncan. They'll be talking about how the Mavericks stood toe-to-toe with one of the NBA's powers-that-be and still somehow found a way to escape with a 126-123 victory Wednesday in overtime.

They'll be talking about the 3-pointer by Steve Nash with six-tenths of a seconds remaining in overtime, the basket that sent the Mavericks (19-9) dancing merrily to their seventh consecutive victory. They'll also be talking about the 3-pointer by backup point guard Tim Hardaway that tied the game at 123-all with 29.4 seconds remaining.

A chance, however, was also all that Dallas needed. In a wildly thrilling game that seemed destined to end with the final shot ? and almost did ? Steve Nash hit a 3-pointer with six-tenths of a second left as the Mavericks overcame a career-best 53 points from Duncan to beat the Spurs 126-123 in overtime in front of a dazed crowd of 20,667.

"If I had missed all my shots and we had won," Duncan said, sitting dejected in front of his locker, "I would be happier than I am now."

DALLAS - The Mavericks will be remembering more than the Alamo when they tangle with the San Antonio Spurs at 7 tonight at the Alamodome.

They'll probably remember that this is the place where their improbable playoff run ended last season. They'll probably also remember that, counting the playoffs, the Spurs have beaten them 19 of the past 24 times these teams have met.

Despite all that as a backdrop, Mavericks coach Don Nelson tried to downplay the significance of tonight's game.

AP reports there was a three-alarm fire at San Antonio's Alamadome Tuesday, causing about $100,000 in damage.  

The Spurs had to move their practice to Trinity University, which is perhaps a more apppropriate place to spend Christmas Day.

Officials say the fire isn't expected to affect Wednesday's game against Dallas.

The takes regarding San Antonio (has a 20-5 team ever been so dissed?) may leave the batter hitting 0-fer, as the Mavs, who visit their Midwest-ruling foes on Wednesday, could be about to find out. Milwaukee followed its lost last week at Dallas with a 101-91 victory at San Antonio, so it can be done. And there are some holes in the roster. But consider:
     Duncan?s destiny is Magic? The Duncan Derby, the anticipation for his free-agent availability in 2003, is a behind-the-scenes focus of every move made in Orlando and in Dallas. If Tim finds Dallas appealing because of the Texas Trio, and he finds Orlando appealing because of Hill-McGrady, wouldn?t he find SA even more attractive if the partnership he?s developed with Robinson is someday continued with a new running mate?

"That," Robinson said, "was a typical San Antonio-Milwaukee game."

Translation: San Antonio lost.

The Spurs' NBA-best 10-game winning streak came to an end Sunday night, and the names of their assailants should come as no surprise. Sam Cassell scored a season-high 33 points, and Glenn Robinson added 30 more to lead the Bucks to a 101-91 victory ? their fifth straight over the Spurs ? in front of 24,708.