So, yeah, I'm back. Kind of. There are no second acts in American lives, but you are allowed to write game recaps, apparently. I’m writing BtB Monday through Friday along with a few more Ball Don’t Lie posts plus a weekly column for Yahoo! Sports. 

Los Angeles Lakers 104, Miami 94

It doesn't really make any sense to try and look forward to the sort of future the Miami Heat will make for itself in the coming months, a lot of the team's potential depends on whether or not Shawn Marion opts out of his contract this summer, and given the paucity of teams with available cap space, an opt-out isn't what we'd call a sure thing.

It's worth hoping that the Heat passes on signing Marion (as underrated a talent as this game boasts, but still ...) to a contract extension without holding his feet to the fire a bit, but that's a story for another Monday. Probably in July.

What is worth talking about is the way Pat Riley has made this lot watchable again. Shaquille O'Neal's presence on the bench shouldn't have been an excuse for Miami's lethargic play, and the national TV exposure probably had a bit to do with the turnaround, but it was nice to see Miami getting into the swing of things on Sunday. Enjoying itself, trapping, running to an extent, and laying the groundwork for what should be an entertaining second half of the season in south Florida.

Yeah, the Lakers should have rolled (if Los Angeles hits a solid percentage of its open three-pointers, Phil Jackson's crew wins by at least 20), but the signs were there.

And Pat Riley, once a high heel who had been ground down by a series of championship-wise but pound-foolish moves made before the 2005-06 season, has bought himself a bit more time and made things a little more interesting for both Heat employers and observers.

Boston 98, San Antonio 90

I'd like to see how the Spurs come out of the All-Star break before freaking out too much, but there are a lot of failings about this team that don't look like they could be covered up with some makeup, a lie about a thyroid problem, and the return of Tony Parker. 

This is a team that features a cast of older players who, besides Manu Ginobili, appears to have trouble getting low-percentage perimeter shots off while under duress ... much less making them. But I'll have to stop here, because if any team is bound to prove us wrong, it'd have to be San Antonio. Until the buzzer sounds and the ledger reveals that they've lost four games in seven to an opponent in the postseason, they're still the favorite.

Paul Pierce is a stud. He gets to the line, he creates shots, and Boston personnel boss Danny Ainge has done a fantastic job creating a bench full of heady players with great, great hands. Weird transition, I submit, but: Glen Davis (nine points, eight boards, three steals in 33 minutes), James Posey and Tony Allen tough to get around. So is the idea of getting a tattoo on your neck, but that's between Eddy Curry and his buddy James.

Detroit 113, Charlotte 87

Detroit: legitimately 12-deep, incredibly good defensively.

Being good at defense - concentrate here, because this is super-important - also sometimes leads to good opportunities on offense. Detroit managed a pro-rated 125.6 points per 100 possessions against the Bobcats on Sunday, and that's worth shoving a barista over. Seriously, you make a good hourly wage. You make four times what a server at a restaurant makes. You handed me a cup of hot water and asked me to pick my own tea bag out of a box on my side of the counter. Why am I supposed to give you more than the eighty cents you just handed me? It's idiots like you that give excuses to cheap, a-hole Reservoir Dogs-quoting mugs to leave next-to-nothing as a tip for servers and bartenders that actually deserve a tip. Seriously, I hate you, and I hate your bangs. And now, because the Pistons are super-efficient offensively, it's cool to shove you.

Hey, Todd? In the apron! Yeah ... you ready for this noise?

New Jersey 101, Dallas 82

At this point in the team's disastrous season, the Nets should know what an inspired bit of sleepwalking looks like, so it was nice to see New Jersey pounce all over a Dallas team that really wanted nothing to do with playing any sort of sport on Sunday night.

The Nets overplayed on shooters, worked like mad (like mad, I say!) to take down Dallas' screen/roll "attack," and generally played the sort of balls-out D that we came to expect out of New Jersey from 2001-06.

Dallas' starting backcourt of Jose Juan Barea and Eddie Jones combined for a Cavalier-esque two points in 37 minutes. Dallas' entire team is apparently quite excited for the four-day break in the NBA season that commences this Friday.

Toronto 105, Minnesota 82

Give the Timberwolves credit, the team had a whole lot of chances to pack things up at any point during the game's first three quarters, but Minnesota kept moving the ball, kept trying to catch up with Toronto's half-court brilliance, and didn't take many possessions off.

Of course, this doesn't matter much, considering how much the Timberwolves suck at this point; but on a night (and, as you'll see, "on a week ...") when 25 teams are sleepwalking their way to the All-Star break, the Wolves kept trying in spite of what turned into a blowout.

Toronto's spacing is so good at this point; you get the feeling that even Darrick Martin would have room to get a few airballs off in that offense.

Denver 113, Cleveland 83

A crummier defense in relation to last year's model + a pitiful and unimaginative offense that seems lucky to score 70 on some nights even with the league's most potent offensive force on the team = this horrible, horrible game.

Seriously, even with some Cavalier rotation parts out ... if this sort of result was surprising to you, then you're the type of person who probably giggles and claps out loud when someone uploads seven-year old clips of Chris Berman dropping f-bombs on YouTube. Guess what, snark-masters? Your Dad's probably an even bigger mug than the sweaty guy in the green coat who loved talking about Marshall Faulk. 

LeBron James can stew all he wants, but he's on a team full of players (including him) who refuse to run, decide nearly nightly to adhere to the offensive diagramming of a madman, and boast Ira Newble, Larry Hughes and Eric Snow in the rotation. Tonight, those three were starting, and with the long rebounds starting Denver's break, these sorts of games just sort of happen.

Phoenix 108, Washington 107

The Suns aren't a finished team, they may have been going up against a Washington outfit missing its two best players, but the Wizards have been used to playing without Gilbert Arenas as a rule since early spring 2007, and the Suns truly miss Shawn Marion.

Hell, I miss him. And this isn't some way of weaseling into an Anchorman quote: you get so used to looking for Marion trailing on those fast breaks that you can't help but get kind of bummed as Steve Nash hits Boris Diaw (who makes ... the extra pass!) or Grant Hill (who shoots ... the flat-footed mid-range jumper!) in transition.

Washington hung around by dominating the boards (46-36, 16 offensive rebounds), and by being polite. Politeness, it turns out, gets you nowhere. Join a band, kids.

Related: Behind the boxscore