Sportswriters Who Offered Thoughts

Frank Deford: Editor and publisher of The National Sports Daily. Covered the NBA for Sports Illustrated in the 1960s. Joe Gilmartin: Has covered the NBA and the Phoenix Suns for the Phoenix Gazette for the past 25 years.

Sam Goldaper: Pro basketball writer for the New York Times; has covered the NBA since the mid-1950s.

Johnette Howard: Staff writer of The National Sports Daily; former Pistons ``beat'' reporter for the Detroit Free Press.

Phil Jasner: Covers the Philadelphia 76ers for the Philadelphia Daily News and has written about the NBA for various papers since 1966.

Terry Pluto: NBA writer for the Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio, and co-author (with Bob Ryan) of ``48 Minutes,'' an analysis of a single NBA game.

Bob Ryan: Has written extensively about the Celtics and the NBA for the Boston Globe during the past two decades.