At the half ...(basketball)(Brief Article)

Checking out the makes and misses on our predictions--plus, five more locks for the second half

5 things we expected would happen--and did

1. The Bucks would rule the Central Division. Bucks believers were everywhere on Halloween, but they were harder to find than the last piece of pumpkin pie when the team bottomed out at 3-9 at Thanksgiving. A 23-7 run has the Bucks right where they were supposed to be, and that lets everyone--including us--say, "We told you so."

2. Centers would be sparse. The season started with nine--charitably speaking--legitimate NBA centers. Of those, Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Vlade Divac, Dikembe Mutombo and--sometimes--Elden Campbell retain that title. Alonzo Mourning (illness), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (injury), Hakeem Olajuwon (old age) and Patrick Ewing (older age) don't Jermaine O'Neal, Antonio Davis, Theo Ratliff and Marc Jackson have been successful, but they're really power forwards. The NBA hopes you don't notice the downsizing.

3. Pat Riley would win, somehow. Because of Mourning's illness, the Heat went from Eastern Conference favorite to question mark. Miami even lost 10 of its first 16 games to prove how much it missed the big fella--before winning 21 of 29. The road to the Finals no longer goes through Miami, but no Riley-coached team lies down.

4. The West would be No. 1. The Western Conference entered last weekend with a 143-88 record against the East, a .619 winning percentage. The 76ers provided some early-season drama with a 10-0 start and still have the league's best record, but evidence suggests the real NBA Finals will be played on the West Coast.

5. College coaches would struggle. The season began with four coaches whose last job was leading a college team. Returns entering last weekend for Lon Kruger (Hawks), Leonard Hamilton (Wizards), Tim Floyd (Bulls) and Rick Pitino (Celtics) include a 44-120 record and one self-immolation.