Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

The regular season is just about done. What’s your favorite story – whether it had a big headline or not – of 2011-12?

Steve Aschburner: For feel-good moments, it was hard to top the night Kaleb Canales took over as interim coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Plopped into the job unexpectedly to replace fired Nate McMillan, about 24 hours before a road game against the mighty Chicago Bulls, Canales on the sideline looked like a young fan who’d won a “Coach-for-a-Day” contest. But he helped Portland to an improbable 100-89 upset. His players – most of whom had “come up” with the newly promoted video coordinator – demonstrated their affection for him (and vice versa) with their performances and their embraces afterward. It was a happy highlight in a very down year for the Blazers.

Fran Blinebury: Zombies.  The Walking Dead.  The San Antonio Spurs.  Every time we bury them, they come back to bite us and now they’re growling and hungry going into the playoffs.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Jeremy Lin is a good one. But there is something about the Spurs of 2011-12 that hooks me. The way Popovich has merged youth with the big-name veterans, the way Tony Parker has advanced his game, the way management made a series of in-season moves, the way the roster overcame the lengthy absence of Manu Ginobili and still finished with the best record in the West. Never saw this coming. (more…)