Mark Cuban hoped to put his feud with Kenyon Martin (and Martin’s mom) behind him when he apologized on his blog for referring to Martin as a thug after Game 3 in Dallas. But Martin doesn’t think Cuban’s apology is good enough.

“He’s a coward,” Martin said about Cuban, according to HoopsHype.com. “He couldn’t face it. You all read the only apology that he’s made [on his blog].

“The world got to see it before the person who it was meant for got to see it. That tells you how that goes. I ain’t never known nobody apology to somebody through other people.”

For his part, Cuban called his blog apology a mistake, telling the Web site in an e-mail that he regretted not having contacted Martin’s mother in person and in a timely fashion.

“I still intend to apologize to Ms. Moore,” Cuban wrote of Lydia Moore, Martin’s mother. “I made a mistake and will keep my commitment.”

“I would also like to know if Kenyon is going to take responsibility for his actions rather than hiding behind ‘no comment,’ ” Cuban wrote. “Will he apologize to the wife of our staff member that he called a [expletive] fat pig’ immediately after Game 3? Will he apologize to fans that he threatened to, and I’m paraphrasing here, ‘[expletive] beat the [expletive] down’ during Game 4?

“Or to the fans he walked by after Game 4, [Martin] cursed and gave the finger to? Will he take responsibility for what he said and did? Is there some reason he has not?”

This isn’t a huge deal, but it probably isn’t going away until the two speak to each other. They both like to talk to the press, so reporters will keep asking them about the status of the feud, which is only going to add fuel to the fire.

Now that we’re knee-deep in the conference semifinals, let’s take another look at how the playoff teams stack up.

R.I.P.

Click on the team name to read a short offseason blueprint.

16. Pistons
15. Sixers
14. Heat
13. Hornets
12. Bulls
11. Jazz
10. Blazers
9. Spurs

ON LIFE SUPPORT

8. Hawks
7. Mavericks
The NBA released a statement that the officials blew the intentional foul call at the end of regulation (which allowed for Carmelo Anthony’s game-winner), but I blame the Mavs for not forewarning the officials that they were going to try to foul immediately. (Mind you, I have no proof that they failed to warn the refs, but if they did, the call would have no doubt been made.) Regardless, the Mavs and the Hawks are down 3-0 and we all know what happens to teams that are down 3-0. (They go home for the summer.)

STILL ALIVE

6. Rockets
5. Magic
4. Celtics
After hearing the news that Yao Ming would miss the remainder of the playoffs, I did what most NBA fans probably did — I wrote off the Rockets. Houston proceeded to blow out the unfocused Lakers in Game 4. The loss was probably just what the Lakers needed; they didn’t take Houston seriously and it came back to bite them in the ass. Is Houston capable of winning two more games? Sure, but the odds are long now that the fire has been lit under Kobe and Co.

With Big Baby’s game-winning jumper, the Celtics took back home court advantage by knotting the series at two games apiece. Neither team has been impressive, however, and the winner will probably just be cannon fodder for the Cavs, who are on a serious roll.

THE LAKERS’ ROAD BLOCK

3. Nuggets
It would be a mistake to write off Denver. I haven’t been a big believer in the Nuggets this season, but after seeing more of them in these playoffs, they definitely have the firepower to challenge the Lakers (if that matchup eventually happens). Chauncey Billups brings championship experience at the point, Carmelo Anthony has superstar credentials, Nene is a very effective low post scorer and Kenyon Martin brings excellent defense at power forward. Throw in wild cards like J.R. Smith’s scoring and Chris “The Birdman” Andersen’s blocked shots and rebounding, and the Nuggets are very dangerous. The Lakers would be wise not to overlook this team.

DESTINED FOR THE FINALS

2. Lakers
1. Cavs
My problem with the Lakers is that every so often they’ll underperform like they did in Game 4 in Houston. It’s one thing to play well and simply get beat, but to phone it in and get blown out by a team that just lost its best player is inexcusable. Meanwhile, the Cavs are on a roll. I still think that if we get a Cavs/Lakers matchup in the Finals, the Lakers have the personnel advantage, but the chances are much higher that the Lakers are upended in the conference finals. The East simply doesn’t have a team that is playing at the level that the Nuggets are at right now.