ESPN is currently scheduled to show Houston at Dallas at 6 p.m. MDT April 15, the season’s final day.

Network executives might want to rethink that one.

Scheduled to start the same time are Detroit at Miami and Philadelphia at Cleveland. How about a split screen, with one game on each side?

That’s the night the NBA scoring race will be decided, and Miami guard Dwyane Wade and Cleveland forward LeBron James could provide an epic finish.

James last Friday scored 55 points to take the lead. Two days later, Wade registered a career-high 50 to regain it.

And it’s only February.

fter James scored 21 points Thursday at Houston, he trails Wade by an average of 28.8 to 28.3. The Cavaliers play Friday night at San Antonio, where an interested observer will be on hand.

“It’s exciting,” said former Spurs guard George Gervin. “I wouldn’t mind seeing a down-to-the-wire scoring battle.”

Gervin knows all about those. In 1977-78, he beat Nuggets guard David Thompson 27.22 to 27.15 in the closest NBA race ever.

Gervin entered the final day with a 15-point cushion before Thompson scored 73 in the afternoon at Detroit. Knowing he needed 58 to win, Gervin came back with 63 at night in New Orleans.

While it remains to be seen what theatrics James and Wade might have in store, Thompson also is watching with interest.

“It brings back memories,” Thompson said. “You’ve got two guys somewhat similar to us who play skill positions. They’ve already got the green light, but it depends how the playoff races go (regarding a possible final-day showdown).”

For now, James, who won his first scoring title last season, and Wade, who hasn’t won one, aren’t filling up reporter’s notebooks with much on the subject.

“For the fans, if they are excited about it, then, yeah, it will be fun to watch,” James said of the duel. “For me, I just want to win basketball games… The scoring title, it means nothing to me.”

James and Wade, fellow 2003 draftees, are good friends. Sounds as if they’ve compared notes.

“If you lead in scoring and your team wins, it’s great,” said Wade, whose Heat plays host Monday to the Cavaliers. “You lead the league in scoring and your team is not winning, it’s not so great.”

But if Miami and Cleveland have playoff spots settled April 15, it could get interesting. Would either of these ultra-competitive stars mind taking the night off early and watching the other win the crown?

Their teammates and coaches might not hear of it. Doug Moe, then San Antonio’s coach, concocted a pre-game plan in which anybody not named Gervin pretty much couldn’t shoot.

Even the NBA’s consummate gentleman got caught up in a legendary final-day scoring binge in 1993-94. Needing to outscore Orlando center Shaquille O’Neal by four points, San Antonio center David Robinson had an afternoon date with the Clippers while

O’Neal’s Magic had a later start against New Jersey.

Little was left to chance. Robinson scored 71 points, leaving O’Neal, who needed 68 against the Nets and got 32, in the dust.

“I was (a Spurs) assistant, and I witnessed it first hand,” Gervin said of Robinson ending up with a 29.8 to 29.4 edge in the third-closest race ever. “It didn’t mean that much to David. It was more (coach) John Lucas pushing him.”

Perhaps O’Neal has needed more of a push in regular-season finales. He’s won two scoring titles, but has finished second in three of the four closest races.

O’Neal, then with the Lakers, lost to Chicago’s Michael Jordan 29.7 to 28.3 in the second-closest in 1997-98 and to Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson 26.8 to 26.3 the next season in the fourth-closest.

So Wade, Shaq’s former teammate with Miami, might not be calling him April 15 for advice.

BILLUPS’ HOMECOMING

At 7:30 p.m. local time Tuesday, the earth might shake around the Palace of Auburn Hills.

That’s when Chauncey Billups will be introduced in his Detroit return following his Nov. 3 trade to Denver.

Pistons public-address announcer John Mason said he won’t be allowed to make his trademark call, “Chauncey Bbbbbbbillups.” But he shrugs that off.

“In this arena, you’ll never hear (the introduction) anyway because it will expode,” Mason said.

Even though Allen Iverson, acquired from Denver, now wears No. 1 for Detroit, there figure to be plenty more folks at the Palace wearing Billups’ old No. 1.

“I’m looking forward to going back,” Billups said. “It will be a lot of fun. I grew up in that city.”

But that doesn’t mean Billups will spend much time shedding tears about the collapse of the Pistons (27-29), who have lost eight straight,

“Nah, I don’t feel sorry for Detroit, man,” Billups said. “Them are my guys and I love them, but I’ve been battling my butt off (in Denver).”

That comment might not bother Detroit fans much. They might not feel too sorry about the Pistons either after they dealt their beloved Billups.

KLEIZA’S FUTURE

Perhaps no Denver player this summer will be affected more by the economic downturn than impending restricted free agent Linas Kleiza.

Kleiza last October was close to signing a four-year, $25 million contract extension before owner Stan Kroenke, his Nuggets about to take on extra 2009-10 money by acquiring Billups, nixed it. Now, with the salary cap likely going down and Denver in jeopardy of paying the luxury tax, it will be hard for Kleiza to get a similar deal from any team.

“The economy affects everything, everybody,” Kleiza said. “It’s just reality . . . I’ve got a good agent (Bill Duffy) . . . All the focus is on basketball right now.”

It also hasn’t helped Kleiza that his scoring average this season has dropped from 11.1 to 10.4 and field-goal percentage from 47.2 to 45.2.

One Kleiza option could be returning for the $2.7 million qualifying offer and becoming unrestricted in 2010. Another could be going overseas, something Kleiza last October called a possibility but now isn’t discussing.

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