Top to Bottom NBA

Team (Record)Comment (Last week’s position)

1. Utah (16-4) Jazz snuffs Trail Blazers in Portland

to show which is real, which is Memorex. (1)

2. Lakers (16-6) So much for the honeymoon: Rodman

is giving off distress signals again. (2)

3. Miami (15-5) Riley is pushing Mourning for MVP:

What, did Mailman and Shaq retire? (3)

4. Indiana (14-5) Tough night for Indiana Bruins: Reggie

Miller cheers UCLA to loss in the RCA Dome. (6)

5. Portland (16-4) Trail Blazers tied for NBA’s best record:

I see it, I just don’t believe it. (4)

6. San Antonio (13-8) Critics sneer at Popovich’s dump-it-in

offense, but they win six in row. (13)

7. Houston (13-8) Pippen hates Rudy’s dump-it-in offense.

How about demanding trade to Bulls? (10)

8. Milwaukee (12-6) Nice bailout: Brandon wasn’t coming back

and Cassell is signed for next five. (12)

9. Orlando (15-7) Tick, tick, tick: After 17-point loss

in Dallas, Penny says he played OK. (5)

10. Minnesota (13-8) $126 million for Garnett, no Stephon: Don’t

say word “agents” around McHale. (8)

11. Philadelphia (12-8) Teammates vote to let Iverson play after

skipping practice; he scores 28 in win. (9)

12. Seattle (10-9) So much for that rivalry: three years

atop Pacific, now SuperSonics are history. (7)

13. Detroit (12-8) Four years, no clues: Stackhouse blames

slump on the way Gentry uses him. (15)

14. Atlanta (11-9) Smith, Henderson return to help Hawks

amass 78 points in loss at Miami. (17)

15. Phoenix (10-10) Toby Bailey starts as Rex Chapman goes

off to look for his missing jumper (16).

16. New York (11-9) Focus shifts to Van Gundy’s neck

as Knicks get 63 vs. Bulls, Sprewell goes 2 for 12. (14)

17. Boston (7-11) Who turned out the lights? Pierce gets

hurt and Celtics drop four in a row. (11)

18. Sacramento (9-12) Basketball as art: If they only gave

points for degree of difficulty . . . (18)

19. Cleveland (8-10) Fratello must have really hated Potapenko

to trade him for Andrew DeClerq. (19)

20. Golden State (9-12)Old Knicks never die: Warriors credit

Starks, Mills, Cummings for rally. (20)

21. New Jersey (3-16) Nets contact Phil Jackson as Calipari’s

NBA future enters final minutes. (21)

22. Washington (8-12) Heat builds under Bickerstaff, but Wooden

couldn’t get the Wiz into playoffs. (22)

23. Toronto (6-12) Oakley and Willis helping the kids stay

competitive after their 1-5 start. (24)

24. Dallas (8-14) Our genius: Ceballos spurns $6 million, signs

for one year, breaks both wrists. (26)

25. Chicago (6-14) Kobe, Marbury, Shareef, Iverson gone.

Free agents scraps left for Krause. (25)

26. Charlotte (6-12) $40 million for this? Coleman goes out

with another of his “sprained ankles.” (28)

27. Denver (5-16) You little party animals: Nuggets’ last

win on road was March 17, 1998. (23)

28. Vancouver (4-17) Now he notices: After re-upping, Abdur-Rahim

says Grizzlies look like prep team. (27)

29. Clippers (1-18) Might be good idea to make Wright

second free agent they ever re-signed. (29)

GAME OF THE WEEK

INDIANA AT MIAMI

When--Saturday. Time--4:30 p.m. TV--None.

* Story line--With NBC giving the Lakers their first Sunday off, we’re forced to consider the East, where defense is king and charisma absent. These are the two favorites to meet in the conference finals. Since they’re evenly matched, home court will be important. Maybe they’ll combine for 170 points, but probably not.