THE TIMES’ RANKINGS : NBA TOP TO BOTTOM

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

1. Utah (23-8) Kindly Coach Sloan must have been a lot of fun after that loss to Clippers. (1)

2. Portland (26-6) Trail Blazers’ Dennis: Rider skips practice, goes into stands, gets third suspension. (3)

3. Houston (22-10) Old guys show what they can do healthy. OK, how long can you stay healthy? (6)

4. Orlando (24-10) Their best record in Eastern Conference would get Magic fourth in the West. (4)

5. Indiana (21-11) Smits-Miller combined scoring averages last four seasons: 40-39-36-33. (5)

6. Lakers (22-12) They’ve told Dennis, it’s 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 strikes and you’re out. (8)

7. Miami (19-11) That’s our Riles: Overachievers go 1-5, he turns practices into boot camp. (2)

8. San Antonio (22-10) Spurs went 14-2 in March. Of course, opponents were a combined 121-170. (7)

9. Atlanta (20-13) Smith out again, taking what amounts to the Hawks’ offense with him. (9)

10. Milwaukee (19-12) Big Dog, now in fact as well as name, makes his third game-winning shot. (14)

11. Detroit (20-13) Bubble waiting to burst: Pistons are soft, don’t like each other and on a roll. (15)

12. New York (18-14) How’d you like paying $10.2 million for LJ’s 12 points, 5.4 boards a game? (10)

13. Toronto (17-14) Check this: Race for No. 8 slot coming down to Cavaliers, 76ers . . . and Raptors? (17)

14. Minnesota (19-13) Another worry: How long will disillusioned McHale stick around? (12)

15. Philadelphia (16-15) Era of good feeling ends as Iverson and Brown snap at each other again. (11)

16. Cleveland (15-15) In their five-year-old downtown arena, Cavaliers are 25th in attendance. (16)

17. Seattle (15-16) SuperSonics were .500 team before Karl arrived, and they’re not even that any more. (13)

18. Phoenix (15-18) Suns reduced to seeing if they can fight off Kings, Warriors for No. 8 slot. (18)

19. Sacramento (14-19) Ain’t over ‘til it’s over: Kings have five more on road to Suns’ nine. (19)

20. Charlotte (12-18) Desperate in Dixie: Maybe if MJ doesn’t come out of retirement, Wilt will. (20)

21. Golden State (14-18)Ju$t pay me: Richmond talks of return to Warriors as a free agent . . . (21)

22. Washington (13-18) . . . Of course, Mitch also tells Wizards he hopes to re-$ign with them. (22)

23. Boston (10-20) Oops: Celtics were 6-6 on March 1 when Pitino went off on Pierce. (23)

24. Dallas (11-22) Nellie dealt Cleamons’ players, fired him for going 28-70, went 27-71. (24)

25. Chicago (9-23) Floyd may be someone if he can hang in until he gets help. Say about 2003. (25)

26. Denver (9-24) Nuggets lose 22nd in row on road at Vancouver. Ultimate test: April 18 at Clippers. (26)

27. New Jersey (7-24) Oops: Figuring they’d turn it around, Nets traded No. 1 pick to Timberwolves. (27)

28. Vancouver (6-26) At this point, everyone’s in trouble: GM Jackson as well as Coach Hill. (28)

29. Clippers (3-28) Oops: Dropped below 76er Line again; 76ers’ worst team ever played .110. (29)

GAME OF THE WEEK

UTAH AT LAKERS

* When--Tuesday Time--7:30 TV--Fox Sports West, TNT

* Story line--The Lakers have had long enough to get used to Dennis Rodman, assuming time means anything in his case, and Glen Rice, so here’s the latest test of their title dreams or illusions. Four games a week is hard on Utah’s elders, but, as they showed the Rockets, rallying from a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit last week, they can still bring it when they have to.