NBA TOP TO BOTTOM / NBA

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

1. Utah (36-12) Compacted schedule was getting to old guys, but they’re still the best. (1)

2. San Antonio (34-13) After slow February, Duncan averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, 2.8 blocks. (2)

3. Portland (34-13) As great as their season was, depth won’t mean as much in the playoffs. (3)

4. Miami (31-16) Now if Heat’s MVP candidate can get well and keep himself out of fights . . . (4)

5. Orlando (32-17) OK, let’s try playing all three guards at same time. There, that’s better. (6)

6. Indiana (31-17) Looking at a drop to No. 4 in the East, they win a big one at Atlanta. (5)

7. Lakers (28-19) Can still become team you really don’t want to meet in the first round. (9)

8. Atlanta (29-18) Gang that can’t shoot straight (41%, No. 27 in NBA), goes on 7-1 roll. (8)

9. Houston (28-19) Looking more and more like team you’d love to meet in the first round. (7)

10. Philadelphia (27-20)Insiders say Allen, Larry on collision course, but it’s fun while it lasts. (10)

11. Detroit (27-20) Last Bad Boy: 10 years after they won second title, Joe D. hangs ‘em up. (14)

12. Milwaukee (27-21) Must be playoff time: George Karl’s voice is starting to squeak again. (11)

13. Phoenix (26-22) Kidd tops in assists, leads guards in rebounds, shoots career-high 45%. (12)

14. New York (25-22) They’re not best and sure not youngest, but they’ll fight you to the end. (16)

15. Charlotte (24-23) Now he wakes up? Elden’s averaging

17, nine rebounds, 1.6 blocks in April. (13)

16. Sacramento (24-23) The NBA’s most fun team to watch played some real ball down the stretch. (17)

17. Minnesota (25-23) Garnett in top 10 in points, rebounds, in top 20 in blocks and steals. (19)

18. Toronto (22-26) The kids got ground down in the stretch, but suddenly, they have a future. (15)

19. Seattle (23-24) How about this for nightmare scenario? Payton demands trade to Bucks. (18)

20. Cleveland (22-25) Is Somebody Up There mad? Henderson’s their only healthy starter left. (20)

21. Golden State (20-28)On bright side, for what seems like first time in ‘90s, they tried. (21)

22. Boston (19-29) Anyone notice they played better with Barros than Anderson? I bet Pitino did. (22)

23. Dallas (19-29) Nellie said they were lock for playoffs, but he didn’t say which century. (25)

24. Washington (17-31) GM Unseld volunteers to leave if next coach wants his (shudder) job. (23)

25. Denver (14-33) Wal-Mart family, which knows discounted item when it sees one, buys Nuggets. (27)

26. New Jersey (15-33) On one hand, they got Marbury. On the other, there was everything else. (24)

27. Chicago (13-35) Seeing as how one team official said they’d go 0-50, this wasn’t that bad. (26)

28. Clippers (9-38) My suggestion for Baylor is spelled C-O-R-E-Y M-A-G-G-E-T-T-E. (28)

29. Vancouver (8-40) The young and directionless post one more monument to underachievement. (29)

GAME OF THE WEEK

LAKERS AT SEATTLE

When--Today. Time--12:30 p.m. TV--Ch. 4.

* Story line--If the Lakers were to keep playing as hard as they did against the Trail Blazers, especially on defense, they could go back to being taken seriously. This will be a good test, on the road, before a hostile crowd, against a desperate team team trying to claw its way into the playoffs.