Comment (last week’s rank)
HOTTIES

1. CLEVELAND (55-15)
Don’t miss Shaq that badly: 9-1 since he left. Only loss was game LeBron missed.(1)
2. LAKERS (51-18)
Can play without Andrew but, as they finally show, can play lot better with him. (2)
WARMIES
3. ORLANDO (49-21)
9-1 in March as Carter, who averaged 8.7 in January, bumps it up to 20. (5)
4. Dallas (46-23)
With Terry back, rookie Rodrigue Beaubo is happening, deep just got deeper. (3)
5. DENVER (47-23)
Kenyon Martin who went a long way on bad knees now may be out ’til playoffs. (4)
6. OKLAHOMA CITY (42-24)
Imagine them with a center. Without one, just won 18 of 22. (7)
7. UTAH (45-25)
Team now hopes to re-sign Boozer, whom Williams says is ’like the old Carlos.’(6)
8. SAN ANTONIO (42-25)
Jefferson, $14 mill-a-year bust averaging 11, bumps it up to 19 in last five. (8)
9. PHOENIX (43-26)
Showing what’s to come—or what they’ll miss, Amare averaging 30 in march. (10)
10. ATLANTA (44-24)
Both teams sagging but they have tie-breaker over Celtics for No. 3 seed. (9)
11. BOSTON (45-24)
Oh, and No. 4 seed gets Milwaukee, East’s second-hottest team, in first round. (12)
12. PORTLAND (42-28)
Major jockeying looms as West’s No. 8 team starts weekend 1› games out of No. 5. (11)
13. MILWAUKEE (38-30)
Bogut, top pick in ’05, at career-best 16 points, 10 rebounds, 2.5 blocks. (13)
COOLING OFF
14. MEMPHIS (37-33)
Thabeet, back from D-League, gets 19 rebounds, six blocks in two starts. (14)
15. HOUSTON (35-32)
Imagine if Spurs kept Scola, averaging 22 points, 13 rebounds this month. (15)
16. CHARLOTTE (35-34)
MJ open to changing hated name ’Bobcats’—chosen for owner Bob Johnson. (16)
17. MIAMI (36-34)
Have gun, will travel: Richardson making three threes a game this month. (17)
18. TORONTO (34-34)
Oops: Bosh venting isn’t good sign, nor are six losses in seven games. (18)
19. NEW ORLEANS (33-38)
Stunner: Collison, No. 21 pick, is No. 3 rookie, averaging 18 as starter. (19)
ON ICE
20. NEW YORK (25-44)
3-1 as Toney, another one D’Antoni buried, averages 18 as starting point. (24)
21. CHICAGO (32-37)
Good news: Rookie Gibson, Johnson look good. Bad news: Everything else. (20)
22. SACRAMENTO (23-46)
Evans suffers concussion so they may hold him out of today’s big game vs. Clips.(21)
23. CLIPPERS (26-43)
After Hughes’ go-round with Baron, Kaman pines for good times under Dunleavy. (22)
24. PHILADELPHIA (24-46)
Rising to occasion, Jru Holiday averages 15, shoots 52 percent this month as starter. (23)
25. DETROIT (23-46)
Stuckey gets 25 in first game back. Rest of franchise still in coma. (25)
26. INDIANA (23-46)
Not that things didn’t go as planned but their wide-open offense is No. 18. (27)
27. WASHINGTON (21-46)
Already ready to renegotiate, Blatche regrets signing for $3 mil a year. (26)
28. GOLDEN STATE (19-50)
Human Layup Line allows 147 by Spurs, whose starters get 75 in 90 minutes. (28)
29. MINNESOTA (14-56)
Good news: Three No. 1 picks in draft. Bad news: It’s not enough. (29)
FROZEN STIFF
30. NEW JERSEY (7-62)
Four left vs. losing teams at home with Kings, Pistons there this week. (30)