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Team (record): Comment (last week’s rank)

1. Seattle (21-5): Hard to catch this year. They play one more winning team before Jan. 4. (1)

2. Lakers (20-6): Raise your hand if you thought they could go 12-6 without Shaq. (2)

3. Miami (17-8): Austin averages 18.7, becomes darling of ’98 free agents with Mourning out. (3)

4. Indiana (17-8): Bird lets assistant Dick Harter put in defense that rallies them from 5-6. (7)

5. Utah (15-9): Stockton back just in time to keep Mailman from choking lame Jazz centers. (8)

6. Atlanta (19-7): Hawks still look like they’re a great player away from being a great team. (4)

7. Portland (14-9): What happened to Wallace? After signing $82-million deal, averaging 13 points. (5)

8. Phoenix (15-8): KJ will be out six weeks after knee arthroscope. Suns were 9-3 with him. (6)

9. Charlotte (15-9): Best not to shoot it out with Hornets. Team 39% mark on three-pointers leads NBA. (12)

10. Chicago (16-9): Kukoc, out of Phil Jackson’s doghouse, leading league at 48% on three-pointers. (13)

11. Houston (14-8): Barkley 2nd in rebounding; what could he do if he ever reported in shape? (10)

12. Orlando (16-10): Reality setting in as Magic starts its eight-week quest without Hardaway. (11)

13. New York (15-11): Last time they lost six in row on road was in ‘80s, before Riley arrived. (14)

14. San Antonio (15-10): Duncan warming up as he gets the idea that it’s him, Admiral or no one. (15)

15. New Jersey (13-11): Van Horn’s average climbs over 20 in fifth game, looks like it’s staying. (16)

16. Cleveland (15-9): Most improved front-runner Wesley Person averaged 24, shot 58% in win streak. (9)

17. Washington (13-14): 7-0 in new MCI Center. Unfortunately, they were 0-5 in the old Capital Centre. (19)

18. Detroit (12-15): Where was that Larry Brown in November when the Pistons really needed him? (18)

19. Boston (11-12): Antoine Walker joins David Robinson, Mailman, Ewing in elite 20-10 club. (21)

20. Milwaukee (12-13): Insiders say owner Herb Kohl won’t let Coach Chris Ford struggle for long. (17)

21. Minnesota (11-13): Roberts is up over 20 minutes a game. Nobody has ever gotten him to 30. (20)

22. Sacramento (9-17): Corliss Williamson no longer scoreless; averaging over 20 in December. (23)

23. Vancouver (9-17): Young is young. Grizzlies are like the Nuggets with a lot more talent. (22)

24. Philadelphia (6-18): Maybe 76ers should have let Brown bring back his buddy Doug Moe to be GM? (24)

25. Golden State (5-18): Sprewell took one for the team. Warriors are 4-0 at home since firing him. (27)

26. Clippers (5-21): Darrick Martin, who spearheaded last season’s surge, gets his job back. (25)

27. Dallas (5-20): Things sure to improve when Don Nelson takes over. Oh, he already has? (26)

28. Toronto (3-23): Stoudamire emerges from his post-Isiah funk to tattoo Bucks for 36-7-8. (28)

29. Denver (2-22): We could be looking at one for ages. Nuggets’ pace projects to 7-75. (29)

GAME OF THE WEEK

MIAMI AT CHICAGO

* When--Thursday. * Time--2:30 p.m. * TV--Channel 4.

* Outlook--All David Stern wants for Christmas is Michael Jordan on his TV set, but this could be the last pushed-into-Eastern-prime-time Yuletide sighting. The Bulls have rallied after their 8-7 start and are tough at home, where they don’t give up many points. Isaac Austin and Jamal Mashburn thrived with Alonzo Mourning out, but now they have to make it work with Mourning back in the middle.