The Times’ NBA rankings

BEN BOLCH’S RANKINGS, COMMENTS THROUGH SATURDAY

GIANT SHEPHERDS LEAD THE WAY

1. OKLA. CITY (11-2) No BCS formula needed to determine new No. 1. (2)
2. CHICAGO (12-2) Even with sore toe, Derrick Rose is a pain in Boston’s neck rear. (3)

PIT BULLS WITH BITE

3. MIAMI (8-4) Losing streak rankles Heat fans, ESPN execs. Wait, what’s the difference? (1)
4. LAKERS (9-5) Kobe Bryant produces more 40s than a malt liquor company. (9)
5. DENVER (8-4) Nuggets beat Heat, but suddenly so does everyone else. (5)
6. ORLANDO (8-3) Florida Highway Patrol beefs up staff in case Magic gets Andrew Bynum. (6)
7. PORTLAND (7-5) Nate McMillan edges college buddy Vinny Del Negro in roommate rivalry. (4)
8. SAN ANTONIO (8-4) Perfect at home, winless on road. Would neutral-site games end in ties? (7)
9. INDIANA (9-3) Days of being Indy .500 appear over for surging Pacers. (8)
10. CLIPPERS (6-3) Are we there yet? Victory over Heat is first step, not destination. (10)
11. PHILADELPHIA (9-3) Vucevic (USC) and Holiday (UCLA) coexist, giving Congress hope. (14)
12. ATLANTA (9-4) Al Horford likely done for season; same could be true for Hawks. (11)
13. DALLAS (8-5) New reality show: “Khloe and Lamar Fade into Obscurity.” (15)
14. NEW YORK (6-6) What has getting Carmelo Anthony really gotten Knicks? (16)
15. UTAH (6 7-4) Team that once looked unworthy of NBA accreditation appears playoff-bound. (24)

TOY POODLES 16. BOSTON (4-7) Celtics’ Big Three shrivels into Teensy Trio. (12)
17. CLEVELAND (5-6) Technically, Dan Gilbert’s team could still win title before LeBron does. (19)
18. MEMPHIS (5-6) So much for building on last season’s momentum. (13)
19. PHOENIX (4-7) Nice guys may not finish last, but Gentry’s team headed bound for second division. (17)
20. NEW ORLEANS (3-9) At least Chris Kaman, Eric Gordon spared from L.A. traffic. (18)
21. GOLDEN STATE (3-8) Kwame Brown takes credit for Andrew Bynum’s progress, Myanmar-U.S. accord. (20)
22. TORONTO (4-9) Upside to shorter season: Raptors fans already know not to get hopes up. (21)
23. HOUSTON (5-7) Still experiencing failure to launch a month after Pau Gasol trade nixed. (22)
24. MILWAUKEE (4-7) Hotel pillow mints can’t comfort team that’s 0-7 on road. (23)
25. MINNESOTA (4-8) Kevin Love has visions of getting more 20-20 games. (25)
26. SACRAMENTO (4-9) Paul Westphal may emerge as team’s only winner by getting out. (27)

MINIATURE SCHNAUZERS, BOBCATS 27. DETROIT (3-9) Since Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton left, it’s been R.I.P. for Pistons. (26)
28. NEW JERSEY (3-10) At this rate, Brooklyn may mark “return to sender.” (29)
29. CHARLOTTE (3-10) Small-time franchise better suited for Mayberry. (28)
30. WASHINGTON (1-11) Not even Vladimir Shpunt could send Wizards positive vibes. (30)