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Team (record): Comment

1. Portland (4-0): Be afraid, be very afraid: Trail Blazers wax

first four victims by average of 17.5.

2. San Antonio (3-0): Nothing much has changed: Spurs

hold first two foes to an average of 81.

3. Milwaukee (3-0): Cassell (29.5 points a game) and Allen

(25) lead new runnin’, gunnin’ Bucks.

4. Charlotte (2-1): DC charged with DWI. As soon as Mason

pops off, season is officially on.

5. New York (3-1): Seems like old times: Knicks winning,

tabloids seething with controversy.

6. Boston (3-1): The miracle the Ricktator needed?

CBA refugee Adrian Griffin leads surge.

7. Lakers (2-1): Culver-Glantz, who made them 4-1 to win

title, must have missed the preseason.

8. Miami (2-1): Riley airs his doubts, suggests if this

nucleus can’t do it, he’ll get another.

9. Utah (1-2): Forget about how old they are--the real

question is what the young guys contribute?

10. Phoenix (1-1): Now he tells them: Hardaway signs

$86-million deal, admits he’s not player he was.

11. Indiana (2-1): The Pacers are looking the way they did

last spring, as if they’ve seen better days.

12. Sacramento (1-1): Adelman has been talking about

defense, showboating. Now to see if any sunk in.

13. Toronto (2-1): Master P says he’s still willing to come

out of retirement, if Raptors need him.

14. Seattle (3-0): The return of Vin Baker? Last year’s fat

kid averaging 19.5 points, 12.5 rebounds.

15. Cleveland (3-1): Nothing much has changed: Ilgauskas

out, Kemp looks like an offensive tackle.

16. Philadelphia (0-3): Where have all big men gone? Geiger

and Ratliff 4-6 weeks away, as are 76ers.

17. Minnesota (1-1): Could be trend starting. Garnett gets 34

points, 17 boards in opener. Timberwolves lose.

18. Houston (0-3): Olajuwon: “Sooner or later, our generation

will all have to go.” Looks like sooner.

19. Denver (1-2): Van Exel has one of those nights, torches

Jason Kidd, 34-8, in season opener.

20. Clippers (1-2): So much for rookie-of-the-year race.

Lamar Odom nailed that down in a week.

21. Orlando (2-2): Five Magic starters’ combined average

last season was 41.8 points a game.

22. Dallas (2-1): Embattled Nellie starts the season with

Shawn Bradley, Steve Nash on the bench.

23. Atlanta (1-2): Last season’s No. 1 defense just gave

up an average of 106.5 in first two.

24. Detroit (0-4): Bison Dele, come home. The Pistons have

been outrebounded by average of 13.5 a game.

25. New Jersey (0-3): “Young, Dynamic, Determined?” N.Y.

Post goes with “Young, Dynamic, Defeated.”

26. Washington (1-2): Heard giving them time to get in shape

since so many were hurt or on trial.

27. Golden State (0-3): Great balance: Three tied for scoring

lead. Unfortunately, all are at 13.5.

28. Vancouver (1-2): If Stern wants to get fans interested,

he’d better run this club, himself.

29. Chicago (0-3): Kukoc says they’ll win 25-30 “if everything

goes right.” So far, it hasn’t.

GAME OF THE WEEK

UTAH at SACRAMENTO

When--Friday. Time--5 p.m. TV--TNT.

* Story line--The rematch of last spring’s best series, in which the crowd-pleasing Kings were about to oust Utah until John Stockton’s three-point basket in Game 4 started the Jazz back. Now Utah looks even older and Sacramento is a marquee team, making the first of 11 network TV appearances. Unfortunately, this will be the Kings’ first post-Japan game and teams returning from Asia are often groggy for weeks.