The Times’ NBA rankings

IT’S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR
1. OKLAHOMA CITY (19-4) Scott Brooks to host seminar: Getting job done without unnecessary drama. (1)2. SAN ANTONIO (19-6) Indecipherable Jackson tweet puts virtual police, grammar patrol on alert. (3)

ROCKIN’ AROUND THE CHRISTMAS TREE
3. NEW YORK (18-5) Knicks learning that sustained success can be a lot more fun than Linsanity. (5)
4. MIAMI (15-6) Rash of early season setbacks will build character -- or foretell of trouble. (2)
5. CLIPPERS (17-6) PR staff stretched thin hunting for so many instances of “the last time.” (7)
6. MEMPHIS (15-6) Success adding up even before adding stats guru John Hollinger. (4)
7. GOLDEN STATE (16-8) Should toast each day above Lakers in standings with Napa Valley wine. (10)
8. ATLANTA (14-7) No need for smoke and mirrors when Hawks have Josh Smith, Al Horford. (9)

JOY TO THE WORLD
9. BROOKLYN (13-10) Recent losses thrust Nets back deep inside pages of New York tabloids. (6)
10. BOSTON (12-11) What’s up, Doc Rivers, besides pitiful interior defense and road struggles? (8)
11. CHICAGO (13-9) Bulls fan to Derrick Rose: All I want for Christmas is you. (12)
12. MILWAUKEE (12-10) The Larry Sanders Show is a hit with defense-minded demographic. (18)
13. MINNESOTA (12-9) Too bad Yahoo Sports didn’t ask Kevin Love his thoughts on Ben Howland. (19)
14. UTAH (13-12) Breaking up Jefferson-Millsap duo via trade would be a big mistake. (13)15. PHILADELPHIA (12-11) Don’t be surprised if Bynum parks Porsche in spot for Lakers team bus. (11)

BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE
16. DENVER (12-12) Will real Nuggets please stand up? Fans worried they may already have. (14)
17. INDIANA (13-11) Team was supposed to fly under the radar, not completely off it. (15)
18. HOUSTON (11-11) Reserve center Smith conducts in-game layup line in victory over Celtics. (16)
19. DALLAS (11-13) Mayo hasn’t packed this much punch since hanging around D. Hackett. (20)
20. PORTLAND (10-12) Oden continually haunted by ghost of (sitting out every) Christmas past. (22)
21. ORLANDO (10-13) Magic fans save on postage now that Howard is off holiday card list. (24)
22. LAKERS (10-14) They won’t get to 72 victories, but at least they reached double digits. (17)23. PHOENIX (9-15) Two-game winning streaks are as good as it gets around here. (23)

DO THEY KNOW IT’S CHRISTMAS?
24. CHARLOTTE (7-16) Bobcats may have exhaled too soon after matching last season’s win total. (21)
25. SACRAMENTO (7-15) Jerry Springer books DeMarcus Cousins for five dates in 2013. (25)
26. DETROIT (7-19) Lack of coveted players makes trading to upgrade roster difficult. (26)
27. NEW ORLEANS (5-17) This team by any other name will be just as bad as it was before. (27)
28. CLEVELAND (5-20) John Ireland should have offered to walk home if Lakers beat Cavaliers. (28)29. TORONTO (5-19) Management claims Bargnani calling team “worst” was lost in translation. (29)

GRANDMA GOT RUN OVER BY A REINDEER30. WASHINGTON (3-18) Nation’s capital is place where lengthy Lakers losing streaks go to die. (30)