The Times’ NBA rankings

SEE YOU IN THE FINALS

1. MIAMI (63-16) Playoffs really begin for Heat on June 6: That’s start date for the Finals. (1)

2. OKLAHOMA CITY (59-21) Thunder may not miss James Harden in first round; it may see him every day. (2)

HOPING TO MAKE THINGS INTERESTING

3. SAN ANTONIO (58-21) Playoff series vs. Lakers would be same as Gregg Popovich resting starters. (3)

4. DENVER (54-25) Ty Lawson back, putting a drag on everyone trying to keep up with Nuggets. (4)

5. MEMPHIS (54-26) Grizzlies want another 27-point lead over Clippers to see how it turns out. (5)

6. CLIPPERS (54-26) Kobe goes down and Chauncey Billups immediately feels it in his Achilles’. (6)

7. NEW YORK (52-27) Kurt Thomas being waived now makes Grant Hill the NBA’s oldest player. (7)

8. INDIANA (49-30) Contender or pretender? With this fickle team, maybe a little bit of both. (8)

9. BROOKLYN (47-32) P.J. Carlesimo has done enough to become a permanent coach next season. (9)

IT WAS FUN WHILE IT LASTED

10. GOLDEN STATE (45-35) Stephen Curry’s heave against Lakers nearly added insult to injury. (10)

11. HOUSTON (44-35) Rockets may not go far in playoffs but they could beat Astros at baseball. (11)

12. CHICAGO (43-36) Scary team in the neighborhood? Who ya gonna call? Streak busters! (12)

13. ATLANTA (44-36) Hawks hoping playoffs are an extended farewell to Josh Smith. (13)

14. LAKERS (43-37) Kobe Bryant may be back before Derrick Rose. (14)

15. BOSTON (41-39) Celtics-Heat wouldn’t be as entertaining as Danny Ainge vs. Pat Riley. (15)

16. UTAH (42-38) Al Jefferson’s 40 points put Jazz in soulful mood about playoff chances. (16)

17. DALLAS (39-40) Can Mark Cuban be placed on mute until his team is back in the playoffs? (18)

18. MILWAUKEE (37-43) The route the Bucks have taken is called eking into the playoffs. (17)

LOTTERY OR BUST

19. PORTLAND (33-46) As losses continue to mount, RIP City takes on a whole new meaning. (19)
20. PHILADELPHIA (32-47) Whether Doug Collins comes back or not, the future looks bleak for 76ers. (20)

21. TORONTO (31-48) Maybe DeMar DeRozan can force a trade by pretending to lose passport. (21)

22. MINNESOTA (30-50) It’s Spanish inquisition when Pau Gasol prods Ricky Rubio over Utah loss. (23)

23. WASHINGTON (29-51) Just when things were looking up, Wizards become the Wizards again. (22)

24. SACRAMENTO (28-51) Too bad Maloofs can’t give DeMarcus Cousins a deadline for growing up. (24)

25. NEW ORLEANS (27-53) Hornets wish losses to Lakers, Clippers were L.A. Confidential. (25)

26. DETROIT (28-52) Pistons recalibrate goal to 30 victories; they may not even get there. (26)

27 CLEVELAND (24-55) LeBron James may come back in 2014 . . . on way to visit his high school. (27)

28. PHOENIX (24-56) If Markieff Morris fouls out, can Marcus pretend to take his spot on bench? (28)

29. ORLANDO (20-60) Nikola Vucevic’s 30-20 game shows he’s more than a consolation prize. (29)

SMUSH PARKER WILL GET A STATUE AT STAPLES BEFORE THEY WIN

30. CHARLOTTE (19-61) Excuse me, but didn’t your season end a long time ago? (30)