They're calling it the "Big Show." That's the marketing tag for Saturday's much-anticipated Heat-Lakers showdown at Los Angeles. Apparently, "Shaq vs. Kobe" would not have been in the Christmas spirit. Especially with the Pistons and Pacers meeting in the day's undercard.

The Heat-Lakers contest should live up to the hype. Shaq is on a roll, leading Miami to eight straight victories. Kobe Bryant has been a nightly triple-double threat on his one-man mission to lead L.A. to the playoffs. It should be a good show, even if Phil Jackson won't be serving as ABC color commentator.

This week's high riser: BULLS (No. 21 from 27)

This week's big drop: CAVS (No. 14 from 8)

NBA Power Rankings Rank LW Team 1 2 Phoenix Suns (21-3) Eight straight wins through Sunday, including last Friday's impressive triumph at Seattle. With the NBA's No. 1 offense, and a respectable D, these Suns aren't sinking anytime soon. 2 1 Seattle SuperSonics (18-5) They've already got the Feb. 11 rematch with the Suns circled on their calendars. But at least they know they had Phoenix in their sights. And they still have those two earlier victories over the Spurs. 3 3 San Antonio Spurs (20-5) Their 20-5 record matches the 2001-02 team that went 58-24 for the franchise's best record after 25 games. At week's end they also owned the NBA's best home mark (10-1). 4 7 Miami Heat (19-7) So Shaq doesn't want to talk with Kobe before their Christmas Day showdown in L.A.? Why would he? With eight straight wins through Sunday, he doesn't want to do anything to wreck the Heat's mojo right now. 5 4 Minnesota Timberwolves (15-8) Recent road losses at Chicago and Toronto show they're not yet where they should be. But Wally Szczerbiak (57 points on 21-of-36 shooting over his past two games) at least is finding his stroke. 6 5 Sacramento Kings (16-7) They lost to the Lakers -- without Shaq -- while welcoming back Vlade Divac last week. They'll try to regroup against Shaq's new team when the Heat invade Arco on Thursday. 7 6 Dallas Mavericks (16-9) Avery Johnson, sitting in for Don Nelson, picked up his first win as head coach Friday as they beat the Hawks. The L'il General is now 1-1 while taking Nellie's place in the big chair. 8 11 Washington Wizards (13-9) Antawn Jamison, Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas are looking forward to Monday's return to the Bay Area. Unlike their Golden State days, however, the trio now has a decent team around them. 9 12 Los Angeles Lakers (13-10) Friday's loss to the Wizards wasn't the way Kobe Bryant wanted to kick off a six-game home stand. But we're pretty sure he'll forgive his teammates if they help him gain a victory over Shaq on Christmas Day. 10 14 Orlando Magic (14-10) Like the Wizards, they are playing better than the results might indicate (four losses in seven games, all on the road). Cuttino Mobley led a balanced attack in Saturday's rout of the Nuggets. 11 9 Denver Nuggets (13-11) Carmelo Anthony (sprained ankle) sat out Saturday's loss in Orlando, their second straight and fourth in five games. With the Suns, Sonics and Mavs up next, they need him to have a speedy recovery. 12 15 Portland Trail Blazers (12-11) They won back-to-back at Atlanta and Detroit over the weekend to improve to 2-2 on their current six-game road trip. With games this week at Chicago and Milwaukee, they have a chance to soar into the break. 13 10 Detroit Pistons (12-11) They're up and down, as they showed last week in defeating the Cavs and then losing to the Blazers. Maybe a Christmas Day rematch with the Pacers will shake them out of their doldrums. 14 8 Cleveland Cavaliers (14-10) Snow fall? Paul Silas' run-in with saintly point guard Eric Snow could be just a one-time incident. Or it could be a sign that LeBron's teammates, losers of four of their past six, need a wake-up call. 15 16 New York Knicks (13-11) They lost out on the Vince Carter Sweepstakes, but the week wasn?t a total loss. Allan Houston had 15 points in Friday's OT win at Philly, and appears to be coming along nicely in his rehab from knee surgery. 16 19 Boston Celtics (11-12) Gary Payton led them to victory Saturday in Cleveland as they snapped the Cavs' nine-game home win streak. At age 36, the Glove is the 10th best assist-man in the league, handing out 6.7 a night. 17 17 Memphis Grizzlies (11-15) Since returning from a sprained ankle, Jason Williams has been hot. The veteran point guard had 27 and 17 points, respectively, to lead them to victories over the Nets and Clippers. 18 13 Los Angeles Clippers (11-12) After a promising November, they've crashed back to earth. They lost to the Grizzlies on Sunday, their fifth straight defeat and sixth in seven overall. They're now 0-6 against Western teams that made the playoffs a year ago. 19 23 Philadelphia 76ers (10-13) Allen Iverson exploded for an NBA season-high 54 points in Saturday's win at Milwaukee, pushing him over 15,000 for his career. At week's end they'd won four of five to get back to respectability. 20 18 Houston Rockets (11-13) Jeff Van Gundy must have been a joy to be around after Saturday's loss at Charlotte. The good news is the remaining schedule in December is favorable, including a rematch with the Bobcats. 21 27 Chicago Bulls (7-15) Take their name off the list of NBA pushovers. They beat the Grizzlies, Bucks and Pacers last week for their first three-game win streak since Dec. '02. They're now 7-6 since starting the season 0-9. 22 20 Indiana Pacers (12-11) They signed 36-year-old veteran guard Michael Curry to help shore up their depth. More important, Austin Croshere, Scot Pollard and Anthony Johnson should be healthy for the Christmas tilt with Detroit. 23 25 Toronto Raptors (9-17) No Vince, and now no 'Zo either? GM Rob Babcock doesn't have a lot to show for his franchise player and five-time All-Star. He better hope it's a case of addition by subtraction. 24 21 New Jersey Nets (7-16) Cue up the SportsCenter highlight reel. The high-flying Carter should love battling Richard Jefferson for alley-oop dunks off feeds from Jason Kidd. But will the Nets be able to stop anybody down low? 25 22 Utah Jazz (10-15) Where have you gone, John Stockton? Their point-guard play has been disappointing all season, with Carlos Arroyo, Raul Lopez, Howard Eisley and Keith McLeod unable to satisfy the ever-demanding Jerry Sloan. 26 26 Golden State Warriors (7-17) One step forward, two steps back ... A road trip that began with a promising win at Dallas turned into a 1-3 disappointment when they lost at New Orleans, Houston and San Antonio. 27 29 Charlotte Bobcats (6-14) As if beating George Shinn's Hornets in OT last Tuesday wasn't enough for the Charlotte faithful, they tamed the Rockets in OT on Saturday to make it six of 10 at home this season. 28 24 Milwaukee Bucks (6-15) They signed Eddie House to shore up their bench, but the injuries to Toni Kukoc, Keith Van Horn, T.J. Ford and now, Erick Strickland, have taken a toll. At week's end they had lost 14 of 17. 29 28 Atlanta Hawks (4-20) Due to a scheduling quirk they have just one game in the next eight days, on Wednesday versus Dallas. Call it an early Christmas gift for their fans. 30 30 New Orleans Hornets (2-21) Dan Dickau has been one of their few bright spots. The third-year point guard from Gonzaga scored a career-high 23 points last week to help them beat the Warriors and notch their second victory of the season.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.