SAN ANTONIO — According to an annual list compiled by Forbes magazine and released Thursday night, the Jazz rank 16th in value among NBA teams at $342 million.

That's up 15 percent — a whopping $45 million — compared to last year's survey.

It's the fourth-highest value jump percentage-wise among the league's 30 franchises, topped only by Cleveland (20 percent), Toronto (18 percent) and Golden State (16 percent).

Boosted by its first appearance in the NBA postseason since 2003, owner Larry H. Miller's franchise was assessed as having $114 million in revenue for the 2006-07 season and $5.7 million in operating income (defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization).

"The playoff run," Forbes wrote, "helped the Jazz add close to 6,000 new season ticket holders this year, one of the biggest sales gains in NBA history ... Miller can use the added revenue to help pay the $250 million worth of long-term contracts he doled out in 2004."

The Jazz's operating-income assessment also ranks 16th-highest in the league.

The NBA's highest-valued team, for a third straight year, was the New York Knicks — despite their struggles on and off the court.

The Knicks were valued at $604 million, up 3 percent from the previous year despite a spate of losing, an embarrassing defeat in a sexual harassment lawsuit and continuing questions about the future of coach Isiah Thomas.

The NBA's marquee franchise also had a league-high $196 million in revenues for last season while topping the list with negative $42.2 million in operating income after going 33-49 and missing the playoffs.

Even at the top of the NBA heap, the Knicks wouldn't crack the top 10 in the NFL, where the No. 1 Dallas Cowboys were valued at $1.5 billion and the No. 10 New York Jets came in at $967 million, according to a list Forbes released in September.

The NBA's Los Angeles Lakers decreased in value 2 percent, down to $560 million from from $568 million, but remained second on the list. Chicago ($500 million in value; league-high $59.3 million in operating income) was third, and Detroit ($477 million) and Houston ($462 million) rounded out the top five.

Dallas, third on last year's list after a 15 percent hike in value following their first NBA Finals appearance, dropped to sixth at $461 million. Cleveland, Phoenix, Miami and San Antonio completed the top 10.

Portland checked in last at $253 million, barely below Milwaukee ($264 million) and Seattle ($269 million).

The complete NBA list can be viewed on the magazine's Web site, Forbes.com.

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Contributing: AP
E-mail: tbuckley@desnews.com