As the NBA's regular season winds down, the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder are the league's top teams.
The Bulls have rumbled to the top of the Eastern Conference with an NBA-best 45-14 record. The Thunder, 43-16, has roared to the top of the Western Conference.
Surely the Bulls and Thunder are on a collision course to meet in the NBA Finals, right?
Not necessarily.
Over the last 10 seasons, the teams at the top of each conference have met in the Finals only once. That was in 2008, when the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers clashed for the title.
As good as the Bulls and Thunder have been this season, it's likely that one â€" or both â€" of them won't make it to the Finals.
And if recent NBA history repeats itself, Bulls and/or Thunder fans have reason to be concerned.
That's because the postseason is an entirely different animal than the regular season. There are no guarantees. A team could be on top of the world in one playoff series, and out the next.
Toss out the regular season records, because anything can happen in the playoffs.
A lot is at stake in the postseason, and teams are fighting â€" sometimes literally â€" for the right to move on.
In the playoffs, "you have to come out with anger and an intensity," said Jason Terry, a member of the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.
Underdogs are no longer underdogs. They can quickly devour the top cats.
An NBA championship ring answers a lot of questions and silences a lot of critics. Ask Dirk Nowitzki.
So enjoy Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant while you can. One (or both) of them will soon have a lot more critics and questions to answer.
A question of commitment
It's safe to say that former Charlotte Bobcats head coach Sam Vincent probably won't be rejoining the team anytime soon.
Vincent, hired by team owner and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan as Bobcats head coach in 2007, recently questioned Jordan's commitment to the franchise.
"The work he put in to be a great player and the work you put in to be a great executive, those are different things," said Vincent. "That additional time you spend on jump shots, running, dunking, I don't know if he puts in that same amount of time as an executive or if he even cares to."
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Apparently not.
The Bobcats, owners of the NBA's worst record (7-51) have also lost 15 straight games.
Knockin' heads
The Washington Wizards recently lost at home, 103-65, to the New York Knicks.
The 65 points matched the second-worst scoring game in franchise history. The low of 64 was set on Jan. 11 in Chicago.
Things got so bad that Wizards fans booed each time the team touched the ball.
"This all caught me by surprise. I'm still in shock," said Wizards forward James Singleton. "That's the most I ever lost by. Sometimes, it takes getting your head beat in like this to go beat somebody else's head in."
The Wizards will have a chance to redeem themselves on Monday night in Chicago.
Tough guys?
Because of the lockout, the NBA's regular season was whittled down to 66 games from its usual 82, forcing teams to frequently play two or three games in a row.
Some players have complained about the hectic schedule, but Major League Baseball teams play 162 games, often playing three-or four-game series.
"Baseball players are laughing at us," said Boston Celtics guard Ray Allen. "They're saying, 'These guys are wimps.'"
NBA Top 20 (as of April 14)
1. Chicago (45-14): Rose trying to regain his rhythm.
2. Oklahoma City (43-16):Trying to fight off Spurs, who trail them for the West lead by one game.
3. San Antonio (41-16): They WILL be heard from in the playoffs.
4. Miami (41-17): LeBron's trying to prove that he has nothing to prove.
5. L.A. Lakers (38-22): Eccentric Bynum collected 30 rebounds against Spurs.
6. Indiana (37-22): Pacers secured their second straight playoff spot.
7. L.A. Clippers (36-23): They've won 10 of 12, and they're getting healthier and deeper.
8. Atlanta (35-24): Hawks are 20-7 since the All-Star break.
9. Memphis (34-24): They'd rather play any team but the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs.
10. Boston (34-25): Celtics are closing in on their fourth straight Atlantic Division title.
11. Orlando (34-25): Howard's out with a back injury. Orlando is 1-4 without him.
12. Dallas (34-26): Mavs resting 39-year-old Kidd for playoff run.
13. Houston (32-27): Barring a last minute collapse, they'll be in the playoffs.
14. Denver (32-27): Loss to Kobe-less Lakers (ouch) left them stuck at No. 8 in the West.
15. New York (31-28): Woodson is 9-0 as head coach at home (13-4 overall).
16. Philadelphia (31-28): Loss to Nets dropped them to No. 8 in the East.
17. Phoenix (31-28): Their bench could get team a seat in the playoffs.
18. Utah (31-29): Their loss to New Orleans keeps them 1 ½ games from a playoff spot.
19. Milwaukee (29-30): Bucks playing hard to catch No. 8 Sixers, who have a two-game lead.
20. Portland (28-32): Blazers are mathematically alive for the No. 8 playoff spot in the West, but ...
Larry Wade is a columnist for The Times.
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