The Bulls win dirty, the Bulls win clean.  Whether they are taking the game down the wire or dropping 60+ points in a half, they just have everything clicking right now.  As Noah and Boozer continue to learn how to share the floor defensively, the Bulls only continue to get closer to championship form.

On Tuesday night I was willing to ignore the Lakers’ performance against the Nuggets and had them in the top spot for the Power Rankings.  But then I saw the dismal fourth quarter collapse against the Jazz.  The bench has served as a spark of energy and production in the Lakers’ recent run, but the starters have been painstakingly off in their execution in the last two games.

Why in the world are the Heat going after Eddy Curry?  Is that a joke?  It has to be a joke.  I do not see how this could help Miami’s chances to lock down the #2 seed, other than provide a massive lane-clogger to counteract Shaq (if he’s healthy).  The biggest problem for the Heat looking towards the postseason is figuring out how to win games when the pace is slowed down to playoff-speed.  Miami has struggled at times in half-court execution, and they will have to solve that if they plan to emerge victorious from the Eastern Conference.

Tim Duncan’s return brings about more than much-needed wins, it brings that sense of confidence that the Spurs will need to return to the Western Conference finals for the fifth time since 2003.  The way the playoffs are sorting out, it looks like they will need to get past either the Thunder or Nuggets to get there, which will be no easy task.

With Kendrick Perkins off in Oklahoma City, Shaq’s health has become a much more pivotal issue for the Celtics in the playoffs.  The problem is that it took less than a quarter for O’Neal to get re-injured and his availability in the postseason has been called into question.  However, do the Celtics really need another big against anyone other than the Magic?  The way it sorts out now they might miss Orlando all together.

After blowing it big-time against Toronto, Orlando locked up the fourth seed in the playoffs with a win over Milwaukee.  Now with an almost certain meeting with the Hawks on the horizon, Orlando’s shooters need to find their touch again.  The Magic are one of the league’s most dangerous team when the likes of Richardson, Turkoglu, Nelson, and Arenas are knocking down treys with any consistency.

Dallas Mavericks

Speaking of consistency, how about a lack of it from Dallas since the All Star break.  Once firmly in position on top of the Western Conference, Dallas now has to deal with a surging Oklahoma City team that could close the gap on third place.  Even worse? That would set up a date with Denver in the first round.  If Dallas plays like they have been in this three-game losing streak, all those wins might not amount to much in late April.

It’s too bad that despite how well the Nuggets have played after trading Carmelo, they will likely have to face Oklahoma City in the first round of the playoffs.  One of the only teams that can match Denver’s athleticism and tenacity, the Thunder are one of three teams in the West I think would beat Denver in a seven-game series.  Still, fantastic to watch the development of Ty Lawson and Aaron Afflalo once the MeloDrama was all over.

With their win over , the Hornets are sitting on top of the Memphis/Portland/Nola battle for the moment.  This will be a dogfight to the very end as these three teams jockey for playoff position in the last week of play.  The Hornets have a must-win date with Memphis on Sunday.  If they can remain at 6 without David West, it is really going to say something about Monty Williams’ job at the helm.

As mentioned above, Portland finds themselves locked in the battle for 6-7-8 and will jockey for position the rest of the way.  Unfortunately they did not help themselves by following bit wins against Dallas and Oklahoma City with a home loss to Golden State.

The emergence of Collins as a competent starting center for the Hawks has really changed their makeup heading into the playoffs, and that’s a good thing.  Collins bodied Howard well the last time they played, and could finally provide that presence that has been lacking in this divisional rivalry over the last few years.  Should make for a fun first round series.

Memphis is currently locked into the 8 spot in the West. They are half a game out of 7th, and a full game out of 6th. With Sacramento, New Orleans, Portland, and Los Angeles all on the schedule, the Grizzlies control their destiny more than the other two teams in the “race for 6th.” If Memphis can avoid facing San Antonio and Los Angeles, they might actually have a chance to win a playoff series for the first time in franchise history. Big emphasis on “might” though.

The Knicks face a tough road down the stretch of their regular season, but put on a quite an offensive show against Toronto at home.  There really is nothing like a home game against the Raptors to rejuvenate an offense.  Anthony will be the difference maker in the coming weeks, hopefully showing the same killer instinct that helped carry the Nuggets to the Western Conference Finals in 2009.

The Sixers got a good preview of their potential first round matchup with Boston on Tuesday.  Doug Collins continues to make his case for Coach of the Year, as the 76ers have fought off the Knicks for the 6th spot in the East.  If Lou Williams cannot make it back from his hamstring injury it is hard to give them much of a chance against the Celtics.  Williams provides the offensive spark and go-to scoring capability that will be needed when the game slows down in the playoffs.

Going 15-6 since the All Star break is impressive enough to earn some more nationally televised games, a few more hours of radio talk, and respect from the NBA community.  Unfortunately it is still not enough for Houston to make the Western Conference playoffs.  Their bad home loss to Sacramento might as well have been a white flag being raised in Houston.

Indiana Pacers

In most other situations, Indiana would have played themselves out of the playoffs, but thanks to recent wins over Milwaukee and Charlotte – along with combustion by the Bobcats and Bucks – have pretty much secured Indiana into the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference.

The Bucks lost a major opportunity with Charlotte’s recent losses, but Milwaukee has failed to capitalize as well.  Hope is fading for a team that never quite got healthy enough to make the playoffs.

Things have not been great in Utah since the departure of Jerry Sloan.  Now the season will end as only the 2nd losing season in the last 27 years for the franchise.  But damn if they didn’t pull off an impressive upset against the Lakers on Tuesday night.  Gordon Hayward got his Butler revenge going for a career-high 22 points against Kobe.  They probably don’t deserve a bump this high, but it was an awesome performance by Utah in the Staples Center.

The Bobcats had a chance to pull off quite the stunner by making the playoffs even after trading away Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline.  But after being right in the hunt for the 8th spot in the East, the Bobcats have lost three in a row and now are likely out of the chase.

The Suns have checked out.  No other way to put it.  Even when Vince Carter awakes from an “illness”-induced slump it isn’t enough to inspire the Suns to pull an upset when given the chance.  They’ve lost 6 of their last 7 and played their way right out of the playoff hunt.

The Warriors have taken to playing spoiler in the West, knocking off Dallas and Portland in back-to-back games.  Final stretch will be difficult though, with Los Angeles, Denver, and another matchup with Portland before the season’s end.

The Clippers have also been playing spoiler to playoff teams, with recent wins over Oklahoma City and Memphis.  However, I’d expect to see different attitudes when they have to face both teams again before the end of the seaon.

Washington Wizards

Winners of four of their last five, the Wizards are at least doing a decent job of showcasing their young talent to try and sell season tickets for next year.  John Wall, Javale McGee, and Jordan Crawford have all played a crucial piece in the recent W’s.

Brace yourself, but the Kings have won six of their last eight contests.  Marcus Thornton is continuing his tear with Sacramento, scoring 20 points or more in 10 of his last 14 games.

Even with a remaining schedule that contains only one playoff team, it is hard to get excited about the home stretch of a team that is on a four-game losing streak.  It’s another season of ping-pong ball dreaming for the boys from the Motor City.

The Raptors lost 7 of 8, and came dangerously close to allowing New York to set all kinds of records on Tuesday night.  Luckily, they held New York to only 131 points in the losing effort.

The Nets have had a depressingly bad finish to the season, even with the addition of Deron Williams.  They aren’t the worst in the league, but they need to make some acquisitions if they want to keep the All Star point guard around after 2012.

Well here is one uplifting stat for Cavaliers fans: Cleveland has won more games since March 1 (5) than they did in December, January, and February combined (4).

The Timberwolves are finishing the season about where they are usually expected to be, down at the bottom of the power rankings.  After a spectacular season, Kevin Love’s groin has led to a long string of losses and a disappointing finish for the first-time All-Star.