The Western Conference playoff race appears to be headed towards an absolutely thrilling conclusion. With just 1.5 games separating the sixth through ninth seeds, to say the stretch run could come down to the wire is a complete understatement. While three of these teams will advance to the playoffs, one unfortunate squad will be sent home packing.
However, while one might expect the playoff spots to be awarded to the teams that exhibit the most dominant play over the final games, the way the last few weeks have gone, it might be more a matter of which team chokes the most rather than which teams perform the best.