40-20 rule

Phil Jackson has an interesting analogy in determining the chances of an NBA team winning the championship — if a team reaches 40 wins in the regular season before losing 20 games, it has a real chance of making it to the Finals.

- BY BOBBY MOTUS

Of the last 20 champions, an amazing 18 teams fall on the “40 before 20” indicator.

This season, three teams officially qualify in this criteria — Detroit, Oklahoma and San Antonio. They are currently the top three in the overall standings. The Pistons, with a .763-win percentage, leads the league with a 45-14 win-loss record. The Thunder comes in second with 47-15 (.758) followed by the Spurs, 43-17 (.717).

The Boston Celtics fell out of the equation with their loss to Denver last week, giving them a 38-20 record. Currently, with a 2-game win streak, they are fourth overall in the standings with 40-20.