41.   They enter the playoffs on a roll.

42.   They enter the playoffs as one of the hottest teams among the NFC field, yet questions abound about a team with a history of playoff failures.

43.   They have emphasized in the past week they are not the old Rockets, and yet they enter the playoffs following a familiar path.

44.   UMass entered these playoffs by a different route than a year ago, when no one gave it the slightest chance to win one playoff game.

45.   While the Lakers have had their own difficulties, Jackson said they enter the playoffs with a strong pscyhe.

46.   With Johnson, the Astros now can enter the playoffs with three solid starters.

47.   Yet the Bulls enter the playoffs as heavily favored as anyone in recent years.

48.   Are they going downhill entering the playoffs or can they turn it around?

49.   Baltimore enters the playoffs with more momentum than any team in the NFL.

50.   But Denver, the best team in the NFL for most of the season, now faces the prospect of entering the playoffs as a wild card.