Will Past Be Prologue?

Wizards point guard Rod Strickland is one of only a handful of
veterans--including the Knicks' Charles Oakley (above) and the
Bulls' Scottie Pippen--who have qualified for the playoffs in
each of their NBA seasons. Though Strickland has made the
postseason nine times, his Wizards teammates have combined for
just 14 playoff appearances in 56 chances, a success rate of
25%. Washington is one of six Eastern Conference clubs fighting
it out for the final three playoff berths. Here's how the
rosters of those teams stack up in terms of postseason experience.

--David Sabino

Knicks Magic Pistons Cavaliers Nets Wizards

Previous NBA seasons 120 94 74 39 60 65

Seasons in playoffs 85 58 45 23 23 23

Percentage of possible 70.8 61.7 60.8 59.0 38.3 35.4
playoff appearances

No. of current rookies 0 3 2 4 1 1

Championships won 0 3 4 1 2 0
by current players

COLOR PHOTO: MANNY MILLAN [Dennis Rodman, Charles Oakley and Michael Jordan with basketball in game]