Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs have won 18 consecutive games. Will the Thunder challenge them?/AP

18 wins in a row. The San Antonio Spurs are rolling.

Unbeaten in this year’s NBA playoffs, the Spurs swept the Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers to reach the Western Conference finals. They’ve been unstoppable.

They haven’t been tested, either, but that’s all about to change Sunday.

Here come the Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Spurs have the best team, but the Thunder have the two best players in the series in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in James Harden.

So make no mistake. The Spurs will lose a game in this series, but will they lose the series?

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(1). San Antonio Spurs (50-16)

1st round foe: (8) Utah Jazz (36-30)

Biggest concern vs. Jazz: With big boys Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson, Utah can cause the Spurs problems in the paint.

Last 10: 10-0 (Won 10)

Strengths: The hottest team in the NBA, the Spurs have great chemistry, Tony Parker is playing at a very high level and they’ve got one of game’s best coaches in Gregg Popovich.

Weaknesses: Still wondering if this regular-season success is a product of the schedule? Are they really as good as they appear to be? What happens if Parker gets in foul trouble early?

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Dwight Howard is a lock to win a second consecutive defensive player of the year award.

(2) Orlando Magic (59-23) vs. (7) Charlotte Bobcats (44-38)

Series schedule: Game 1 – Today at Orlando 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT); Game 2 – Wednesday at Orlando 7 p.m. ET (TNT); Game 3 – Saturday at Charlotte 2 p.m. ET (TNT); Game 4 –Monday 4/26 at Charlotte TBD; Game 5 – Wednesday 4/28 *at Orlando TBD; Game 6 – Friday 4/30 *at Charlotte TBD; Game 7 – Sunday 5/2 TBD. *If necessary.

Series keys: For Orlando: Use bench (Orlando will need reserves later in the postseason). 2. Establish defensive energy (Howard sets tone with shot blocks and rebounding). 3. Handle Action Jackson (Stephen Jackson had 28 points in Charlotte’s lone win against Orlando. For Charlotte: 1. Guard the 3-pointer (Orlando lead the NBA in 3-pointers made with 841 in the regular season). 2. Foul Superman (Dwight Howard shoots a higher percentage from the field – 61.2 percent – than the line – 59.2 percent. 3. Follow the leader (Veteran coach Larry Brown has the knowledge to make this series interesting). 

Series outcome: Magic will win the series in six games, but Charlotte won’t go down easily.

Series stories:

1. Dwight Howard on Hack-a-Dwight: “It’s not a bad strategy” – Orlando Sentinel
2. Magic-Bobcats offer friendly, fiery playoff twist – USA Today
3. Can Michael really let Larry leave Charlotte? – ESPN

Stephen Jackson wants out of Golden State.

The Warriors want to accommodate him, but are there any takers?

According to Mercury News columnist Tim Kawakami, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be. There are reports the Cavaliers are interested in the clutch shooting, but confrontational forward.

Three things to consider on this:

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