The Chicago Bulls began the season with a five-game winning streak and an eventual 6-1 record. They've won their last five contests and are 6-1 in their last seven.
The common thread between the two runs? One of the NBA's most potent offenses.
After a 113-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 7, the Bulls sputtered to a 4-14 record over the next six weeks. They lost their offensive mojo, the injury bug hit hard, and all the things that made them so productive vanished.
Chicago's current win streak is coming via an eerily familiar recipe. Whether that's good or bad remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: There's absolutely zero room for error.
Bulls are winning with an unsustainable formula
Over these last five games, Billy Donovan's group has been playing explosive yet nearly mistake-free basketball. Only the San Antonio Spurs, who recently inserted themselves into the NBA title race, are unbeaten during the same stretch. But the Bulls have been even better than San Antonio, at least statistically.
Chicago is the highest-scoring team in the league during this run, averaging 130.0 points. They poured in 152 in a win over the Atlanta Hawks on Dec. 21.
The Bulls also lead the league in field-goal percentage, connecting on 52.2 percent of their attempts. They're averaging 35.2 assists per game, tops in the NBA, yet they're only committing 13.6 turnovers a night. That adds up to a league-best 2.59 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Chicago's effective field-goal percentage (60.8) over this same stretch ranks No. 1. Its 63.1 true shooting percentage ranks third. Its offensive rating of 122.9 is second only to those Spurs.
All this efficiency comes despite the Bulls playing at the NBA's second-fastest pace. Only the Hawks, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans have accumulated more possessions than Chicago's 529.
Donovan's group is outscoring its opponents by nearly eight points per game during this run. Without a deep, balanced bench -- nine players scored in double figures in the high-flying victory over Atlanta -- none of it would be possible.
To keep playing at such a high level, the Bulls must keep taking care of the ball despite playing at a blistering pace. They'll have to continue to ping the ball around smoothly and selflessly and make shots at an elite level. They'll have to play just-good-enough defense to maintain a comfortable margin on a nightly basis.
And they'll have to do all of that with incredible injury luck.
There's no room for error, which makes sustaining a run of form like this a scary undertaking.