Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Detroit Pistons
5. Miami Heat
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
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9. Chicago Bulls
10. Philadelphia 76ers
11. New York Knicks
12. Milwaukee Bucks
13. New Jersey Nets
14. Indiana Pacers
15. Charlotte Bobcats

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Portland Trail Blazers
5. Denver Nuggets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Utah Jazz
8. New Orleans Hornets
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9. Golden State Warriors
10. Los Angeles Clippers
11. Memphis Grizzlies
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference First Round

1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 8. Washington Wizards (4-1)
4. Detroit Pistons over 5. Miami Heat (4-2)
3. Boston Celtics over 6. Atlanta Hawks (4-2)
2. Orlando Magic over 7. Toronto Raptors (4-0)

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 4. Detroit Pistons (4-2)
3. Boston Celtics over 2. Orlando Magic (4-3)

Eastern Conference Finals

3. Boston Celtics over 1. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)

Western Conference First Round

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 8. New Orleans Hornets (4-0)
4. Portland Trail Blazers over 5. Denver Nuggets (4-2)
3. Dallas Mavericks over 6. Phoenix Suns (4-3)
2. San Antonio Spurs over 7. Utah Jazz (4-1)

Western Conference Semi-Finals

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 4. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)
2. San Antonio Spurs over 3. Dallas Mavericks (4-3)

Western Conference Finals

2. San Antonio Spurs over 1. Los Angeles Lakers (4-2)

NBA Finals

San Antonio Spurs over Boston Celtics (4-3)

Coach of the Year: John Kuester (Runner Up: Gregg Poppovich)
MVP: Lebron James (Runner Up: Dwight Howard)
Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans (Runner Up: Blake Griffin)
Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili (Runner Up: Leandro Barbosa)
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (Runner Up: Ron Artest)
Most Improved Player: Brook Lopez (Runner Up: Michael Beasley)

The 2009-2010 NBA season is quickly approaching. Therefore, here are five bold, specific, quick hit predictions for the 2009-2010 NBA season.

1. The San Antonio Spurs defeat the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the NBA Finals behind a 17 rebound performance by Dejuan Blair. Tim Duncan wins the Finals MVP, while Manu Ginobili hobbles his wa through the Finals, retiring at their conclusion.
2. Brook Lopez makes his first Allstar game appearance and emerges as the top player from the 2008 Draft Class.
3. All four of the conference semi-final matchups (Cleveland vs. Detroit, Boston vs. Orlando, LA Lakers vs. Portland, and San Antonio vs. Dallas) will be epic playoff series.
4. Ben Gordon takes over the starting shooting guard spot from Richard Hamilton in November. At that point, Joe Dumars simultaneously trades Richard Hamilton for a center (it will be either Chris Kaman or Andrew Bogut). The Pistons combine one of the top producing back courts in the NBA with good interior defense to claim the fourth seed in the East. Ben Gordon has a better season than Derrick Rose and makes his first Allstar game. Gordon goes on to knock the Miami Heat out of the playoffs in Game 6 on a buzzer beating leaner along the baseline. The Pistons give the Cavs a hard fought series in the second round before being eliminated in six games.
5. Michael Beasley puts it all together as the Heat win around 46 games. Miami becomes the clear cut top free agent destination. Dwyane Wade re-signs with the Heat on the first day of free agency. The Heat also sign Lebron James or Chris Bosh on the first day of free agency.

The New Jersey Nets will have a promotion this season where they will be giving away reversible jerseys when you buy a 10 game plan to the 10 hottest games of the year. Instead of the reversible jerseys reversing from a home jersey into an away jersey, like we are used to from when we played basketball as kids, the Nets jerseys reverse into an opposing team’s player.

It appears that the five jersey combinations will be Jarvis Hayes - Lebron James, Courtney Lee - Kobe Bryant, Brook Lopez - Dwight Howard, Devin Harris - Dwyane Wade, and Yi Jianlian - Kevin Garnett.

It is a bold marketing decision by the Nets.  As a Bulls fan, I don’t think I would want a Derrick Rose jersey that reverses into a Dwyane Wade jersey or a Joakim Noah jersey that reverses into a Dwight Howard, or a Kirk Hinrich jersey that reverses into a Ben Gordon jersey.  Okay, maybe I’d take that last one.

The Chicago Bulls defeated the New Jersey Nets 103 to 94 at the United Center in a matinee game.

The Bulls almost let this one slip away, ceding the lead to New Jersey late in the game.  But Brad Miller scored to give the Bulls a 95 to 94 lead.  Then John Salmons was fouled by Devin Harris on a breakaway, and the refs called it a flagrant.

It is hard to say whether or not the foul was a flagrant. It’s easy to see why the refs called it the way they did, but Harris obviously had no malicious intent, whatsoever with the foul.

Salmons made 1 of the 2 free throws.  Then, out of the timeout, the Bulls ran a play for Ben Gordon.  Ben Gordon ended up with the ball on the left wing.  The Nets gave Gordon a little bit of space and he pulled up and sank a three point shot.  This gave the Bulls a 99 to 94 lead, and the Nets fell apart after that.

Ben Gordon was just great down the stretch.  He started the game 0-10 shooting, but closed out the game making 3 of his last 4.  Gordon got to the line very well tonight, taking 12 free throw attempts.  Gordon finished with 18 points in the game.

That is the thing about Ben Gordon, he can be terrible for the first three quarters, and then save your butts in the fourth.  He is clutch.  When the other players tighten up and start missing shots they normally make, Gordon focuses in and plays at a high level.

His teammates seem to recognize this as well.

Joakim Noah had to say about Gordon after the game, “The thing with BG is there are not a lot of shots that he takes that you can say, ‘Oh that’s a terrible shot,’ because you know he’s capable of making it.  He’s really been huge for this ballclub all year, hitting big shots down the stretch. He’s been doing that since he’s been here.”

This is the truth. There aren’t many bad shots for Gordon, because he is so good at taking all sorts of difficult shots.  You will see him brick a wide open three and then come back and make a fade away shot over Chris Bosh’s extended arm.  That’s just Gordon’s nature, he can make any shot, and that’s why he is so much better than other players at making the big shots.

John Salmons had to say, “I’m never worried about him shooting the ball.  He can get it going like that.”

John Salmons came back to the Bulls today to give them 17 points on 7-16 shooting.  Not the most efficient night for Salmons, but he gave the Bulls another scoring option, which really helped.

Derrick Rose put in an efficient 15 points and 5 assists.

The Bulls got good production from their front court.  12 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 1 block from Joakim Noah.  9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks from Tyrus Thomas, and 13 points and 7 rebounds for Brad Miller.

But Tim Thomas finished with the stat of the game, scoring 12 points on 104.2 TS%.  It isn’t very often that you see a player score in double figures with over 100 TS%.

Brook Lopez was very impressive for the Nets.  He finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks.  He is a good young center who is going to be a good player in this league for a long time.  There are a lot of teams in the top 9 picks that are going to regret not drafting him.

Devin Harris finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Ryan Anderson had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Keyon Dooling added in 16 points.

Jarvis Hayes had 14 points off the bench.

With the win, the Bulls improve to 37-40 on the season.

<h3>Closing Comments</h3>

Some brief closing comments.  Good win for the Bulls and it is nice to have John Salmons back.  Ben Gordon was great in the clutch as he always is.  The Bulls need to continue to win down the stretch.  They have passed up Detroit once again, putting them in the seventh spot, and have gained some good separation from Charlotte.  They need to keep this up and make the playoffs.  But not only that, Del Negro needs to push the Bulls to finish 4-1.  If they do that, they will not have had a losing season.  If the Bulls have a losing season and don’t win a playoff series, then I think Del Negro should be fired, because this team, with all the talent on the roster, should be a winning team.

They say superstars get you wins in the NBA, and that was definitely the case tonight, as the New Jersey Nets trounced the Chicago Bulls 111 to 99 behind 42 points from Devin Harris.

The Bulls were completely dominated by Devin Harris. He was scoring at will, hitting threes and scoring on drives to the basket. As expected, Harris took advantage of Rose’s horrible defense. But even Kirk Hinrich could not slow down Harris. Harris simply pulled up his team and carried them to victory.

The Bulls “superstar” wasn’t shining very bright tonight. Rose had 9 points and 5 assists. Rose has given up on showing any type of effort on the defensive end. On the offensive end, he simply goes through the motions. He is playing with very little life.

Ben Gordon had one of his poorer offensive performances of the season. He finished with 17 points on 6-15 shooting. He started the game off very strong, scoring 10 points in the first quarter. Del Negro probably kept him on the bench too long, as he really never got a chance to try to score when he came back in the second. 5 of Gordon’s points were in garbage time, after the game was already decided, and the Nets were playing very loose defense.

The two former Sacramento Kings looked pretty good. John Salmons scored an efficient 15 points and Brad Miller added in 10 points and 5 rebounds. The Bulls ran a lot less of their offense through Miller tonight than they did yesterday in Orlando.

Luol Deng put up 0 positive stats in the first half, but stepped up his game in the second half, scoring 12 points.

Tyrus Thomas had a mediocre game, finishing with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. The problem was that Thomas was 5-16 in his shooting. The Nets were letting Thomas take wide open jumpshots, and Thomas was just bricking them.

Thomas had a monster blockk on an attempted dunk by Brook Lopez.

Kirk Hinrich looked good offensively tonight, scoring 14 points and passing for 5 assists off the bench. His defense on Harris left a lot to be desired. Yes, a guy like Harris is going to probably get his, but giving his and some cannot happen.

Bobby Simmons scored 18 points. He was 3-5 from three. The Bulls left him wide open way too many times.

Brook Lopez had 13 points and 7 rebounds. He is looking like he will become a very good center in the league. He has good strength and size, moves pretty well, and has quite a bit of skill.

Vince Carter had 11 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.

Tim Thomas had 3 points on 1-6 shooting. When he’s not making his shots, he’s not very useful for the Bulls.

The Nets set the record for most free throws in a game without a miss, going 25 for 25 from the line.

The Bulls really let one get away tonight. They had control of the game up until the fourth quarter and then let the game get away.

With the loss, the Bulls fall to 26-32 on the season.

The NBA sent out a press release today announcing the participants in the 2009 Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam. Here is the press release that the NBA sent out.

NEW YORK, Jan. 28, 2009 – Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose, the first overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, the reigning T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, lead a list of 18 players selected for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held on Friday, Feb. 13 in Phoenix during NBA All-Star 2009.

The participants in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam were selected by the NBA’s assistant coaches, with each team submitting one ballot. For the first time in the game’s history, two current NBA players, All-Star starters Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat – veterans of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and part of T-Mobile’s “All-Star Faves” – will serve on the coaching staffs, Howard for the Sophomores and Wade for the Rookies. The head coaches for the Rookie and Sophomore teams will be the lead assistants from the 2009 NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs.

Forward Jeff Green, Durant’s teammate in Oklahoma City, joins him on the Sophomore team, which also includes Atlanta Hawks forward/center Al Horford, Los Angeles Clippers forward Al Thornton, Philadelphia 76ers forward Thaddeus Young, New York Knicks forward Wilson Chandler, Detroit Pistons guard Rodney Stuckey and a pair of teammates from the Houston Rockets – guard Aaron Brooks and forward Luis Scola.

Joining Rose on the Rookie team are two sets of teammates – guard O.J. Mayo and center Marc Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies and center Greg Oden and guard Rudy Fernandez from the Portland Trail Blazers. Thunder guard Russell Westbrook, Clippers guard Eric Gordon, Heat forward Michael Beasley and New Jersey Nets center Brook Lopez round out the Rookie team.

The T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam will be televised live nationally on TNT at 9 p.m. ET and also will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio, while NBA.com will make live audio available to fans in multiple languages. Fans tuning in to TNT will also get a special treat, as NBA All-Star starter LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a participant in the 2004 and 2005 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge, will join Kevin Harlan, Kenny Smith and Craig Sager as part of TNT’s broadcast as an analyst.

As title partner of the Rookie Challenge and overall NBA Rookie Program, T-Mobile has teamed up with the NBA and NBA Cares to create the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Phoenix students to experience NBA All-Star 2009. By successfully completing fitness, nutrition, and community service requirements, more than 3,500 “T-Mobile Stick Together All-Stars,” ages 11-15, from participating school districts in Phoenix will watch the game from the best seats in the house at US Airways Arena.

As a new element to the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, fans had the unique opportunity to design the official jerseys worn by the Rookie and Sophomore teams. Thousands of fans registered for the NBA LIVE Jersey Creator Contest hosted by EA SPORTS for the chance to win a trip for two to Phoenix, AZ for NBA All-Star 2009. The winning jersey is being produced by adidas, the official uniform and apparel provider for the NBA, and will be worn by all participating Rookie and Sophomore players, marking the first time that a fan designed jersey has ever been worn during an NBA game or event. In past years, Rookies and Sophomores wore their regular team jerseys during the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. The winning design was created by 18-year-old Tim Ahmed from East Meadow, Long Island. Ahmed attended East Meadow High School and is currently a first-year student at Baruch College in Manhattan.

In last year’s T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson earned Most Valuable Player honors, making 11 three-pointers en route to a game-high 33 points, as the Sophomores cruised to a 136-109 victory. Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay added 22 points and Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar tallied 17 points and 11 assists. Durant, then of the Seattle SuperSonics, led the Rookies with 23 points.

The contest began its current format pitting the Rookies against the Sophomores in 2000 and the Sophomores hold a 7-2 advantage over the first-year players. The game will be played in two 20-minute halves. Individual foul totals will be kept, but a player cannot foul out. A team will be in the penalty situation after 10 team fouls or after the second foul in the final two minutes of each half. In the event of a tie game, there will be a two-minute overtime to determine the winner. The clock will stop after each successful field goal in the last minute of each half.

T-Mobile will provide basketball fans with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam by voting on NBA.com or via SMS on mobile phones during the second half of the game.

The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 15, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages and broadcast on NBA.com.

NBA All-Star brings together the top NBA players and performers for a week of competition, community service and world-class entertainment. Among the many other exciting All-Star events are Sprite Slam Dunk, Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, PlayStation® Skills Challenge, Haier Shooting Stars and NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.

Building upon its already strong appeal to the nation’s youth and as Official Partner of the NBA, T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA’s youngest players — the Rookies — through the T-Mobile Rookie Program. Highlights include the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, an All-Star competition between NBA rookies and second-year players, and rookie awards presentations including the T-Mobile Rookie of the Month and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year. To learn more about T-Mobile’s partnership with the NBA, visit www.t-mobile.com/nba.

Below are the rosters for the 2009 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam:

ROOKIE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Michael Beasley Miami F 6-9 245 Kansas St.
Rudy Fernandez Portland G-F 6-6 185 Spain
Marc Gasol Memphis C 7-1 265 Spain
Eric Gordon L.A. Clippers G 6-3 222 Indiana
Brook Lopez New Jersey C 7-0 260 Stanford
O.J. Mayo Memphis G 6-4 210 USC
Greg Oden Portland C 7-0 285 Ohio State
Derrick Rose Chicago G 6-3 190 Memphis
Russell Westbrook Oklahoma City G 6-3 187 UCLA

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwyane Wade

SOPHOMORE TEAM ROSTER
Player Team Pos. Ht. Wt. School/Country
Aaron Brooks Houston G 6-0 161 Oregon
Wilson Chandler New York F 6-8 220 DePaul
Kevin Durant Oklahoma City G-F 6-9 215 Texas
Jeff Green Oklahoma City F 6-9 235 Georgetown
Al Horford Atlanta F-C 6-10 245 Florida
Luis Scola Houston F-C 6-9 245 Argentina
Al Thornton L.A. Clippers F 6-8 220 Florida State
Rodney Stuckey Detroit G 6-5 205 Eastern Washington
Thaddeus Young Philadelphia F 6-8 220 Georgia Tech

Head Coach – TBD
Assistant Coach – Dwight Howard

PREVIOUS T-MOBILE ROOKIE CHALLENGE RESULTS

1994 - Phenoms 74, Sensations 68
1995 - White 83, Green 79 (OT)
1996 - East 94, West 92
1997 - East 96, West 91
1998 - East 85, West 80
2000 - Rookies 92, Sophomores 81 (OT)
2001 - Sophomores 121, Rookies 113
2002 - Rookies 103, Sophomores 97
2003 - Sophomores 132, Rookies 112
2004 - Sophomores 142, Rookies 118
2005 - Sophomores 133, Rookies 106
2006 - Sophomores 106, Rookies 96
2007 – Sophomores 155, Rookies 114
2008 – Sophomores 136, Rookies 109

Source: Bulls.com