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Bulls to host 76ers on Friday
Tickets for every Chicago Bulls 2007.08 home game are on sale now at the United Center, Ticketmaster, online at Bulls.com or by calling 1.800.4NBA.TIX.
Oct. 31
Bulls @ New Jersey
6:30 p.m.
CSN-Chicago
ESPN 1000
Nov. 02
Bulls vs Philadelphia
7:30 p.m.
CSN-Chicago
ESPN 1000
Nov. 03
Bulls @ Milwaukee
7:30 p.m.
WGN
ESPN 1000
Nov. 06
Bulls vs L.A. Clippers
7:30 p.m.
CSN-Chicago
ESPN 1000
Brew Pub Weekends
Bulls fans, remember that after every Friday and Saturday home game, Anheuser-Busch will be sponsoring Weekends in the Budweiser Select Brew Pub! The Budweiser Select Brew Pub will remain open an hour after each Friday and Saturday game at the United Center and will feature a live DJ.
Enter the Bulls Sweepstakes
Win a 2008 Kia Sorento SUV in this season's Bulls Sweepstakes!
Entering is easy and the grand prize winner will take home a brand new SUV courtesy of Kia Motors. Many other unbelievable prizes will be awarded, including round-trip airline tickets courtesy of United, wireless telephones courtesy of Verizon Wireless, gift certificates to Dick's Sporting Goods, and much more!
Simply visit Bulls.com to enter now.
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Opening Night: Bulls at Nets | 6:30 p.m.
Chicago looks to improve on last season's win total of 49
Hello ***,
In a wide-open Eastern Conference, the up-and-coming Chicago Bulls have emerged as championship contenders after a long rebuilding process. The New Jersey Nets, meanwhile, represent the old guard.
The young Bulls visit the experienced Nets on Wednesday as both teams begin their quest to take the next step toward an NBA title (6:30 p.m. CT | CSN | ESPN 1000).
While the Bulls enter this season with expectations as high as they've been in years, they'll have to overcome their struggles in New Jersey to get the season started with a victory - Chicago has lost 11 straight road games against New Jersey since a 100-94 win on April 17, 2001.
Chicago won six championships in eight seasons during the 1990s, but Michael Jordan's retirement and Scottie Pippen's departure forced the franchise to start over. After six consecutive losing seasons, the Bulls turned a corner in 2004.05, when they made the first of three straight playoff appearances.
Last season, the Bulls won 49 games en route to their best finish in nine years, then dethroned defending champion Miami with a four-game sweep in the first round of the playoffs. That postseason run ended with a loss to Detroit in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Chicago returns with essentially the same squad for 2007.08 - only with added playoff experience.
"Last year, we did great but we can do a lot better this year," said forward Luol Deng, who's coming off a breakout season during which he averaged career highs in scoring (18.8), rebounding (7.1), assists (2.5), steals (1.2), field goal percentage (51.7) and foul shooting (77.7). "We have a lot of experience now, and I think we're more mature in terms of how to handle games and in terms of knowing what we need to do out there."
While the Bulls celebrated their first playoff series win in nearly a decade, the Nets celebrated their ninth in the last six seasons - second-most among East teams in that stretch, trailing only Detroit.
The Nets were a disappointing 41-41 during the 2006.07 regular season, but upset Toronto in six games before they were eliminated in the second round by eventual conference champion Cleveland. Despite their playoff success over the years, the Nets are still chasing that elusive first championship.
"There's a lot of pieces that I'm very excited about," said eight-time All-Star point guard Jason Kidd. "If we can be consistent throughout the long haul, then hopefully we'll be the team at the top - and not just the top of the Atlantic, but the top of the Eastern Conference."
One of the pieces Kidd is excited about is Vince Carter, the team's leading scorer last season who signed a five-year contract in July to stay with New Jersey. Carter averaged 25.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season, and Kidd added 13.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 9.2 assists.
The Nets didn't make any major acquisitions over the offseason, but they expect to improve with two starters returning from major injuries that marred their seasons a year ago. Nenad Krstic missed the last four months of the season after injuring his knee Dec. 22, but expects to be ready for the opener.
Richard Jefferson also missed much of last season with an ankle injury, but is fully healthy and determined to bounce back after averaging 16.3 points - his lowest average since 2002.03.
Despite rumors that continue to swirl about the possibility of acquiring Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers, the Bulls have so far opted to improve from within. That's not a bad strategy for a team whose top three scorers - Deng and the backcourt combo of Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich - have each increased their scoring average in every season since their respective rookie years.
Overall, the Bulls lost three of four against the Nets in 2006.07.
Tune in to watch tonight's game at 6:30 p.m. CT on Comcast SportsNet Chicago and listen live on ESPN Radio 1000. Visit Bulls.com or click here now for a complete preview of this evening's contest.
Probable Bulls Starters | Roster and Statistics
Guard 12 Kirk Hinrich 6-3 | 190
Guard 7 Ben Gordon 6-3 | 200
Forward 9 Luol Deng 6-9 | 220
Forward 24 Tyrus Thomas 6-8 | 215
Center 3 Ben Wallace 6-9 | 240
Probable Nets Starters | Roster and Statistics
Guard 5 Jason Kidd 6-4 | 210
Guard 15 Vince Carter 6-6 | 220
Forward 22 Richard Jefferson 6-7 | 225
Forward 35 Jason Collins 7-0 | 260
Center 12 Nenad Krstic 7-0 | 255
Injury Report
Bulls
Joakim Noah (right ankle sprain) and Ben Wallace (left ankle sprain) are both day-to-day. For a full report and the latest on Bulls' injuries, check out the AthletiCo Injury Report at Bulls.com.
Nets
Marcus Williams (right foot surgery) and Bernard Robinson (torn MCL, left knee) are out.
Basketball New Year
Chicago enters the 2007.08 campaign celebrating its 42nd season in the NBA. The Bulls possess an Opening Night record of 22-19 (.537), including a 10-9 (.526) mark when opening on the road. In last season's opener, the Bulls crushed the then defending champion Miami Heat 108-66 at AmericanAirlines Arena. Not only was Chicago's 42-point margin of victory that night the largest in team history for an opening night game, but it was also the second-largest opening-night win in NBA history and the biggest opening-night win by a road team.
Get more game notes, statistics and player bios at Bulls.com.
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