Post by dengdai on Jan 9, 2014 6:26:08 GMT
CHICAGO -- With their star sidelined all season and just about everyone else in their rotation banged up at some point, the Chicago Bulls did not take the easy road to the playoffs. curl secret pas cher . They got there, though -- even if the outside expectations are a little lower this time. Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 15 rebounds and the Bulls locked up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a 95-92 victory over the Washington Wizards in the regular-season finale Wednesday night. Kirk Hinrich added 18 points and Nazr Mohammed added a season-high 17 for the Bulls, who will face the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Chicago finished with the best record in the East the past two years but has ceded that distinction to the defending champion Miami Heat. Considering all theyve overcome, theyll take it. "We proved this year that we can beat the best and lose to the worst," Joakim Noah said. "Up-and-down year. Its been a tough year. Im proud of the way weve handled so much adversity." Theyve dealt with the soap opera surrounding Derrick Rose and his season-long recovery from surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, not to mention a long line of injuries to other key players. Yet here they are, about as healthy as theyve been all season and hoping to stick around and not make this a one-and-done playoff appearance. They come in on a winning note, although this game sure wasnt easy. They had to withstand A.J. Price going off for a career-high 24 points and John Wall finishing with 23 after a slow start, not to mention several big comebacks when the Wizards looked as though they were ready to be put away. The Bulls led by 21 late in the first quarter but allowed Washington to pull within a point in the second. Chicago then got the lead back up to 11 in the third, but the Wizards rallied again. This time, Washington tied it at 85 on a 3-pointer by Price with just over three minutes left before the Bulls responded with seven unanswered points. Richard Hamilton fed Jimmy Butler for an alley-oop dunk, Hinrich hit a floater and Luol Deng nailed a 3 -- after missing five of his first six field goal attempts -- to make it 92-85 with 1:42 remaining. The Wizards cut it to 94-92 on a 3-pointer by Wall and a floater by Price with 26.1 seconds left. Hinrich then had a chance to make it a two-possession game but missed the first free throw before hitting the second to make it 95-92 with 17.1 seconds left. Taj Gibson blocked a 3-point attempt from the wing by Price with 10 seconds left, and Wall put up an air ball from long range at the buzzer with Butler guarding him, preserving the win for Chicago. "I was surprised (Gibson) got a piece of it," Price said. "I told him hes so long after he blocked the shot. I thought I had room. Had about four feet, but he still got a piece of it. Great defensive play by him." The Bulls appear to be healing with the playoffs set to begin. They had every key player available except Rose, although Noah (foot) and Gibson (knee) had their minutes limited for the second straight game after missing time because of their injuries. Noah played 14 minutes, did not score and grabbed one rebound. Gibson had eight points in 21 minutes, and its not clear if theyll start or come off the bench when the Bulls open against the Nets. "Were just trying to figure out the best thing in terms of where their minutes are," coach Tom Thibodeau said. "But having them back is a big plus for us. Whatever they can give us, I feel confident they will get better as time goes along." The Wizards had their share of injuries, too, and a season that started with 12 straight losses ended with them dropping their sixth in a row. They were missing Emeka Okafor after he sprained his right ankle against Brooklyn on Monday. "Great season for our team from where we started and where we finished," Wall said. "We know where we can be if we play together and everyone stays healthy." Notes: The Bulls took three of four from Brooklyn, winning twice at the United Center and once at the Barclays Center. ... Boozer had his 13th double-double in 16 games and his 44th of the season. ... Besides Okafor, Washington was also missing Bradley Beal (stress injury, right fibula), Nene (sore left foot), Martell Webster (strained abdomen), Trevor Ariza (sore left knee) and Leandro Barbosa (torn left ACL). babyliss curl secret . The pictures snapped at the end told a different story: Sharapova, down on her knees after a tougher-than-expected win, head buried in her hands, celebrating after completing a comeback three years in the making and cementing her name among the greatest in tennis. babyliss curl secret prix . The Croatian served 21 aces and hit 42 winners against Sijsling, who double-faulted to give Cilic a 4-3 lead in the deciding set. "All the players, they know me and they were really happy to see me and they were really happy that this is over for me," Cilic said. LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Phil Emery presented a thorough plan for improving the Chicago Bears, and team president Ted Phillips loved his attention to detail and his toughness from his days as a strength and conditioning coach at Navy. Thats how Emery became the top choice to become the teams new general manager. And when Phillips called around the league and talked with other GMs, coaches and executives to get their take, he heard nothing that challenged his initial impression. "Nobody had a negative thing to say about Phil Emery, so I became intrigued early on," Phillips said. Emery was introduced Monday as the Bears GM, taking over after Jerry Angelo was fired following an 8-8 season that featured the Bears faltering down the stretch after injuries to quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte. During Angelos 11-year run, the Bears won four division championships, reached the Super Bowl and got back to the NFC championship game after the 2010 season. But Angelo, who had been under contract through 2013, was undone on several fronts -- especially when backup Caleb Hanie struggled mightily after Cutler was hurt. Chicago has missed the playoffs four out of the last five seasons. The 53-year-old Emery actually worked under Angelo when he was a Bears area scout from 1998-2004. His final year in that post overlapped for five months with coach Lovie Smith, whose future Emery will now determine. Emery made it clear that hes his own man and not following in the footsteps of Angelo, who like Emery had an extensive scouting and personnel background before getting his first GM job. "Im a very different person than Jerry. I worked for Jerry. I respect him. But we both come from different backgrounds as any two people would," Emery said. "My influences are different." Emery spent the three previous seasons as director of college scouting for the Kansas City Chiefs. From 2004-08, Emery held a similar post with the Atlanta Falcons. Among his several college coaching stops were stints as conditioning and strength coach at both Tennessee and Navy. There are areas where he is not as experienced. Emery said during his stay with the Falcons he became familiar with salary-cap issues, but acknowledged he would have to rely on Bears lead contract negotiator Cliff Stein. Emery and New England Patriots director of pro personnel Jason Licht were finalists and both interviewed twice. The Bears also interviewed San Diego Chargers director of player personnel Jimmy Raye, New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross, and former director of player personnel Tim Ruskell. Ruskell and the Bears parted ways by mutual decision Monday, a team spokesman said, so Emery now has a vacancy to fill. babyliss curl secret pas che. Phillips said Emerys previous stint with the Bears was not a major consideration in him being hired. "The familiarity really had no bearing at all," Phillips said. "I mean, he was an area scout so you really only saw him at draft time for a couple of weeks so I really didnt have a relationship with him. "But what you do find out is -- you did sense even back then -- that he had convictions in his evaluations even back then. You saw a little start of what might be traits of a general manager but really had nothing to do with the fact that he worked here." Phillips mandate for his new GM was an ability to work with Smith and close the talent gap in the NFC North with the Packers and more recently the Detroit Lions. He said he also wants the Bears to be more productive with their higher picks. As for his relationship with Smith, Emery said he, Smith and all members of the coaching staff and football operations department will be evaluated daily. He praised the schemes Smith has brought to the Bears and said he would do everything possible to be in synch with Smith and work with him toward building a championship through the draft and free agency. "I have great respect for what Lovie has done," Emery said during a nearly hour-long news conference at Halas Hall. "The consistency of teaching, of being systematic is very important. I would say that the Naval Academy taught me more in that area than any other coaching assignment. "We had players who were under extreme stress in their daily activities and it was very important that the scheme stayed the same so that we could play fast. ... When I watch Lovie Smiths defence those players play fast because they know the scheme. So consistency is important." Phillips said Emery has the power to hire and fire a head coach and final say on the 53-man roster but he doesnt expect there to be any problems. "The idea is you work together to find the best team for the Bears," Phillips said. "I dont know of a single team thats been successful with a general manager jamming players down the coachs throat." Emery, who said he watched tape or six or seven Bears games before his first interview and even more before the season, praised Cutler and veteran linebacker Brian Urlacher, who will be entering his 13th NFL season as the Bears marquee defensive player. "Ive heard rumblings that there is age on our roster," Emery said. "I kind of look at it this way: Its not a numerical number. Its whether you are making plays. If it was just a numerical number and number of grey hairs, I wouldnt be standing here." ' ' '