"The task was formidable, to put it mildly. But Nets coach Avery Johnson was excited about facing the Bulls, they of the NBA's best record, as the finale to a back-to-back-to-back assignment.

Johnson hoped to see the Nets roll out the same starting lineup for a fifth straight game, something unheard of in a stretch where injuries were as plentiful as Dwight Howard trade rumors. And he'd get to see rookie MarShon Brooks take on the veteran pro, Rip Hamilton.

He might as well have wished for a winning PowerBall ticket, too. One bought for him by someone else."We found out right before the game that MarShon (sore Achilles) wasn't going to be able to go and we had to make some adjustments to our lineup," Johnson said. "Just when we get excited about having the same lineup, a guy goes out 20 minutes before the game. It's just something that we're dealing with.""