<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">It turned out the Bulls' final exhibition game Friday was a likely dress rehearsal for the team's regular-season opener Tuesday. Coach Scott Skiles had been unsure if he would even play his starters in the 108-97 home win over the previously unbeaten Toronto Raptors (7-1). Yet, the starters for the Bulls (6-2) included center Ben Wallace, guards Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich, and forwards Luol Deng and P.J. Brown. Gordon, who averaged just 10.3 points before Friday, broke out with a game-high 38, including 19 in the first quarter. Deng added 15 points and Hinrich scored 14. Skiles, who used three different starting lineups through the exhibition season, indicated the same five will begin the season opener Tuesday when the Bulls are on the road to play the defending-champion Miami Heat. ''I wouldn't swear by it, but I'd say there's a pretty good probability of that,'' Skiles said. Why that lineup? ''Just the defense of the basket early in the game is one thing,'' Skiles said. ''The other thing is, I'm a little bit concerned about getting some scoring off the bench.'' That's why Skiles switched Brown for Andres Nocioni, who scored 15 points in reserve Friday. Nocioni had started four of the seven exhibition games in which he played.</div> Source
