CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Chicago Bulls’ Derrick Rose netted 27 points and Joakim Noah added 21 points and 13 boards as the Bulls took a win in Charlotte 98-89 to secure the final No.8 seed in the NBA Playoffs.

The victory comes at the heels of severe internal conflicts that included a physical confrontation between head coach Vinny Del Negro and GM John Paxton. Throughout this, the Bulls were able to stay focused and end the season with a three-game win streak.

Here are all the Eastern Conference and Western Conference match-ups for the NBA Playoffs.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

No.1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs. No.8 Chicago Bulls

No. 2 Orlando Magic vs. No. 7 Charlotte Bobcats

No. 3 Atlanta Hawks vs. No. 6 Milwaukee Bucks

No. 4 Boston Celtics vs. No. 5 Miami Heat

WESTERN CONFERENCE

No. 1 LA Lakers vs. No. 8 Oklahoma City

No. 2 Dallas Mavericks vs. No. 7 San Antonio Spurs

No. 3 Phoenix Suns vs. No. 6 Portland Trailblazers

No. 4 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 5 Utah Jazz

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™

As the regular season winds down for the NHL, the Eastern Conference current playoff standings are as cluttered as a pack-rat’s closet. After tallying the most recent scores, Montreal, Philadelphia and Boston all have 82 points and the Atlanta Thrashers are right on the doorstep with 80.

Last night while the Bruins picked up an important two points after getting a goal from Patrice Bergeron with just 18.3 seconds left in overtime to earn a 1-0 victory over their rival New Jersey Devils, the Thrashers picked up two with a 3-2 win in Toronto.

After the Bruins beat the Devils for the first time all season, Bergeron spread the credit. “It was a huge effort from everyone,” said Bergeron. “We need it. It’s in our hands. If we worry about ourselves and do the job, we shouldn’t worry about anybody else. We’ve got find a way to get that energy, that effort. We know it’s a tough schedule but no one feels sorry for us.”

The tough schedule he is referring to is the one that includes two road games against the Washington Capitals.

“We’re fighting for our lives right now,” said Bruins coach Claude Julien. “Look around the league tonight. Teams that are chasing us also won. Every game has to be about desperation.”

Thrashers’ forward Colby Armstrong also commented on the tight race for the final playoff spots. “We know what the schedule is. Five games left and we’ve got some tough teams coming up. It’s really close.”

Like the Bruins, the Thrashers also will face some strong opposition that includes the Capitals twice and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the final game of the season.

Copyright ©2010 Sports Climax™