2009-10 NBA Season Trivia Quiz

Answer: Francisco Garcia

Francisco Garcia of the Sacramento Kings was kept out until February after getting surgery on his forearm and wrist. He ended up playing only 25 games. Blake Griffin, who was picked first overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2009 NBA Draft, fractured his left patella during the preseason and was out for the entire 2009-10 regular season. Houston's all-star center Yao Ming was also out for season after reconstructive surgery on his foot. Bruce Bowen announced retirement from the NBA in early September after playing for 12 seasons in the league.

Answer: New Jersey Nets

The Nets broke the previous record for worst start to an NBA season of 17 straight losses by the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nets ended up with a record of 12-70, which was only three less wins than the team with the second-worst record, the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Nets were led scoring-wise by big man Brook Lopez in only his sophomore season.

Answer: Brandon Jennings

On November 14, Bucks' point guard Brandon Jennings scored 55 points along with 5 rebounds and 5 assists against the Golden State Warriors. Jennings scored more than half of his points in the third quarter alone, and he was only two points away from tying the franchise record held by Michael Redd for most points scored in a single game by an individual. Brandon Jennings was picked 10th overall by the Bucks in the 2009 NBA Draft.

At the end of the season, however, Tyreke Evans was given the Rookie of the Year award.

Answer: Javaris Crittenton

Although one can never be too certain about what exactly happened in the Wizards locker room, it's widely known that the guns were drawn after a quarrel over gambling debts. David Stern's immediate reaction was to suspend the two indefinitely, in perhaps one of the lowest points in the team's history.

The two were later declared as suspended for the rest of the season. Arenas ended up serving a month in a halfway house and was given two years of probation among other consequences given by the court. Weeks after the scandal, on February 13, the Washington Wizards made more headlines when they traded Caron Butler, DeShawn Stevenson, and Brendan Haywood to the Dallas Mavericks for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton.

Answer: Sundiata Gaines

Point guard Sundiata Gaines was called up from the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League on January 5, by the Utah Jazz. He quickly became a crowd favorite with his spectacular game-winning three which gave the Jazz a one-point victory over the Cavs. It was the first three-pointer of his NBA career.

Answer: True

LeBron announced during the 2009-10 season that for the 2010-11 season, he would model 6 as his new jersey number in honor of NBA legend Michael Jordan. He suggested that everyone in the league do the same as a tribute. LeBron officially filed papers to change his jersey in early March, although he had originally brought up the idea on national television earlier in November.

Answer: Nate Robinson

Although it was previously thought that LeBron James would battle in the All-Star Weekend's 2010 Sprite Slam Dunk Contest, but, in the end, James decided not to participate. The day before the competition, a face-off was held between Eric Gordon of the Los Angeles Clippers and rookie DeMar DeRozan of the Toronto Raptors. DeRozan came out victorious in the preliminary match, and he ended up losing in the final round to Nate Robinson who made himself a three-time champion with the victory. Although he didn't do too well in the contest, Shannon Brown had a huge support group behind him, including his own campaign website, which exhibited the popular slogan, "Let Shannon Dunk".

Answer: Kevin Durant

LeBron James managed to win the MVP by a landslide with 116 out of 123 possible first place votes. Kevin Durant came in second place. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant placed third, and Dwight Howard placed fourth. Dwight Howard ended up winning Defensive Player of the Year. Durant managed to also tie for second place in the voting for the Most Improved Player Award, which was given to Aaron Brooks of the Houston Rockets.

Answer: Orlando Magic

The two-seeded Magic defeated the Charlotte Bobcats 4-0 in the first round, and the Atlanta Hawks 4-0 in the second round. But, the Magic then met their match in the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Boston Celtics in six games after losing the first three games of the series. Both the Lakers and the Suns managed to sweep their opponents in the second round, but not the first.

Answer: Doc Rivers

After winning in Staples Center in February during the regular season, Coach Doc Rivers had collected the money from his team. Rivers hid the money in the ceiling in the locker room and told the team that if they wanted their money back, they'd have to make it back to Staples Center in the NBA Finals. And in a remarkable turnout, the players got their money back when they played the Lakers in the finals more than three months later.

The Lakers ended up winning the series in seven games, with Kobe Bryant crowned as the NBA Finals MVP.