When we found out she was giving away full-size candy bars - that's right, full size! - we hit that house twice more before she was on to us.

Because that's what Halloween was all about when I was a kid.

I'd say it was 60 percent candy, 15 percent costume, and 25 percent an excuse to run around with my friends at night, usually getting ourselves into trouble.

We'd start early and end late, accumulating a plethora of candy, ranging from those rare full-size candy bars to the itsy-bitsy Tootsie Rolls.

By the time we were finished, my brother, Brett, and I would return home, lugging our goodie-packed pillow-cases over our shoulders.

My parents would then do the unthinkable.

They would put all of our hard-earned candy into a giant bowl and put it on top of the refrigerator.

Brett and I were completely dumbfounded the first time they tricked us for our treats.

Try explaining to a 10-year-old why the candy he spent five hours collecting in the bitter cold is now under the control of his parents, who did nothing to earn it.

It doesn't go over too well.

As it turns out, it was the right move. We probably would have devoured half the bowl that night and then made emergency trips to the dentist.

As usual, Halloween coincides with the start of the NBA season, which got underway with four games on Oct. 27.

With my favorite part of Halloween in mind, I'm assigning each playoff team a type of candy and predicting how all teams will finish the 2009-10 season.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Playoff contenders

1, Cleveland (Whoppers): Shaquille O'Neal, who goes about 7-foot-1 and 330 pounds, will join LeBron James (6-8, 260) this year to make an already good team even better. The Cavaliers had the best team in the NBA last year and should be even better this year.

2, Boston (3 Musketeers): The Celtics' big three (Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce) have a combined age of 99 years. Can they stay healthy? My guess is yes, but if one of them doesn't, it's a different team.

3, Orlando (Almond Joy): Former high-flier Vince Carter was added to a Magic team that already includes Dwight Howard, everybody's favorite big guy, and the speedy, playmaking Jameer Nelson. Orlando fans should find joy watching their team this year.

4, Miami (Whatchamacallit): I put in a good 10 minutes searching for a good candy to represent the Heat, but couldn't think of anything. Hence, Whatchamacallit. Miami has bonafide superstar Dwayne Wade, which should be good enough for at least a .500 record. Add Jermaine O'Neal and an improved Michael Beasley and the Heat should be a good, competitive team.

5, Atlanta (Take 5): The Hawks have five starters (Mike Bibby, Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams, Al Horford and Josh Smith) that were drafted with high expectations. They're all in the prime of their careers. Let's see what happens.

6, Chicago (Milky Way): During the playoffs last year, it didn't look like anybody in this galaxy had the ability to guard Derrick Rose. He was just too fast for everybody. And this is only his second year.

7, Washington (Zero bar): The Wizards won't go anywhere if their star, Gilbert Arenas (or as he dubbed himself, "Agent Zero"), doesn't stay healthy. He was injured last year and Washington finished with the second-worst record in the league.

8, Toronto (Cadbury chocolate): The Raptors feature three foreign-born players (Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani) in their starting lineup and another major contributor (Marco Belinelli) off the bench. I'm predicting that will lead them to the eighth and final playoff seed in the east.

The rest

9, Detroit. 10, Philadelphia. 11, New Jersey. 12, New York. 13, Charlotte. 14, Milwaukee. 15, Indiana.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Playoff contenders

1, Los Angeles Lakers (Good and Plenty): The defending champs added Ron Artest to a team that is deeper than Bill Gates' pockets. They have 11 or 12 players that can contribute. Kobe Bryant's legs are getting up there in mileage, but he'll remain one of the best players in the league for a couple more years.

2, San Antonio (Starburst): The Spurs, who already have stars Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker, added another star, Richard Jefferson, in the offseason. I almost went with Laffy Taffy here because it's going to be silly, almost humorous, how good San Antonio is going to be this year.

3, Dallas (Airheads): The Mavericks roster includes Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Drew Gooden. I think Dirk Nowitzki needs to be added to the list of airheads, too, based on his adventurous summer and his current haircut. He looks like a member of Hanson. Either way, they should be good this year. Maybe even as good as they were in 2006-07.

4, Denver (NutRageous): The Nuggets definitely have some undisputable nuts on their team (Chris "Birdman" Anderson, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith), but they're an exciting team. Not many other teams can match their offensive output, which I think is the reason they'll finish toward the top of the Western Conference.

5, Portland (Now and Later): New to Oregon and never having been a Seattle fan (doesn't matter anymore; there are no Sonics), I'm adopting Portland as my new favorite basketball team. But I still think they're a year or two out. Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge are great, but I think the younger guys still have to put their time in before Portland can really excel.

6, Phoenix (Fastbreak): The Suns kind of went away from their run-and-gun style to appease the sluggish Shaquille O'Neal last year. I think they'll get back to it this year and score lots and lots of points along the way.

7, New Orleans (Runts): Is 6-foot point guard Chris Paul enough to lead the Hornets to another successful season? I say, yes, kind of. There are too many other good teams in the West for New Orleans to be as successful as they were two years ago. I think they'll still have a solid season and who knows what could happen in the playoffs.

8, Utah (Smarties): The Jazz aren't flashy, but they've been a solid team for two decades. It all comes back to their coach, Jerry Sloan, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. Utah will continue to play it's smart style of basketball and grab the last playoff spot.

The rest

9, Memphis. 10, Oklahoma City. 11, L.A. Clippers. 12, Houston. 13, Minnesota. 14, Golden State. 15, Sacramento.

Western Conference Finals: Lakers over Spurs.

Eastern Conference Finals: Cavaliers over Boston.

NBA Finals: Lakers over Cavaliers.

Matt Crownover is the sports reporter for the Lebanon Express. He can be reached at matt.crownover@lee.net or 258-3151.