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NBA notes, streaks, trends and observations

NBA Atlantic division player and team notes. Updated March 28, 2004.

BOSTON CELTICS

Entering tonight’s play the Celtics have 10 games left on their schedule and are a half game ahead of Cleveland for the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference…The Celtics are also just a game and a half behind New York for 7th and 3 games behind Miami for 6th.

Chucky Atkins has made an immediate impact since coming to the Celtics…The C’s are 9-5 since the addition of Atkins and are averaging 97.1 points per game since his arrival, compared to 94.4 points prior to Atkins joining the club…The team is shooting 45.2 percent from the field compared to 43.9 percent before Atkins came…Individually Atkins is averaging 13.6 points on 42.0 percent shooting and 5.5 assists with the Celtics compared to 6.2 points on 37.4 percent shooting and 2.4 assists with Detroit.

MIAMI HEAT

ALSTON AND JONES IN ELITE COMPANY: For only the third time in franchise history, two players, Rafer Alston and Eddie Jones, have connected for over 130 three pointers apiece during the same season. With Rafer Alston’s 139 three-point field goals made and Eddie Jones’s 154 three-point field goals made, they have joined former HEAT players Tim Hardaway and Voshon Lenard in the HEAT record books. The last time a pair of HEAT players have hit over 130 from downtown in the same season came in the 1996-97 season when Tim Hardaway connected 203 and Voshon Lenard hit 183 from behind the arc. Hardaway and Lenard also did it again during the 1997-98 season when Hardaway recorded 155 while Lenard connected 153 from three-point range.

STAN RECORDS NEW FRANCHISE RECORD: With the victory over the Orlando Magic, Head Coach Stan Van Gundy has set a franchise record for the longest winning streak by a first-year HEAT head coach. Currently the streak stands at seven. The previous record was five games, which was held by former HEAT Head Coach Pat Riley that started on Nov. 25, 1995 through Dec. 3, 1995.

NEW JERSEY NETS

THE RECORD (42-29): The Nets own a record of 42-29 on the season… New Jersey has currently won 14 of its last 23 games… On the season, the Nets are averaging 89.3 ppg, compared to 86.8 ppg for their opponents… As a team, the Nets are shooting 43.8% from the field, compared to 42.4% for their opponents.

AT HOME (24-11): The Nets record at the CAA currently stands at 24-11 after the loss against Dallas… They have won 12 of their last 16 home games… New Jersey is shooting 44.9% from the floor, compared to 41.5% for their opponents… Richard Jefferson leads the team in scoring, averaging 19.7 ppg on 50.1% shooting from the field while Kenyon Martin leads the team in rebounds (9.9) and Jason Kidd is handing out 9.3 apg.

ON THE ROAD (18-18): The Nets’ dropped their road record to 18-18 on the season after their loss at Boston on 3/26… Richard Jefferson leads the team in scoring, averaging 16.8 ppg on 47.8% shooting from the field, while Martin leads the team in rebounds (9.6 rpg)… New Jersey is averaging 86.9 ppg, while holding their opponents to 87.9 ppg… The Nets are shooting 42.7% from the floor, compared to 43.3% for their opponents.

NEW YORK KNICKS

A Family Member Lost: Lenny Lewin, a former Knicks employee and long-time beat writer died on Monday, Mar. 22…the memorial service was on Wednesday at Riverside Memorial Chapel…had a 56-year career in the newspaper business...started with the Daily Mirror (1937-63), then went to the NY Post when the Mirror folded in 1963...was at the Post from 1963-93, then worked for one season (1993-94) as national NBA columnist for SportsTicker...joined Knicks as Executive Director of Knicks Alumni Association in 1994…received one of the profession's highest honors in 1993 when he was named winner of the Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame…covered the Knicks from Day One in 1946 for the Mirror and then for the Post. . . Literally the dean of Knicks beat writers (players, in fact, dubbed him The Dean as nickname in '70s)…authored seven books, including autobiographies of Red Holzman and Tom Heinsohn...as Red's longtime Boswell, Lenny co-authored no less than five books with Holzman, the last being "My Unforgettable Season: 1970" (Tor Books, 1993). . . gave Bill Bradley everlasting nickname of "Dollar Bill" at Bradley's first Knicks press conference at Leone's Restaurant on Dec. 5, 1967.

ORLANDO MAGIC

CLOSE CALLS: The Magic have had their share of close games during the 2003-04 season…31 of Orlando’s games have been decided by seven points or less (13-18 record)…10 of the Magic’s losses have been by three points or less…Last season, the Magic were involved in 28 games decided by five points or less (13-15 in those outings).

CENTURY CLUB: The Magic have scored 100-or-more points 26 times this season, including a season-high 124 points on Jan. 16 vs. Boston…Orlando is averaging 94.6 ppg. and ranks 10th in the NBA in scoring (as of Mar. 27)….When the Magic score 100-plus points, they are 13-13.

NOW STARTING: The Magic have gone through numerous thus far during the 2003-04 season, either due to injury or to simply mix things up…Orlando has used 22 different starting lineups this season and 14 different players have recorded at least one start…Last season, the Magic used 21 different starting lineups.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

The Sixers are 20-9 when holding their opponent to 86 points or less, but own a 7-27 record when the opposition scores more than 90 points.

• The 76ers have shot less than 40.0 percent from the field 20 times (1-19) … the 76ers are 20-3 when holding their opponents to 40.0 percent shooting or less … the 76ers are 16-9 this season when shooting at least 45.0 percent.

• Only two players on the Sixers roster have played in every game this season: Samuel Dalembert and Eric Snow … Snow is the only player to have started every game and has started in 216-consecutive games … Dalembert, who spent the entire 2002-03 season on the injured list and played 34 games during his rookie season, has started 44 games this season (73 GP). • When leading with five minutes to go in the game, the Sixers are 25-2 … on the flip side, the 76ers are 4-39 when trailing at the five minute mark of the fourth quarter.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

BENCH HIGHS: Against the Miami Heat, Steve Blake and Etan Thomas came off the bench to produce new career-highs. Blake set a new career-high in points with 21. His previous high was 18 set in a 107-96 win against the Indiana Pacers. Blake also tied a career-high in threepoint field goals with five. Blake last accomplished that feat in a 100-89 loss at Boston. Thomas set a new career-high in rebounds by pulling down 16. He eclipsed a high he set on March 10, 2002 when he pulled down 15 rebounds in a 98-91 loss to the Boston Celtics.

GIL’S TRIPLE THREAT: After playing 129 games without notching a triple-double, Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas notched the third of his career against the Hawks when he scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished 10 assists. The previous two triple-doubles came against Dallas on November 5th when Arenas finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. He followed that up on February 26th against the Bulls with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. With the third, Arenas now ranks second in the NBA this season in tripledoubles behind Jason Kidd who has nine.

KWAME CONTINUES TO ROLL: Kwame Brown followed up his career night against the Kings with a game-high 27 points and teamhigh 11 rebounds against the Atlanta Hawks. Brown shot better then 50-percent from the floor for the second straight game, going 10-14 and 7-10 from the charity stripe. This is the first time in his career that Brown has score 20 or more points in three straight games.

BROWN’S CAREER NIGHT: Kwame Brown had a career night against the Sacramento Kings by scoring a career-high 30 points and grabbing a career-high 19 rebounds. Brown shot 12-16 from the field, going 7-7 in the first quarter, scoring 16 points, and grabbing five rebounds, and 3-3 in the fourth quarter, scoring eight points, while pulling down five boards. Brown’s previous highs were 25 points scored against Indiana on January 24, 2004, and 18 rebounds set at Toronto on October 30, 2002.