NBA FINAL 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
ATLANTA 20 16 14 26 76
CLEVELAND 20 14 17 14 65 FINAL
HIGH SCORERS: ATL - MOOKIE BLAYLOCK 19, GRANT LONG 19, STEVE SMITH 18
CLE - ANDREW DECLERCQ 10, DEREK ANDERSON 9, MITCHELL
BUTLER 9
HIGH REBOUND: ATL - STEVE SMITH 14, MOOKIE BLAYLOCK 11
CLE - ANDREW DECLERCQ 6, THREE PLAYERS WITH 5
HIGH ASSISTS: ATL - MOOKIE BLAYLOCK 10, THREE PLAYERS WITH 2
CLE - DEREK ANDERSON 6, MITCHELL BUTLER 4
ATT: 12,690
Extended Box
ATLANTA (76) AT CLEVELAND (65)
ATLANTA
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
CRAWFORD F 28 1-7 2-2 0 1 1 2 3 0 1 4
HENDERSON F 21 3-5 3-6 1 4 5 1 1 1 3 9
MUTOMBO C 31 1-3 3-4 4 4 8 2 4 0 0 5
BLAYLOCK G 44 7-16 2-2 1 10 11 10 0 3 1 19
SMITH G 44 7-16 4-4 4 10 14 0 3 2 7 18
JOHNSON 22 0-7 0-0 1 0 1 2 2 3 1 0
LONG 35 6-10 7-8 2 4 6 0 3 0 2 19
MCLEOD 7 1-3 0-0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2
WEST 8 0-0 0-0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0
CORBIN DNP - FRACTURE LEFT EYE SOCKET
GRAY DNP - COACH'S DECISION
SHEPPARD DNP - COACH'S DECISION
TOTALS 240 26-67 21-26 14 35 49 17 17 9 16 76
(.388) (.808) TEAM REBS: 6 TOTAL TO: 16(14 PTS)
CLEVELAND
REBOUNDS
PLAYER POS MIN FGM-FGA FTM-FTA OFF-DEF-TOT AST PF ST TO PTS
====== === === ======= ======= =========== === == == == ===
FERRY F 22 3-8 0-0 1 1 2 1 4 0 0 7
HENDERSON F 30 3-9 0-0 2 3 5 3 2 1 3 6
DECLERCQ C 25 4-12 2-4 4 2 6 1 4 4 0 10
ANDERSON G 31 2-9 5-5 1 3 4 6 3 1 2 9
PERSON G 35 4-11 0-0 0 5 5 3 2 1 1 8
BOYKINS 18 1-7 1-2 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 3
BUTLER 20 4-8 0-0 1 2 3 4 1 0 0 9
NEWMAN 22 2-5 0-0 0 3 3 1 1 0 1 5
STACK 24 2-5 4-4 3 2 5 0 4 1 2 8
SURA 13 0-2 0-0 0 2 2 2 1 1 2 0
BLOUNT DNP - MEDIAL MENISCUS
KEMP DNP - SPRAINED LEFT FOOT
TOTALS 240 25-76 12-15 12 24 36 21 23 9 12 65
(.329) (.800) TEAM REBS: 9 TOTAL TO: 12(11 PTS)
ATLANTA 20 16 14 26 - 76
CLEVELAND 20 14 17 14 - 65
BLOCKED SHOTS: ATLANTA - MUTOMBO 4. CLEVELAND - PERSON 2, DECLERCQ 2,
ANDERSON, STACK.
3-PT. FIELD GOALS: ATLANTA 3-10 (.300), CRAWFORD 0-2, BLAYLOCK 3-8.
CLEVELAND 3-12 (.250), FERRY 1-2, ANDERSON 0-3, BOYKINS 0-2, BUTLER 1-2,
NEWMAN 1-3.
TECHNICALS: NONE.
OFFICIALS: JOE CRAWFORD, GARY BENSON, LEROY RICHARDSON.
A - 12,690. T - 2:04.
Box Score
ATLANTA (76)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Crawford 28 1-7 2-2 0-1 2 3 4
Henderson 21 3-5 3-6 1-5 1 1 9
Mutombo 31 1-3 3-4 4-8 2 4 5
Blaylock 44 7-16 2-2 1-11 10 0 19
Smith 44 7-16 4-4 4-14 0 3 18
Johnson 22 0-7 0-0 1-1 2 2 0
Long 35 6-10 7-8 2-6 0 3 19
Mcleod 7 1-3 0-0 0-1 0 0 2
West 8 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 0
Corbin DNP - fracture left eye socket
Gray DNP - coach's decision
Sheppard DNP - coach's decision
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 240 26-67 21-26 14-49 17 17 76
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.388, FT-.808. 3-Point Goals:
3-10, .300 (Crawford 0-2, Blaylock 3-8). Team
rebounds: 6. Blocked shots: 4 (Mutombo 4).
Turnovers: 16 (Smith 7, Henderson 3, Long 2,
Blaylock, Crawford, Johnson, Mcleod). Steals: 9
(Blaylock 3, Johnson 3, Smith 2, Henderson).
CLEVELAND (65)
fg ft rb
min m-a m-a o-t a pf tp
Ferry 22 3-8 0-0 1-2 1 4 7
Henderson 30 3-9 0-0 2-5 3 2 6
Declercq 25 4-12 2-4 4-6 1 4 10
Anderson 31 2-9 5-5 1-4 6 3 9
Person 35 4-11 0-0 0-5 3 2 8
Boykins 18 1-7 1-2 0-1 0 1 3
Butler 20 4-8 0-0 1-3 4 1 9
Newman 22 2-5 0-0 0-3 1 1 5
Stack 24 2-5 4-4 3-5 0 4 8
Sura 13 0-2 0-0 0-2 2 1 0
Blount DNP - medial meniscus
Kemp DNP - sprained left foot
_______________________________________________
TOTALS 240 25-76 12-15 12-36 21 23 65
_______________________________________________
Percentages: FG-.329, FT-.800. 3-Point Goals:
3-12, .250 (Ferry 1-2, Anderson 0-3, Boykins 0-2,
Butler 1-2, Newman 1-3). Team rebounds: 9.
Blocked shots: 6 (Person 2, Declercq 2, Anderson,
Stack). Turnovers: 12 (Henderson 3, Anderson 2,
Stack 2, Sura 2, Boykins, Newman, Person).
Steals: 9 (Declercq 4, Anderson, Henderson,
Person, Stack, Sura).
____________________________________________
Atlanta 20 16 14 26 - 76
Cleveland 20 14 17 14 - 65
____________________________________________
Technical fouls: None. Flagrant fouls: None. A:
12,690. T: 2:04. Officials: Joe Crawford, Gary
Benson, Leroy Richardson.
Game Story
CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Grant Long scored 15 of his 19 points in
the second half after Alan Henderson left with an injury as the
Atlanta Hawks kept their Central Division title hopes alive with
a 76-65 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
With 8:23 remaining in the third quarter, Long replaced
Henderson, who did not return after getting poked in the eye by
Cleveland's Cedric Henderson. Alan Henderson scored only nine
points in just 21 minutes.
"Grant Long has been outstanding for us this year," Atlanta
coach Lenny Wilkens said. "Tonight, he stepped up big again.
Alan gets hurt and Grant has been doing that all year. If he's
not out there with Mookie (Blaylock) and Steve (Smith), we're in
trouble."
Blaylock had a triple-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10
assists for Atlanta, which remained 1 1/2 games behind
first-place Indiana in the Central Division with two games
remaining. Indiana beat the New York Knicks today to clinch at
least a tie for the division crown.
The Hawks clinched fourth place in the Eastern Conference and
the home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs when
Philadelphia lost to Detroit tonight.
Atlanta would win a tiebreaker with the Pacers, capturing the
season series, 3-1. Indiana hosts New York in its regular-season
finale on Tuesday, while the Hawks play at Miami that night
before entertaining Washington on Wednesday.
Smith contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds for Atlanta, which
turned in its best defensive effort of the season, allowing only
31 points in the second half. The Hawks defeated Chicago, 83-67,
on February 16.
"It was luck," Smith said of his rebounding success. "I was
blocking out a little bit. Sometimes on a night when your shots
are going in, rebounds come to you."
But Wilkens was not satisfied with his club's effort, feeling
the Hawks suffered a letdown following Friday's 92-90 overtime
loss to Indiana.
"It was one of those kind of nights," he said. "I don't know
where half of their heads were tonight. Maybe some emotion was
taken from the loss to Indiana, but we weren't there as a team,
believe me."
Andrew DeClercq hit a foul shot with three-tenths of a second
remaining in the third quarter to give the Cavaliers a 51-50
lead.
But Atlanta opened the final period with an 8-0 run, building a
58-51 lead on Long's layup with eight minutes remaining. He
scored 13 points in the final period.
Cleveland closed to 62-60 on Danny Ferry's 3-pointer with 3:59
left before the Hawks ripped off six straight points, taking a
68-60 lead on Blaylock's basket with 2:36 to play. The final
score represented Atlanta's biggest cushion.
"I think we got another good effort from the guys tonight,"
Cleveland coach Mike Fratello said. "They went out and battled
all the way. It was those small things that caught us, a couple
loose balls that we dropped and they laid it back in. We needed
all those things to happen the right way for us, if we were
going to have a chance."
DeClercq led Cleveland with just 10 points as the Cavs matched a
season low and lost for the eighth time in nine games. They
suffered a 90-65 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday.
"Last year, we were spoiled when we made the playoffs," Cedric
Henderson said. "We wanted to do well this year and repeat what
we did last year and go further. Injuries happened, but we went
out there and did out best. It was a tough season."
Derek Anderson and Mitchell Butler had nine points apiece for
the Cavaliers, who shot just 33 pecent (25-of-76) from the
field. Cleveland scored 17 points in the third quarter and just
14 in the final period.
Atlanta shot just 39 percent (26-of-67), but outrebounded the
Cavaliers, 49-36, and made 21-of-26 foul shots. Cleveland was
just 12-of-15 from the line.
"It was was like pulling teeth tonight, but it's a win and we
wanted to get a win," Wilkens said. "You can't allow a team to
pull you into their game and that's what the Cavs did."
The Cavaliers opened an 18-12 lead on Wesley Person's jumper
with 3:18 remaining in the first period before Atlanta grabbed a
36-34 halftime lead on Smith's two foul shots with 1:22 left.
