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Florida Flame Earns First Postseason Bid With Win Over Patriots

April 8, 2006 - NBA G League (G League)
Florida Flame News Release


ESTERO, Fla. - After a roller coaster ride through the 2005-06 NBA Development League regular season, the Florida Flame earned the first playoff berth in team history with a 107-95 victory over the Fayetteville Patriots on Saturday night at Germain Arena.

After starting the season 20-10, Florida was forced to deal with losing four of its top players in Dwayne Jones, Andre Barrett, Theron Smith, and Bracey Wright. As a result, the Flame dropped 11 of its next 12 games to fall to the .500 mark at 21-21 on March 25. But with the return of Wright from a foot injury, Florida rebounded to win four of its final six games to earn the postseason bid.

The Flame will open playoff action in the semifinal round of the 2006 NBA Development League Championship Presented by Delta Airlines next weekend against either Fort Worth (28-18) or Albuquerque (25-22).

Florida cruised to the win behind a team-high 23 points from swingman Austin Nichols, who hit 10-of-15 shots from the floor. Fayetteville was led by Amir Johnson, as the 6-10, forward/center on assignment from the Detroit Pistons tallied a double-double with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.

"I'm extremely proud of our players and coaching staff," said Flame Head Coach Jeff Malone. "After taking a lot of hits, we stayed the course and truly earned this playoff berth. Playing tough defense and being efficient on offense were philosophies we committed ourselves to and it paid off. I'm very happy for the Flame organization."

Florida jumped out quickly in the first quarter behind a balanced offensive attack. The Flame posted five players in the scoring column and shot a combined 60 percent from the floor on 15-of-25 shooting to grab a 32-25 lead after one period. Nichols hit for seven points in the stanza for the Flame, while Johnson hit all five of his shots from the field and four straight from the foul line to post 14 points in the period for the Patriots.

But Florida wasn't done with its offensive onslaught in the first half. The Flame sizzled offensively in the second quarter, hitting 14-of-22 shots from the floor on their way to outscoring Fayetteville 34-22 in the period to build a 66-47 lead at the halftime break. Nichols and Bracey Wright combined for 17 points in the quarter to lead the way for Florida.

Fayetteville would get as close as 11 points in the fourth quarter, but the Flame would put it out of reach as Elton Brown connected for eight points over the final six minutes to seal the victory for Florida.

With the win, Florida ends the regular season with a 25-23 record. With the loss, the Patriots finish the 2005-06 campaign with a 16-32 overall mark.

Six players scored in double figures for the Flame. Along with Nichols' 23 points, Wright tallied 20 points and 13 assists, Brown posted his second double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Duane Erwin hit for 13, George Leach scored 11 points, and Reed Rawlings registered 10 points in the win.

Four players scored in double figures for the Flame. Along with Johnson's 25 points, Erik Daniels tallied 23 points, Jawad Williams hit for 17, while Alex Acker scored 12 points apiece in the loss.

For additional information, please visit floridaflame.com or contact Florida Flame Director of Media Relations, Tim Becwar at (239) 561-8130 and tbecwar@floridaflame.com. For additional information on the NBA Development League please visit NBADLEAGUE.com.

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