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Luck Number Seven in the East

May 20, 2003 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Ohio Valley Greyhounds News Release


For a lot of people, seven is a lucky number. For the CBA, seven seems to be the magic number in the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA Playoffs.

Tonight's game between the New Jersey Nets and the Detroit Pistons is the second game in a best of seven series. CBA alum, and current New Jersey assistant coach, Eddie Jordan was drafted in 1977 and spent seven seasons playing professional basketball (both in the CBA and NBA). Pistons Head Coach Rick Carlisle, a former guard in the CBA, is currently in his seventeenth season of playing or coaching professional basketball. Detroit guard Chucky Atkins, who played in the CBA during the 1996-97 season, wears number seven for the Pistons. Oh, by the way, there are seven total CBA alums involved in the Eastern Conference Finals series.

The Nets lay claim to center Aaron Williams, forward Donny Marshall (who is on the injured list) and Jordan. The Pistons have team captain Michael Curry, Atkins, assistant coach Tony Brown and Carlisle. All in all, the CBA presence in the series stretches back to 1984 (Jordan's last year) and as recently as 2001 (Marshall played in 22 games).

"I think this is the greatest presence of CBA alums this deep in the NBA playoffs that I can remember," said CBA Commissioner Gary Hunter. "It's great to see these guys doing so well."

The Nets' Williams, who spent three years in the CBA, is averaging close to 20 minutes per game during the postseason. He was named to the CBA All-Rookie Team in 1994 with the Grand Rapids Hoops, and was also named a CBA All-Star in 1997. His teammate, Marshall, spent two seasons in the CBA, posting 19.6 points per game during the 1999-2000 season and 18.1 points per contest during the 2000-01 season. Joining them on the sidelines is Jordan, who last played in the CBA during the 1983-84 season when he averaged 13.2 points and 7.2 assists per game.

On the Pistons side of the ball, it begins with Carlisle. Carlisle, who was named the NBA's Coach of the Year last season in his first year at the helm, was a guard in the CBA during the 1987-88 season, where he averaged 17.3 points per game. Next to him on the Detroit bench is Brown, who averaged 15.3 points per game during his four-year CBA career. His best season came in 1982-83 when he posted 21.9 points per contest and was named to the CBA All-Defensive Second Team.

Under the guidance of Carlisle and Brown, the Pistons earned the best regular season record in the East and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. Team captain Curry, who played in the CBA during the 1992-93 and 95-96 seasons, has started all 14 postseason contests so far. Joining him in Detroit's red and blue is Atkins, who has started three of the Pistons' 14 playoff games and hit the game winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers in game six of the Conference Semi-Finals. Atkins was a third-round selection in the 1996 CBA Draft and was named to the 1997 CBA All-Rookie Team when he averaged 16.2 points and 7.5 assists per game.

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