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November 21, 2004 - NBA G League (G League) News Release


BIRD CALL: Hall of Famer and Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird gave the NBDL a ringing endorsement in today's edition of the Naples Daily News, saying "There are probably 15-20 guys in the league who should be on an NBA roster. They're running it like a professional league. There are going to be a lot of players in the league who are going to get a shot at the NBA."

TAKING A LOOK: Including tonight's games, NBA teams will have dispatched 13 scouts to five NBDL opening-weekend games.

BANNER DROP: In a pregame ceremony before tipping off its home schedule tonight against the Huntsville Flight, the Asheville Altitude will celebrate the 2004 NBDL Championship one last time by dropping its title banner from the rafters of the Asheville Civic Center.

LIGHTING THE FLAME: The Florida Flame, the NBDL's first locally-owned team, is the last to open the 2004-05 season. Coach Dennis Johnson's bunch is host to the Roanoke Dazzle tonight at Germain Arena.

NBDL QUIZ: Can you name the two NBDL players that have played in the Olympic Games?

THIS IS WHY: Rookie forward Ricky Minard showed why Columbus made him the top pick in the 2004 NBDL Draft by scoring 28 points, grabbing five rebounds and recording four steals in the Dragons season-opening win over Huntsville. Minard connected on 11-of-12 free throw attempts in the game and was 8-of-17 from the floor, scoring 13 fourth-quarter points as Columbus outscored the Flight 26-17 in the final period.

AND THE MEEK (ING) SHALL...: Asheville forward Antonio Meeking nailed the game-winning shot as time wound down in the 2004 NBDL championship game, then picked up right where he left off by scoring 28 points in the Altitude's season-opening victory at Fayetteville Saturday night.

FREE TIME: The Columbus Riverdragons set an NBDL single-game record by attempting 56 free throws in a victory over Huntsville Saturday night. The Dragons 43 free throws made was nine short of that record, however.

TWIN: "This Week in the NBDL", the D-League's weekly live show returns to NBA TV on Dec. 2 and is scheduled to air every Thursday at 9 p.m. throughout the season. Andre Aldridge serves as host.

QUIZ ANSWER: Huntsville center Mengke Bateer (China) and Asheville guard Kirk Penney (New Zealand).

ON THE WEB: NBDL.com

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NBA G League Stories from November 21, 2004


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