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Read To Achieve, Player Appearances Highlight Dragons "Playoff Week Celebration"

April 12, 2005 - NBA G League (G League)
Columbus Riverdragons News Release


COLUMBUS, Ga., April 12 – To celebrate their 2005 NBDL regular season championship and build support for their 2005 NBDL Championship Tournament opener, the Columbus Riverdragons are presenting their "Playoff Week Celebration", a weeklong celebration of basketball and community outreach.

The Riverdragons "Playoff Week Celebration" will feature community appearances by Riverdragons players, dance team members, and mascot Rivvy D, local media promotions, and the Dragons semi-final playoff game against Roanoke on Saturday, April 16 at the Columbus Civic Center.

"The excitement has been building all season long towards the playoffs," said Riverdragons team president, J. Barry McMullin. "The players have been superb, the entertainment has been top-notch, and the fans our ‘sixth man'. The Civic Center is the place to be this Saturday night!"

Riverdragons players will be participating with local area students in Read To Achieve events throughout the Chattahoochee Valley on Thursday, April 14. Members of the 2004-05 Dragons squad will visit six local schools, including Midland Academy, Baker Middle School, South Girard Elementary, Dimon Elementary, Allen Elementary, and River Road Elementary on Thursday to promote reading and literacy to young students.

The centerpiece of the NBDL's community relations platform is the Read to Achieve initiative. As in the NBA and WNBA, Read to Achieve works to promote the love of reading and online literacy and to encourage families and adults to read regularly with young children. Throughout the year, teams execute a number of reading-related programs and activities. These programs take place at schools, libraries and community organizations, as well as in NBDL arenas.

In addition, Dragons players and coaches will make a live appearance at Buffalo Wild Wings on Friday, April 15 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.. The Riverdragons will meet, greet, and sign autographs for fans of all ages. Plus, Buffalo Wild Wings will offer food specials for all fans in attendance. Fans can also participate in the "Riverdragons Shooting Challenge" with winners receiving special prizes compliments of the Riverdragons and Buffalo Wild Wings. Buffalo Wild Wings is located at 5555 Whittlesey Parkway in the Columbus Crossing Shopping Center.

The Riverdragons are also offering fans special ticket discounts and promotions for their semi-final playoff game this Saturday night, April 16, as the team hosts the Roanoke Dazzle at the Columbus Civic Center at 7:00 p.m..

The Dragons are reintroducing their "$5 Dollar Kids Ticket", as all tickets for kids 12 and under are just $5 at the Columbus Civic Center box office. Plus, the first 250 kids in attendance will receive a free Riverdragons kids jersey. In addition, fans who bring their ticket stub from the Riverdragons April 9 regular season finale versus Roanoke will be able to redeem it at the box office for a $7 ticket to the semi-final match-up.

The Riverdragons are also teaming up with Sprint PCS and their Bradley Park store location, wherein two lucky fans can register to win two tickets to see the NBA's Atlanta Hawks versus the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, April 16 at the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, or two courtside seats to the Dragons semi-final playoff game that same night. The grand prize drawing will be held this Friday, April 15 at the Sprint PCS Bradley Park location.

As a special offer for groups who plan on attending Saturday's game, the Dragons are introducing their "Playoff Party Pack". Groups of 15 or more will receive tickets for only $7 and will sit in a special seating section at the Civic Center. For more information about the Riverdragons "Playoff Party Pack", contact Barry McMullin at (706) 225-1105.

Individual game tickets start at $10.00 (Upper Bowl A and B). Other prices are $14 (Lower Bowl B) and $16 (Lower Bowl A).

To purchase tickets, visit the Columbus Civic Center box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, including Publix supermarkets, call Ticketmaster at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, or log onto ticketmaster.com.

The National Basketball Development League regular season champion Riverdragons are the top seed in the 2005 NBDL Championship Tournament presented by Delta Air Lines. Roanoke enters the tournament as the #4 seed. Asheville, the #2 seed and defending champion, will host #3 Huntsville at the Asheville Civic Center on Saturday, April 16 at 7 p.m. EDT.

The winner of those games will advance to the championship game of the tournament at the arena of the highest remaining seed on Saturday, April 23.

Columbus comes into the tournament with a 30-18 regular season record. The Riverdragons are making their first NBDL postseason appearance since the 2001-02 season. Roanoke, 26-22, will be making its second trip to Columbus in as many weeks, losing to the Dragons, 110-92, to close the regular season on April 9.

For additional information, please visit columbusriverdragons.com, NBA.com or contact Riverdragons Media Relations Manager Tim Becwar at (706) 225-1104 and tbecwar@nba.com. For additional information on the NBDL please visit NBDL.com.

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