April 21, 2005

Five former Tar Heels will be lacing up for the 2005 NBA Playoffs. Vince Carter of the New Jersey Nets, Brendan Haywood and Antawn Jamison of the Washington Wizards, Jerry Stackhouse of the Dallas Mavericks, and Rasheed Wallace of the Detroit Pistons each played major roles to help their teams reach this year's playoffs.

Former North Carolina teammates Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison had especially impressive seasons. Each made appearances in this year's All-Star game and had top-notch scoring averages on their respective teams. Carter gave NBA fans one of the most memorable moments from this year's All-Star game in the second quarter when he lobbed a pass to himself off the backboard for a one-handed dunk. Fans at NBA.com voted Carter's dunk the most electrifying moment of the weekend.

Update on former Tar Heels in the NBA:

Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets - Finished the season as the leading scorer for the Nets. After being traded to the Nets from the Toronto Raptors in December, Carter increased his averages in assists, points, and rebounds. He averaged 24.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists on the year. He started and top vote-getter in this year's All-Star game and scored 11 points for the East in their 125-115 victory over the West. Carter helped the Nets finish the season with a three-game winning streak to clinch the last spot in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. The eighth-seeded New Jersey Nets begin their first-round playoff series against the top-seeded Miami Heat on Sunday, April 24 at 3:00 pm on ABC.

Brendan Haywood, Washington Wizards - Started at center in 68 games and averaged 9.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.68 blocks. Haywood had career-highs in rebounds, assists, steals, and points in his fourth NBA season. He also recorded a career high seven blocks against the Cleveland Cavaliers on November 13. Haywood will make his first career playoff appearance with the Wizards. The team earned a fifth seed in this year's playoffs and will face the fourth-seeded Chicago Bulls to open their first round series on Sunday, April 24 at 5:30 pm on TNT.

Antawn Jamison, Washington Wizards - Made his first All-Star appearance and helped the East defeat the West 125-115. Jamison led his team in rebounds per game with an average of 7.6 and also averaged 19.6 points per game. He recorded 21 double-doubles on the season. Jamison and the Wizards will face the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2005 NBA Playoffs.

Jeff McInnis, Cleveland Cavaliers - Finished the season with averages of 12.8 points and 5.1 assists. McInnis started at guard in 69 games for the Cavaliers and finished ranked number six in the NBA in assists per turnover. The Cavaliers finished with a record of 42-40 and narrowly missed the playoffs.

Jerry Stackhouse, Dallas Mavericks - Played a major role off the bench and finished the regular season averaging 14.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Stackhouse averaged more points per game than any other nonstarter on the team. Sports Illustrated recently named him as one of five players outside the spotlight who will be expected to play a major role in his team's postseason success. With his help, the Mavericks secured a fourth seed in the Western Conference Playoffs. The team is set to face the fifth-seeded Houston Rockets on Saturday, April 23 at 5:30 pm on ESPN.

Rasheed Wallace, Detroit Pistons - Started at forward in 79 games. He finished the regular season averaging 14.5 points and 8.2 rebounds. Wallace had a career high in offensive rebounds this season. With his help the Detroit Pistons will return to defend their NBA Championship in the 2005 Playoffs. The second-seeded Pistons are set to face the seventh-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round beginning on Saturday, April 23 at 3:00 pm on ABC.