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©Associated Press
© St. Petersburg Times, published April 19, 2001
ORLANDO -- A.C. Green had 19 points and 14 rebounds in leading the Heat to a 103-91 regular-season ending victory against the Magic on Wednesday night.
Eddie Jones scored 22 and Alonzo Mourning added 17 for Miami, which plays Charlotte in the first round of the playoffs. The Heat and Hornets split their four games this season.
Mike Miller's 20 led the Magic, which faces Milwaukee in the opening round. The Bucks have beaten Orlando nine consecutive times.
"I'm really looking forward to the playoffs," Orlando coach Doc Rivers said. "This is my first time (as a coach) and this is most of the players' first time. Let's hope that we will all learn together. I do favor learning in a winning way."
The game was meaningless for post-season seeding. Starters sat for long stretches, with Orlando's Tracy McGrady benched after a 10-point, five-rebound first quarter.
Also, seldom-used bench players saw quality court time. Of the 12 reserves available, 10 saw at least 16 minutes with only Miami's Duane Causwell and Dan Majerle not playing.
The game was an opportunity for Orlando point guard Darrell Armstrong to get back into form after sitting out six games with a strained groin. Armstrong had two points and three assists in 23 minutes.
"I thought Darrell looked pretty good, but I thought he was exhausted in the second half," Rivers said. "I thought he was going a little too fast early on. But the key was that we got him through the game without any injuries."
Orlando drew 16,377 to finish with a season attendance of 605,031, nearly 29,000 more than last season's franchise low.
The Heat played without Anthony Mason, who went on the injured list with a sprained left ankle.