Eastern Conference

Washington Bullets forward Bernard King finished third among Eastern Conference forwards in the balloting for the National Basketball All-Star Game in Charlotte, N.C., Feb. 10, but there is a distinct possibility he could be named a starter by game time.Charles Barkley of the Philadelphia 76ers and Larry Bird of the Boston Celtics became automatic starters after receiving the most votes from the fans, but both are injured and regarded as questionable for game duty.Barkley has missed five straight games after severely spraining his ankle against the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 11. Bird has been sidelined since Jan. 8 with a nerve-root problem in his back.

Caron Butler had 21 points and nine assists and Roger Mason scored 22 points as the visiting Washington Wizards rallied from a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Seattle SuperSonics, 104-99, last night. The win kept the Wizards ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers for fifth place in the Eastern Conference. Besides Butler and Mason, Washington had four players who scored in double figures. That helped the Wizards offset Seattle's 57-39 advantage in rebounds. Rookie Kevin Durant played well for the Sonics, scoring a game-high 32 points.

Opponent: Miami HeatSite: USAir ArenaTime: 7: 30TV/Radio: HTS/WWLG (1360 AM), WTEM (570 AM)Outlook: Road wins against Atlanta and San Antonio have kept the Bullets' playoff hopes alive, making this a must-win game against one of the two teams ahead of Washington. Miami (37-37) has lost three straight and is a half-game behind Charlotte for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. C Alonzo Mourning ranks eighth in the league in scoring (23.1) and 10th in rebounding (10.4). The Bullets (35-39)

Tonight: The Boston Bruins, 6-1-3 in their past 10 games, visit the Southeast Division-leading Carolina Hurricanes, who are 5-3-2 in their past 10.Devils: Ken Daneyko became New Jersey's career leader in games played Tuesday night with 935, breaking the mark held by John MacLean. Daneyko spent his entire career with New Jersey, playing his first game on Oct. 5, 1983. The defenseman was selected 18th overall by the Devils in the 1982 entry draft.Islanders: New York has lost six straight games and nine of 11 to fall into ninth place in the Eastern Conference.

1 Double team: ESPN2 has a doubleheader (7 p.m.) of Ohio State-Michigan State/Texas-Arkansas, but Connecticut-West Virginia (7 p.m.) is on the unfortunate ESPNU. 2 Give them credit: We're not quite sure how recent financial machinations will affect the GMAC Bowl (Ball State-Tulsa, 8 p.m., ESPN). We'll have to check with our manager. 3 Eastern showdown: Two division leaders from the NHL's Eastern Conference - the Flyers and Capitals - meet in Washington (7 p.m., Comcast SportsNet)

Washington Capitals defenseman Al Iafrate was added to the NHL Eastern Conference All-Star team yesterday. It will be Iafrate's fourth All-Star appearance and the news of his inclusion brought a smile."

Back in training camp, more than three months ago in West Virginia, Washington Bullets guard Rex Chapman was talking about shaking the "inconsistent" label that had stuck to his first five years in the league."

WALTHAM, Mass. --Paul Pierce knew it. More importantly, he felt it. The Celtics' captain knew that if the team could just string together a few defensive stops against the Detroit Pistons in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals, it could overcome a 70-60 deficit with 10 1/2 minutes remaining. "Even though we got down 10," Pierce said, "I never felt like we were out of the game." The reason Pierce felt so supremely confident in Boston's defensive capabilities probably had something to do with the fact that the Celtics were the best defensive team in the NBA during the regular season and throughout the playoffs.

When asked what Bobby McAvan has brought to the Blast in his first 10 games as coach, second-year defender Billy Nelson didn't come back with any complicated tactics or rah-rah rhetoric. Just simple words. "A lot of confidence," said Nelson, last year's Major Indoor Soccer League Rookie of the Year. "He believes in us and stresses that a lot. I think people are a little more relaxed, and we're starting to play better as a team. He just wants us to get back to our winning ways and brings a lot to the table in that way."

When it comes right down to it, says Washington Capitals center Dave Poulin, the new alignment in the National Hockey League isn't going to make any difference -- until the last day of the regular season.That's when the most important part of the new NHL realignment package goes into effect. That's when the best eight teams in each of the two new conferences -- instead of the top four in each division -- clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs."The schedule doesn't break a lot differently," Poulin said.