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ATLANTA - You get the idea Pat Riley and referee Steve Javie don't like one another. Javie was the lead ref in the Heat-Knicks game last Sunday in New York. It was after a Heat-Knicks game in Miami on Dec. 13 that Riley claimed the league's referees have a bias against his team.

"The officials' hatred for me is absolutely, I think, unjust for what it's doing to my players," Riley said after the first Heat-Knicks game. "It all started, I think, last year. I sensed something changing last year when Steve Javie in Cleveland (in a Heat loss), as we were getting beat and going through a real tough time, came to my face after we were having a discussion and said, 'It's giving us absolute delight to watch you and your team die.'

"I didn't say anything about it that time, but we sort of mentioned it to the league office. He doesn't call many of our games anymore, but I think it's absolutely spread throughout the league."

Riley was fined $50,000 last Wednesday for those comments. That's double the largest individual fine levied against him previously.

Javie and Riley did not exchange a word during the game Sunday (won by the Heat, incidentally) to avoid any confrontations.

NO NETS BUZZ: So you think the Hawks have box-office trouble? Nets CEO Lou Lamoriello has been stumped by New Jersey's poor attendance this season.

With the Nets coming off their first NBA Finals appearance, Lamoriello expected fans to fill the Meadowlands, which has a capacity of 20,049. Instead, the team owned the fifth-worse home attendance average (13,497) going into the Christmas sellout with the Celtics.

MOTIVATION IN DETROIT: Grant Hill recalled a final conversation he had with Pistons executive Joe Dumars before departing Detroit three years ago.

"Joe was telling me that maybe by me leaving, it would make it get better. He said they would have the sense of urgency to get the right people there," recounted Hill.

While Hill went through injury rehabilitation in Orlando, Dumars made several good moves. It began with a decision to grab Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace in the sign-and-trade deal that sent Hill to the Magic.

ONE AGAINST SEVEN: It's not that Detroit's Richard Hamilton shoots too much. It's just, well, he won't share.

Cliff Robinson has been riding Hamilton to give up the ball a little bit more, especially on the fast break.

"We all believe in his ability," Robinson said. "But it's a matter of understanding the situation. There are times when I tell him you can't go to the basket when it's one-on-seven. There are the five defenders back, plus two officials who aren't going to give him a call."