http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/ sfl-butler25apr25,0,6435580.story?coll=sfla-sports-heat Butler's late charge falls short By Ethan J. Skolnick Staff Writer Posted April 25 2004 NEW ORLEANS · Lamar Odom was back in the locker room, getting stitched up. Dwyane Wade couldn't do much without messing up. And Eddie Jones couldn't get his outside shots up over the front rim. And suddenly, the Heat was down to Caron Butler again. Just as in dreary season of 2002-03, Butler had to make most of his team's important plays and shots down the stretch. He almost made enough of them, finishing with 24 points, 15 rebounds, four assists and two steals, but was unable to finish the Heat's comeback, his potential game-tying jumper hitting the side of the rim with 1:11 left. "Ninety percent of the offense goes through Lamar, and when he went down, it was just an opportunity for me and the other guys to step it up another notch," Butler said. Actually, Butler was the Heat's best player Saturday well before Odom took an elbow and was sidelined from 7:04 to 1:47 left in the fourth quarter. The second-year forward from Connecticut had seven points and eight rebounds by halftime, responding to his coach's challenge to go harder to the glass, while also playing active defense. Butler has had to play a different role offensively than he did as a rookie, before the arrival of Wade and Odom, and the return to health of Jones. He missed the first five games after arthroscopic knee surgery, was ineffective, and then missed seven more with a quadriceps deficiency. By his return on Dec. 9, the Heat had already moved forward, and Butler had to adjust to a less prominent role. He didn't have his first double-digit game until Dec. 27 and didn't top 20 until March 3. But in the season's final few weeks, he rebounded well nearly every night, while his scoring average climbed to 9.2. Butler scored six in Saturday's third quarter, and 11 more in the fourth, while playing all 24 minutes. His two free throws trimmed New Orleans' advantage to 69-63, his corner jumper made it 71-67, two more free throws made it 71-69, and two more made it 73-71. "When it came to me on the weak side, I was just trying to make plays and make it happen," Butler said. The Heat went to him for the tie, even with Odom on the floor, but Butler's jumper rimmed out. Then, after the Hornets center Jamaal Magloire hit two free throws, and the teams each squandered possessions, Butler drove to the basket, but Magloire blocked his shot. Game over. But it was clear again Saturday that Butler has started to understand when and how to assert himself in an offense not typically designed for him. "Caron played well today," guard Rafer Alston said. "He crashed the boards, he scored, he took advantage of his matchup. He's been playing well all series." Copyright c 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel --

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