http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/108374945899090.xml Collision costly for N.O. as Davis is forced out Bruised tailbone sidelines guard for most of 2nd half Wednesday, May 05, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer MIAMI -- After playing three minutes in the third quarter Tuesday night with a bruised tailbone, Hornets point guard Baron Davis left the game and did not return. Davis was injured when Heat forward Lamar Odom collided into him underneath the basket on a charging foul with 3:06 remaining in the first half. Davis fell hard, and sat out the remainder of the half. Backup guard Darrell Armstrong started the third quarter, but Davis returned with 9:39 remaining in the period. Davis walked gingerly, grimacing after trying to move and defend before he left the court for good. Davis finished with a series-low five points on a 2-of-7 shooting in 20 minutes in the Hornets' 85-77 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena. For the second consecutive game, Davis went scoreless in the first quarter, missing two shots from the field. In Game 5, he didn't take a shot in the first quarter. LAST TIME: It was the Hornets' final game as a member of the Eastern Conference. Next season, they will compete in the Western Conference. NOT AS MANY: After 15 technical fouls were called in the first six games of the series, none were called for physical play Tuesday night. The first foul wasn't called until 7:15 remained in the first quarter, when Heat guard Dwyane Wade was whistled. In Sunday's Game 6, there were three fouls called in the first 51 seconds. MAKING THE MOST: Veteran backup guard Steve Smith had played two minutes in the past two games, but Hornets coach Tim Floyd gave him extended time in Game 7, playing him 27 minutes. Smith entered in the first quarter and made three consecutive 3-pointers to help bring the Hornets back from a 10-point deficit. Most of the team's scoring in the first half came from Smith, who scored a team-high 13. Smith finished with a game-high 25. NOT MUCH: The Hornets' starters combined to score 15 points in the first half, on 7-of-23 shooting. P.J. Brown went 2-for-6 for four points, George Lynch went 1-of-3 for two points, Jamaal Magloire was 1-of-3 for two points, David Wesley went 1-of-4 for two points and Davis was 2-of-7 for five points. The Hornets also committed 10 turnovers and had no steals or free throws attempted during the half. NO FAN FAVORITE: Apparently, the Heat fans remembered Robert Traylor's hard knock-down of Eddie Jones in the fourth quarter of Game 6, which got Traylor ejected. When he entered the game Tuesday, he was serenaded by a chorus of boos from the sellout crowd of 20,286. BAD START: In the first quarter, the Hornets committed six turnovers and were outscored 10-0 on fast-break points. The Hornets had held the Heat to a 9.5-point average on fast breaks in the past three games. The Heat had an 18.0 average in the first two games. NOT ENOUGH: The Hornets' aggressive defensive play that was prominent in Game 6 was absent in Game 7. They left the lane open for drives and couldn't stop Caron Butler from making mid-range jumpers. The Heat led by 15 points in the first half, as Butler made seven of 12 shots for 15 points before finishing with a team-high 23. LOW POINTS: The Hornets' 569 total points is the second-lowest in playoff history in a seven-game series. GIVING SUPPORT: Mayor Ray Nagin attended Tuesday's game and sat with a small contingent of Hornets supporters, which included majority owner George Shinn and co-owner Ray Wooldridge. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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