http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1082885370107450.xml Hornets save face with hustle, smarts Sunday, April 25, 2004 John DeShazier Whether it was pride, fear, anger or shame or some combination of the four that led to the Hornets' finally exhibiting some urgency in the playoffs, the team would do well to bottle it and guzzle from the jug accordingly from now on. Don't go overboard for the Hornets' 77-71 victory over the Miami Heat on Saturday at New Orleans Arena. The victory only guaranteed that they can't be swept out of the first round and that the series will return to Miami, where a fifth game will be played and where the Hornets haven't fared well this season. But the positives in the first two games of this postseason were so few and far between, any thereafter have to be taken where they can be found. And Saturday was a good one, if only because New Orleans displayed the kind of life that has been missing, and the kind of late smarts that might have gotten the team out of Miami with a split in the first two games. Certainly it's the kind of play they will need Tuesday to even the series at 2. "Our defense was so much better, our offense was so much better," said David Wesley, who more likely was referring to his own shooting (6-for-13 en route to 18 points) than that of his team (27-for-76). "We were just a lot more aggressive overall." And sometimes, that's enough. Of course a team wants to play the perfect game. But rarely is there such a thing as perfection this time of year. More often, anything except that happens, and this series has been no exception. The Heat wasn't spotless in Miami, and the Hornets weren't Saturday. But a little backbone will cover a multitude of sins, as the Hornets saw on the road and showed at home. Limit an opponent to 29 first-half points and 32.9 percent shooting (25-for-76) overall, and you can get away with a lot. Make its starting guards vanish -- check your utility poles today for Miami flyers frantically trumpeting the search for Dwyane Wade (1-for-8, six turnovers, no assists) and Eddie Jones (2-for-13) -- and you might not be on easy street, but not much is blocking the path, either. Force 17 turnovers in addition to the other factors, and hold the run-at-all-costs Heat to single digits (eight) in fast-break points for the first time in the series, and the only way you lose is if you follow one of the worst games in playoff history with the worst game in playoff history. "We had a lot of trouble handling their intensity and pressure when they got into us," Miami coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I thought their guards dominated the game. "I thought our mind-set to start the game was a major problem. We tried to prepare them for three days (on) how hard somebody would come at you at home, down 2-0. But we seemed very surprised by the fact that they were up and into us and very physical." Well, there was reason to be surprised, considering "up" and "physical" weren't words used to describe the Hornets before Saturday. But they were welcome additions upon arrival. "We played to some of their weaknesses," Wesley said. "Last game, we were scrambling around, running at everybody. Not everybody is a shooter." In fact, like most NBA teams, the Heat has precious few. And opponents know who they are, which explains why Jones rarely got a clean look, Rafer Alston (3-for-8) was shadowed and Wade was played for the drive instead of the jumper. "We know we've got to keep them in the half-court, make them shoot shots," Hornets forward P.J. Brown said. "We talked about Miami as a team shooting the ball 10 feet and out," Hornets forward George Lynch said. "We just had a conscious effort packing it in, keeping them away from the basket." Defending, hustling, scrapping. Now comes the hard part for the Hornets, who've been anything but consistent. Bottling it, consuming it and doing everything again Tuesday. . . . . . . . John DeShazier can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3410. --

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