http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1082885222107450.xml Defense makes Heat sweat Hornets set two team playoff records Sunday, April 25, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer When Heat guard Dwyane Wade moved across the perimeter and into the lane Saturday, there was nowhere for him to drive. The Hornets kept the lane crowded, and it forced the Heat to break from what it likes to do. Instead of running, the Heat was forced to take shots from half-court sets. Some of Miami's possessions went down to the final two seconds before it got off a shot. On others, the Heat badly missed perimeter shots or tossed ill-advised passes. It resulted in the Hornets setting a playoff franchise record in holding the Heat to 71 points in their six-point victory at New Orleans Arena. They also set another playoff franchise low by forcing the Heat to shoot 32.9 percent (25 of 76). The Heat was held to eight fast-break points after averaging 18 in the first two games. In Game 1, the Heat outscored the Hornets 18-0 on fast-break points. "They need that to be successful," Hornets forward P.J. Brown said. "We know we have to keep them in the half court. That is the way it has to be if we are going to beat this team. "We were talking, communicating, and our defensive awareness was there. We were all on the same page." Before Saturday, it seemed like Wade could get any shot he desired. He beat Hornets point guard Baron Davis to the lane, and none of the Hornets' frontcourt players forced him to miss often. He made five of eight shots in Game 2 and nailed the winning shot with 1.3 seconds in Game 1. But Saturday, he shot 1-of-8, had six turnovers and scored two points. Davis defended Wade tough, despite having an assortment of injuries, including a sore left ankle and a hurt elbow. "We didn't do the things we needed," Wade said. Heat guard Eddie Jones, who scored a game-high 19 points in Game 2, experienced some of the same problems as Wade. He missed 13 of 15 shots and scored five points. "I think we probably stole a page out of their book. They crowded the middle and it's very difficult to get in there," said guard David Wesley, who defended Jones. "And that's what we did. We closed up the middle and limited their inside game." The Heat scored 14 points in the first quarter; 15 in the second. That was the lowest point total the Hornets have allowed a team to score for the first half of a playoff game. It also was a franchise low for the Heat. The Heat continued to have problems getting into an offensive rhythm for the remainder of the game, despite narrowing the deficit to four points several times in the fourth quarter. The Heat's only lead came after Jones made a free throw for the game's first point. "We dug ourselves such a big hole," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It was a game both teams defended well, and it was tough to score." Heat forward Lamar Odom, who had been effective making driving shots, missed six of eight shots in the first half and didn't make his first field goal until 1:13 remained in the second quarter. Brown contested nearly every shot Odom attempted and the Heat forward shot 5-of-18 to finish with 18 points. The Hornets didn't just disrupt the Heat's shooting. They also forced Miami into 17 turnovers, including seven by Odom and six by Wade. "I thought our intensity was as good as it's been all year," said Hornets coach Tim Floyd, who watched his team set a franchise record Wednesday when it scored 63 points in a 30-point Game 2 loss. "Everybody was covering for each other, and we really played off each other defensively," Floyd said. "Our blitzes were really aggressive. But probably the best thing we did was get back and gave ourselves an opportunity to take away their easy baskets. We did that consistently." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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