http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/basketball/8520569.htm Posted on Mon, Apr. 26, 2004 NBA PLAYOFFS Wade: Attack style is missing Lack of aggression on the part of Heat guard Dwyane Wade is cited as the cause for part of the Heat's meltdown in Game 3 as the Hornets get back in the series. BY ISRAEL GUTIERREZ [email protected] NEW ORLEANS - It was the one play that set the tone for Dwyane Wade's entire miserable afternoon. Saturday in Game 3 against the Hornets, Wade was isolated with David Wesley at the top of the three-point circle as the final seconds ran off the first-quarter clock. Wade dribbled, dribbled some more and pulled up for a 20-footer that clanged off the rim as the clock expired. He never tried to penetrate, never attempted to get anywhere close to the rim. That was not the aggressive rookie the Heat has grown increasingly fond of. As a result of his passive play, Wade's stat line was his ugliest of the season: 1-of-8 shooting, three rebounds, zero assists, one steal, six turnovers, two points. With the Hornets determined to get the ball out of his hands and with Baron Davis consistently in his face, Wade was a nonfactor in the Heat's Game 3 loss. And if the Heat is going to leave New Orleans on Tuesday with a win and a 3-1 series lead, Wade is going to have to make a remarkable recovery. "They're making me give up the ball more, they're blitzing me more, trying to take the ball out of my hands," Wade said of the Hornets after practice Sunday in Miami. "Also, me not taking the shots is me not being as aggressive as the first game. I'm glad we came back home and I can really look at the film and see I can be more aggressive next game." Wade always wants to attack, but Davis has made it increasingly difficult for the rookie. Wade did drive by Davis to hit the game-winner in Game 1, but the quicker Davis constantly irritates the Heat guard, as many smaller point guards did in the regular season. The difference then, however, was that Wade was able to avoid those smaller guards when he moved to the shooting guard position. But the Hornets, who almost always play two small guards, tried to keep Davis on Wade as often as possible, and Wade has had difficulties getting by the All-NBA third-team guard. "Baron's a great defensive guard," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "I think he's one of the best in the league. I think he's a very underrated defender, so he's going to stay in front of anybody better than most people do." FRUSTRATING DEFENSE Davis said he has tried to make Wade as uncomfortable as possible. "I thought that in Game 1, he got out in transition and got a lot of transition buckets and knocked down a couple shots," Davis said. "He got in a real good offensive rhythm, and when you're playing against a young guy in the playoffs like that, who has a world of potential and is very good, rhythm is everything for him. I know because I was like that in my first playoff series. "The key for us is to just play defense and get back in transition. That's how he gets a lot of his points and gets going. We have to limit his drives and get back in transition." Davis added that he has tried to be physical with Wade, and the result has been a frustrated rookie. "I thought that they were all good shots besides maybe one or two of them," Wade said of his attempts Saturday. "But for the most part, I wasn't aggressive enough and I really didn't attack as much, and coach showed us [Sunday]." SHOOTING WOES It didn't help matters that the Heat was struggling shooting from the perimeter, allowing the Hornets to plug up the lanes and protect the paint. Eddie Jones and Rafer Alston, the Heat's primary perimeter threats, shot 5 of 21 from the field and 2 of 10 from three-point range. Van Gundy said he expects the Hornets to keep playing that same style of defense, meaning he'll have to find more ways to get Wade involved offensively. "Not a lot has been working for either team in this series, if you look at the shooting percentages, so you try to find some different things," Van Gundy said. "But there's a limit to what you can do. It still comes down to he's going to have the ball and he's going to have Baron in front of him." --

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