http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1082968136281480.xml With heat on, N.O. gets physical Hornets expect to continue playing at intense pace as series continues Monday, April 26, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer Miami forward Lamar Odom is convinced the physical play from the Heat and Hornets has made the biggest impact in their best-of-seven playoff series. In the first two games in Miami, the Heat took advantage of their physical play to limit the Hornets' inside and overall shooting. The Heat surrounded center Jamaal Magloire with two or three players. The Heat won both games, including a 30-point victory in Game 2. But in the Hornets' 77-71 victory Saturday at New Orleans Arena, they showed they could play the same physical style as the Heat. There were several collisions. Throughout the game the Hornets battled for rebounding position and for loose balls, and they effectively contested shots and pressured the Heat ball-handlers in the frontcourt. "This is probably one of the most physical series out there," Odom said. Hornets guards David Wesley, Baron Davis and Darrell Armstrong ran aggressively through screens and forced missed jump shots by guards Eddie Jones and Dwyane Wade, who combined for 3-of-21 shooting and seven points. New Orleans forwards P.J. Brown and George Lynch pushed for positioning, and each grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Brown also aggressively sealed off the baseline to limit Odom from driving to the basket like he did in the first two games. "I thought it was the most physical game of all (in the series), and I think it's going to get even tougher," Brown said. "They don't want the series even because that puts more pressure on them." The Hornets caused Jones to miss 13 of 15 shots. Wade went 1-of-8 from the field. Odom shot 5-of-18. "We have to stay poised and play physical, but not out of control," said Odom, who is averaging 16 points in the series after scoring 18 Saturday. "We're one of the hardest-working teams in the league, and we know what it's going to be like. They came out energetic, and we didn't match it." Wade had averaged 17.5 points in the first two games, and he scored the winning basket in Game 1. But he missed five of his first six shots in the first quarter in Game 3, and he didn't get into a rhythm, finishing with six turnovers. "They did a good job getting out on me," Wade said. "It was a very physical game, and I wasn't aggressive as I should have been. We know to expect a war for the next game." Davis said the Hornets want to repeat their aggressive defensive play like Saturday, when they held the Heat to 32.9 percent shooting -- their lowest in the series. "They like to bump and bang, and that's what we did to them in Game 3," Davis said. "We played their style of basketball. I was telling the team today, I'd be lucky to make it through this series for all the stuff (injuries) going on with me. But we know we can win with our defense, and it doesn't look like nobody is going to catch a hot hand." . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3405. --

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