http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/ sfl-heatnote28apr28,0,5631856.story?coll=sfla-sports-heat Wade feeling pressure in the lane By Ira Winderman Staff Writer Posted April 28 2004 NEW ORLEANS -- The concern now is what if his winning basket at the end of Game 1 is the lone defining moment of this series for Dwyane Wade. What if that is as good as it gets for the Heat rookie guard? Struggling for the second consecutive game, Wade shot 4 of 12 in Tuesday's 96-85 loss to the Hornets that left the best-of-7 series tied 2-2. The effort came on the heels of Sunday's 1-of-8 shooting in a 77-71 loss. "They're really packing the paint," Wade said with a hint of frustration. Unlike Saturday's Game 3 disaster, arguably his worst game as a pro, Wade proved somewhat efficient. After committing six turnovers without an assist Saturday, this time he closed with 10 assists and only two turnovers. "That's what I wanted to do," he said of adopting a more traditional point-guard role. "I wanted to come out and be a playmaker and get my teammates the ball and get them good looks." On most teams, that is all that can be asked of a point guard. But this team was built for Wade to score, something he rarely did Tuesday beyond a five-point third quarter. "If the game calls for me going to the rim, I will," he said. "But this is a different series." Targeted by the defense, Wade sounded like a beaten man at the finish, seemingly accepting that the lane no longer is his. "Me going down there all the time, all I'm going to do is go down and kick it out, anyway, unless I throw up a shot and hope it goes in over their big guys," he said. "I'm doing the things Coach [Stan Van Gundy] wants me to do, go down there and make some plays." BAD BOARDS The Heat went into Game 4 with a simple mandate from Van Gundy: Grab the ball. While the Heat has remained competitive off the boards with the taller Hornets, Van Gundy said the quality of those rebounds has restricted his team's running game. "Even though we're rebounding well," he said, "we don't get a lot of clean rebounds, where we can just go up, get it, turn and outlet it." Instead, Van Gundy said the Heat has been caught taking too long to secure possession, limiting its ability to run its fast break. "It's tipped around. It's tipped three or four times," he said. "By the time we get it, their guards are back defensively." The Heat's advantage on the fast break Tuesday was 11-4, well shy of the total it needs to be successful. A NON-ISSUE NBA Deputy Commissioner Russ Granik, who attended Tuesday's game, said he did not have an issue with the Heat returning to South Florida between the games at New Orleans Arena. "I think in the early rounds, we're really fine with the teams making their own judgments," he said. Similarly, Granik downplayed the debate over the length of the opening round, with the Heat scheduled for seven games over 17 days. "After a long season," he said, "it gives teams a chance to heal up a little bit." BALCONIES OPEN The Heat will place $10 balcony seats for Friday's 7 p.m. Game 5 against New Orleans on sale at 10 a.m. today at AmericanAirlines Arena, the Heat ticket booth at Bayside Marketplace, through Ticketmaster or 1-800-4NBA-TIX. Copyright c 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel --

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