http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/ sfl-heatspec28apr28,0,7995742.story?coll=sfla-sports-heat Hornets hold court, tie series with 96-85 win By Ira Winderman Staff Writer Posted April 28 2004 NEW ORLEANS -- This is the sobering part. The Heat threw its best shot at the Hornets; New Orleans promptly bounced back. A lopsided series when it departed AmericanAirlines Arena a week ago, Heat-Hornets will return to South Florida on Friday night tied 2-2. Having stormed back from an 11-point deficit into the lead in the third quarter of Tuesday night's Game 4, the Heat learned just how fickle momentum can be in the postseason. Hornets 96, Heat 85. "Obviously it changes if we were up 3-1," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said, "it would be very different. We have two at home and they have one here. I don't see it as a major concern. I didn't come here thinking we were going to sweep them." So, just like that, best-of-7 has turned into best-of-3. "It's a whole new series now," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said, after being outplayed yet again by Hornets counterpart Baron Davis. "They took care of their turf like we took care of our turf." The lesson in both this series and from Tuesday's game at New Orleans Arena is as it's always been for Van Gundy's team this season: nothing comes easy with a young roster, one that has plenty of lessons ahead. So no sooner had the Heat stormed into the lead behind a 22-6 third-quarter surge, fueled by the aggression of forward Lamar Odom and Wade, than the Hornets rattled off a 16-4 volley of their own. "We tried to withstand their hit, and we couldn't," forward Caron Butler said after enduring his first ineffective game of the series, with only seven points on 3-of-11 shooting. With Davis continuing to mock with his supposed sore left ankle, and with the Hornets displaying more offensive consistency than at any stage in this series, it well could take the maximum 17 days to decide with team will be served up to well-rested Indiana. Again outscored in the paint and in transition, the Hornets made their stand at the 3-point line, shooting 7 of 17 from beyond the arc. Davis converted five of those, on the way to 23 points and 10 assists. "They were hitting some tough shots," Heat center Brian Grant said. "You can't do anything about him hitting double-clutch jumpers." Davis' effort was mostly offset by 25 points, eight rebounds and six assists from Odom. But when baskets were at a premium late in the game, Odom came up short, called for a charge on one possession and then rimming out a soft hook on the next. And with 53.6 seconds to go came the ultimate indignity, a 5-second inbounding violation, with Wade stuck holding the ball with no one to pass to, a sour end to his 10-assist night. Ineffective on the road throughout the season, the Heat seemingly will have to rely heavily on having two of the remaining three games at AmericanAirlines Arena, where it has won 14 in a row and raced to what once was a 2-0 lead in this series. "They're a resilient group," Hornets coach Tim Floyd said of the Heat. "It will be tough down there." The Heat's best late chance was foiled when Odom was called for a charge with 2:32 to play and then burned for a basket by surprisingly efficient Hornets forward Stacey Augmon, who supported Davis with an unlikely 17 points. For much of the night, this was practically torment for the Heat, retribution for feeling too good too early in this series. At the end of the first half, there was Davis leaning in for what was counted as a 3-pointer, even though replay showed a foot on the line. Early in the second half, the Heat had the Hornets in a full-fledged panic with a superb defensive rotation, only to have center Jamaal Magloire end the fun with a dunk. And later in the third period, unable to draw a foul on Wade, Davis heaved a 3-pointer -- that drew nothing but net, in helping the Hornets move to that 11-point lead. "They hit unbelievably tough shots," said Wade, who by contrast followed up his 1 of 8 in Game 3 by shooting 4 of 12 in Game 4, looking now very much like the rookie he is. After that Hornets surge, the Heat finally dug, in, with Odom and Wade asserting themselves, getting to the basket to spark the rally that ultimately produced a 71-68 lead heading into the final period. But there, again, was Davis, opening the final period with a 3-pointer that tied it 71-71. "We have a lot of confidence and know we can go into Miami and win," Davis said. Van Gundy said, "They just kept us at bay. They hit several huge shots and we were not able to." Copyright c 2004, South Florida Sun-Sentinel --

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