http://www.nola.com/hornets/t-p/index.ssf?/base/sports-1/1083146352317290.xml Hornets hold serve to even series at 2 Wednesday, April 28, 2004 By John Reid Staff writer Davis says playoff experience key to win Suddenly, the Hornets and Miami Heat playoff series doesn't seem so one-sided as it did last week. After losing on a last-second shot in Game 1 in Miami and getting embarrassed in a 30-point defeat -- after shooting a franchise-playoff low 24.4 percent from the field -- in Game 2, the Hornets returned home and provided a fight the Heat wasn't been able to match for two consecutive games. It's an even series now -- tied at two games apiece -- because the Hornets won for the second consecutive time at New Orleans Arena. They beat the Heat 96-85 on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 16,009, which roared its approval. The series resumes Friday night for Game 5 in Miami. "We just have been fighting," Hornets guard Baron Davis said. "We have been in this situation before, down 0-2. We were down 0-2 last year, and Philly just outplayed us down the stretch to win Game 4. We just willed it out tonight. Guys stepped up and made shots, and we had big defensive plays. We got some charge calls and some key rebounds." The Hornets played gritty like in Saturday's 77-71 victory in Game 3. They played physical in the post, got after the Heat's shooters -- and they had plenty of contributors to supply needed scoring. New Orleans rookie forward David West was a force in the post, repeatedly delivering crucial putback shots down the stretch. He put the Hornets ahead for good with 8:14 remaining on a layup, then Darrell Armstrong, who entered shooting 1-of-15 from the field, delivered one of the game's biggest shots. His 3-pointer from the right wing extended the Hornets' lead to five. In the remaining five minutes, the Heat never got closer than four. "We just wanted to come in and take one game and make it a three-game series," Armstrong said. Davis hadn't practiced in two days because of a sprained left ankle, sore right elbow and sore left knee. But he pushed between players and tossed pinpoint passes into the post to West, Stacey Augmon and P.J. Brown. He delivered with a team-leading 23 points, 10 assists and two blocked shots in 43 minutes. But Davis didn't do it alone. George Lynch, who made five of six shots from the field for 11 points. Augmon, who finished with 17 points, was the biggest contributor off the bench. "We got tremendous production from our small forward spot, George and Stacey," Hornets coach Tim Floyd said. "I thought that was the real differential in terms of our point production. They both finished everything and just made plays." In the first three games, the Hornets were inefficient shooters. Each game, they failed to shoot better than 40.3 percent from the field. But in Game 4, they hit 35 of 70 shots (50 percent) from the field. Their best quarter was the second, in which they made 11 of 16 shots for 68.8 percent, which helped establish a 50-44 halftime lead. It didn't take long for the tough, physical play to start between the teams. Throughout the game, there were plenty of hard fouls, elbows thrown, bumping. The Heat showed frustration throughout the game. Guard Dwyane Wade, who scored 11 points, complained to officials about calls several times. In the first half, Heat forward Udonis Haslem argued with teammate Samaki Walker after he failed to move after a pass was tossed in the post. The Hornets kept the lane crowded, and they made driving shots difficult for the Heat for the second consecutive game. The Heat had 11 fastbreak points after finishing with eight Saturday. They had averaged 18 after the first two games. In Game 2, they dominated the Hornets with an 18-0 edge. In the fourth quarter, the Hornets forced the Heat to shoot 25 percent (5-for-20) from the field, holding them to 14 points. "I thought the key to the game was their shooting," Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said. "They hit several huge shots, and we were not able to. The guys who really hurt us were Augmon and Lynch." In the third quarter, the Hornets increased their lead to 11, but then went scoreless on their next six possession. Guard David Wesley couldn't hit perimeter shots, Davis missed a driving shot and Brown couldn't hit pull-up shots. An underhanded shot by Lamar Odom closed the Heat to 66-65, and backup Rafer Alston made two free throws for the Heat to take the lead at 67-66, its first since 5:54 remained in the first quarter. But the Hornets enjoyed one of their best shooting sprees in the series during the second quarter. They started it off by hitting nine of their first 10 shots, quickly extending their lead to seven. Augmon came off the bench and delivered what the Hornets needed. He got in the lane and became a scoring threat, hitting all three shots -- including two dunks. . . . . . . . John Reid can be reached at [email protected] or (504) 826-3787. --

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