Finally, there was a breakthrough against the Bobcats.
And all the Heat had to do was step back and watch Charlotte launch its brick-fest. In a game that was more about which team would find a way to miss one fewer shot, the Heat survived for a 77-71 victory against the Bobcats on Saturday at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Remember that 39-point beating the Bobcats handed Miami back in January? The one that set all those franchise records for Charlotte? Well, the Heat avenged that drubbing by rewriting its own record books with Saturday's dominant defensive effort against the Bobcats.
The 71 points were the fewest Miami has allowed in the history of the series. Charlotte's 29.2 percent shooting was the lowest by a Heat opponent this season. The Bobcats 16 percent clip in the second half was a franchise-record low for a Heat opponent.
With the victory, the Heat (36-34) moved a half-game ahead of Charlotte (35-34) and into sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings. Miami lost the season series, 3-1, meaning it loses the tiebreaker. The win was also huge because it allowed the Heat to finish its six-game homestand at 4-2, with six of its next seven games on the road.
D. WADE'S DOINGS: Wade was held to only 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting against the Bobcats. Still, the Heat managed to get the win. Miami had been 5-19 since 2005-06 when Wade finished a game with fewer than 16 points. But Wade didn't let his offensive doldrums or the five fouls dictate his night. He simply dominated on defense. He tied his career high with five blocks and limited Stephen Jackson to 4-of-21 shooting. Jackson had gotten the better in the matchup the previous games, but not Saturday. Wade also had nine assists and five rebounds.
TURNING POINT: The Bobcats went nearly 14 minutes without a field goal, a stretch that started after Boris Diaw's hook with 4:37 left in the third period and ended with Raymond Felton's floater with three minutes left in the game. The Heat only added a point to its lead during the drought, but the Bobcats had shot themselves out of answers at that point.
WINNING/LOSING EDGE: With Jermaine O'Neal sitting out with an ankle injury, the Heat was clearly the shorter, less-athletic team. But that didn't stop Miami from overcoming that apparent disadvantage by blocking a season-high 13 shots. Wade led the way with 5, but six different Heat players had at least one.
HEAD-SCRATCHER: That must have been some heart-to-heart session between Michael Beasley and Alonzo Mourning the other day. Mourning, who has mentored Beasley throughout the season, sat his pupil down late last week to demand that Beasley put the "power" back into his position at power forward. Beasley has floated around on the perimeter for far too long. Beasley has said that it wasn't his preference to primarily be in position to take jumpers. But Mourning lit a fire under Beasley, who was aggressive and attacking the paint most of the night Saturday. He did get his shot swatted a time or two, but he kept coming back. Beasley finished with 16 points and seven boards. He even got to the free-throw line a couple of times and converted all four of his attempts. "I was having fun," Beasley said. "To be completely honest, Alonzo Mourning kind of roughed me up a little bit. He told me I needed to play harder and to stop settling for jump shots. He didn't hurt me. He made his presence known."
KEY CONTRIBUTION: Quentin Richardson gave the Heat absolutely nothing in the second half Saturday. But he couldn't have given the Heat any more than he offered in the first. The inconsistent stretches continued for Richardson. But he provided a major boost for the Heat early. His six threes in the first half tied a franchise record. All 18 points he scored came from beyond the arc and in the first half, when the Heat carried a two-point lead into the break. Richardson was 6 of 18 from the field, 6 of 12 from deep. He had five rebounds, a steal and a block in 27 minutes.
NEXT UP: Heat at New Jersey Nets, 7:30 p.m. Monday - IZOD Center
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
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