Hornest lose another close one

[Intrepid]

MIAMI (AP) -- Dwyane Wade scored Miami's final eight points in the fourth quarter, and James Posey and Gary Payton each hit a key 3-pointer in overtime to help the Heat rally past the New Orleans Hornets 109-102 on Tuesday night.

Wade finished with 25 points and 10 assists, but it was his play down the stretch during regulation that gave the Heat a chance to win their third straight game without center Shaquille O'Neal.

With Miami trailing 90-83 with 1:59 left, Wade scored the final seven points, including a tying jumper with 35 seconds remaining to force overtime at 90-all.

Posey started overtime with a 3 -- his first points of the game -- and Payton followed with another as Miami opened a 96-90 lead to take command. Posey knocked down another 3-pointer as Miami built a 101-94 cushion with 1:43 remaining.

The Hornets lost for the third straight game, but not without giving the Heat a scare.

P.J. Brown's three-point play capped a 10-2 spurt, putting New Orleans ahead 87-80 with 4:08 left in the fourth quarter.

A short jumper by Brown gave the Hornets a 90-83 lead before Wade took over. During that stretch, he had an outside jumper, a three-point play and another jumper from the top of the key to tie it.

Following a miss by David West, the Heat had the final possession, but Wade's shot from beyond the top of the key bounced out as time expired.

The Hornets trailed 42-41 at halftime and 62-59 late in the third period before closing with a flurry behind Bostjan Nachbar, who nailed a 3-pointer and a short hook to help New Orleans build a 69-66 lead entering the fourth.

The Heat were playing their sixth straight game without O'Neal, out with a sprained right ankle.

Antoine Walker scored 21 points off the bench for Miami, and Jason Williams had 17. Alonzo Mourning added 10 points, 12 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Heat.

Brown scored 24 points and added 12 rebounds against his former team. West scored a career-high 16 points for the Hornets. Chris Paul also scored 16 to go along with 10 assists.

Game notes
G Kirk Snyder started his first game of the year for the Hornets and scored seven points in 12 minutes. Snyder started in place of J.R. Smith, who sat out with a sprained left ankle. ... Former Heat F Rasual Butler scored two points in 15 minutes. ... Brown had his third double-double of the season. ... Miami had 11 turnovers after committing a season-high 27 on Saturday against Charlotte. ... The Heat have won 51 of their past 58 home games dating to the 2003-04 season. ... In a bizarre sequence in the second quarter, Payton and Hornets coach Byron Scott were called for technical fouls after jawing while Desmond Mason stood at the foul line.

[writerranger]

Actually, these close games are giving me hope for the season. Nobody expected anything but romp after romp. The younger guys will get it together and the Hornets will win a lot of ball games.

[Doug Loudenback]

Actually, these close games are giving me hope for the season. Nobody expected anything but romp after romp. The younger guys will get it together and the Hornets will win a lot of ball games.

Agreed. Did you notice, too, that the AmericanAirlines Arena's capacity is just above the Ford Center (19,600 v 19,163). The game was a sellout.

The Miami arena does look good with all that pretty glass, doesn't it?

[Karried]

I don't know Doug, the seats looked empty at a few times in the game - did anyone notice all of the empty seats in the lower level?

That was a good game, I can't believe they couldn't have left Anderson in, he was on a roll... it was exciting to the very end - overtime baby!

[scotplum]

I don't know Doug, the seats looked empty at a few times in the game - did anyone notice all of the empty seats in the lower level?

That was a good game, I can't believe they couldn't have left Anderson in, he was on a roll... it was exciting to the very end - overtime baby!

Yeah, it didn't look like anyone was there at the start of the game. Later though, it looked better.

Man, that loss hurt. Should have been able to put them away up 7 with under 2 minutes to go. We looked like we were lost in those last couple of minutes.

[Doug Loudenback]

I don't know Doug, the seats looked empty at a few times in the game - did anyone notice all of the empty seats in the lower level?

That was a good game, I can't believe they couldn't have left Anderson in, he was on a roll... it was exciting to the very end - overtime baby!

I'm just going by the official stats at NBA's website (same as I do for Okc's games). Maybe those stats are paid attendance?

[BDP]

Yeah, it didn't look like anyone was there at the start of the game. Later though, it looked better.

They all look like that really. It's not the oscars, so no one is filling the seats when they get up. Also, basketball is a little different than, say, football or hockey, in that the game rarely hinges on one play alone and there are less anticipated stops. Because of this you don't really see all the butts in all the seats at the same time until maybe the 4th quarter. And when 4 people get up to go get a snack, it shows up on TV, whereas in football you may need a few rows to get up together before you notice emptyy seats on TV.

Basically, the TV eyeball test can be an inaccurate one, especially as it represents full attendance.

[fromdust]

the fans around here dont seem to be that loyal. if they keep losing, no one will stick around for to much longer.

[Karried]

Actually, these close games are giving me hope for the season.

We are talking about the Miami arena - you can't find an empty seat at Ford when the Hornet's are home -

You won't find fans more supportive than us... I don't think you read the posts very carefully.

[Intrepid]

the fans around here dont seem to be that loyal. if they keep losing, no one will stick around for to much longer.

That's my fear as well. Yes, the games have been packed thus far, but if the losing continues, I'm afraid that the fans here in OKC are fickle enough that they won't put up with it very long, especially with the ticket prices as high as they are.

Please don't get me wrong, I wish the team nothing but success. I really do. I enjoyed the one game I've been to and really like how the NBA makes it fun to go to games. But the bottom line is that fans want to see a winner, and OKC, and Oklahoma fans in general, usually don't support a losing team very long.

It's a sad, but honest truth. Let's hope that changes!

[wallyboy75]

Intrepid I think the fans in OKC will go as long as we are competive and they do better than last year.

[Intrepid]

Intrepid I think the fans in OKC will go as long as we are competive and they do better than last year.

I certainly hope that you are correct.

[BDP]

especially with the ticket prices as high as they are.

They're actually very cheap. Some of the best prices in the NBA.

the fans around here dont seem to be that loyal.

I'm afraid that the fans here in OKC are fickle

What are these comments based on? OU and OSU draw relatively well regardless of play and the Blazers set records even when they're not good. The Hornets are 2-5 and had over 18k at the game tonight. Oklahomans seem to appreciate the game even when the team may not be good. They're fierce supporters when the product is good, but also have consistently shown they find entertainment value in the event itself. They can be critical, especially when it comes to OU football, but even when they were atrocious 60k+ were attending the games. OSU had over 40k at a game last Saturday and they hadn't won a conference game all year and they draw for basketball under all conditions.

I don't know, but I just don't see any evidence of fickle sports fans in terms of actual attendance. The fact that the Hornets draw this well despite it not even being the city's team and not having a lot of star power is very impressive, imo. Just think if this team had a James, a Bryant, a Kobe, a Shaq, etc. There'd be a wait list. Any team in any city needs to be competitive to be succesful at the box office, and, as fans, you want some pressure on management to perform. Oklahoma fans in general seem to be the best combination of both having high expectations and being loyal.