Heat offense struggles in loss
Shaquille O'Neal scored 17 points in 25 minutes, but Udonis Haslem was the only other Heat player in double figures as the offense continues to struggle.
There are games when the Heat's offense is going to struggle without the services of catalyst Dwyane Wade. And then there are times like Tuesday, when things were flowing for the Heat about as smoothly as rush-hour traffic on Interstate-95.
Need evidence of just how much of a rut the Heat was in during its 91-76 loss to the Bobcats? Take a seat. It's a long list.
The Heat scored a season-low 12 points in the first quarter. It didn't break 20 until midway through the second and couldn't get past 50 until rookie guard Daequan Cook hit a jumper with 9:54 left in the game.
No one on the roster found a rhythm until after the game, when dejected coach Pat Riley emerged from the locker room.
Asked what could he do to spark a team that has lost six of its first seven games and ranks last in the NBA in offense, Riley spotted up and fired.
''I should play,'' Riley said. ``I guarantee you I should suit up. I would play better than some of them right now. I guarantee it. I swear to God. With an old hip, 62 years old, can't [expletive] see. I'll play better than some of my guys tonight.''
Actually, Riley made as many first-quarter field goals Tuesday as Penny Hardaway, Jason Williams, Alonzo Mourning, Chris Quinn and Dorell Wright -- each of whom played but didn't generate any early offense.
SHOOTING WOES
The Heat shot 38.5 percent from the field, missed six of seven three-point attempts and had just two players score in double figures. Shaquille O'Neal had 17 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes, and Udonis Haslem finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Gerald Wallace scored 19 to lead the Bobcats (4-3), who extended their winning streak against the Heat (1-6) to four games dating to last season. He had nine points in the third quarter, which the Bobcats opened with an 18-3 run. The Heat was outscored 31-12 in the third, when it equaled its point total from the opening quarter.
O'Neal had 13 points in the first half, but the rest of the team was a combined 8 of 30 from the field in the half.
''Shaq was Shaq,'' Wallace said. ``But we were able to take everybody else out of what they wanted to do.''
The offensive ineptness that has hampered the Heat left players searching for answers.
''We've got to figure it out,'' O'Neal said. ``It's character time.''
Tuesday's struggles left the Heat shooting just 42.7 percent from the field and averaging 83.3 points through seven games. The Heat overcame its offensive woes to beat the Knicks 75-72 on Sunday. But the Bobcats wouldn't match the Heat miss for miss after the first quarter.
''It was embarrassing, the way we played,'' Haslem said. ``When shots aren't falling, we still have to find a way to still be competitive.''
Charlotte led 71-47 after the third quarter, and the starters for both teams were replaced in the fourth.
The additional rest could come in handy for the Heat, which returns home to play Seattle on the second night of a back-to-back set. Riley threatened to shake up the lineup and said players might need to meet among themselves to find answers.
SECOND CHANCE
''The good thing about this league, man, is we got a chance to lick our wounds and heal the situation by getting another win immediately,'' Mourning said. ``There ain't too much more you can say than that.''
Even Wade, close to coming back from knee and shoulder surgeries, said his return guarantees little.
''Guys have got to make shots,'' said Wade, who wouldn't say if he would play Wednesday. ``One person is not the savior.''
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