Return of the Six Shooter
by Joshua Aronson
No. 31 resumed a role he perfected playing for the Boston Celtics -- the sixth man. Ricky D came off the bench light up the scoreboard Tuesday night, dropping in a season-high 23 points as the Heat defeated the Charlotte Bobcats (6-8), 110-90.
Get Buckets got them in a hurry, scoring all his points on 9-of-14 shots in only 28 minutes. Afterward, he was on the receiving end of compliments from several members of the Heat (4-10), the Big Aristotle among them.
"We played with a lot more energy," O'Neal said. "J-Will and Ricky got more touches and shots."
Also impressed: Charlotte coach Sam Vincent.
By halftime Davis had 15 points, and the Heat led 55-43.
"They took him out of the starting lineup, and that turned out to be a great move," Bobcats coach Sam Vincent said. "He gave them an incredible punch off the bench. He came into a role where he could just shoot the ball and be aggressive and just have no conscience, and it worked really well for him."
Ricky was a candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award during his stint with Boston, where he often came off the bench to provide the Celtics with a potent offensive spark, and had no problem reprising his role here.
"I was always told it doesn't matter if you start if you're in there at the end," Davis said.
Miami coach Pat Riley liked what he saw, too. Wrote the Miami Herald:
With Davis and Williams leading the reserves, the Heat got a season-high 66 points off the bench in its second impressive home victory in a row after an 0-5 start at AmericanAirlines Arena. It also ended a four-game losing streak to the Bobcats (6-8).
''This balances the energy,'' said Riley, who first contemplated the lineup change after consecutive losses to Charlotte and Seattle left Miami at 1-7. ``I'm looking for a balance across the board of energy, talent and skills. Whether or not this remains the way it is for a while, we'll just go with it.''
For No. 31, it was yet another productive day at the office.
''We just got out and ran a little bit,'' Davis said. ``We got some easy baskets and controlled the game.''
RELATED STORIES
Riley's lineup shuffle sparks Heat in romp (Palm Beach Post, Nov. 28, 2007)
Riley's lineup moves pay dividends for Heat (Miami Herald, Nov. 28, 2007)
Charlotte Bobcats/Miami Heat Recap (AP, Nov. 27, 2007)
