Game 1: May Impresses In Debut Win Over Miami
July 10, 2006

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Sean May had a successful debut in his return to the court, pacing the Bobcats to an 83-65 win over Miami in the opening game of the 2006 Orlando Summer League. May finished with 22 points, seven rebounds and six steals in 28 minutes in his first game action since December 20 and his subsequent right knee surgery.

“The coaches have done a great job working with me and getting me back after the injury. I feel great right now and it was nice to be back on the court in an actual game,” May said. “The team got me touches early and that helped me get off to a quick start. I was happy to help us get a win.”

Charlotte took 22-13 lead in the first quarter before the Heat scored the final basket of the quarter. The Bobcats shot .467 from the field in the period while holding Miami to .333 shooting fro the field. Charlotte received seven points from May, six from Adam Morrison and five from Raymond Felton and the team scored seven points off five Miami turnovers.

“We did a good job defensively and that was one of the questions we had,” Coach John-Blair Bickerstaff said. “All of our guys did a good job playing team defense and we put ourselves in the right place at the right time.”

The Bobcats pushed the lead to 18 points (41-23) with three minutes left in the half after two free throws by Felton, a nifty pick-and-roll from Felton to May and two free throws by D’Or Fischer. Charlotte took a 41-27 lead at halftime by holding the heat to .310 shooting from the field and forcing 12 turnovers. May tallied seven points in the period to pace the team in scoring and had 14 points at halftime.

Miami cut into the Bobcats lead in the third quarter, moving within 11 points, but Charlotte built the lead back up to 21 points after back-to-back three-pointers by Kevin Burleson with under two minutes in the period. Charlotte held a 66-48 lead after three periods. May added seven more points in the third quarter.

Charlotte’s lead reached as many as 23 points in the fourth quarter and the outcome was not in doubt.

For the game, the Bobcats scored 31 points off 27 Miami turnovers.

In his rookie debut, Morrison finished with 12 points, four rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Alan Anderson tallied 11 points, Felton recorded nine points and four assists and Burleson scored nine points.

“I had a little bit of jitters -- it was my first NBA-type game,” Morrison said. “I rushed my shot a little bit at first, but I thought the rest of my game was good the way I ran the floor and made some good passes. It was good to help the team get a win, and that’s my ultimate goal.”

Ryan Hollins, the Bobcats 2006 second-round pick, suffered a sprained right ankle and played only six minutes. He is questionable for Tuesday’s game against Chicago.