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Not even the return of Dwyane Wade could keep the Bobcats from moving one step closer to NBA history on Easter Sunday in Miami.

Walter Herrmann’s off-balance three-pointer with 42.9 seconds gave Charlotte the overtime lead for good, sending the giant-killing Bobcats to one their biggest wins of the season.

Herrmann’s two treys within the final minute tainted the much anticipated return of Wade and secured Charlotte’s 111-103 overtime victory – it’s first-ever win at American Airlines Arena.

Now with 31 wins, the Bobcats, winners of four of their last six, tied the all-time best record in recent expansion history. Orlando posted a 31-51 record during its second season (1990-91), and no expansion team had won more than 27 games in their third season until the Bobcats surpassed that mark on March 28 with a 101-87 victory over Atlanta.

Charlotte, who already has recorded road wins over Detroit, San Antonio and the L.A. Lakers this season, padded its resume by outlasting the defending champions for only the second time in 12 all-time tries. The Bobcats continued to set franchise records, which it did for road victories (12) and total wins (31).

Herrmann scored nine of his 15 points in overtime – all on three-pointers – on 6-12 shooting. With Miami’s James Posey closing in, the 27-year-old rookie took a pass from point guard Brevin Knight, to sink the baseline trey as the shot clock sounded.

After Wade, returning from a 23-game absence, tipped in Posey’s miss, Herrmann again took a pass from Knight and nailed a trey from the left wing to ensure the landmark victory.

Gerald Wallace scored 30 points, including a critical overtime layin that extended the lead to four with 1:15 left. The Bobcats leading scorer again did a bit of everything, gutting out his 10th 30-plus point effort of the season – a franchise record. He shot 10-15 from the field, made three treys, had eight rebounds and corralled four steals, all in a game-high 47 minutes.

Wallace had a chance to win the game in regulation, but failed to get a shot off as the buzzer sounded.

Wade had his own opportunity in regulation. The reigning NBA Finals MVP, had two free throws with 2.4 seconds left in regulation, but missed the front end.

Raymond Felton had 16 points, six assists and four steals, while Knight finished with 13 points, seven assists and three steals. Emeka Okafor added 13 points to cap all Bobcats starters in double-figures. He also had eight rebounds, while reserve forward Jake Voskuhl netted 12 points and seven rebounds.

"Mentally we came into the overtime with confidence and felt we could win... We came with 100 percent concentration."
-- Walter Herrmann

Charlotte, tying the league lead for overtime games, dominated the first three quarters. The Bobcats started the second half with seven unanswered points, five of them on perimeter shots by Felton, to build a game-high 16-point lead with 10:26 left but nearly squandered the victory in the final frame.

Wade, who missed nearly seven weeks with a dislocated left shoulder, spearheaded 15-straight points from Miami to start the fourth quarter. Jason Kapono, a former Bobcats guard, scored seven points during the spurt, including a perimeter jumper to tie the game at 78-78. An Antoine Walker tip-in with 7:39 left then gave Miami its first lead since the opening minutes.

Showing a sense of maturity against the Southeast Division leaders, Charlotte made many key plays down the stretch, with a number of players stepping up in late-game situations.

Wallace nailed his third trey to end a nearly six-minute cold streak to halt the Miami run. Later in the period, Knight hit two free throws with 1:09 left to give Charlotte a 92-89 lead. Two possessions later, Okafor blocked Wade’s potential game-winner.

In overtime, Knight pulled by Wade, drew contact and finished a traditional three-point play with 1:48 left. Two possessions later, Felton found Wallace on a backdoor cut to extend the lead to 103-99.

Wade scored 12 points, but was 6-12 from the free throw line and committed a game-high six turnovers. Alonzo Mourning paced Miami with 20 points on 9-10 shooting, while Kapono had 19 points. Shaquille O'Neal netted 15 and Eddie Jones tallied 10 for Miami.

O’Neal dunked on Miami’s first possession, but picked up two early fouls, allowing Charlotte to lead for nearly the entire first half. The Bobcats shot 15 more times and forced the Heat into 14 turnovers, a season-high for Miami in a half.

Charlotte closed the first quarter with an 8-3 run, including two baskets within the last 13 seconds. Voskuhl netted a transition basket while Jeff McInnis, playing for the first time in seven games, swished a fadeway 14-footer as the buzzer sounded, propelling the Bobcats to a 29-22 lead.

Charlotte did much of the same, tallying an 8-2 second quarter run, to lead 57-49 at halftime. The Bobcats made 22 first half field goals, one more shot than the Heat attempted.

Charlotte played without Derek Anderson, Matt Carroll and rookie Adam Morrison, who suffered a sprained left tendon in Friday’s loss. Morrison was the only Bobcats player and NBA rookie to play in every game this season. Carroll strained his back and is alternating between heat and ice treatment. All three could return as early as Tuesday.

The Bobcats head back to Charlotte Bobcats Arena, where they will try to split the season series with Miami at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. Get your tickets now, as all fans in attendance will receive an Adam Morrison mustache and trading card.