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It wasn’t quite the first round of the playoffs, but for the Bobcats it might as well have been.

Charlotte, closing a rare home-and-home series with the defending NBA champions, embarrassed the Heat in a surprisingly easy 92-82 victory – its second straight over Miami. The Bobcats won their sixth game of the past eight on Tuesday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena and surpassed the most wins in recent history by an expansion team in its first three years.

“We’ve been playing exceptionally well,” said Charlotte General Manger & Head Coach Bernie Bickerstaff. “I don’t know if its really sour grapes, but I really think we had a legitimate shot at the playoffs. We still haven’t surrendered.”

Gerald Wallace paced the Bobcats with his 16th double-double, totaling a game-high 24 points and 10 rebounds in 35 minutes. Wallace shot 8-11 from the field, while rookie Walter Herrmann continued his hot streak, contributing 20 points on 8-15 shooting along with six rebounds.

Derek Anderson, playing against the team that didn’t re-sign him in the offseason, added 17 points despite only playing 13 minutes off the bench. Playing for the first time in three games, he shot 6-9 from the field and made his first three treys.

Anderson strung together 11 straight Bobcats points during a pivotal 15-2 second quarter run, nailing two treys within 27 seconds to start the spurt. After a Dwyane Wade tip-in, Anderson hit a fadeaway, technical free throw and another long perimeter jumper before Jeff McInnis’ driving layup extended the lead to 43-28.

"When we share the ball, rebound well, are out in the passing lanes and are forcing turnovers, we’re one of the best teams in the East. "
-- Gerald Wallace

“Whenever you get a chance to play against your old team, you seem to have a little more fire in your belly,” said point guard Brevin Knight, who had a game-high eight assists. “He definitely had that fire and he carried us in the first half.”

Miami scored 10 straight points to get within six, but wasn’t able to pull any closer. Charlotte reeled off a 15-point outburst, withholding the Heat from scoring for nearly six minutes between the end of the second quarter and start of the third.

“(The Bobcats) pretty much dominated tonight,” said Miami Head Coach Pat Riley. “They played extremely well, especially with their ball movement, and we really didn’t have an answer for a lot of their offensive situations. They got a lot of open shots on us and we looked like we were at half speed tonight.”

The Heat were without Shaquille O’Neal, who attended the wake of his paternal grandfather Tuesday night, point guard Gary Payton, who will miss 2-3 weeks with a torn calf muscle and Udonis Haslem (sore groin). In their absence, Miami committed 22 turnovers, just two nights after handing over a season-high 26.

“We got them out of rhythm when we were making shots,” Wallace said. “We were forcing a lot of their turnovers where we able to get out and run and they weren’t able to catch back up.”

Wade, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, scored 14 points on 6-12 shooting but looked tentative with his left shoulder. He started for the first time in 24 games but didn’t play after exiting with 5:32 left in the third quarter.

From then on, the result was virtually locked when Riley decided to rest his starters, sending in a reserve-filled lineup, including little-used point guard Chris Quinn (12 points).

“It is perplexing to me. It was over in the third quarter and I wasn’t going to take any risks,” Riley said. “I hope we have bigger and better things, but surely tonight was a major step back.”

Despite playing without rookie Adam Morrison (left knee sprain), Matt Carroll (lower back spasms), Jake Voskuhl (left knee), Othella Harrington (knee) and Sean May (right knee soreness), the remaining Bobcats got off to a fast start. After Wade scored the first basket, Charlotte reeled off 10 straight points and never relented.

The 32nd victory is a new franchise record and a six-win improvement over last season. It set a team record with the 20th win at home and marked a 6-0 record during home-and-home sets in 2006-07 against the Hawks, Wizards and Heat.

“Guys are happy and we want to finish the season off strong,” Wallace said. “The team still wants to win.”

Charlotte faces off with Chicago on Friday, April 13 at the United Center. The game tips off at 8:30 p.m. and is scheduled to air on News 14 Carolina and be broadcast on Mix 106.1 FM.

NOTES: With their second win of the season over Miami tonight, the Bobcats have beaten the defending NBA Champion twice in two of the last three seasons. In 2004-05, the Bobcats defeated defending NBA Champion Detroit twice... The Bobcats are now 22-13 when they connect on six-or-more three pointers in a game (8-19 tonight from beyond the arc tonight)... After tonight’s win, the Bobcats have split the season series with title contenders Miami (2-2), Cleveland (2-2), Detroit (2-2), San Antonio (1-1) and Utah (1-1). Not to be forgotten is the fact that Charlotte swept the L.A. Lakers (2-0).