In 2001 the Miami HEAT made its sixth consecutive NBA Playoff appearance. Miami opposed the Charlotte Hornets for the first time in its postseason history. The Hornets swept the first round series, 3-0, marking the first time since 1996 that the HEAT had been swept in a playoff series.

FIRST ROUND (CHARLOTTE-3, MIAMI-0)
Game 1 – Apr. 21 (Charlotte 106, Miami 80): The HEAT opened the 2001 NBA Playoffs with their worst home postseason loss in franchise history as the Hornets handed Miami a 106-80 defeat in front of a franchise playoff record crowd of 20,085 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. The HEAT, who trailed 23- 21 at the end of the first quarter, were then outscored 58-37 in the second and third quarters combined. Charlotte went on a 20-2 run in a span of 5:26 to open the third quarter and the HEAT never got closer than 16 points the remainder of the contest. The 31 points allowed by Miami in the third quarter set a new postseason record for points allowed by the HEAT in a third quarter. Miami committed 23 turnovers which led to 32 points for the Hornets. Charlotte tied a franchise postseason record with 17 steals. The Hornets dominated the paint as well, outrebounding Miami, 39-33, and winning the points in the paint battle, 42-20. Charlotte also enjoyed a 27-10 edge in fast break points and connected on 25-29 (.862) from the foul line. Jamal Mashburn finished with a game-high 28 points, outscoring the HEAT’s frontcourt, which finished with 25 points. Baron Davis scored a postseason career-high 23 points for the Hornets and added a game-high eight assists, five rebounds and a game-high four steals. David Wesley added 17 points and three steals and Eddie Robinson contributed 14 points and six rebounds for the victors. For the HEAT, rookie Eddie House finished with a team-high 16 points in 19 minutes of play off the bench. Brian Grant recorded the game’s only double-double as he finished with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Eddie Jones and Alonzo Mourning each finished with 14 points.

Game 2 – Apr. 23 (Charlotte 102, Miami 76): Miami lost its second consecutive home playoff game, tying its worst home postseason loss in franchise history, a mark set two nights prior in Game 1 of this series, as the Hornets defeated the HEAT, 102-76, in front of a sellout crowd of 16,500 at the AmericanAirlines Arena. Miami went into the half trailing the Hornets, 54-52, but watched Charlotte outscore the HEAT, 24-7 in the third quarter and 48-24 in the second half. The seven third-quarter points and 24 second-half points were both postseason all-time lows for Miami. The 24 second-half points were just one more than the NBA Playoff record for fewest points in a half. Leading 63-57 with 8:18 left in the third quarter, Charlotte scored 15 unanswered points over the next 7:27 to grab control of the contest. The Hornets lead reached 32 points with 1:20 remaining in the game. Jamal Mashburn scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed six rebounds and David Wesley tied his postseason career-high with 18 points. Baron Davis scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds and tallied a team-high four assists as the Hornets raced to a 2-0 series lead. For Miami, Eddie Jones had a team-high 21 points while adding six rebounds and two assists. Anthony Carter was the only other HEAT player to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points.    The Hornets enjoyed a huge advantage from the foul line connecting on 30-40 (.750) free attempts compared to Miami’s 8-10 (.800) from the charity stripe. Charlotte also outrebounded Miami, 47-33, including a 15-8 edge on the offensive glass.

Game 3 – Apr. 27 (Charlotte 94, Miami 79): The Hornets completed their three-game sweep of the HEAT with a 94-79 victory in front of a sellout crowd of 22,283 at the Charlotte Coliseum. Charlotte seized control of the game early, outscoring Miami, 27-17, in the first quarter. The Hornets, who trailed for only 56 seconds in the game, forced Miami into eight first-quarter turnovers which they converted into 10 points. Charlotte stretched the lead to 27 points at the half, outscoring Miami, 31-14 in the second quarter. The Hornets shot 61.1 percent (11-18) from the floor in the second quarter and outrebounded Miami, 15-5. The HEAT was able to cut the lead to 10 late in the fourth quarter before Charlotte was able to eliminate them. Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis each finished with 21 points while David Wesley added 15 points and P.J. Brown recorded the game’s lone double-double with 13 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Eddie Robinson also added 14 points off the Charlotte bench. Eddie Jones led the HEAT with a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Miami also received 15 points and eight rebounds from Brian Grant, 13 points from Eddie House and 12 points and team-highs in rebounds (nine) and blocks (three) from Alonzo Mourning.