"This was definitely a road map for how the Charlotte Bobcats can beat the Miami Heat; all they have to do is make sure LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all sit out the fourth quarter.

Yes, it was the preseason, and so this 102-96 victory over the Heat doesn't count for so much. Still, they showed some improvement, particularly considering they played without Gerald Wallace, resting a sore lower back.

Wallace said he would have played if this were the regular season. But he's had some pain and stiffness going back to the loss to Oklahoma City in Fayetteville, so this was preventive maintenance.

Coach Larry Brown liked that they defended, holding the Heat to 39 percent shooting, even with James making 10-of-17 shots for 33 points. Now, Brown has to get the Bobcats to close out on the boards; their biggest shortcoming Monday was allowing the Heat 14 offensive rebounds.

Brown said that was a byproduct of all the help defense you must play on James, the superstar who came south from Cleveland. He skews your defense to the point that no one is standing in proper rebounding position when a miss occurs.

That was self-correcting – at least in an exhibition – when James sat out the fourth quarter. The Bobcats outscored the Heat 31-16 in those last 12 minutes, with Derrick Brown scoring 14 of his 18 points.

For the preseason, Brown is shooting 62 percent of the field.

"He's staying focused,'' said point guard D.J. Augustin (19 points, two assists and one turnover). "He doesn't let coach get to him; he takes (criticism) the right way.''

Larry Brown can be pretty intense, correcting young players."