At this point, it's purely about cosmetics. In the absence of a miracle, the Heat will not make the postseason this year. The only team objective left is to put a pretty face on an ugly season.

Miami might fall short of that goal, too.

The Heat was unable to sustain a second-half push against one of the NBA's hottest teams, losing 97-90 to the Hornets at Charlotte Coliseum, a loss that puts Miami (32-42) 10 games under .500 for the first time since Feb. 20. But the only number that matters now is five -- the number of Heat losses or Indiana wins needed to mathematically eliminate the Heat from the playoffs.

The game was likely the Heat's farewell to Charlotte Coliseum. The city will likely lose its NBA franchise after ownership announced Wednesday it has met the requirements to relocate the Hornets to New Orleans. That news came only hours before Charlotte won its eighth game in 10 outings.

But some things never change. Just like in last season's playoff sweep of the Heat, it was former Heat forward Jamal Mashburn and third-year guard Baron Davis who ignited Charlotte in a victory over Miami, as the pair combined for 44 points. Mashburn scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to help overcome a Miami rally.

With eight games remaining, it is reasonable to ask whether the Heat can find the energy to play out the rest of the season.

''I'm going to continue to put pressure on my teammates to play as hard as we can,'' Heat center Alonzo Mourning said. ``There's only one way to play the game.''

Former Heat forward P.J. Brown joined Mashburn in saying Miami and coach Pat Riley -- who was assured his first losing season with the defeat -- will not quit. Both defended Riley.

''He's got what, 19 winning years out of 20?'' Brown said. ``I think every coach in America would like a resume like that.''

The loss overshadowed a 27-point game for Heat guard Eddie Jones, who hit four three-pointers in one of his best games in weeks. But the game was decided on defense, where the usually defensively sound Heat allowed easy baskets on defensive lapses and off double-teams.

``We had plenty of breakdowns on defense, Jones said. ``And it wasn't just one player. It was everybody.''

Davis burned the Heat with 17 first-half points, helping the Hornets take a 49-39 halftime lead. Charlotte shot 50 percent in the first half, taking advantage of defensive blunders by the Heat, such as leaving a hot-handed Davis wide open on the perimeter.

But the Heat limited the Hornets to 15 points in the third quarter after tightening up on defense, particularly against Davis, who did not score in the period. On the other end, the Heat warmed up, scoring 26 points.

Miami went ahead at the third-quarter buzzer when guard Eddie House hit a three-pointer to give the Heat its first lead since a 23-21 advantage with 1:59 left in the first quarter. The lineup that spurred the rally was made up mostly of reserves, including LaPhonso Ellis and Anthony Carter.

Charlotte regained the lead with 9:06 left on Davis' three-pointer, sparking a 33-point quarter for Charlotte.

One of the Hornets' most critical baskets was a Brown miss that Brian Grant inadvertently tipped in to give the Hornets an 80-77 lead. Mashburn made it 82-77 seconds later with a fadeaway jumper, then gave his team a seven-point lead with a three-pointer at the 2:32 mark. By the time Hornets forward Jamaal Magloire threw down an emphatic dunk over Mourning with 1:26 left, the result was a forgone conclusion.

As for Charlotte's seemingly inevitable move out of town, Riley called it unfortunate.

''This was one of the great arenas in the NBA,'' Riley said. ``They had 23,000 people in here. You didn't want to come in here and play.''