Jamaal Magloire has spent much of this season quieting doubters.

When the Hornets open their first-round playoff series Sunday against the Heat at AmericanAirlines Arena, the 6-foot-11 New Orleans center will only find believers.

"He's aggressive, physical and I know I'm going to get that from him every time I see him," Heat center Brian Grant said Friday. "Some guys, you might see it sometimes, but you always get it from him."

"I've seen a tremendous improvement in his offensive game, especially," said Heat reserve forward Udonis Haslem, who faced Magliore in College. "He's scoring a lot better than he did in college. In college, he just rebounded, he had long arms. I've even seen him pull up and shoot a couple of `J's that actually look good."