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Byline: Ira Winderman
ATLANTA _ This is more than coincidence _ the team that didn't have a chance and the rookie forward that didn't have a shot finding their range at the same time.
With Caron Butler again shooting in remarkable rhythm, the sweet music of the Heat's revival continued with a 107-73 New Year's Day victory over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.
"It's either our best game or probably their worst game," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "I don't know who caused what."
The outcome was the most-lopsided Heat road victory in the franchise's 15 seasons and its fifth-largest margin of victory overall. The 107 points were a season high, with the 33 points in the second quarter the most in any period this season.
"We sustained our effort for the entire game," said Riley, whose team now has won seven of its past nine, to stand, at 12-19, within two games of the eighth and final playoff seed in the Eastern Conference.
Just as the team's overall confidence is building, so is Butler's assurance.