While everybody was wondering how the Detroit Pistons were going to stop Shaquille O'Neal, Dwayne Wade snuck under the radar to lead the Miami Heat to a 92-86 win over the Detroit Pistons in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals. The series is now even at 1-1.
Wade was clearly the difference in the game. He finished with 40 points including 20 in the fourth quarter. Wade added eight rebounds and six assists for good measure as he led the Heat to victory.
After the game, Wade explained the difference between his subpar performance in game one and his dominant play in Wednesday night's game. 'I just watched a lot of film and listened to a lot of people,' said Wade. 'I came out tonight and used everything my coaches told me to do. They told me every time I have a bad game, I always come back with a good one...Tonight I decided to come out and be patient and be more aggressive.'
O'Neal did play for Miami despite his severe thigh bruise. He managed 17 points and 10 rebounds although he was clearly not at full strength.
The Pistons had a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left as they trailed by three points. Rasheed Wallace tried a three point shot but he missed and after O'Neal grabbed the rebound, the Heat never looked back.
'We had the game where we wanted it,' Pistons guard Chauncey Billups told the Associated Press after the game. 'We were down 87-84. Sheed had a wide-open look. I’ll take that. I’ll take that all night. I think the whole arena was scared. I heard the whole arena gasping for air when he pulled up. We got what we wanted; it didn’t go down.'
Detroit shot only 38.3 percent from the floor for the game but was able to stay competitive by downing a number of three point shots. Their long range bombs failed in the final moments of the game as the Pistons missed six of their final seven shots from behind the stripe.
Richard Hamilton led the Pistons with 21 points. The defending NBA champs will play the next two games at the Palace in Auburn Hills. As a result of their win in game one in Miami, the Pistons now have home court advantage in the series.
