DETROIT, Michigan, 6 June 2005 — A desperate and defensive-minded Detroit took advantage of an injury to Miami’s Dwyane Wade, pounding the Heat 91-66 to force Game Seven of their National Basketball Association semifinal series.
“I’ve been doing this for a long time and you don’t get into too many final situations like this,” said Detroit coach Larry Brown. “I hope my players enjoy this. The thing I dread about a Game Seven is for players to worry about losing or fear of making a mistake.”
Wade could only sit and watch on Saturday, the result of a strained rib muscle. Playing without Wade, Miami was run off the court by the Pistons who ousted Indiana to reach the Eastern Conference final.
Wade had averaged 30 points through the first four games before suffering the injury in the third quarter of Miami’s Game Five win.
He tried to work through it but could not and left for good in the fourth quarter.
Wade did not practice Friday but intended to play, going through pre-game workouts with Heat assistant Erik Spoelstra while wearing a gel-filled protective wrap.
But he apparently felt too much pain and changed back into street clothes, watching from the bench as Miami’s offense ground to a halt without him.
Matched up with a desperate, defensive-minded Detroit, Miami was held under 80 points for just the third time this season - all against the Pistons.
The Heat’s total was a franchise low for a playoff game, which includes all those 1990s scrums against the New York Knicks.
Without Wade, the Heat had no one to start their offense and no one to bail them out. In the first half, Miami had 14 baskets and 12 turnovers, digging itself a 44-32 hole.
It was even worse in the third quarter, which Detroit closed with a 9-0 burst for a 69-45 bulge. The top-seeded Heat tried to force-feed superstar center Shaquille O’Neal, who has been nursing a bruised thigh throughout the postseason. O’Neal had his best statistical game of the series with 24 points and 13 rebounds but also committed six turnovers — as many as the Pistons.
The injuries continued to pile up as well. Swingman Eddie Jones, already playing with a bruised foot, suffered a cut over his right eye in the third quarter that required stitches to close.
Richard Hamilton scored 24 points for the second-seeded Pistons, who will try for a rare Game Seven road win today. It has happened just 16 times in NBA history.
