LOS ANGELES, 14 May 2005 — Injured Shaquille O’Neal did not play a single minute, yet he still found a way to be effective.
Dwyane Wade collected 31 points, nine rebounds and six assists to help the Miami Heat hold off the Washington Wizards, 102-95 on Thursday night for a commanding 3-0 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final playoff series. O’ Neal sat on the bench with a bruised right thigh, ending a run of 164 career playoff games. When he realized Wade was having a tough first half, the league’s most dominant man gave his fellow-all-star a pep talk just before the start of the second half that seemed to spark him.
“I was very upset with my play,” Wade said. “I’m my own worst critic, and I played a bad first-half, probably the worst first half I ever played. Just before I walked out, Shaq grabbed me and told me I was the best player on the floor — and to go out and play like it. “’This is your team, go out and lead them to a win,’” Wade continued. “He always gives me confidence in different ways. So it is, and I have to lead this team to a victory in a hostile environment. I did an ok job of that but my teammates stepped up and played solid. That’s where this team is at.”
Eddie Jones and Damon Jones scored 16 points each while Alonzo Mourning had 14 and 13 rebounds in place of O’ Neal as Miami ran its record to 7-0 in this year’s playoffs.
Mourning said O’ Neal took him aside at practice earlier in the day and said, “’Big Fella, I’m going to need you tonight.’ And I said, ‘Say no more.’” Though Mourning played solid in his 35-minute stint, Wade put on another superior performance after another earful of encouragement from another veteran.
“Words cannot say what Wade has meant to this team. He’s an incredibly, special individual,” Mourning said. “He wasn’t playing too well in the first half and didn’t want to be bothered. But I said, I’m proud of you. We’ve ridden your coat tails this far and we’re not going to stop now. So whatever happened in the first half is over and we have 24 minutes. He looked at me, nodded and stepped up.” Wade scored 19 points after the break when Miami turned up the heat. He scored eight points and Eddie Jones added seven in a 22-5 third-quarter run that turned a 60-52 deficit into a 74-65 advantage with 3:33 left in the period.
After Wade made the opening two baskets of the fourth quarter to give Miami its biggest lead, 83-70, Washington pulled within 87-84 on a 3-pointer by Larry Hughes with 6:49 to play. But Damon Jones answered with a 3-pointer and a jumper around a jump-hook by Mourning to open a 94-84 cushion with 4:59 left.
The Wizards closed within 98-95 on a lay up by Gilbert Arenas with 1:51 remaining. But forward Udonis Haslem, who finished with 12 points and 12 rebounds, turned a loose ball into a jumper with 1:30 left. Wade made a driving lay up with 54 seconds to go to lock up the victory.
Antawn Jamison scored 21 points, Arenas had 20 and 14 assists while Larry Hughes followed with 19 points for Washington, which has dropped 11 consecutive meetings between the teams.
