Pistons Look to Tie Series, 2-2, in Miami

The Pistons trail 2-1 in the Eastern Conference finals.

And that is the least of their worries.

What happened Saturday night, the Miami Heat's 98-83 deconstruction of the once-fearsome Pistons, was more than a loss. It was a showcase of the many reasons why this team may fall fantastically short of the championship expectations that have followed them into arenas for three years.

The defense was non-existent.

The Pistons are not playing their trademark defense. They are not scoring in the paint, to the tune of a 50-16 disadvantage there Saturday.

There may already be some signs that their model collectivism has cracked, along the walking fault line that is the talented, hard-to-figure Rasheed Wallace.

In what may either be a telling display of discord, or a simple act of frustration, Wallace brushed past Pistons coach Flip Saunders on his way to the bench after leaving the game in the first half.

Saunders appeared to extend his hand. Wallace did not shake it.

Later, after the Heat took an 11-point lead into the second half, Wallace found his stroke. He hit a three-point play to start the half. Then he nailed a 12-foot fadeaway. Then he buried a three-pointer. Suddenly, after hobbling on his ankle for over a week, he seemed himself again.

And then he disappeared.

''We need to let Rasheed go to work,'' said Antonio McDyess, who, somewhat ironically, was the one who replaced Wallace in the lineup. ''You don't go away from a guy who has the hot hand, like Rasheed.''

In Game 4, it could very well depend on Rasheed Wallace if the Detroit Pistons will either go home or fight for the NBA Championship for the third straight time on June. Miami is ready to bring on the heat, it will be up to Rasheed to lead the Pistons through it.

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Big Bad Ben is Ready to Destroy Miami

Ben Wallace, the preeminent Piston, was the only starter left in a quiet practice gym Thursday morning.

He was calm. He simply shot free throws, over and over, a repetition of the very act that has caused so much concern this post-season.

He looked confident. He looked good. He made more than 15 in a row. To say that Wallace was superb when the Pistons needed him most in these playoffs could very well be an understatement.

What he turned out to be is a genuine force on both ends of the floor against the Miami Heat.

Wallace, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, played on these playoffs with the possibility that this could be his final games as a Piston. He ensured that would not be the case.

His offense, though, was only part of the presence that enabled Detroit to be where they are nowIn these playoffs, only Tayshaun Prince, the metronomic forward, was the only Detroit player who seemed comfortable on the offensive end. And he was the lone Piston to score -- of any kind – consistently in the post-season.

He's turning out to be a player that the Palace of Auburn Hills can be proud of.

The Pistons will rely on something that can get them past the Miami Heat in the East Finals. A difference that will separate them from mediocrity. That difference could very well be Ben Wallace.

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Mavericks Look to Even Series in Game 2

The Dallas Mavericks already knew the Phoenix Suns were fast.

After watching Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and their running mates whizz past them in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, the Mavs have a much better understanding of how quickly and relentlessly those guys race down the court.

''They got whatever they wanted,'' Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki said Thursday.

''They got like 100 points in transition,'' he added.

Actually, it was only 32, but it was still the most Dallas has allowed all season. And it was a major reason why Phoenix pulled out a 121-118 victory Wednesday night.

Any hopes the Mavericks had about the Suns' legs feeling heavy after having gone the distance in each of the first two rounds faded quickly.

Running as often on shots that went in as those that didn't, Phoenix scored 14 of its 35 first-quarter points on fast breaks.

By halftime, the Suns had 20 of their 62 points that way - and the Mavericks had a jarring reminder that they were no longer facing the San Antonio Spurs.

''You can talk about it all you want in a meeting or on the court, but it's difficult adjusting your game,'' Nowitzki said.

''We've just got to get it in our heads that you can never relax no matter what happens. If it's a foul, a made basket, a miss - wherever you are on the court, you have to get back,'' he added.

Dallas slowed Phoenix enough in the second half to take a nine-point lead with 3:43 left. Had the Mavs not committed four turnovers in the last 77 seconds or if Boris Diaw had missed a turnaround jumper with 0.5 seconds left, they would've withstood the Suns' open-court blitz.

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Spurs Spurt

The San Antonio Spurs' locker room was dark.

Dark except for a few lights from TV cameras. Teammates were still heading to the post-game podium to talk to the media. And Robert Horry, already dressed, was leaving.

A year ago he'd taken a Manu Ginobili pass in Detroit, and he changed the seasons of two teams. This time Horry waited in the corner, open again, when Ginobili drove at the end of regulation.

Championships are decided by these moments. The 2006 championship may have been, too, albeit in the second round. And Horry summed it up with a soft laugh and a line.

''The lucky team won,'' he said.

I wouldn't put it that way...

His teammates put it differently but with similar perspective. The Spurs lost two overtime games in this series, as well a one-point game in Dallas when Tim Duncan fouled out. How much luck would have been required for the Spurs to be the ones celebrating in Texas today?

Not much.

And this idea will comfort the Spurs, as well as those accustomed to seeing these guys play in June. But the Spurs will have to accept something else, too, and that is how this series was lost.

The Spurs didn't defend a title for a third time, yet this one was different. This time there were no injuries, as there were in 2000. This time there was no Derek Fisher and 0.4, when luck really was part of the equation in 2004.

This time, too, came with no excuses. There were no refs to blame, nor were there travel issues to complain about. Instead, there was a champion, sent home rather abruptly and a new NBA Champion waiting to be crowned in June.

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Pistons - Heat, the Big Boys Finally Meet

So many times, preseason predictions in the NBA turn out to be bunk.

Not this time.

All season, the Pistons and the Miami Heat seemed destined for a rematch in the Eastern Conference finals. And Game 1 at the Palace will make destiny a reality, and it's something the players admit they'd hoped for all along.

''Oh, I definitely wanted this series,'' point guard Chauncey Billups said.

''I think they're the other best team in the Eastern Conference. And when you're the best, you want to play against the other teams that are supposed to be the best. That's what the playoffs are all about,'' he added.

Last season, the Pistons and the Heat forced a winner-take-all Game 7 in Miami. And for much of that game, the Heat led. But in the final quarter, Rasheed Wallace made big plays and Billups hit four free throws late in the game, icing an 88-82 win that ended the Heat's NBA Finals bid.

Since then, the only real constants in South Beach have been superstars Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal. Stan Van Gundy is gone as head coach, replaced in December by president Pat Riley, who spent the summer upending his roster despite its relative success.

He brought in Antoine Walker and Gary Payton. He courted Michael Finley, only to see the veteran guard go to San Antonio. And he parted ways with key players Eddie Jones and Damon Jones.

Now, the Heat is the same team wearing a different costume. The same two dominant players, Wade and O'Neal, run the show. But the supporting cast and the director have changed.

The Heat says this year's series is not about getting revenge for last season.

''They beat us last year,'' O'Neal said, ''but we are not worried about just beating the people that beat us. We want to win the whole thing and whoever is in our way, that is who we want to try to beat. So it's not really revenge. We know we have to go through them and they have to go through us.''

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Mavericks and Spurs in a Game 7 in Texas

It would have been great for the Dallas Mavericks to sew up this series quickly.

But NO, they had to drop two games in a row to give the San Antonio Spurs a chance. Now, the Mavericks are looking at a tied 3-3 series as they face elimination away from home.

It's high anxiety in Dallas as fans have watched the Mavericks cough up a 3-1 series lead against the defending world champions. Through all the sky-is-falling stuff, however, it should not be forgotten just how special this best-of-7 match has been.

Game 7 makes this a super series. The competitive nature of the teams makes it even better. These kind only come around once every decade or so.

By at least one barometer, you have to go back to the NBA Finals of 1998 to find a more competitive series.

The Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs have played five games decided by five points or fewer. The last time that happened, the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz were playing for the NBA title, with the Bulls winning 4-2. The margins in those games: 3 in overtime, 5, 42, 4, 2 and 1.

In this series: 2, 22, 1, 5 in overtime, 1 and 5.

Yes, there have been other hotly contested series since '98. Sacramento and the Los Angeles Lakers had a blood-boiler in 2002 that featured six games decided by seven points or fewer. And in 2000, New York and Miami decided all seven of their games by no more than eight points.

But if your criteria for a classic NBA series are ultra-close games and that it goes the distance, this is your brand of ball.

''It's a huge game,'' said Dirk Nowitzki, who has averaged 25.5 points and 13 rebounds in the series. ''It's win or go home. I don't think we're ready to go home.''

Well, if the Dallas Mavericks are not careful, they might. The San Antonio Spurs is a team you can't give any glimmer of hope. The Mavericks gave them, not once, but TWICE.

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The Heat is On as Miami Advances

The Miami Heat rallied.

From an early 12-point deficit, and after dropping Game 1 of this best-of-seven series, Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade led the Heat to post a 4-1 series win. Miami has now recovered from recent adversity.

''Now look at us,'' Dwyane Wade said.

After making the game-clinching defensive play, Dwyane Wade flung the ball deep in the stands, and with it went the baggage, criticism and question marks that littered the road to the Eastern Conference finals.

The Heat beat the Nets 106-105 to close out the Eastern semifinals 4-1, getting 23 points from Antoine Walker and 21 points, six assists and six rebounds from Wade. Now Miami finds itself in the same position as last year, with one opponent standing between itself and the NBA Finals.

''We've won eight games, we want to win 16,'' Heat coach Pat Riley said.

''We're very fortunate to get by the Nets. They're a great team and we did what we had to do on the road to win after coming back from that horrendous start in Game 1. Our team is beginning to become buoyant. They're feeling good about themselves,'' Riley added.

It wasn't until the final seconds ticked off the clock, however, that those good feelings could officially continue. The Nets' perimeter trio of Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and Vince Carter had combined for 86 points, keeping New Jersey in the game until the final second.

After the Nets forced the Heat into a missed shot in its final possession leading by a point, Jefferson recovered the loose ball and called a timeout with 1.4 seconds left.

In the Heat huddle before the final play, Wade asked to defend Carter, New Jersey's No. 1 option, on the play. After a frustrating 7-of-19 offensive showing with seven turnovers, Wade came up with the play on the defensive end to finally stop what has become utter Vinsanity.

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Detroit is now 3-1 in Guaran-Sheed Games

Did the Detroit Pistons underestimated the Cleveland Cavaliers in Games 3 and 4?

While reporters crowded Flip Saunders for an interview, Maurice Evans chased Rasheed Wallace around the huddle like two grade-schoolers, looking for an open shot at payback.

That was after 'Sheed engaged in an impromptu game of dodge ball, wrapping his mitts around a basketball and delivering some Joel Zumaya-like smoke square in Evans' back.

That demanded retaliation.

''They were doing this during the regular season,'' said Pistons head coach Flip Saunders, sounding like a father tired of telling his kids to cut out the roughhouse.

Did anybody think Rasheed Wallace would back down one inch Sunday from his post-Game 3 declaration that the Pistons would win the next two games from Cleveland and finish this Eastern Conference semifinal in five games? He reiterated that the Pistons ''would bust (the Cavs') ass'' in Game 4 at ''the Q.''

You would think such comments would tighten a team, but it has the opposite effect on the Pistons.

The result? Pistons found themselves suffering their first loss in four ''Guaran-Sheed games'' and tied with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, 2-2.

If Detroit is not careful, they can very well find themselves on the brink of elimination in Game 6, in Cleveland, where LeBron James might just make his OWN guarantee.

The Detroit Pistons better get their act together soon. They are STILL the heavy favorites in this series but if they are not careful, the Cleveland Cavaliers might just sneak up from behind in Game 5 and go back home with a chance to end the Pistons' season.

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The NBA Champs, in Trouble Against Dallas

In these NBA Playoffs, you may win an emotional game today, next game, you get your heart ripped out.

That is what these 2006 NBA Playoffs has become. And that is what the defending NBA Champions, San Antonio Spurs, realized.

Everybody starts talking about what changes should be made before training camp opens. Then you look up, and the other team is on the brink of sending your team to an early summer.

''It's like that every year,'' San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. ''Honestly. Every year, every round. Even the Finals last year. We won the first two, and it was like Detroit couldn't play. The Spurs were a dynasty.''

''Then after the next two games, we were the most worthless people that ever lived, the players should be traded and the coach should be fired,'' he added.

Even Sunday, when the Spurs were wiping away the disappointment of their Game 3 loss Saturday night, Popovich joked about the feeling. When a couple of reporters were chatting with general manager R.C. Buford, Popovich wondered what was going on.

It was a faux news conference, he was told.

''What, have I been fired already, or do I have to lose one more game?'' he joked.

That's how precarious a closely contested NBA playoff series is. And it will happen again if the Mavericks can push, just enough, to bring the defending NBA champions to the brink of extinction.

''I guess that's why it's a seven-game series,''' said Michael Finley, who was on the Mavericks' side for all those years, but now finds himself playing against his former teammates in Dallas in an emotional seven-game playoff series.

''In college, if you have a great game that night, you can go on and be a national champion. But in the NBA, it's a series. And usually, the better team wins in that series,'' Michael Finley said.

''Even though you may think things are going your way for a game, it can easily change the next game. It's the team that remains mentally consistent that overrides that,'' Finley added.

The San Antonio Spurs are hoping that they will be the ones who'll be mentally consistent throughout this best-of-seven series against the Dallas Mavericks. If these Spurs are not careful, they can very well see their NBA title slip away as early as round two.

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Clippers will try Outgun Suns Again to Even Series 2-2

The Clippers won a playoff game because they outscored their opponent.

Trying to outscore the Suns makes as much sense as trying to outdrive Tiger Woods or outpunch Manny Pacquiao. But the Clippers thought outside the box. They didn't try to play in slow motion, drag the score down to the pre-shot clock era.

They beat an offensive powerhouse with offensive efficiency. They outslugged the slugger, putting up the type of numbers the Suns are used to posting in a 122-97 victory Wednesday that evened this series at a game apiece.''We can score and they can score,'' Cuttino Mobley said.

''We just wanted to pound it inside as much as possible. It worked out for us tonight,'' he added.

The Clippers did it with variety, with balance, even some daring and a little bit of fortune and probability swinging their way.This series will be about offense.

The Clippers can initiate their defense by playing smart offense. The Clippers cut their turnovers from 15 in Game 1 to 12 in Game 2, having only seven through the first three quarters. They emphasized the inside game, outscoring the Suns, 58-36, in the paint.

Yes, the Clippers played smarter defense, did a better job of staying in front of their men. The Suns were held under 100 points for the fourth time in the playoffs, all Phoenix losses. That's what the Clippers' coach and players raved about afterward.

The Suns won Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead over this OTHER team from the Staples Center. Game 4 will definitely be critical for Sam Cassell and Elton Brand as they try to bring this series down to a best-of-three.

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Pistons will End Cleveland's False Hope

The Pistons just gave the Cavaliers false hope in Game 2.

After the Pistons allowed Cleveland to dig out of a 22-point hole and get within five in Tuesday night's game, reporters asked coach Flip Saunders whether he worried the Cavaliers had found a boost of confidence at the perfect time.

Saunders pointed out the Pistons are up, 2-0, and that no one will remember the score. But the Cavaliers will certainly remember.

They will remember the way they suddenly found openings for LeBron James to attack the defense and forced the Pistons' offense into outside shots in the second half. If they needed some confidence after getting chewed up and spit out through the first seven quarters, they likely found it in the eighth.

The Pistons believe that might be false hope.

''I think they went away with a little confidence,'' Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups said.

''But I don't think it was what they did, I think it was what we didn't do. We got a little undisciplined in our schemes and the things we talked about and did for seven straight quarters. I think it came so easy for us that we got a little complacent,'' Billups admits.

No doubt, the Cavaliers will try in Game 3 to pick up where they left off and be more aggressive offensively. Their defense will continue to try to force Pistons' misses that can be turned into transition points.

However, don't expect the Pistons to let that happen anytime soon.

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Last Chance for Pat Riley and 'Zo Mourning?

Pat Riley is lucky in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Throughout his career as an NBA head coach, Pat Riley has been lucky enough to get the best giants of the NBA.

Back in New York, he had a seven-foot Patrick Ewing who can shoot the jumper consistently and attack the rim with a combination of power and elegance. Then he moved on until he got to Miami, Florida.

In Miami, Pat Riley had a 6'10'' powerhouse in Alonzo Mourning who can also attack the rim, the only difference was, this guy can attack the rim like Patrick Ewing on steroids.

Mourning's sheer power then was unstoppable. And aside from having that advantage, Pat Riley also had Tim Hardaway to control the offense, giving him the pleasure of having one of the most explosive tandems in that era.

Now, Pat Riley got his 6'10'' powerhouse back, but this time, he also has this seven-foot monster twice as big as Ewing and twice as strong as 'Zo.

Shaquille O'Neal.

Shaquille O'Neal believed from the start that it would be he and Pat Riley chasing the championship together.

From the beginning, on the shores of glistening Biscayne Bay, Shaq called him ''Coach,'' a bond born out of his respect for Riles' stature. Shaq, the son of a U.S. Army sergeant, has always been rooted in reverence for the authoritative figures in his life. No, Stan Van Gundy never stood a chance.

It's almost as of Pat Riley and Shaq were destined to be together fighting for one same cause. Yes, I guess one can also say that pat Riley is DESTINED to coach the biggest of the big and the strongest of the strong.

However, time is running out for THIS tower of Pat Riley's as Shaq is now 34 years old. Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning NEVER won an NBA championship yet, can they finally have one with Shaquille O'Neal trying to squeeze out all the remaining diesel from his 340-pound tank?

It may all depend on someone outside that three-man equation. Someone who goes by the name of Dwyane...

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End of the Line for Rick Adelman?

The Sacramento Kings won't renew Rick Adelman's contract.

Apparently, after breaking up the Kings' court, if you will, of Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, Peja Stoijakovic and Bobby Jackson, the Kings President of basketball Operations Geoff Petrie and Kings coach Rick Adelman, agreed not to prolong their relationship for the 2006-2007 sason.

Adelman had this coming.

But must the Kings give up on the NBA head coach who won more than 750 games?

This move from the Kings could very well be debatable, as were their moves when they got rid of former Kings' starters except Mike Bibby. (Who also were the replacement for former King, Jason Williams.)

Before he coached, Rick Adelman first played in the NBA for the Portland Trailblazers in 1970. As a player he had an average career.

But he's made a name for himself as a coach.

He became head coach of the Trailblazers in the late 80's. Adelman then took the Trailblazers to the playoffs six seasons in a row. Twice they made it to the NBA finals. After leaving Portland, he coached the Warriors for two losing seasons.

His next stop was in Sacramento where Adelman became the most successful coach in Sacramento Kings history. He won 395 games in eight seasons as the Kings coach.

He guided the Sacramento Kings to the playoffs eight years in a row.

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Vince Carter can put Miami's Heat on Ice

Dubbed as ''Wince'' back in Toronto, Vince Carter is making quite a name for himself in the NBA Playoffs.

They call him ''Vinsanity,'' another shoe company once called him ''Dr. Funk.'' Well, after a season of turmoil in Toronto, all of those accolades suddenly disappeared and all that was left was a man reduced to a shell of his former self.

Many questioned his heart and toughness, tossing aside the notion that he could be a legitimate elite player in this league. Whoever that guy was, he must have been another Vince Carter. The one who was traded to the Nets Dec. 17, 2004, has been nothing short of a franchise-saving superstar who completely transformed his game.

He's more than just a point-scoring, highlight-reel machine.

On any night, he can control the boards on both ends or pile up the assists. He's not just a one-on-one player and runs about half the Nets offense, taking the pressure off point guard Jason Kidd and turning him into the team's fourth option.

At 29, Carter's game is still evolving. If anyone has experienced his revamped attack first hand, it's the Miami Heat.

Carter has been somewhat a firefighter whenever his Nets take on the Heat this season. The fire extinguisher, if you will.

Vince Carter single-handedly ended a 10-game losing streak against Miami, averaging 38.5 points, 5.5 assists and 7.3 rebounds to lead the Nets to three victories in four meetings.

He also matched his career high, scoring 51 points to help lead the Nets to a 95-88 win Dec. 23, 2005, the Nets' first victory at American Airlines Arena since January 2003.

In Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals between the New Jersey Nets and the Miami Heat, Vince Carter dropped a game-high 27 points to steal homecourt advantage away from Miami. If this is a trend of things to come in this best-of-seven series, VC will rekindle his career's fire and put out the flame of Miami's Heat.

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It's Academic. Big Ben is NBA's Top Defense

Ben Wallace. NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

Everybody expected that frame of thought since Big Ben got out of Orlando.

For the fourth time in five years, Wallace, the Pistons' defensive specialist, has earned the honor. He will be presented with the award before Tuesday night's game against Cleveland at The Palace.

Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo are now the only two players in NBA history to win the award four times.

Wallace, who has known about the honor for several days, tried to look surprised about the news when asked by reporters following the Pistons' 113-86 destruction of the Cavaliers in the first game of their second round best-of-seven series.

''That means a lot, if that's what it is. You sure about that? Don't get me excited about nothing, now,'' Ben Wallace jokes.

''You know, that's where my pride and joy is at, on the defensive end, being able to get stops, being able to come up with the basketball to help my team win,'' Wallace added.

Wallace had 11 rebounds and a game-high four blocked shots against the Cavaliers in Game 1.

The Pistons' other Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, became animated and extremely vocal in his mock surprise when asked about Wallace's fourth Defensive Player of the Year award.

''They gave that to him again?'' Rasheed Wallace said, loud enough so that Ben Wallace could hear as he exited the locker room.

''Ah, dog, that's felonious. It's felonious. Fe-lone-e-us. He was not even in my top three. Honestly, they only gave it to him because we the Pistons,'' 'Sheed jokes.

Of course, Rasheed Wallace could not refrain from real praise for his teammate.

''No, that says a lot,'' said Rasheed, who had 10 points and seven rebounds. ''That's a damn good accolade to have. That's going to be some spotlight in his trophy case when he retires. He's got the belt and the rings and the defensive trophy.''

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Steve Nash Named MVP for Second Time

Steve Nash did it again.

The NBA's Canadian Phenom ran away with his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award. The maestro of the fast and furious Phoenix Suns, beat runner-up LeBron James of Cleveland by a comfortable margin in results announced Sunday.

He is the ninth player to win consecutive MVP trophies and joins Magic Johnson as the only point guards to win the award more than once.

''I have to pinch myself,'' Nash said.

''I can't believe that I'm standing here today. I couldn't believe it last year, and to do it again is even more difficult to understand, but I'm not going to give it back,'' he added.

The Suns point guard received 57 first-place votes and 924 points overall from a panel of 125 sports writers and broadcasters in the United States and Canada.

James had 16 first-place votes and 688 points overall. But at 21, though, James knows he will have many more opportunities.

''It would have been nice of course to put another trophy in my house, in my showcase,'' LeBron James said from Auburn Hills before the Cavaliers were dominated by the Detroit Pistons in Game 1.

''But it's something I'm going to keep working hard for. I can't dwell on not being named MVP,'' he added.

Nash's close friend Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas was third with 14 first-place ballots and 544 overall. Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers had the second-most votes for first place (22), but was fourth overall with 483 points.

The 32-year-old Nash is the 11th player to win the MVP award more than once.

Nash praised his teammates and coaching staff for a perfect environment for him to succeed and for their team to succeed, and for him to stand there that day.

Last season, he directed the Suns to an NBA-best 62 victories. This year, the Suns lost Amare Stoudemire to injury and traded Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson. Yet they still won 54 games and a second straight Pacific Division title.

This season, Nash had career highs in scoring (18.8 points), rebounding (4.2), field goal percentage (.512) and free throw percentage (a league-leading .921). He led the league in assists at 10.5 a game and finished sixth in 3-point percentage at 43.9.

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Pistons Mutilated Second NBA Playoffs Prey

Pistons drew first blood in Game 1 in emphatic fashion.

Detroit's playoff assassin, Tayshaun Prince, dropped 24 points, Rip Hamilton chimed in with 20 and Chauncey Billups came up with a solid double-double performance of 14 points and 10 assists.

To say that the Pistons were unstoppable in Game 1 could very well be an understatement.

This series was deemed as a NO CONTEST right from the get-go. The Pistons have three more wins to go before they move on to face either the Miami Heat or the New Jersey Nets in the Eastern Conference Finals and here are some of the reasons why the Pistons will do just that.

Rasheed Wallace scored 19 points per game against the Cavaliers this season, about four above his season average. And he's increased his production in the playoffs.

With his ability to shoot from the outside, he can spread the defense and open up things for everyone, especially if the Pistons establish his inside game early on. Drew Gooden shouldn't be much of a problem for the Pistons. Although he has the physical tools, he doesn't always put them to great use.

Richard Hamilton has had a few extra days to recuperate from a tough first round, during which he sprained his left ankle and sustained a deep thigh bruise. But really, the 40-point performance in Game 5 was evidence that Hamilton's game is back on track, rest or no rest.

Cavs shooting guard Larry Hughes played in only 36 games this season with a thumb injury. He hasn't been as consistent an offensive threat as the Cavaliers would like, averaging 12.3 points in the postseason.

Chauncey Billups continued to do in the first round what he's done all season -- he dictated the flow of the game, he exploited mismatches, he got the ball to the hot hand, and when he had to, he took over and hit big shots. As Charlie Bell said at the end of the first round, ''he's my MVP.''

Need I say more? The Detroit Pistons showed in Game 1 why they will dispatch these Cavaliers from Cleveland rather quicker than what they did to the Bucks. Bucks had three guys doing the scoring load compared to the Cavaliers who rely heavily on one guy alone. No.23.

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Who's Next for Hamilton and the Pistons?

The Detroit Pistons, as good as they are, do not have a legitimate go-to-guy.

The Pistons don't need one guy beating you, and they would prefer that such responsibilities never fall upon a single individual. But they unleashed another dimension in their Game 5 clincher Wednesday, the lone unstoppable force.

Richard Hamilton.

''It might turn a few heads if people see somebody on our team scoring 40,'' said Lindsey Hunter. ''That's not what we're usually about. But he did it all within the flow of our offense, which feeds off our defense. It makes it fun, doesn't it?''

It makes them even scarier.

''Well, that's fun, too,'' Hunter answered.

Winning remains the best payback. Hamilton was hobbled with a sore ankle, an achy thigh and a missing-in-action shooting stroke. He was playing tentatively.

Trainer Arnie Kander loosened the tape on his ankle and removed the protective patch from his thigh. The objective, Just let 'er Rip.

''He said he didn't want to have me restrained,'' Hamilton said. ''He wanted me to just go out there and play and don't worry about it and just have confidence in it. I think that really gave me a whole lot of confidence for me to go out there and make plays and make moves and do stuff that I was usually doing.''

Those unexplainable nights come when the rim assumes the size of the Grand Canyon and everything drops. But the Pistons aren't a scorer's team. They like their shots evened out, creating the necessary balance that precludes opponents from concentrating their defensive efforts on one person.

But it doesn't hurt for the next Eastern Conference victim to know that Piston poison can be administered lethally from a single source.

''Rip was great,'' said Chauncey Billups. ''He got it cooking early and once he had it cooking, everybody else kind of fell back, and we got him the ball where he needed it.''

Chauncey adds, ''I told him, 'Welcome back.''

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Miami will put on the Heat against the Nets

This first round best-of-seven series between the Heat and the Bulls was a series of pure emotion.

We had seen plenty of emotion in this basketball series, but it was always the wrong kind. One Miami player angrily hurling his mouthpiece toward a referee. Another Miami player tackling a Chicago Bull with a dirty, frustrated shoulder. Two other Miami teammates screaming curses at each other in a very public way. The rage gurgled in a way that everyone kept getting scalded.

So when Shaquille O'Neal threw a perfect pass to Gary Payton under the basket in Thursday's first quarter, and Payton fumbled the easy points clumsily out of bounds, the look that swept across O'Neal's face was not what you might have expected.

A smile. It had been too long since we had seen one of those.

Miami ended Chicago's season and breathed joyous life into its own with a 113-96 blowout here in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The assignment gets more difficult from here, the Heat advancing to meet the New Jersey Nets of Jason Kidd and Vince Carter in a second-round series that begins next week, but it was nice to see the Heat realize that these are games and games are supposed to be fun.

So there was Payton, ripped nationally for getting into an argument with beloved Dwyane Wade during Game 4, going around and hugging each of his teammates just before tip-off, Wade included.

And there were Jason Williams and Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker, all on the bench, getting up and thundering onto the court with child-like enthusiasm during play to applaud another basket that silenced Chicago's upset-minded crowd.

A fist does not relax well, but Miami seemed to on Thursday. And the poor Bulls had to feel, as wave after wave hit them, like they were trying to keep back the ocean with their bare hands. Miami took joy in administering the beating.

''We figured it out,'' Payton said afterward. ''Be carefree. We had a meeting about it in the morning. Too many mean faces in here. We weren't even smiling when we were winning. We were a little bit tense, listening to the criticism. You are supposed to enjoy this. We love this game. So we played.''

[Shaquille O’Neal and the rest of the Miami Heat are finding life in the post-season a little too difficult than expected. Can Miami get it together just in time for the New Jersey Nets? Bet on NINE.com today.]

Nets Take 3-2 Series Lead Over Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are on the brink of elimination.

The shot clock was winding down as New Jersey's Vince Carter palmed the ball with Indiana rookie Danny Granger defending, while the Pacers stood in front of their bench.

Carter blew by Granger with one dribble while Jermaine O'Neal slid over to try to take a charge. The acrobatic Carter, who had five fouls, avoided O'Neal and dunked the ball with his left hand.

The ball hit the net with 28.9 seconds remaining in the game to give the Nets a five-point lead.

Many of the Pacers stood along the sideline in disbelief, knowing they are on the brink of having their season end as early as Thursday. The short-handed Pacers stayed within striking distance, but they had too many breakdowns in their 92-86 loss to the Nets on Tuesday.

The Nets lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 and can eliminate the Pacers by winning Game 6 at Conseco Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

''Right now, it's win or go home for us,'' O'Neal said. ''We feel like we can win in our building and push it to a one-game series. That's where our mind frame is right now.''

The Pacers might have had a chance to tie the score with a defensive stop on Carter, who finished with 34 points. They were surprised at how badly Granger got beat off the dribble.

''We didn't think Danny was going to give it up that easy,'' Pacers shooting guard Stephen Jackson said.

''It was just a straight line drive and we'd rather him take a jump shot. A situation like that, when he has the ball at the end of the game, you know he's going to shoot it. We just didn't play the proper defense on him. I wish I was guarding him. I probably would have made it a little tougher.''

The Pacers played Tuesday without three key players; Peja Stojakovic, Jeff Foster and Jamaal Tinsley. Now it's a matter of whether the Pacers have anything left to keep their season alive for at least one more game.

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Denver Nuggets: Eliminated from the NBA Playoffs

The Denver Nuggets were eliminated by the Los Angeles Clippers in five games.

It's hard to gauge which was greater: the Nuggets' drop in optimism from the start of the season to the playoffs, or the drop from the start of their first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers to the quick-arriving end.

The Clippers rubber-stamped Denver's early exit from the playoffs Monday night with a 101-83 victory at the Staples Center, clinching the series 4-1 and barely seeming to sweat most of the way.

''The whole series was kind of an embarrassing moment," Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony said. "They didn't just beat us by two or three points in the games that they won. They beat us by like 20. That's embarrassing.''

''I think they played a more team game than we did. Hopefully my teammates take what they did as an insult.''

While the Clippers await either the city rival Lakers or Phoenix, the Nuggets face a summer full of questions, starting with whether general manager Kiki Vandeweghe returns.

Owner Stan Kroenke would not address Vandeweghe's situation or anything else, but when asked if this season was a disappointment, he replied, ''Obviously.''

Also up in the air is whether they keep disgruntled forward Kenyon Martin, who did not make the trip for the third game of what turned out to be a season-ending team suspension for his outburst at coach George Karl at halftime of Game 2.

''Anytime you have coaches versus players, people are going to take sides,'' said Anthony, who finished with 23 points. ''Some people took George's side. Some people took K-Mart's side. The decision was made.''

''I would have said let him play, but I didn't have nothing to do with that.''

The Nuggets appeared to end their season without a fraction of the confidence they entered it with, losing eight of their last nine after clinching the Northwest Division, the NBA's weakest.

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