THIS TIME, it's Miami taking advantage of Detroit's Injuries

It was simply Miami's turn.

With three minutes to play, the fans tossed their white chair covers through the air as they remembered how Detroit eliminated their Heat when D-Wade was hurting.

This time, they have a healthy Wade, a rejuvenated Shaq, going up against a Pistons team with Rasheed Wallace and Rip Hamilton, slowed down by injuries.

With three minutes to play, Detroit could only watch the early festivities, by then, their season was already over. A few minutes later, it was official -- 95-78, Miami wins.

Richard Hamilton did all he could in the fourth quarter of Game 6 on Friday, scoring 14 of his 33 points then to get Detroit within 13.

But it was too late. The Pistons' season, one filled with regular season glory and postseason struggles, ended Friday amid more offensive troubles and a lackadaisical effort.

The 2005-06 season will go down as the one with 64 wins, four All-Star bids, lots of award winners, and no championship ring.

It will be the first time in three seasons that the Pistons won't play for the NBA title.

Instead, they will clean out their lockers and dispatch onto other projects. Summer workouts. Summer homes. Lots of summer what-ifs.

They'll have lots of time to figure out what happened in the last month, how a once well oiled, efficient offense crumbled into a mess in the playoffs, how sure offensive threats like Chauncey Billups, who was 3-for-14 from the field Friday, suddenly came up cold when it mattered most.

This time, it will be Detroit wondering what might have been had they stayed healthy, had Rasheed Wallace, who finished with 10 points Friday, not sprained his ankle.

And they'll question whether the Heat, with two dominating stars and a support cast that gelled at the perfect time, was simply better.

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