NBA Playoffs: Pistons cool down Heat

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Shaquille O'Neal was about to throw down another backboard-shaking dunk.

Ben Wallace wasn't having it.

The 6-foot-7 Wallace leaped and stuffed Shaq's slam — forcing a jump ball, putting the 7-1 O'Neal on his back and sparking Detroit's defense, which refused to let the Pistons' season end.

"It was a big play — a momentum-changer," Wallace said of the third-quarter block.

"You know it was a foul," O'Neal said. "Don't ask dumb questions."

The Pistons got back to their swarming ways when the Miami Heat had the ball, and Tayshaun Prince scored a career playoff-high 29 points to lift Detroit to a 91-78 win Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Heat did not score in the final 3 ½ minutes while Detroit pulled away with the last nine points of the game. Miami also hurt itself by going 6 of 20 from the free-throw line.

"We just came out aggressive like we talked about and played Pistons basketball," Chauncey Billups said. "There's pressure on them now, now that they are home."

Miami hosts Game 6 on Friday night with a chance to advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. If Miami loses, it has to come back to suburban Detroit for Game 7 on Sunday.

"Ain't no pressure on us at all. We have a golden opportunity to win Game 6 on our home floor," Miami's Dwyane Wade said. "They're the defending conference champions. There's no pressure on us."

Wade scored a series-low 23 points — eight below his series average — and O'Neal had 19 points.

"They played hard and like a desperate team," Wade said.

Billups had 17 points and 10 assists, Richard Hamilton had 16 points and a career playoff-high 10 rebounds, and reserve Antonio McDyess provided a boost with 10 of his 12 points after halftime.

"Everybody brought energy," Prince said. "When we move, we're a better basketball team."

Miami, which trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, made it 51-51 early in the third quarter.

Detroit's defense created a little cushion in what was a tightly contested game for much of the night.

Prince had a steal and a dunk, then on the ensuing possession Wallace brought the crowd to its feet with his eye-popping play.

About a minute later, Wallace's three-point play — yes, he made the free throw — gave the Pistons a 60-53 lead.

Detroit was ahead 73-65 after three quarters, and Prince had already tied his career playoff high with 24 points. The Pistons stayed in control during the final quarter.

"They took their defense up to another level," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "It was very intense."

Despite the loss, history says the Heat will reach the NBA Finals for the first time. Teams leading conference or division finals 3-1, like Miami was against Detroit, have advanced 40 of 43 times and 16 straight.

But the Pistons have been a trend-breaking team with their comebacks while becoming the first team since the Chicago Bulls of the early 1990s to reach the conference finals in four straight years.

"They understand what's at hand," Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. "You can't be afraid to lose, afraid to fail. If you're looking at it where you're going to be afraid to fail, then you play timid; and this team has really not done that in these type of situations."

Pistons 91, Heat 78

MIAMI		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Walker	36:50	4-12	0-0	3-8	4	4	10
Haslem	31:24	5-14	0-3	4-10	2	4	10
O'Neal	30:57	9-15	1-5	3-6	0	3	19
Wade	44:39	11-20	1-3	0-3	4	3	23
Williams	28:54	2-7	1-1	0-4	6	3	6
Mourning	14:16	1-2	3-6	2-5	0	2	5
Posey	30:22	2-4	0-0	1-2	3	1	5
Payton	20:38	0-3	0-2	0-2	2	5	0
SAnderson	2:02	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Totals		34-77	6-20	13-40	21	25	78

Percentages: FG .442, FT .300. Three-point goals: 4-19, .211 (Walker 2-7, Posey 1-2, Williams 1-4, Haslem 0-1, Payton 0-2, Wade 0-3). Team rebounds: 15. Team turnovers: 16 (13 PTS). Blocked shots: 7 (O'Neal 3, Wade 3, Mourning). Turnovers: 14 (O'Neal 5, Wade 5, Walker 3, Payton). Steals: 4 (Wade 2, Posey, Walker). Technical Foul: Defensive Three Second, 9:03 first.

DETROIT		fg	ft
min		m-a	m-a	or-t	a	pf	pts
Prince	43:07	11-17	5-5	2-7	3	1	29
RWallace	41:07	3-11	1-2	0-5	1	3	7
BWallace	34:28	3-4	2-4	4-7	0	3	8
Hamilton	38:02	7-21	2-2	3-10	2	3	16
Billups	41:56	3-12	11-11	2-5	10	3	17
Hunter	19:46	1-6	0-0	0-1	3	3	2
McDyess	18:41	5-5	2-2	2-6	0	3	12
Evans	2:54	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Totals		33-77	23-26	13-42	19	19	91

Percentages: FG .429, FT .885. Three-point goals: 2-15, .133 (Prince 2-5, Hunter 0-2, Billups 0-4, R.Wallace 0-4). Team rebounds: 7. Team turnovers: 13 (10 PTS). Blocked shots: 7 (B.Wallace 3, R.Wallace 2, Hamilton, Prince). Turnovers: 9 (Hamilton 4, R.Wallace 3, Billups, McDyess). Steals: 8 (Hunter 3, B.Wallace 2, Hamilton, Prince, R.Wallace). Technical Foul: Hamilton, 9:17 third.

Miami	20	23	22	13 — 78
Detroit	25	22	26	18 — 91

Attendance: 22,076 (22,076). Time: 2:33. Officials: Joe DeRosa, Joe Crawford, Joe Forte.

Miami vs. Detroit
Miami leads best-of-7 series 3-2
Date	Result
May 23	Miami 91, Detroit 86
May 25	Detroit 92, Miami 88
May 27	Miami 98, Detroit 83
May 29	Miami 89, Detroit 78
Wed.	Detroit 91, Miami 78
Date	Site	Time, TV
Friday	Miami	5 p.m., ESPN
Sunday*	Detroit	5 p.m., Ch. 4
*if necessary