NBA

Shaq takes over

With Dwyane Wade injured, the Heat ride O'Neal to within one game of the Finals.

By TOM JONES
Published June 3, 2005

MIAMI - Just 17 seconds into Thursday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final between the Heat and Pistons, Miami's Shaquille O'Neal parked his oversized load in the post, backed down Rasheed Wallace, took the ball, spun and dropped it in the hoop like he was dropping tissue into a waste basket.

Next possession, 30 seconds later: O'Neal got the ball again, clobbered his way under the basket, then nearly tore down the rim and blew the roof off American Airlines Arena with a one-handed monster dunk.

Uh-oh.

That must have been the notion going through the heads of the defending champion Pistons before the ball even cleared the net.

With the referees giving O'Neal a license to do whatever he wanted, O'Neal did, well, whatever he wanted. With Dwyane Wade rendered ineffective in the second half because of rib injury, Shaq Daddy took over and carried his Heat to within one game of its first NBA Finals with a 88-76 whipping of the Pistons.

Wade, averaging 29.1 points in the postseason, had 15 points in 27 minutes, missing the final 9:42.

"He's a tough kid, so he must have been hurting," O'Neal said. "But other guys stepped up. We did what we're supposed to do."

O'Neal was coming off one of the worst playoff games of his career. Handcuffed with early foul trouble, O'Neal managed 12 points, five rebounds and no blocks. But Thursday, O'Neal bulled his way back into the series with a 20-point effort to give give Miami a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Game 6 is Saturday in Detroit, but homecourt advantage might mean little if O'Neal, who has had to wade through a third injury as well as foul problems in the series, is back for good.

O'Neal abused one of the game's top defenders (Wallace) with a 9-for-15 performance. He collected only five rebounds, but that's because there were few rebounds to collect. The Heat shot 52 percent as Wade, before being hurt, and Damon Jones eached chipped in 15 points.

Both teams started strong in a fast-paced first quarter. With O'Neal going a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and Jones adding nine points, the Heat shot a sizzling 65 percent from the floor.

But because of Chauncey Billups' steady hand and trusty shooting (nine points), the Pistons never trailed by more than four and survived the Heat's quick start.

Eventually, someone had to cool off. It was the Pistons.

Detroit went nearly four minutes without a basket and that was the spark the Heat needed to build a nine-point lead. The game was never close after that.

With O'Neal continuing to bull his way inside and Wade tossing in eight points, the Heat's lead grew to 14 by quarter's end.

The only downer for the Heat was Wade's injury. He departed midway through the third quarter after straining a rib cage muscle while taking a charge. He tried to play through it. He was fitted with a vest to protect the ribs and returned to the lineup, but he could play only another few possessions before leaving, this time for good.

Wade's status for Game 6 isn't known, but reports immediately after the game suggested the injury was not serious.

Meantime, after the Heat whined about the officiating in Game 4, it was the Pistons unnerved by the calls Thursday. Coach Larry Brown and Wallace each were given technical fouls for griping about calls and, during one timeout, Brown had to chew his team out for getting preoccupied with the referees.

All in all it turned out to be a lousy day for the Pistons. After a week of denials, Brown admitted the Cleveland Cavaliers have asked and were granted permission to talk to him about their vacancy for team president.

Brown insisted he has not talked to the Cavs, but the guess is this will be his last season on the Detroit bench. And, judging by history and Game 5, that tenure might be only one more game.

Of the 126 best-of-seven series in NBA history that were tied after four game, the winner of Game 5 went on to win 106 times. It will be 107 if the O'Neal and the calls of Game 5 - and not Game 4 - show up in Game 6.

"You're dealing with two great teams," Billups said before the game. "Great teams win on the road. We've won at their place. They've won at our place."

[Last modified June 3, 2005, 01:17:06]