NBA

Miami's rally not enough

By TIMES WIRES
Published May 26, 2006

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - The start, story line and result were different.

Tayshaun Prince scored 24, Richard Hamilton had 22 and Detroit bounced back - as usual - and held on to beat Miami 92-88 Thursday night in Game 2, evening the Eastern Conference final.

Detroit got off to a great start after an awful one in the opener. Shaquille O'Neal and Dwyane Wade's supporting cast was lackluster after its outstanding performance.

But the Heat still made it close with a frantic rally - scoring 17 in the final 1:46 after trailing by 12.

"I'm going to go to that offense in the beginning of the night," Miami coach Pat Riley joked.

The conference final rematch is now a best-of-five series, with Miami headed home to host Game 3 on Saturday night.

Wade had 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists, while O'Neal was dominant with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

"I've got a busted lip and a black eye," Detroit center Ben Wallace said after defending O'Neal for much of the night. "But you do what you have to do."

Detroit, which led by as much as 14 in the first half, went ahead 57-39 early in the second half on Hamilton's layup after Chauncey Billups scored his first points on a 3-pointer and a layup.

A 10-2 run pulled Miami within six points midway through the fourth quarter. Rasheed Wallace's 3-pointer gave the Pistons an 81-71 lead with 2:41 left.

While thousands of fans headed home, Miami wasn't ready to concede.

Wade's 3-pointer with 9.8 seconds left made it 90-88 after Prince was called for a 5-second violation on an inbounds pass, though he said he called timeout.

The Pistons sealed the victory when Billups connected on two free throws and Lindsey Hunter made a steal.

"When you start playing not to lose, you don't play aggressive," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "You wait for the clock to keep rolling."

For the first time in recent memory, Cleveland made an offseason coaching move that didn't involve someone being hired or fired.

Mike Brown, who led the Cavaliers to 50 regular-season wins and the second round of the NBA playoffs in his first year, had the club pick up his $2.5-million contract option.

Brown signed a three-year, $10-million deal with the option last June when he was named the 17th coach in franchise history - and the Cavs' sixth in six years.

"It seemed like the right thing to do," general manager Danny Ferry said.

Phoenix and Dallas have overcome injuries all season. So it's no surprise they're scrambling to change their lineups after losing starters in Game 1 of the Western Conference final.

Suns guard Raja Bell will miss at least Game 2 tonight because of a calf injury that could be severe. Leandro Barbosa will start in Bell's place. Mavericks forward Josh Howard has a bone bruise on his left ankle and coach Avery Johnson said it would be a game-time decision on whether he'll play.

The Suns lead the series 1-0 after a 121-118 victory Wednesday night.

Tammy Sutton-Brown scored 16 and Monique Currie added 13 as host Charlotte beat Washington 73-63 for its first victory. Currie, the third overall pick in April's draft, made a 3-pointer to put the Sting ahead 67-61 with 2 minutes left. ... Lisa Leslie had 25 points and 16 rebounds, leading Los Angeles past host San Antonio 80-71. Six-time All-Star Chamique Holdsclaw missed her third straight game for the Sparks while tending to a "family matter," according to team officials. ... Lauren Jackson scored a career-high 35 and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Seattle to a 94-81 victory over host Phoenix. The Mercury never got closer than five points.

[Last modified May 26, 2006, 00:52:02]