Auburn Hills, Mich. – The reigning NBA champion Detroit Pistons wore boxing championship belts when they celebrated their title at the start of the season. Now, for the first time since last year, the Pistons will have to fight their way off the ropes in hopes of not being put in a position of getting knocked out.
The Heat took over control of the Eastern Conference finals with a 113-104 victory Sunday night over the Pistons in Game 3 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Miami owns a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. A win in Game 4 on Tuesday would give the Heat a chance to wrap up the series in Miami.
“We’re in a position now where I think it’s a ‘must win’ for us,” Pistons forward Tayshaun Prince said. “Obviously, we don’t want to go to Miami (down) 3-1.”
Detroit had allowed 84.7 points per game during its first 13 playoff contests. Miami averaged 86.5 in the first two games of this series. But on this night, the Heat shot 52.3 percent from the field. Detroit allowed more than 100 points for just the third time in 14 playoff games. The Heat received 36 points from Dwyane Wade, 24 from Sha- quille O’Neal and 19 from Eddie Jones. Miami also made 38 free throws on 54 attempts.
“We just wanted to come out here and get one, possibly two,” O’Neal said. “Now that we got one, we can’t be too satisfied. We have to do the same thing on Tuesday.”
Miami went into halftime with a 53-51 lead after shooting 56.8 percent from the field.
Wade had 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting while O’Neal added 14 points. Miami was one point shy of tying the most points scored against Detroit in a postseason first half, posted at Philadelphia on April 29.
“I didn’t think we defended great early,” Detroit coach Larry Brown said. “But I told our guys, ‘You know, they’re shooting 60 (percent) or close to it.’ And we were down two at halftime.”
The Heat finished the third quarter leading 79-75 after making 8-of-16 shots in the quarter.
The Pistons opened the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run to take an 84-79 lead.
The Heat’s first points of the fourth came with 8:47 remaining when O’Neal made two free throws to slice Detroit’s lead to 84-81. Wade picked up his fifth foul with 7:57 remaining after fouling Prince, who made two free throws to push Detroit up 86-81. Wade immediately went to the bench, but Detroit didn’t take advantage of his absence.
The Heat responded with an 8-2 run to regain the lead at 89-88 with 6:12 left.
O’Neal made his sixth straight free throw in the quarter to give Miami a 95-89 lead with 4:24 left. Miami was up 99-91 when Wade returned to the game with 3:30 left.
“I was just happy,” Wade said. “I was hoping they kept it going until I got back in there. I was proud of the guys.”
Wade’s shot clock-beating jumper with 2:44 left pushed the Heat ahead 102-93.
The Heat cruised the rest of the way and put the heat on the champs.
“We’re not going to say anything to motivate that team,” O’Neal said. “We have a game plan, and we have to play that game. And if we do that, we’ll be fine.”
Footnote
The Pistons’ Chauncey Billups, a Denver native, was one of 12 honored as the 2004 Michiganians of the Year by The Detroit News. The News described the honored group as “a selection of outstanding citizens who have helped make living in this state a richer experience for the rest of us, either by their good works or by the example they set.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
