Miami 91, Pistons 86 (Heat lead, 1-0)
It seems like there’s always a debate when a team has a long layoff between playoff series – is it better to get the rest or will the team get rusty? The fact is the team with the layoff usually wins Game 1. Such was the case with the Heat, who jumped out to an 11-0 lead to start the game. Detroit fought back, eventually leading by as many as five with 4:19 remaining in the third quarter. But the Heat went on a 14-1 run over the next six minutes, giving them an eight point lead with 10:08 to play in the game. The Pistons were never able to get closer than four points the rest of the way. Dwayne Wade was extremely efficient for the Heat, scoring 25 points on 9-11 shooting from the field. Shaquille O’Neal had a quiet 14/8 while Antoine Walker proved his worth, scoring 17 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Udonis Haslem had the strangest line of the night – zero points (on 0-7 shooting), nine rebounds and five fouls. Meanwhile, the Pistons looked flat at the start – it actually looked like they were the ones who were rusty. Detroit shot 38% from the field (compared to Miami’s 56%) and just 24% from 3-point range. Rip Hamilton (22 points) and Chauncey Billups (19 points) led the way for the Pistons, but shot a combined 15-41 (37%) from the field. This loss in Game 1 makes Game 2 a must-win situation for Detroit. They do not want to head back to Miami down 0-2.