Miami 98, Detroit 83 (Heat lead series, 2-1)
Going into the playoffs, I thought the Pistons were the cohesive team, but it’s Miami that’s looking more and more like a championship caliber squad. Once again, the dynamic duo led the Heat – Dwayne Wade scored 35 while Shaquille O’Neal went for 27/12 in the victory. The Heat shot an incredible 58% from the field while holding the Pistons to just 42%. Throw in a 40-27 rebound advantage for Miami and it all adds up to a win. Detroit looks fragmented and out of sorts and, frankly, I don’t think Flip Saunders has control of the team. He tried to pat Rasheed Wallace on the back as he came out of the game after picking up his second foul in the first half and Wallace reacted like Saunders had the avian flu. Chauncey Billups played a great game, scoring 31 on 11-17 shooting, but only had three assists in the loss. Miami went to the “Hack-a-Ben” in the fourth quarter, fouling Ben Wallace several times down the stretch, and the Defensive Player of the Year responded with 2-10 shooting from the charity stripe. Game 4 is really crucial for the Pistons – they do not want to go down 3-1 in the series. At the same time, the Heat don’t want to go back to Detroit tied 2-2, so expect a knock-down, drag-out fight on Monday.