Miami 89, Detroit 78 (Heat lead series, 3-1)
The wake up calls keep coming, but Detroit’s phone is off the hook. The Pistons once again looked sluggish and out of sorts in Game 4 and are about to be bounced from the playoffs for the first time in three years. For three quarters, the Heat were the better team, silencing critics by sharing the ball offensively and playing solid team defense. Though their stats in Game 4 aren’t overly impressive, Pat Riley’s offseason acquisitions of Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams are paying dividends and it looks like all of last year’s manuvering will land the Heat in the NBA Finals. But the Heat are still led by Dwayne Wade and Shaquille O’Neal, who scored 31 and 21, respectively. Wade was particularly efficient offensively, shooting 73% from the field. In fact, he’s been on fire the entire series (69%). The Pistons might be able to bounce back, but this doesn’t look like the same Detroit team that we’re used to – on either end of the floor.