Miami 96, Detroit 78 | |
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Shaq was 9-of-11 for 19 points in the first half.
MIAMI, June 2 -- When Dwyane Wade came down with the flu, the Miami Heat had to be feeling a bit queasy. In the end, however, the Detroit Pistons were left feeling sick to their stomachs.
The Heat are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, overcoming Wade's untimely illness with a huge game from Shaquille O'Neal and hot shooting from Jason Williams in an affirming 95-78 victory over the Pistons.
The second-seeded Heat won the series in six games and ended the two-year reign of the top-seeded Pistons as Eastern Conference champions. They play at Dallas or Phoenix on Tuesday.
Miami avenged last year's disheartening loss, when it held the lead with less than two minutes to play in Game 7 at home but was denied by Detroit. Wade labored through that game with bruised ribs.
A sickening case of deja vu swept over South Florida when Wade missed shootaround - and was hospitalized - with a bad case of the flu. He showed courage in starting and playing 37 minutes but was not himself.
He didn't have to be, not with O'Neal unleashing a "Shaq Attack" and Williams finally finding his shooting touch. The Heat took the lead for good in the first quarter and took off in the third period, when Wade finally got into the act.
O'Neal scored 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds. Williams made his first 10 shots before missing his last two, finishing with 21 points. Wade had 14 points and 10 assists.
Pistons-Heat: Play
Press Conference: Play
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