Los Angeles - Although budding superstar Dwyane Wade was under the weather with the flu, Shaquille O'Neal found a feel-good remedy for the Miami Heat.
Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal dunks during the second half of their Eastern Conference finals game six against the Detroit Pistons at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida Friday 02 June 2006. The Heat defeated the Pistons 95-78 to win the best-of-seven game series four games to one and advance to the NBA finals for the first time in their 18 year history. EPA/RHONA WISE
O'Neal scored 28 points on 12-of-14 shooting and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Heat hammered the visiting Detroit Pistons 95-78 Friday night to win the Eastern Conference finals series, 4 games-to- 2.
'The job is not done,' O'Neal said. 'We don't just want to make it to the finals. We want to win the whole thing.'
Miami's runaway victory earned the franchise its first trip to the NBA finals in its 18-year old history.
'We've had a lot of near misses, unlucky bounces and suspensions,' Heat coach Pat Riley said. 'We've had very good teams, which I thought were championship contenders. But ever since Shaquille O'Neal showed up on scene, this team has been a legitimate contender. We have put pieces around him. Obviously the drafting of Dwyane Wade has sped the process up.'
Beginning next Thursday, the Heat will face the winner of the Western Conference finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns. The Mavericks lead their series 3-2, and could earn their first trip to the championship round as well with a road victory Saturday night.
Last year, the Heat let a 3-2 lead slip away and fell to the Pistons in the conference finals. Adding insult, Detroit celebrated on Miami's home court. But the hosts earned redemption by eliminating the defending two-time Eastern Conference champions.
'We wanted it because it hurt a lot last year,' Wade said. 'Beating the Pistons makes it real. If it was any other match-up in the conference finals it wouldn't have been the same because they knocked us out last year on our home floor, so winning it on our home floor this year makes it sweet.'
Jason Williams scored 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while Wade added 14 and 10 assists for Miami, which shot a sizzling 55.7 per cent (39-of-70) from the floor.
There was doubt Wade would play after he woke up in the middle of the night with the flu, and spent most of the day at the hospital before suiting up. Lacking his usual energy, the budding superstar was not his self. But he was still effective without putting up the big numbers in 37 courageous minutes.
'I was feeling a little weak but I was here mentally,' Wade said. 'I wasn't worried because I knew my guys would step up and play tonight. I knew I just had to do my job and that was passing them the ball.'
With Wade less than 100 per cent, O'Neal picked up the slack with 19 points and nine rebounds, helping the Heat to a 47-36 half-time advantage.
'He just told me to bring him the ball,' teammate Antoine Walker said of O'Neal. 'When he says that, you must just do it. He was terrific, and not just with the scoring. It was the shot blocks, the rebounding, just controlling the inside. He showed why he's a dominant force in this league.'
When the second half began, Wade was still in the locker room receiving IV injections to replenish fluids. He returned with 9:34 left in the third quarter and the Heat holding a 53-41 lead.
With Miami ahead 59-47, Williams made a basket and drained a three-pointer. Wade then took over, scoring the Heat's final eight points in the last 1:40 of the period for a commanding 72-53 cushion.
'When you're feeling the way I was feeling, and then to come out and hit a couple of shots in a row when your team needed to get over the hump, it felt darn good,' Wade said. 'I finally hit some buckets, got into a groove for a minute, and we took it from there.'
The Heat stayed in control and never allowed the lead to drop below double digits as the milestone celebration began.
Richard Hamilton netted 33 points but received little help from his teammates as cold-shooting Detroit hit just 33 per cent (27-of- 81) of its field goals.
'I give a lot of credit to Miami, they deserved it,' Hamilton said. 'Every angle, every position, they played great. There were times we made a run and they made a run. Shaq and Wade carried them and their supporting cast played well.'
© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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