Misfiring Pistons On The Brink Of Extinction

There is reason for concern in Motown.

The Detroit Pistons, the overwhelming favorites to repeat as Eastern Conference champions, are now one game from elimination after the Miami Heat defeated the Pistons 89-78 on Monday night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

The Pistons had the NBA’s best record (64-18) in the regular season, but have lacked focus and looked sluggish in the playoffs (where they are 9-7). With their backs to the wall, the Pistons are resorting to the "one game at a time" mentality when the series resumes Wednesday night in Auburn Hills, Mich. (Wagerweb.com game line: Pistons -6).

"Every game now becomes like an NCAA Tournament game,'' Detroit coach Flip Saunders said. ''We just have to understand that we're going home and our crowd is going to have to give us that adrenaline push. As I said, strange things happen. One play can change a game. One game can change a series. Basically, what we've got to do is come up with that play at home and try to change the series.''

What the Pistons will need to do is stop Dwyane Wade. Miami's dynamic guard is torching Detroit in this series, especially in the fourth quarter. Wade became the ultimate closer Monday night, stealing the game for the Heat with 12 of his 31 coming in the final 12 minutes. The disheartening news for the Pistons is that they feel they have done everything they can to stop Wade.

“We never really got into a situation where we were totally in control,” Saunders said. “We did a pretty good job of just not giving Wade open looks, but he is just on an unbelievable roll right now.”

The Pistons are not on a roll right now. Detroit is averaging on 84.75 points a game compared to Miami’s 91.5, and the past two games have been double-digit losses for Detroit.

The Pistons' main offensive weapons have not come through in this series. Rasheed Wallace, their versatile power forward, has seen his scoring average drop to 11.5 a game and has yet to record a block against the Heat. Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, fifth in the league in MVP voting, is starting to feel the pressure.

"We've got a lot of fight in us," Billups said. "We have been down 3-1 before - not against a team as good as the Heat, though. And they're playing great, man. You've got to give it to them. They are. They're playing great ball. Their great players are playing phenomenal and other guys are chipping in pretty well."

The Heat are peaking at the right time. After a full regular season of blending new additions like Antoine Walker and Gary Payton, Miami has been playing like a cohesive unit since dispatching Chicago in the first round of the playoffs. Shaquille O’Neal looks rested and refreshed, and he contributed 21 points and nine rebounds Monday night. And then there’s Wade, who has stepped up his game to Jordan-like heights in this series, with an average of 30.8 points.

“There is no doubt that at the end of the season and through the playoffs, we have become a better basketball team,” Miami coach Pat Riley said. “It’s really about unity.”

Riley has never lost a series when up 3-1 and is 11-0 in those situations. Furthermore, each of the past 16 teams up 3-1 in the conference finals has made it through to the championship round.

"It’s about 12 wins, and that’s it," Riley said. "I really think we are hungry, and I think we're going to go get it. We have great respect for the Pistons, but I think our heart's into moving on."

WagerWeb.com Contributing Writer