Heat rally to down Pistons 100-98
(AP)
Updated: 2006-02-13 09:33

After Wade's basket with 55 seconds left made the score 98-all, Detroit missed twice, and the Heat regained possession with 25 seconds to go.

Wade walked the ball up court, letting the clock run down. He then darted to the left against Tayshaun Prince, pulled up and hit a jumper.

The Pistons' inbounds play following a timeout went awry, and Prince launched a 3-point try after the buzzer that missed. Detroit went 5-for-15 in the fourth quarter, scoring only 14 points.

"We just missed shots, and the young boy hit his shots — that's all," Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace said. "It was a good game. It was what the people wanted, and we supplied it."

The Heat overcame an 84-71 deficit at the start of the fourth quarter, making the comeback their largest this season. Making the win even sweeter: Detroit beat Miami in seven games a year ago in the Eastern Conference finals.

Richard Hamilton scored 25 points and Wallace 21 for the Pistons.

With the onus on the Heat to score a breakthrough win, coach Pat Riley tried to ease the mood before the game, dancing to Doobie Brothers music in the locker room.

"He did a great job getting us to lighten up and have a smile," Wade said. "Coach has got a little rhythm — I didn't know he could move like that. It made us think about something else besides playing the best team in the league."

The Heat repeatedly pounded the ball early to O'Neal in the low post. He had 21 points at halftime, his high for any half this season, showing he can still be a dominant force.

"I still can be and still am," he said. "You give me the shots and call my plays, I'll be there every time."

But foul trouble limited O'Neal to 17 minutes in the second half, and with time running out on the Heat, Wade took over.

The Pistons failed to score on their first seven possessions of the final quarter, allowing Miami to cut its deficit to five.

Wade split two defenders to sink a reverse layup, drawing a foul that sent him skidding along the baseline. He made the free throw to cut the margin to 90-88 with 3:45 left.

Wade then made a steal and hit two more free throws to tie the score.

Detroit quickly regained the lead on Billups' 3-pointer, and his jumper made it 98-94. But Wade scored on consecutive possessions, his baskets sandwiched around a steal by Gary Payton.

"This win is important for our confidence," Wade said. "Any game where we're down, we can always look back to this game and know that we did it against a good team and can pull it out."