Miami's one-two punch

Miami's one-two punch

By Steve Kerr, Yahoo! Sports
May 27, 2006

ASK STEVE Question (from Kurt Kline of Marne, Mich.) Steve, please discuss the obvious bias of the NBA officials when officiating Pistons games. I couldn't even enjoy a dominating Game 2 victory because dumb Dick Bavetta tried to steal it from Detroit. Why do these problems continue? It has got to be something of a running joke amongst the fans. Answer Since I left the NBA and took a seat behind the microphone (and in front of my computer), I've realized that if you're emotionally invested with a team – either as a fan or a player – it's easy to see the officials as biased. In 15 years in the league, I was convinced that every team I ever played for was getting shafted by the refs. It always seemed like every call was going against my team, regardless of who I played for. Now that I'm in an uncompromised position, I can tell you that the officials miss calls all the time – that's the nature of the game – but that they are totally unbiased. The fact is, there are at least eight to 10 questionable calls in every game I see, and usually one or two of those seem obviously wrong. The game is so fast and the players are so big that officiating an NBA game is almost an impossible job. I have my complaints about the officiating – I believe traveling should be called more often, for instance, and I hate that restricted area in front of the hoop – but I have no doubt that the officials are unbiased and professional and do the best job they can. It only seems like they're out to get you and the team you're rooting for.

Is there anyone in the NBA who can guard Dwyane Wade?

In a scintillating performance Saturday, Wade dominated the action with his shooting, penetration and defense as he scored 35 points on 13-of-17 shooting to key the Miami Heat's 98-83 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. Wade also made the play of the game, blocking a dunk attempt by Antonio McDyess in the fourth quarter that would have given the Pistons the lead.

Detroit trailed by 12 points going into the final period and looked to be in trouble, but an 11-0 run got the Pistons back in it. With a chance to take the lead, however, McDyess couldn't get his dunk attempt over Wade, who blocked it and then completed a three-point play at the other end to whip the American Airlines Arena crowd into a frenzy. From there, the floodgates opened up and Miami pulled away to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Heat set the tone early by pounding the ball into Shaquille O'Neal and relying on Wade to bail them out of poor shot-clock situations, and the result was a boatload of Miami points in the lane. In fact, the Heat outscored Detroit in the paint 55-16 as they showed how much easier basketball is when it's played inside-out instead of outside-in.

While the Pistons relied heavily on jump shots, Miami pounded away with O'Neal, who responded with his best game of the series – 27 points and 12 rebounds. He and Wade each dominated the paint by scoring or finding open teammates for shots.

Shaq looked active and energetic, and he really made Ben Wallace work at the defensive end. Wallace, for his part, missed his only field-goal attempt, failed to convert eight of 10 free throws and didn't block a single shot. He was never a factor as O'Neal seemed to demoralize him with his physical play.

BEST PLAYER ON THE LOSING TEAM

Chauncey Billups – He'd been struggling with his shot recently, but Billups had a terrific game. He shot the ball with confidence, draining 11 of 17 attempts – including four of five three-pointers – to lead Detroit with 31 points. His back-to-back threes in the fourth quarter helped bring his team to within one point, but the comeback – and Billups' effort – was "all for naught," as Billups said afterwards. The silver lining for the Pistons is that they were in the same boat a year ago in the conference finals against the Heat – down 2-1 – but came back to win the series. In order to pull off the feat again, though, Detroit will have to find a way to slow down Wade, who has been brilliant.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE NIGHT

Tayshaun Prince – After averaging 20 points through the first two games of the series, he was a no-show in Game 3, recording just three points and two rebounds. Prince made just one of seven shots and was a non-factor on the block, where he had hurt Miami with postups and offensive rebounds in Game 2.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

11 and 14 – Those were the number of assists and turnovers for the Pistons, who averaged 24 assists and fewer than 11 turnovers in the regular season.

VIEWERS GUIDE FOR SUNDAY

Game 3: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns – In its Game 2 loss, Phoenix had no answer for Josh Howard, whose speed was too much for Boris Diaw to handle on the perimeter. The Suns may go back to their smaller starting lineup, with James Jones replacing Tim Thomas, in order to match Howard's quickness. Jones has not shot the ball well during the playoffs, but his activity on defense in Game 2 was a huge boost. He blocked a startling six shots, and Phoenix will rely on him more heavily with Howard playing such a big role for the Mavericks. DeSagana Diop was a big factor in Game 2 as well, and the Suns will have to figure out a way to attack him. He's nimble for a man his size, and he anchored a Dallas defense that was much more stingy than it was in Game 1. Phoenix may run some plays to try to lure him away from the basket because he shut down the paint area pretty well on Friday. Steve Nash will almost surely be more aggressive offensively – he took just one shot in the second half of Game 2, and the Suns missed his scoring.

Steve Kerr is Yahoo! Sports' NBA analyst. Send him a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.