Wade, Heat Rise to the Occasion

2nd-Year Player Scores 40 Points To Even Series: Heat 92, Pistons 86

MIAMI, May 25 -- Surely television producers will agonize over which Dwyane Wade highlight to re-run the most after the Miami Heat's 92-86 victory over the Detroit Pistons in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night.

Was it the double-pumping, whirlybird, left-handed layup in traffic? Was it the soaring dunk on an alley-oop pass that he finished by raising his right hand as if to salute the crowd -- while still hanging on the rim? Was it the leaping block of a Chauncey Billups's three-point attempt -- from behind Billups?

Wade all but single-handedly evened this series, which resumes Sunday in Detroit, with a 40-point performance that included a dominant, artistic and, for the Pistons, back-breaking fourth quarter during which Wade scored 20 of his team's 30 points.

As Detroit tried to steal another game on Miami's home court, Wade did what he failed to do in Game 1: He masterminded the victory. And, for good measure, he did it with style. The final seconds ticked off appropriately: The crowd at American Airlines Arena slipped into pandemonium as Wade took a rebound the length of the court for a soaring dunk with one second left.

"He did a tremendous job," Pistons Coach Larry Brown said. "He's phenomenal in every way."

Consider the circumstances: When Wade took over, Detroit had just obliterated a 14-point Heat lead with a blizzard of long-range shots -- including seven straight three-pointers. Miami seemed to be following the blueprint of its Game 1 defeat, cowering in the closing minutes. And Wade had taken a beating for his poor performance Monday, when the Pistons harassed and frustrated him.

Heat Coach Stan Van Gundy said Wade studied film of Game 1 to determine how he had been stopped, and how to prevent it from happening again.

"I think you all saw that tonight, how mentally tough he is," Van Gundy said. "Dwyane for two years has been a guy if you find an answer to him, he'll go back, and take a look, and find an answer himself. It's one of the reasons he's as good as he is. . . . He is a smart, humble guy who approaches his profession the right way."

Wade, a second-year player from Marquette, had an unlikely partner in his fourth-quarter explosion -- it wasn't Shaquille O'Neal, but rather backup center Alonzo Mourning, who had three blocks and took a key charge in the final five minutes. Though Mourning scored only six points, his defensive play fortified the Heat late in the game on a night O'Neal -- who started despite continued soreness in his right thigh -- played just 33 minutes, partly because of foul trouble, partly because of the injury.

"Zo," Brown said, "everybody forgets how good he is."

Mourning did more than give Wade a lift on the court. Wade said Mourning and O'Neal stopped by his house Tuesday in a suburban community north of Miami, dragged him into O'Neal's car and gave him an encouraging talking to as they drove around the neighborhood. O'Neal, then, strove to pound in the message with a jolting, 3 a.m. phone call.

Despite the absurdity of the hour, Wade said he appreciated the sentiment behind it. "That's what this team is all about," Wade said. "Anytime someone is struggling, anytime someone is down, there are always guys to pick you up." Wade also said: "You know you're going to have some bad games. It's all how you come back the next day."