Basketball
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http://teletekst.nos.nlHeat,Spurs op dreef in play-offs
Miami Heat en San Antonio Spurs zijn
goed begonnen aan de tweede ronde van
de NBA play-offs.In de halve eindstrijd
van de Eastern Conference boekte Miami
een 105-86 zege op Washington Wizards.
In de Western Conference versloeg San
Antonio Seattle Supersonics met 103-81.
Miami dankte de zege vooral aan Dwyane
Wade (20 punten) en Shaquille O'Neal
(19 punten).'Shaq' was eerder op de dag
achter Steve Nash van Phoenix Suns als
tweede geëindigd in de verkiezing van
Meest Waardevolle Speler van de NBA en
speelde zo zijn teleurstelling weg.
Bij San Antonio waren Tony Parker (29
punten) en Tim Duncan (22 punten) de
absolute uitblinkers.
http://www.nba.com2005 Award Winners
We nominated and you voted. As the season came to a close, NBA.com asked who you thought was most deserving for each of the six major regular-season awards. With your votes tabulated, we now turn to the official vote to see if the media agree with your chosen winners.
Steve Nash capped off a memorable return to his original NBA team by being named the league's 2004-05 Most Valuable Player on Sunday. The Canadian point man is the sixth guard and just the second international player (Hakeem Olajuwon, 1993-94, Nigeria) to receive the award.
In the fourth-closest voting margin since media began voting on the award in 1980-1981, Nash finished with 1,066 points, including 65 first-place votes. Miami's Shaquille O'Neal was second with 1,032 points, including 58 first-place votes. Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, San Antonio's Tim Duncan and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson placed third through fifth, respectively.
On Thursday, the Bobcats' Emeka Okafor, Bulls' Ben Gordon and Magic's Dwight Howard were unanimous selections to the got milk? NBA All-Rookie First Team. Andre Iguodala and Luol Deng of the Sixers and Bulls, respectively, round out the first team.
One day earlier, Okafor was named the got milk? Rookie of the Year, receiving a total of 514 points, including 77 first-place votes out of a possible 126. Gordon finished second with 443 points, including 43 first-place votes.
On Tuesday, Gordon became the first rookie to win the NBA Sixth Man Award. Gordon received 513 out of a possible 625 points, including 88 of a possible 125 first-place votes. Ricky Davis of the Celtics finished second with 257 points and Earl Boykins of the Nuggets finished third with 155 points.
Monday, the Pistons' Ben Wallace won his third NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in four years. With the honor, Wallace joins Dikembe Mutombo as the only players in NBA history to win this award on three or more occasions. Wallace received 339 points, including 45 first-place votes, from a panel of 125 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. San Antonio’s Bruce Bowen finished second and Denver’s Marcus Camby finished third.
Last week, the Clippers' Bobby Simmons was named Most Improved Player for the 2004-05 season as the player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons. Simmons received a total of 384 points, including 59 first-pace votes, from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada.
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
Game 1 (best-of-seven) Amsterdam-Zwolle
AMSTERDAM - Demon Astronauts heeft de eerste wedstrijd in de best of seven serie gewonnen met 84-73. Amsterdam sloeg toe in het laatste kwart (31-22) nadat de wedstrijd lang gelijk op was gegaan.
Joe Spinks scoorde 26 punten voor de Amsterdammers die dinsdag in Zwolle hun voorsprong moeten verdedigen.
AMSTERDAM - Demon Astronauts heeft de eerste wedstrijd in de best of seven serie gewonnen met 84-73. Amsterdam sloeg toe in het laatste kwart (31-22) nadat de wedstrijd lang gelijk op was gegaan.
Joe Spinks scoorde 26 punten voor de Amsterdammers die dinsdag in Zwolle hun voorsprong moeten verdedigen.
En dat ondanks een schotpercentage van 5,9 % van de driepunt lijn (1 op 17) van Amsterdamse kant. :D
Dwayne Wade is overigens net als Amare Stoudemire ongelofelijk bezig :worshippy:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com
http://teletekst.nos.nlEvenwicht in play-off-series NBA
Seattle Supersonics,Dallas Mavericks
en Detroit Pistons hebben het evenwicht
hersteld in hun play-off serie door de
vierde wedstrijd te winnen.
Ray Allen (32 punten) leidde Seattle
naar een 101-89 zege op San Antonio
Spurs,dat ondanks de 35 punten van Tim
Duncan de Sonics niet kon verontrusten.
Dallas,met Josh Howard (29 punten en 10
rebounds) als topscorer,won met 119-109
van Phoenix Suns,waar Steve Nash met
48 zijn persoonlijk record verbeterde.
NBA-titelhouder Detroit won aan de hand
van Chauncey Billups (29 punten) met
89-76 van Indiana Pacers.Indiana kwam
snel op grote achterstand,leefde in het
derde kwart op,maar kwam toch tekort.
Dwayne Wade is overigens net als Amare Stoudemire ongelofelijk bezig :worshippy:
Wade's Mt. Rushmore moment
The wise men always told us the next Michael would not be manufactured, that he would just burst upon the scene without aid from the media's overzealous hype machine.
"Just let it happen," they said calmly as everyone from Harold Miner to Kobe Bryant was anointed as Next.
I don't know yet if Dwyane Wade is the one, and I love LeBron James. But it's getting harder by the possession to write off Wade's historic production as the result of being Shaq's mate -- especially when Shaq is on the sidelines in a tent-sized, three-piece suit.
And dig this -- Miami's unassuming kid with the Barry Sanders moves (yes, they're that sick) was not manufactured. Eerie.
Saturday, in an astonishing display that made his All-Star-caliber opponents Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes look pedestrian -- and maybe I'm being kind considering the way he split their fruitless double-team before sinking a bank shot in the second quarter -- Wade put 42 on the Wizards in leading Miami to a 99-95 win and back to South Beach on a broom.
Four-Oh for the series, just like against New Jersey. Or in the case of Wade, who scored 22 in the game-turning third quarter, Four-Oh My!
I cringe when I see someone mentioned in the same sentence as Air, so it is with great reservation that I throw Wade's name into that conversation.
But he has already put himself in rarified company. In just his second season, he has joined Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael as the only players to average at least 25 points, eight dimes and six boards while shooting 50 percent from the floor in a playoff series. Before Wade came along it hadn't been done since 1991, because even today's best perimeter guns barely top Ty Cobb when it comes to accuracy. But Wade connects at a clip that makes old-heads proud.
Want another Mount Rushmore? When Wade gave the Wizards 31, 15 and five in Game 2, he became only the fifth player ever to post 30 points, 15 assists and five rebounds in the postseason and the first since 1989. Oscar, Clyde Frazier, Jerry West and Magic did it, too. Michael never did.
And the nicest thing about this story is that Wade's too humble to spoil his partnership with Shaq. Hear that, Kobe and Penny? Imagine if Dwyane had teamed up with a younger Diesel.
But hey, there's a reason it's happened as it has. Just as Shaq was the best thing to happen to Kobe, Wade might be the best thing to happen to Shaq. A young Magic joined an aging Kareem and the rest was history. Perhaps in the young Wade and aging Shaq, we're seeing history in the making.
Amare Stoudemire is a one-man terminator with his aggressive play at both ends – scoring points, blocking shots and being intimidating. Dallas forced him into missing a whopping four shots; he was 11-for-15 for 37 points (25 by halftime), 14 rebounds, and five blocks. Eight of Stoudemire's baskets were dunks. You can't defend this except to send him to the free-throw line repeatedly or continue to use the big centers, which has not worked thus far. Not bad for a day's pay.
http://sports.espn.go.comThe way Amare Stoudemire is ripping apart the Dallas Mavericks, it's a wonder the Phoenix Suns don't just toss him the ball on every possession and watch him go.
The Suns resist the temptation because they know they have to mix things up to keep Dallas from swarming their big man. But there are times - like the second quarter of Game 3, when the only question seemed to be how long the basket would reverberate after his next dunk - that even his teammates on the court catch themselves watching Stoudemire with awe.
Stoudemire is averaging 35.7 points while leading Phoenix to a 2-1 lead in this second-round series. He just became the first player in the team's 214-game playoff history to score 30 points three straight games, although it shouldn't be a surprise because he did it all three regular-season meetings, too.
"He has the desire to be the best,'' Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "There's something in him that normal people don't have.''
Others have Stoudemire's size or his quickness or his athleticism. Hardly anyone has all three, and no one else gets to show it off in an offense so perfectly suited for those skills.
And he's only 22.
"He's scratching the surface,'' Jackson said. "He's unstoppable now, but it's going to be scary.''
With MVP Steve Nash setting him up, usually via the pick-and-roll, Stoudemire has humiliated Dallas center Erick Dampier so much that across the country Shaquille O'Neal is using him as a punch line. The Mavericks aren't laughing as they're scrambling to find someone, anyone, who might be able to slow him down.
While the Mavs hope they can eventually wear down the Suns, they need to start by making things tougher on Stoudemire.
After he scored 40 points in Game 1, the Dampier-Finley combination threw him for a loop early in Game 2 but he still put up 30. Then he came roaring back in Game 3, scoring 25 in the first half and finishing with 37.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
http://www.basketballsite.nlDemon wint ook tweede wedstrijd
ZWOLLE - Demon Astronauts is een stapje dichter bij een nieuwe landstitel. De Amsterdamse ploeg won in Zwolle de tweede wedstrijd in de best-of-seven finale tegen Landstede met 75-79 en staat nu op 2-0. Een goed tweede kwart zette de thuisp[loeg op voorsprong bij de rust (31-25), maar een superieure Gintautas Vileita poetste dat verschil in het derde kwart helemaal weg. De Litouwer scoorde in tien minuten 19 punten, waardoor Demon met een voorsprong van zes punten het laatste kwart in ging: 47-53. In die laatste tien minuten leverde de ploeg van Arik Shivek slechts twee punten in. Wedstrijd drie is donderdag (19:30 uur) in Amsterdam.
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
Ik ben ook bang dat het 4-0 gaat worden. Ze zijn iig hard op weg:
http://www.basketballsite.nlDemon Astronauts op 3-0
Demon Astronauts heeft ook de derde wedstrijd in de finales van de playoffs gewonnen. In een duel dat nauwelijks spanning kende en een matte vertoning was wonnen de Amsterdammers verdiend en met duidelijke cijfers 81-70. Door de zege staat Demon nu op 3-0 voorsprong in de serie. Voor Zwolle wordt het nu bijzonder moeilijk want nog nooit eerder kwam een ploeg terug van een 3-0 achterstand.
Jacob Bergsma zocht in zijn archieven nog even de meest opmerkelijke comebacks in de finales op en zag dat in 1992, toen de finaleserie nog een best of five serie was, Commodore Den Helder een 2-0 achterstand omboog naar een 3-2 zege ten koste van ProSpecs EBBC uit Den Bosch. Iets minder lang geleden, in 1999, kwam (toen nog) Ricoh Astronauts in de finale terug van een 2-0 en 3-1 achterstand. Hans Verkerk Keukens uit Den Helder liet het kampioenschap toen glippen en ging met 4-3 onderuit.
Ook in de NBA zijn er beslissingen gevallen. San Antonio en Detroit hebben zich bij Miami als halve-finalisten gevoegt. Nu maar hopen op Phoenix :eusa_pray: :
Moving on
Spurs oust pesky Sonics on Duncan's buzzer-beater
SEATTLE (AP) -- Tim Duncan took a sharp pass from Manu Ginobili and banked in a short shot with 0.5 seconds left, lifting the San Antonio to a thrilling 98-96 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Thursday night and putting the Spurs into the Western Conference finals.
Duncan had 26 points and nine rebounds, and the Spurs survived his 6-for-21 shooting to win the series 4-2 and move one step closer to a chance for the franchise's second NBA title in three seasons.
Tony Parker and Robert Horry each had 14 points, while Ginobili scored 13 and Nazr Mohammed added 12.
The Sonics didn't have much time for a final attempt. Antonio Daniels inbounded to Ray Allen, who lobbed a shot from the left corner over Duncan's head. It bounced off the rim, ending a remarkable season in Seattle.
Allen scored 25 points while Daniels had 22. Jerome James and Damien Wilkins each scored 10 for the Sonics, who played their third straight game -- half the series -- without All-Star Rashard Lewis, sidelined by a bruised toe on his left foot.
Going into the fourth quarter, Duncan had missed 12 of his 13 field goal attempts, and he didn't make his first shot from the floor until the 5-minute mark of the third period.
But he came though when it really mattered, shooting 5-of-8 from the field and scoring 12 points in the final 12 minutes. Duncan was 14-of-17 from the free throw line, which carried him until the final period.
The Spurs also survived a scare when Duncan curled on the floor and grabbed his left foot with 8:05 remaining. He crashed into Seattle's Nick Collison on a drive, and his ankle turned when he landed squarely on Collison's foot.
After walking it off, the perennial All-Star made two free throws to put San Antonio ahead 78-77 -- one of nine lead changes and five ties in the fourth quarter.
The teams traded baskets until Duncan's fifth field goal put San Antonio ahead 95-91 with 1:23 to go.
Daniels drove past Duncan to pull Seattle to 95-93 five seconds later, and James fouled out when Ginobili drove to the basket at the other end. Ginobili made one of two free throws, giving the Spurs a 96-93 lead with 58.4 seconds left.
The Sonics sure had their chances to force a Game 7 on Sunday.
Collison made a tip-in to make it 96-95 with 37.9 seconds remaining, and Duncan's try at the other end bounced off the rim with 14.4 seconds to play. Robert Horry was called for a loose ball foul, putting Daniels on the line.
Daniels missed the first free throw, sending a nervous buzz through the crowd. The second one bounced on the rim and dropped, tying it at 96. When Allen's shot missed moments later, fans stood and cheered Seattle's remarkable run.
The Sonics weren't expected by many to improve much on a 37-win season the year before, but they won the Northwest Division and 52 games.
Now the team faces a long list of offseason questions. Chief among them is whether they'll be able to re-sign Allen, who will be one of the premiere free agents, and if coach Nate McMillan will return.
Things got heated midway through the third period.
Seattle collected three straight offensive rebounds -- by Reggie Evans, James and Evans again -- but couldn't score. Mohammed and Duncan were credited with blocked shots, the Spurs came away with a rebound and the mood turned ugly.
Boos rumbled off the rafters, McMillan was whistled for a technical foul for protesting the no-call under the basket, and a fan threw a half-empty water bottle onto the court in front of San Antonio's bench.
Notes: With Seattle's loss, the Miami Heat are the only playoff team that hasn't lost a home game. ... Fans cheered when former Sonics star Brent Barry fouled out for the Spurs with 6:03 to play. ... Collison picked up three fouls during a 27-span in the first quarter. ... Mariners RF Ichiro Suzuki got a standing ovation in the second quarter. It was even louder for retired DH Edgar Martinez a few minutes later. ... Ginobili limped to the bench after a collision as the first quarter ended but started the second period.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.comGoing to Miami
Pistons advance to East finals; Reggie's career over
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The Detroit Pistons didn't feel like celebrating after knocking the Indiana Pacers out of the playoffs and sending Reggie Miller into retirement.
It wouldn't have seemed right, especially after the 39-year-old sharpshooter made a teary-eyed retreat to the bench in the final seconds Thursday night.
"This is a sad day, really," Detroit's Chauncey Billups said after Detroit's 88-79 victory sent the Pistons back to the Eastern Conference finals and ensured that Miller's career would end without a championship.
Richard Hamilton scored 28 points and Billups added 23 as Detroit won the best-of-seven series 4-2. The Pistons will open the conference finals on Monday at Miami.
It was the final game for Miller, the NBA's 12th-leading career scorer who is retiring after 18 years in the league. He broke out of a shooting slump and led Indiana with 27 points, and his final basket was a 3-pointer with under 2 minutes left to pull Indiana to 82-79.
Hamilton then hit a basket and Billups added two free throws with 26 seconds left before Miller missed a 3-pointer and left the game to a prolonged standing ovation -- which the Pistons joined in -- as the crowd chanted "Reg-gie, Reg-gie" with 16 seconds to go.
At the end of the game, the chant changed to "One more year."
"It was definitely very emotional," Hamilton said. "I don't think I've ever been in a game where a team that's about to move on and a guy comes out of the game and the other team is cheering.
"For a guy his age, the way he played tonight was unbelievable," Hamilton said.
As Miller left the court, he embraced players from both teams.
"I told him thanks. Everybody in the NBA should be saying thank you," Hamilton said.
Miller's 27 points were his most since he had 33 in Game 3 of the first-round series against Boston.
"It's somewhat bittersweet," Miller said. "I thought we competed hard tonight. Every time we got a lead, Chauncey and Rip hit big shots to keep them within distance. That's what championship teams do."
Jermaine O'Neal, still bothered by a sore shoulder that sidelined him late in the regular season, added 22 points and 11 rebounds for Indiana.
The Pacers led almost the entire first half and turned back every Detroit rally until two straight baskets by Hamilton put the Pistons ahead early in the fourth quarter. The final score marked the Pistons' biggest lead of the game.
Detroit has won eight consecutive playoff series clinchers over the last three seasons.
"There were very sentimental emotions from all of us," Indiana coach Rick Carlisle said. "Tonight, the reality is we were beaten by a team that's simply better. We played one of our better games tonight and they were able to win a very tough close-out game on the road."
The Pacers, hoping to extend Miller's career at least one more game, finally found their shooting touch after being blown out the past two games.
Miller, one of the NBA's great clutch shooters who had been stymied into 38 percent shooting through the first five games of this series, shot 11-of-16 and made four 3-pointers. Reminiscent of past playoff glory, two of his 3-pointers came in a span of 39 seconds late in the second quarter after nine straight points by Billups and a free throw by Hamilton brought the Pistons within 40-37.
"I'm just glad I finally made shots," Miller said. "It's been a long and tough series for me. Tonight, I wanted to concentrate on just having fun. ... Tonight, here, with all the fans, I wanted to absorb that and feel their presence."
Billups dribbled out of bounds for a turnover, and Miller hit one 3-pointer. Seconds later after Billups missed a 3-point attempt and with the Indiana crowd already chanting for Miller, he responded with another 3-pointer to put the Pacers up 46-37.
Detroit got back into the game with two big runs in the third quarter.
The first time, after a rebound basket by Ben Wallace cut Indiana's lead to 48-47, O'Neal, Dale Davis and Miller scored consecutive baskets, and a free throw by Miller on a technical foul against Rasheed Wallace made it 55-47.
The Pacers still led 59-51 before a basket and free throw by Hamilton started an 11-2 run, and two more free throws by Hamilton gave the Pistons their first lead, 62-61. Indiana regained the lead at the end of the period on a dunk by Foster and opened the fourth quarter with a basket by O'Neal and 3-pointer by Anthony Johnson.
The Pistons then scored seven straight points to take the lead for good, denying the Pacers a chance to give Miller a shot at a championship. Indiana's only trip to the NBA Finals was in 2000, when the Pacers lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
"Words can never express how I feel to the city and fans," Miller said. "The city has really embraced me and understood we all had one common goal. Unfortunately, I never delivered on that, but it was an unbelievable ride."
Notes: Miller, who scored 25,279 regular-season points, finished 18th with 2,972 career playoff points. ... Billups set a Pistons career playoff record for 3-pointers. His 2-for-6 against the Pacers made him 82-for-247 in 48 playoff games with Detroit. Isiah Thomas held the old record of 81-for-234. ... This is the first time in nine playoff series that the Pacers have lost after leading 2-1. ... Indy 500 drivers Helio Castroneves, Sam Hornish Jr. and Scott Dixon attended the game.
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Berend Stoker
- Berichten: 3583
- Lid geworden op: ma mar 07, 2005 2:33 pm
En dat is ook alweer over:
Als je maar 43 punten scoort. :nooo:
http://www.basketballsite.nl/Demon Astronauts KAMPIOEN 2005!
Demon Astronauts is kampioen! Ook in de vierde wedstrijd was de ploeg van Arik Shivek veel te sterk voor Landstede Zwolle. Het werd maar liefst 43-73 voor de Amsterdammers die daarmee voor de vijfde keer kampioen zijn geworden in zeven jaar. De 4-0 betekent een 'sweep' en dat is een unicum sinds de finale uit een best of seven reeks bestaat. Het was niet het enige record dat sneuvelde. De 43 Zwolse punten waren de minste ooit in een playoffwedstrijd sinds 1978. Het oude recor4d staond op naam van Rotterdam, dat in de kwartfinale van 1999 slechts 45 punten maakte. Ook tegen Astronauts.
Als je maar 43 punten scoort. :nooo:
Komop Suns :eusa_pray:
Spurs' Big Three Sinks Suns
San Antonio's Big Three did its job and got some help off the bench as it used a sizzling fourth quarter to hand the host Suns a 121-114 loss in Sunday's Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. The Spurs erased a four-point deficit entering the final period by hitting 16-of-22 shots from the field to outscore Phoenix 43-32 in the fourth. Brent Barry came off the bench to provide a spark, scoring 13 of his 21 in the final period. San Antonio's Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili combined for 77 points to overcome 41 from Amaré Stoudemire.
http://www.nba.comInside the Numbers: The Eastern Conference Finals
The battle lines are drawn. Miami, this year's top seed in the East, will face Detroit, last year's NBA champs, in the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals. With both sides having legitimate arguments as to why they can win the series, it is anybody's guess who will emerge victorious. Here's a look at some key facts and figures to help you make your prognostications:
.061 The Heat's field goal percentage increase of .061 from this season to last marks the best improvement from one season to the next in NBA history. That feat can be credited to the offseason acquisition of behemoth center Shaquille O'Neal.
"It's not with just his scoring or his passing ability or his rebounding or anything like that," Allen Iverson said after playing with O'Neal in the 2005 All-Star Game. "It's his presence. You know, when you've got a guy on the floor and so many people give him that much attention, it just makes the game easier for you.
"He's the easiest player in the world to play with. I found out firsthand tonight."
.666 winning percentage In Detroit and Miami's regular season series, the Pistons won two of three contests, making them just one of two Eastern Conference foes to win the regular season head-to-head against the East's top seed. However, in one of the Piston wins, April 10 on the road, O'Neal was out of the lineup.
"You have the most talented player in the game of basketball (O'Neal) not out there," Detroit guard Richard Hamilton said following the contest, "so he definitely makes them a different team,"
O'Neal sat out the last two games of the Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the Wizards and there are questions about his health for the remainder of the playoffs.
"It's not that it got worse," O'Neal said in the Miami Herald. "It's just that it's there, and I need it not to be there. I'm trying to get myself as close to 100 percent as possible."
.909 Detroit has won 20 out of its last 22 playoff series in which it won Game 1.
1st In taking out New Jersey and Washington in four games apiece, the Heat became the first team in NBA history to sweep two teams during the regular season and then go on to sweep the same two teams during the postseason.
2nd Thanks to his performance versus New Jersey and Washington, Dwyane Wade became just the second player in NBA history to average at least 25 points per game, eight assists per game, six rebounds per game and shoot .500 from the field in two playoff series the same year. The only other individual to accomplish that was Larry Bird in the 1986 postseason.
5 Wade was held to a season-low five points in the Heat's 80-72 home loss April 10. Shooting just 1-of-6 from the field and fouling out in 21 minutes, it was easily Wade's worst game of the campaign and the only in which he failed to notch double figures in scoring.
"We played him with a lot of different people," Detroit guard Chauncey Billups said. "On the other end, we tried to go at him and make him play some defense and wear him down a little bit, so he can't run free on the offensive end. He never really played with a really good flow because of foul trouble."
9 The Pistons have closed out playoff series in all of the last nine deciding games they have participated in.
"We're trying to get back to where we were last year," Detroit forward Rasheed Wallace said after showing Philadelphia the door in five games during the First Round. "Then we'll celebrate a little."
11 Miami's current winning streak heading into the Eastern Conference Finals, which includes eight playoff victories.
11 Detroit has won 11 of the last 14 meetings between the two teams.
17 Miami guard Damon Jones connected on 17 three-point field goals during the First Round of the 2005 playoffs, setting a new NBA record for most three-point field goals in a four-game playoff series.
"I knew they were going to double down on Shaq and try to take away Dwyane's penetration," Jones said after converting 7-of-9 treys in Game 1 vs. New Jersey. "I didn't know if they were going to close out or just let me shoot, but it was really good to get those open looks and for the ball to fall in for me tonight. It gave me a lot of confidence. The basket felt very, very big - like South Beach."
19-2 In the second half of the regular season, the Pistons lost just a pair of games in 21 home dates.
"I don't think the playoffs start until somebody loses at home," said Detroit coach Larry Brown during the Philadelphia series in the First Round. "We took care of our home court."
31 Wade recorded the first triple double of his career in a Dec. 30 89-78 win over the Pistons, tallying 31 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
“Obviously Dwyane was incredible—very efficient tonight," head coach Stan Van Gundy said. "To have that kind of night with that kind of efficiency against a great defensive team like Detroit shows you what type of player he is.”
79.5 Pistons starters are averaging 79.5 points per game in the playoffs, accounting for 86.6 percent of the team's offense. All five are averaging double figures and have led the team in scoring in a postseason contest this year.
"They have too many weapons," 76ers coach Jim O'Brien said. "They have five guys who can score. If you load up on defense against one guy, they'll pass the basketball to another guy that started on a defending NBA champion."
"That's what's unique about our team," added Pistons center Ben Wallace said. "We don't have to depend on one guy to carry us night in and night out. We don't look for one guy to take 20 or 30 shots. We look for everybody to be playmakers. I think that's been the key for us all season."
84.4 Detroit is holding entire teams to just 84.4 points per game in the playoffs. Only twice has a team broke the 90-point mark in a contest.
106.5 Miami is averaging 106.5 points per game in the postseason, second only to Phoenix's 114.4.
http://teletekst.nos.nl/Spurs nog één zege van NBA-finale
San Antonio Spurs is nog één zege van
de NBA-finale verwijderd.De ploeg van
trainer Gregg Popovich won het derde
duel in de eindstrijd van de Western
Conference met 102-92 van Phoenix Suns,
en leidt in de best-of-seven met 3-0.
Voor het eerst in de play-offs bleven
de Suns onder de 106 punten.Dat kwam
vooral doordat de sterke defensie van
de Spurs hun tegenstander in de eerste
helft slechts 36 punten toestonden.
Pas in de laatste minuut kwam Phoenix
binnen zes punten van de Spurs,maar Tim
Duncan en Manu Ginobili toonden in die
fase hun waarde met fraaie scores.Bij
San Antonio tekende Duncan in totaal
voor 33 punten,15 rebounds en 3 blocks.
