Pistons use ‘Wade Rules’ to win Game 4
Like Jordan in early ’90s, Detroit focuses on stopping Heat star
 | Miami players Udonis Haslem (40), Dwyane Wade (3) and Keyon Dooling (5) walk off the court after their loss in Game 4. The Heat's loss made the Eastern Conference Finals 2-2. |
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AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - When Dwyane Wade had the basketball, the Miami Heat’s star guard was covered by one Detroit Piston and monitored by the other four.
When Wade didn’t have the ball, the Pistons did their best to keep it that way.
Wade still managed to score 28 points, but after he had 76 in the previous two games, Detroit had to be pleased especially because it beat the Heat 106-96 Tuesday night and evened the Eastern Conference finals.
Game 5 is Thursday night in Miami.
Richard Hamilton started out guarding Wade after Tayshaun Prince did in the previous three games.
It didn’t take long for Hamilton to show Wade what the Pistons hoped to do as he gave him just a few inches of space though he was on the wing, not close to the ball.
Prince and Chauncey Billups also took turns against Wade and as he did effectively for parts of Game 3, reserve Lindsey Hunter harassed Wade with chest-to-chest pressure.
Sometimes the Pistons picked up Wade 80 feet from the basket, forcing him to use energy just dribbling the ball past midcourt.
The Heat often created space for Wade with pick-and-roll plays, but as soon as he got free, he had at least one Piston waiting for him.
Wade displayed frustration at times.
After getting past Hunter once, he was met by Billups and Hamilton and he forced up a shot that clanged off the rim, then he fouled Hunter as he tried to dribble up the court.
Wade missed 12 of 22 shots, was 8-of-10 at the free throw line, and had six assists, three turnovers and two rebounds.
Just as it did in the first three games of the series and during the regular season, Wade’s play has been directly tied to results against Detroit.
Miami won the previous two games with Wade scoring 40 and 36, and it lost the series opener after he missed 18 of 25 shots.
In Detroit’s two wins in the regular season against the Heat, Wade scored just five points in one game and missed 11 of 17 shots in the other meeting. In Miami’s victory over the Pistons on Dec. 30, Wade had 31 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds — his lone triple-double in two NBA seasons.
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