Pistons Blew A Chance To Take Control

<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Pistons had to win Tuesday night.

The last thing you want to do is blow a golden opportunity. And that's what the Pistons had in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals when Dwyane Wade had stopped himself, picking up four fouls in 17 minutes.

Hence, Wade had to sit and watch as the monster lead he helped build melted like an ice cream cone on a hot day.

But the Pistons couldn't take advantage of the gift-wrapped situation and dropped Game 1, 91-86, to the Heat at The Palace before a sellout crowd.

Later in this series, the Pistons might look back and regret the missed chance.

But given they really didn't have their legs -- it was obvious since they shot a paltry 37 percent overall -- the Pistons might not have been able to do anything about it.

Still, it was the chance to seize the moment.

When Wade was playing, he was his usual pain in the Pistons' you know what. He had 15 points in 17 minutes and was unstoppable, making seven of his first eight shots.

For whatever reason, Wade loves playing against the Pistons. He finished with 25 points in 26 minutes.

"We took advantage of it to get back into the game," said Pistons coach Flip Saunders, whose team trailed 11-0 to start the game.

"We had another opportunity when Wade picked up his fourth. We couldn't sustain our runs."

As good as Wade is, he seems even better against the Pistons.

In this case, however, he was his own worst enemy, playing out of control and running over Pistons.

"He had three offensive fouls tonight," Heat coach Pat Riley said. "He usually keeps his feet under him pretty good and doesn't draw the charge."

When Wade did return from his extended time on the bench, he hurt the Pistons immediately, scoring seven points in the first eight minutes in the fourth quarter. His jumper gave the Heat a 77-67 lead with 5:48 remaining in the game.

"I was very fresh," Wade said. "I couldn't wait to get back into the ballgame. I had a lot of energy and was waiting for my time to get back in."

It's not that the Pistons can't win if Wade plays big. They've done it in the past. This season, the Pistons won three of the four regular-season meetings against the Heat.

Wade, in his third season out of Marquette, entered the game averaging 26 points, 5.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists during the postseason.

The Pistons' defense was too soft against Wade. He was able to get to the basket with ease and didn't really have to shoot jumpers to score early.

In Game 2, the Pistons must get physical with Wade.

"I'm going to continue to be aggressive," said Wade about his approach in Game 2. "I'll be a little smarter."</div>

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