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No. 2 Miami vs. No. 7 Detroit
Miami wins series, 3-0
* - if necessary
| REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS (Series tied 2-2) |
| Date |
Final Score |
| 11/2 at MIA |
Miami 128, Detroit 122 (OT) |
| 1/31 at MIA |
Miami 104, Detroit 82 |
| 2/21 at DET |
Detroit 95, Miami 87 |
| 4/12 at DET |
Detroit 90, Miami 73 |
| HEAD COACHES |
|
Pat Riley, MIA
Fifth year with Miami, 18th year overall
Playoff record: 149-93
Best finish: Won four NBA championships with the Lakers in the 1980s -- '82, '85, '87-88.
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George Irvine, DET
First year with Pistons, fourth year overall
Playoff record: 0-0
Stepping in: Irvine took over on March 9 after the Pistons fired Alvin Gentry
|
| STARTING FIVE |
| Miami Heat |
| Anthony Carter, G |
Rookie forced to start if Hardaway can't |
| Dan Majerle, G |
Lost step on defense and large part of
offensive game, but still gives maximum effort |
| Jamal Mashburn, F |
He'll share ball handling duties with
Carter if Hardaway can't go |
| P.J. Brown, F |
Heat's second-best interior defender,
rebounder |
| Alonzo Mourning, C |
Best defensive center in the league, and Heat's top-scoring threat
|
| Detroit Pistons |
| Lindsey Hunter, G |
Seventh-best 3-point shooter in league
at .435 |
| Jerry Stackhouse, G |
A favorite to win Most Improved Player award after putting up about 10 points more than last season |
| Grant Hill, F |
Leads team in points, assists and grabs 6.6
boards a game |
| Christian Laettner, F |
A good offensive player, but not
the strongest on defense |
| Terry Mills, C |
Gets eaten up by the better centers in the
league |
| THE BENCH |
| Miami Heat |
| Tim Hardaway, G |
Without him, the Heat can kiss goodbye a
Finals' appearance, with him they have a shot |
| Rodney Buford, G |
Could see minutes at backup point if
Hardaway sits an extended period of time |
| Clarence Weatherspoon, F |
Solid low-post scorer and good rebounder |
| Bruce Bowen, G/F |
Riley loves the guy because he plays
sticky defense, and he's shown knack for hitting big 3-pointers |
| Detroit Pistons |
| Jerome Williams, F |
Brings lightning bolt of energy off the pine, leads team in rebounding at nearly 10 a game |
| Mikki Moore, C |
7-footer an option when Mills gets lit up
|
| Michael Curry, G |
Defensive stopper on perimeter for Pistons
|
| John Crotty, G |
Spells Hunter at point guard |
| HOW THEY GOT THERE |
| Miami Heat |
|
Pat Riley rants and raves and cultivates the
us-against-the-world mentality in his players, and he always ends up
getting the best out of his team in dire circumstances. This season it was the early- and late-season injuries to Tim Hardaway, who is questionable for the first round of the playoffs. And it was stamping out the mini-firestorm once the trade of forward Jamal Mashburn to Philadelphia came undone. The Heat won their fourth straight Atlantic Division title under Riley and snatched the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. Another Riley miracle, but it all becomes hollow without postseason success.
|
| Detroit Pistons |
|
Detroit was bobbing along at the .500 mark, a team not a
sure-shot to make the playoffs. That's when coach Alvin Gentry was fired
and one of his assistants, George Irvine, was elevated. The Pistons won 12
of their first 17 under Irvine, ignited by his straight-up way of dealing
with players. The former Pacers coach came out in the media and said he
didn't want the job, and the players seemed to like that even more. Detroit
tailed off toward the end of the season, but that was largely due to
variety of nagging injuries -- the big one being Grant Hill's jammed foot.
But the mega-star forward will be good to go in the postseason.
|
| SERIES OUTLOOK |
| Since the abrupt retirement of Bison Dele just prior to the start of the
season, the Pistons haven't had a center. They've tried to plug the hole
with Mills, who prefers to hang on the perimeter and recently they've
turned to Moore. But those guys don't stand a chance against Miami center
Alonzo Mourning, the best center in the Eastern Conference. Hill and Stack
will make it interesting and the uncertain status of Hardaway makes Miami
vulnerable, but the deficiency in the middle will be too much to overcome.
|
| PREDICTION |
Riley gets out of first round for first time in three years Heat wins
in 5.
Prediction by Simon Fishler, Sportsline.com NBA Editor
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