Heat, Wade have it made in the shade

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat will tell you they expected something like this from Dwyane Wade last night. He had a history of responding after subpar games. That, the Heat insisted, would not change with the stakes so high and the opponent so determined.

They were wrong. Wade didn't just respond. He took Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals by eminent domain, scoring 40 points, 20 in a Jordanian fourth quarter (9 for 14) at a time when the Pistons looked as if they would steal a second straight game on the road. Along with a more-than-visible game from Shaquille O'Neal (17 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks), the Heat left the sea-of-red American Airlines Arena with a series-evening 92-86 victory. The series shifts to The Palace of Auburn Hills for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Tuesday.

''He was phenomenal in every way," Pistons coach Larry Brown said of Wade, who was 15 for 28 from the field and 10 for 10 from the line. ''He's as good as we have in our league. But we also had a chance. I'm proud of the guys in our locker room. I know the same feeling is true in the Miami locker room."

Wade struggled mightily in Game 1, going 7 for 25 from the field and scoring only 16 points. Forests were felled chronicling his difficulties scoring against the lockdown Pistons, as well as his tendency to not have two bad games in a row. The Heat knew one thing: They had to get more from Wade than they got in Game 1. Shaq and Alonzo Mourning stopped by Wade's house Tuesday, took him for a ride, and pumped him up. Shaq followed that up with a late-night phone call. ''I thought he was crazy to call me at that time," Wade said. ''But that's what this team is all about."

This was almost a reversal of Game 1. Miami had the big lead (14 points) early. The Pistons rallied to take the lead in the fourth. Detroit led, 73-70, with just under eight minutes left following a baseline jumper by Rasheed Wallace. The Pistons seemed on the verge of winning despite horrible free throw shooting (15 for 23), horrible 2-point shooting, and a first half from Chauncey Billups (8 turnovers) that was straight out of Ripley's.

But Wade then scored 8 straight Miami points -- 2 on a spectacular alley-oop from Damon Jones -- in an 8-3 Heat run to give Miami the lead. Rip Hamilton (21 points on 23 shots) then tied the game for the ninth and final time, 78-78, with 4:20 left.

Isn't this when Detroit flexes its defensive muscle and takes over? That's what happened in Game 1. That is not what happened in Game 2. Wade happened.

''Game 1 he didn't make shots. Game 2, he did," shrugged the Pistons' Tayshaun Prince. ''He got his rhythm going early with a couple of layups. That helped him."

It was, however, Wade's rather large wingman and late-night caller, O'Neal, who started Miami on its winning run. Shaq, still clearly hobbled by his sore right thigh, spun baseline for a hoop, was fouled and -- stop the presses -- converted the free throw to make it 81-78. Mourning (''People forget how good he is," Brown reminded everyone) then swatted away a Ben Wallace shot. 'Zo had four blocks in 22 high-impact minutes. The rejection led to a Wade fast-break layup and a 5-point Miami lead. A Hamilton miss then was followed by two Mourning free throws with 3:18 left to make it an 85-78 game.

The Heat also had it to 87-80 on a fast-break by Damon Jones (14 points) off a Wade behind-the-back block off a Billups jumper.

The Pistons fought back and had a chance to tie the game, trailing, 87-84. But Rasheed Wallace (4 of 12, 15 points) was wide right on an open 3-pointer. The Pistons got back into the game because of their long-distance shooting (9 for 23), but couldn't convert the one they had to have.

Wade put the exclamation point on his otherworldly evening by retrieving a long miss and taking it in for a dunk in the closing seconds. Oh, and did we mention he also had eight rebounds and six assists?

It was the ideal atmosphere for a couple of young Celtics to take it all in. Coach Doc Rivers brought along Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins to get a firsthand feel for real playoff basketball. (Apparently, the seven-gamer against the Pacers doesn't quite make it.)

Said Rivers, ''I think this is great for them to see. And I made sure I brought the big guys to see this series."

They saw both teams go through extended droughts, with the Pistons scoring 13 points in the second quarter (they had more turnovers than baskets in the quarter) and the Heat managing only 15 points in the third.

They saw 20,228 red-dressed loonies celebrate. ''The crowd was great for us down the stretch," Damon Jones said. ''They really gave us a lift."

And they saw a performance by a second-year player that bordered on the surreal.

Only two players managed as many as 40 points against the Pistons this season -- Vince Carter and LeBron James. Neither did it under the circumstances or conditions that Wade did last night.