Heat reserves spot in NBA Finals

~ Miami ended the Pistons' reign in the Eastern Conference with a 95-78 win in Game 6.

MIAMI -- A year ago, the Miami Heat simply weren't good enough. Shaquille O'Neal knew it. Dwyane Wade knew it.

So Pat Riley fixed it.

And now, the Heat are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time.

O'Neal had 28 points and 16 rebounds and Wade -- who spent part of his day in a hospital battling dehydration and flu-like symptoms -- added 14 points as the Heat ended the Detroit Pistons' two-year reign as Eastern Conference champions with an 95-78 win Friday.

Jason Williams, one of Riley's prized offseason additions, came up huge with Wade lagging in Game 6, scoring 21 points on 10-for-12 shooting.

The Heat now await either Dallas or Phoenix in the Finals, which start Thursday.

The party started early. Wade walked off with 1:45 left, right index finger raised before he slapped Riley's hand. And after the final second ticked off, white streamers fell from the ceiling as the Heat players waved championship caps and T-shirts. Soon, though, O'Neal issued an expected warning.

"We're not done," he said.

Richard Hamilton had 33 points for Detroit, which finished the regular season with an NBA-best 64-18 record and came in confident after ending Miami's season here a year ago in Game 7 -- in part because Wade and O'Neal were battling injury.

Wade clearly wasn't at his best Friday. O'Neal was. Hence, the difference. He made 12 of 14 shots, making sure this chance wouldn't slip away.

"Miami played great," Hamilton said. "They deserved it."

Wade was 1-for-6 with four points in the first half. Didn't matter. O'Neal and Williams more than carried the early scoring load, helping stake Miami to an 47-36 lead at intermission.

O'Neal was 9-for-11 from the field for 19 points in the opening two quarters, his biggest first-half effort so far in these playoffs. And Williams -- who was 13-for-30 from the floor in the first five games -- was 5-for-5 in the half, the last of those a pullup with 4:14 left that gave Miami a 38-27 lead.

Detroit got within 40-33 on a pair of free throws by Hamilton with 2:52 left, but O'Neal scored six straight Miami points in a span of 2:05 and sparked a half-closing 8-3 run by the Heat.

And really, the outcome was never in doubt. The Pistons were within 10 midway through the third quarter, when Wade -- who missed the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half and remained in the locker room -- finally started to roll.

He had 10 points in the quarter, hitting his last four shots -- including a jumper with 1 second left for a 72-53 lead, as the sellout crowd began going delirious, the realization that the franchise's 18-year-itch was about to be scratched.

"I just wanted to help my teammates," Wade said. "And God gave me the strength."

Hamilton and the Pistons made one more run, his jumper with 6:24 left getting Detroit within 80-67. He made a steal 17 seconds later, but O'Neal blocked his layup -- then followed with a dunk on the other end, as Wade pumped his fist and Riley clapped knowingly.

Minutes later, the championship was theirs.

Riley and owner Micky Arison stood arm-in-arm as they awaited the presentation of the Eastern Conference championship trophy from NBA vice president Stu Jackson. Alonzo Mourning -- the face of this franchise for so long -- stood behind them, nodding and holding a finger aloft.

Then Riley lifted the silver trophy, as a sea of players' hands reached in for a touch.

Riley is taking his third team to the Finals, after the "Showtime" Lakers of the 1980s and the blue-collar Knicks of the mid-1990s. He came here a decade ago, envisioning a parade down Biscayne Boulevard.

He's never been closer.

And O'Neal, in turn, is now about to wear his third jersey in the Finals. He got Orlando there, then took the Lakers there four times -- winning three titles, the lone defeat coming in 2004 to the Pistons, who also ended his first season in Miami.

Detroit only shot 33 percent in the game, with Chauncey Billups going 3-for-14 and Rasheed Wallace going 4-for-12. The Pistons were outrebounded 48-39 and, perhaps most telling, let the Heat shoot 56 percent from the floor -- after insisting that defense would be their top priority.

"We didn't play how we play," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said.

Notes: Miami improved to 3-4 all-time in Game 6s, while the Pistons lost for the first time in their last 10 Game 6s. ... The Heat, who were 6-for-20 from the foul line in a Game 5 loss, were 11-for-17 Friday. ... James Posey had 11 rebounds, all defensive, in 24 minutes for the Heat. ... Celebrities in the sellout crowd included Dolphins coach Nick Saban, Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo, singer Janet Jackson and renowned chef Steve Martorano.