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The Big Prophet

steve kerr

VIEWERS GUIDE FOR SATURDAY

Game 6: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns
How will the Suns bounce back from a disappointing finish to Game 5? That's the question. Phoenix played hard, made shots and found a groove, yet didn't win the game – thanks to the heroics of Larry Bird, uh, I mean Dirk Nowitzki. Now the Suns have to bring another high-energy effort and hope Dirk doesn't go crazy again, or they won't be making another trip to Dallas for Game 7. Steve Nash will have to shoot better than the 5-for-17 effort he had on Thursday. Nowitzki, the Mavericks' MVP candidate, took over Game 5. Now it's time for Phoenix's MVP to do the same. Nash has come up big every time the Suns have been desperate in these playoffs, and they are desperate once again.

When Shaquille O'Neal arrived in Miami two seasons ago, he predicted that he would lead a parade down Biscayne Boulevard one day to celebrate a first-ever NBA championship for the Miami Heat.

After a heartbreaking Game 7 loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2005 Eastern Conference finals and a less than inspiring regular season, a title seemed a long way off for Shaq and the Heat. But with Friday's series-clinching 95-78 demolition of the Pistons in Game 6, O'Neal is four wins away from fulfilling his promise.

And considering the way he dominated the game, Shaq appears to be very serious about taking care of business in the Finals. Like a horse returning to the stable after a long run, the big fella is picking up steam as the playoffs move on, knowing the finish line is within sight. He can smell the championship now, and his play has shown it.

Knowing his teammate Dwyane Wade was slowed by the flu, O'Neal took over right from the beginning. He punished Ben Wallace on the block with a series of jump hooks, dunks and putbacks and rocked Detroit on its heels after making nine of 11 first-half shots for 19 points. Miami also received a big boost from Jason Williams, who hit all five of his first-half shots to help the Heat to a 47-36 halftime lead.

In the second half, the Pistons never really threatened, but when they did try to cut into the lead, Wade made sure Miami stayed comfortably ahead. He scored 10 points in the third quarter, including a jumper in the final seconds that put the Heat up by 19.

The crowd knew that for all intents and purposes, this game was over. And that Miami was on its way to a Finals clash with either Dallas or Phoenix.

SURPRISE OF THE NIGHT

Jason Williams – The Heat guard hit 10 of 12 shots and scored 21 points to fill the scoring void left by the ailing Wade, who finished with just 14 points. Williams added six assists and played the type of game Pat Riley envisioned when he acquired him from Memphis last summer. Riley felt that, after last year's East finals loss to Detroit, Miami didn't have enough playmakers to complement O'Neal and Wade. When Wade was injured in that series, the Heat were exposed as being too dependent on O'Neal, initiating Riley's subsequent bold moves. Williams and Antoine Walker were brought in for firepower, and after an inconsistent regular season, both have come up big at appropriate times for Miami. Williams, in particular, was huge in Game 6 and gave his team a major lift.

BIGGEST CROW EATER OF THE NIGHT

Me – I've been the Heat's biggest detractor all season, disparaging the team at every opportunity for its lackluster play. I believe I may have even called them a "sham" at one point this season. Well, Heat fans, let me have it. Bring on the emails and tell me how dumb I am. I doubted your team, but it came together at the right time and delivered. Miami is headed for the Finals, while I will go home for the summer with my head hanging in shame. Oh, and by the way, regardless of who they play, I won't pick the Heat to win. I have way too much pride to do that.

DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE NIGHT

Everyone on Detroit not named Rip – The Pistons shot just 33 percent from the field and scored only 78 points, continuing a trend that has saw them sputter the past few weeks. Take away Richard Hamilton's 33 points and 12-for-28 shooting and Detroit's box score looks like a junior high team's numbers. Flip Saunders had supposedly made the Pistons a more balanced squad, turning the defensive juggernaut into a pretty fair offensive club as well in the regular season. They improved in almost all of the major offensive categories, but for whatever reason, Detroit lost its rhythm a few games into the Cleveland series. Or as Saunders put it, the Pistons lost "their mojo." Instead of being a balanced team, Detroit simply became equally mediocre at both ends of the floor. "Mediocre" doesn't cut it when you're trying to win a championship.

DILEMMA OF THE SUMMER

What do the Pistons do with Ben Wallace? – Yes, he's still a hell of a player, and yes, Detroit wants to re-sign him. But with the league trending towards a more offensive-minded game, and Big Ben being a major liability at the offensive end, it would seem that his value has gone down. A few months ago, Wallace was probably a lock for a huge contract, but I'm not so sure now. Wallace's agent will ask for the moon, and the Pistons will be thinking of a number much lower. Stay tuned.

QUESTION OF THE NIGHT

It's common for coaches to make defensive/offensive substitutions at end of quarters. Why doesn't Phoenix coach Mike D'Antoni sub out Steve Nash for a better defender such as James Jones when the opportunity arises?

Peter Wong
Vancouver, B.C.

Hi Peter, you make a good point. But keep in mind that D'Antoni thinks differently than most coaches in the NBA. He has one plan, and that's to outscore you. He's not that worried about subbing in for defensive purposes. So he'd rather have Nash on the floor to generate points at the end of quarters, even if it means giving some up at the other end. D'Antoni had a great quote the other day, saying that "even though we may not be a great defensive team, we feel we can stop you more often than you can stop us." That says it all – he has so much confidence in his offense that he challenges teams to try to outscore the Suns – and usually they don't. So a bucket or two at the end of quarters for the opponent? Doesn't mean a thing to D'Antoni.