The Miami Heat are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time after ending the Detroit Pistons' two-year reign as Eastern Conference champions with a 95-78 win on Friday.

 

Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal (C) battles with Detroit Pistons' defender Ben Wallace in the second half during Game 6 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals in Miami June 2, 2006. [Reuters]

 

Shaquille O'Neal had 28 points and 16 rebounds and Dwayne Wade - who spent part of his day in a hospital battling dehydration and flu-like symptoms - added 14 points for the Heat to win the series 4-2.

 

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

 

The Heat now await either Dallas or Phoenix in the Finals, which start on 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 a 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 on Friday.

 

O'Neal was. Hence, the difference. He made 12 of 14 shots, making sure this chance wouldn't slip away.

 

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 a 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.

 

(China Daily via AP June 3, 2006)