Another intense showdown in the East, the Pistons and the Heat were locked in a fierce battle.
In Game 1, the Heat delivered a sobering blow to the home-court Pistons.
Veteran backup point guard Payton played a crucial role during his rotation minutes, helping the Heat break the equilibrium between the two teams and gain the lead.
Ultimately, Payton played 35 minutes, shooting 6-of-8 from the field, 2-of-3 from three-point range, and recorded 14 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block, helping the Heat upset the Pistons 91-86 on the road.
The Pistons truly hadn't expected their home court to be so easily breached.
In Game 2, the Heat tried to repeat their strategy, aiming to use Wade's drives from the starting lineup and Payton's jump shots from the rotation to gain a scoring advantage.
However, the Pistons were fully prepared for this game.
As soon as the game began, the Pistons employed a double-team on Wade, causing all of Wade's initial drives to be unsuccessful.
Wade, refusing to believe it, forced shots, hoping to draw fouls, but the Pistons' defense was cleaner than Wade had anticipated.
The whistles Wade wanted didn't come, and all three of his shots in the first quarter rimmed out, leaving him scoreless.
During the rotation minutes, the Pistons did not let up on guarding Payton. Billups even extended his playing time specifically to contain Payton coming off the bench.
The Pistons' efforts were not in vain.
Payton, who shot 6-of-8 in the previous game, only managed 1-of-6 in this one, completely losing his spark as a surprise weapon.
The Pistons seized the opportunity and went on a scoring run. Prince, Hamilton, and Ben Wallace all contributed, propelling their team to a 25-12 run against the Heat!
Riley quickly made adjustments, hoping to salvage the game, but the Pistons didn't give the Heat any chance. They used their efficient defense to consistently stifle the Heat's offense and maintain their lead until the end.
The Pistons managed to hold onto one home game, but the situation was far from optimistic.
This was because they were about to travel to Miami for two consecutive away games.
In the first two games, the struggling O'Neal seemed to be revived upon returning home, single-handedly dominating the Pistons' "Twin Wallaces."
In Game 3, O'Neal not only scored 27 points and grabbed 12 rebounds but also limited the combined scoring of the "Twin Wallaces" to just 13 points, less than half of his own total.
In Game 4, O'Neal again scored 31 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, while keeping the combined score of the "Twin Wallaces" to just 16 points, still less than half of his own.
While Ben Wallace wasn't the Pistons' primary scorer, Rasheed Wallace's scoring was crucial for the Pistons.
Both players were limited by O'Neal's imposing presence in the paint, drastically reducing their scoring efficiency, which was a major reason for the Pistons losing two consecutive games.
After four games, the Pistons found themselves on the brink of elimination, trailing 1-3.
This outcome was something the fans in the Motor City could never have predicted before the series began.
In Game 5, the desperate Pistons finally managed to contain O'Neal, their "bug," and secured a commanding victory at home, pulling one game back in the series. It seemed there might be hope for a comeback?
In Game 6, back in Miami, O'Neal, with a ferocious grin, once again delivered 28 points and 16 rebounds! This crushed the Pistons' hopes and sent them home in despair.
"My condition is indeed not what it used to be, but the fact is, I am still the most dominant center in the league!"
At the post-game press conference, O'Neal, with a wide grin, unreservedly praised his own combat prowess to the media reporters!
Wade sat quietly beside O'Neal, listening to him brag.
Before eliminating the Pistons, he had received some unfortunate news.
His good brother James's Cavaliers had been heavily defeated by He Xi Meng in another series.
The hope of the two brothers meeting in the Eastern Conference Finals had been extinguished.
James had warned Wade over the phone: "Don't take He Xi Meng, Carter, or Yao Ming lightly! Letting any one of them slip through is a fatal threat..."
This was a painful lesson James had learned from personal experience, and Wade naturally wouldn't ignore it.
The current problem was how to simultaneously contain "Mengte Yao" and his two companions in one game.
Based on their performance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, O'Neal seemed to still have enough in the tank to contend with Yao Ming.
Wade could handle either He Xi Meng or Carter.
But what about the other one?
Jason Williams? Antoine Walker? Or perhaps Payton coming off the bench?
Wade, with a worried expression, accompanied O'Neal to the press conference, his mind already drifting to the Eastern Conference Finals stage.
The two series in the Western Conference were even more grueling than the East.
The Spurs had implemented a lineup change this postseason.
Popovich had benched Nesterović, moved Duncan to starting center, promoted Horry to starting power forward, supported by Bowen, Ginobili, and Parker!
This lineup seemed to gather all of the Spurs' strongest players into the starting five, aiming for a powerful synergy!
However, the final outcome was not as good as Popovich had anticipated.
Finley's move to the bench did not result in him fulfilling the role of Ginobili's best sixth man; instead, it diminished the potency of the Spurs' once-proud rotation.
In the starting lineup, Duncan, playing center, scored comfortably with his agility, but his defensive effectiveness was mediocre.
After all, Duncan was the league's best power forward, but not its best center.
In Game 1, the Spurs were pushed to the final minute of the game by the Mavericks.
Fortunately, in the crucial final moments, both Nowitzki and Stackhouse lost their shooting touch, and the Spurs ultimately won by a narrow 2-point margin at home.
In Game 2, Popovich maintained the same strategy, but the result was that the Mavericks dismantled the Spurs' rotation.
Stackhouse and Josh Howard teamed up to go on a 12-2 run during the rotation minutes, setting the tone for the game.
The Spurs made an emergency lineup adjustment, but it was to no avail.
For the next two and a half quarters, the Spurs couldn't close the scoring gap, and ultimately, to the astonishment of their home fans, they lost the game.
After deep reflection, Popovich returned Ginobili to the bench for Game 3, but Duncan remained at center.
With Ginobili back in his sixth man role, he immediately put up an All-Star performance of 24 points and 4 rebounds, and the Spurs successfully pushed the Mavericks to a deciding moment in Dallas.