Dwayne Wade's availability for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals today remained unknown, but whether Miami's leading scorer can play could help decide whether Detroit's Larry Brown will be coaching for the final time.
The winner of Monday's game advances to the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, while the loser will have the whole summer to wonder what went wrong, and why.
In Brown's case, he'll head to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota shortly after the Pistons' season ends -- as soon as Tuesday, or as late as June 24 -- to address a medical problem that developed after complications from hip surgery. If surgeons are not able to correct it, Brown plans to retire from coaching.
So there's a lot riding on Game 7 for both teams, but more so for the 64-year-old coaching nomad than anyone else.
"I told my wife before the game there was a thought [that it might be his last game], because you have so much time it seems before games," Brown said on Sunday before the Pistons traveled to Miami.
"So hopefully we can keep playing."
There was no official update on Sunday on whether Wade will be available for the biggest game in franchise history. The team said the situation with Wade's strained ribcage muscle was "status quo."
Wade's agent, Henry Thomas, said the decision to sit out Game 6 was made after Wade consulted with the Heat's medical staff. Thomas said Wade was "feeling better" on Sunday, but it was "too soon to tell" if he would play Monday.
Detroit played its best game of the series in defeating the Heat 91-66 on Saturday to even the series at three games apiece.
Wade's teammates couldn't come close to winning without him in Game 6, finishing with the lowest postseason point total in franchise history.
"We worked hard all year long, won 59 games, for one reason, and that's to have home court in a Game 7 situation," Heat guard Damon Jones said after Game 6. "That's the positive that we have in front of us at this point in time."
But unless the Heat gets Wade back, or finds an easier way to get the ball to Shaquille O'Neal, it's unlikely there will be any positives by the end of Game 7.
Detroit was able to use ball pressure in the backcourt and different defensive looks in the frontcourt to stifle Miami's ability to get the ball to O'Neal in the low post.
O'Neal shot 11-for-18 and scored a team-high 24 points, but Detroit's defense kept him from being a much bigger offensive focal point.
high-stakes hoops
Saturday's game was the first time the Pistons faced elimination from the postseason, and the victory lent credence to Detroit's growing reputation as a team that plays its best when the stakes are highest.
The Pistons came back from a 3-2 deficit last season against New Jersey en route to winning the championship, and they trailed Indiana 2-1 in the second round last month before winning the next three games.
Meanwhile, some of the darkest days in franchise history have happened on the Heat's home court in winner-take-all games, including losses to the New York Knicks in 1998, 1999 and 2000. But those losses were back in the pre-Shaq era, and O'Neal has had plenty of experience with the pressure of Game 7s.
"Anybody that steps into that arena that's not ready, it's going to expose," said Miami center Alonzo Mourning, the lone link to the Heat's often miserable past.
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