MIAMI (AP) – The home-court advantage is no safety net for Miami in these Eastern Conference finals.

Splitting two games in Detroit restored Miami’s path of least resistance to the NBA finals. If the Heat win twice more on their home floor, they’ll capture the East championship for the first time in franchise history.

Yet there was no sense of overwhelming confidence after Miami’s Game 4 loss in Detroit, and perhaps with good reason. The Heat are 25-2 at home over the last 4 months – with both losses coming against the Pistons, who visit again tonight in Game 5.

The series is tied at two games apiece. Game 6 is Saturday in Detroit, and Game 7, if necessary, will be back in Miami on Monday night.

“There’s no doubt in my mind, we’re going to have to play our best game,” Pistons coach Larry Brown said after his team’s 106-96 win in Game 4 on Tuesday. “We’ve got to figure out a way to win one game on the road, and then take care of our home court. That’s the only way I can look at it.”

Of the last 21 conference finals series that were tied 2-2, the winner of Game 5 has advanced 19 times.

And home teams have a major edge in tight playoff rounds; according to the NBA, of the 126 times a best-of-seven series has been tied after four games, road teams have won Game 5 on just 32 occasions.

“Game 5 is a must-win, and they probably think the same way,” Heat guard Dwyane Wade said. “Every game we’re in is a must-win. We’re at home. We’re confident at home. It’s tied 2-2. Go back to South Beach and see another great game.”

Miami did not practice Wednesday, opting to rest with just one off day between Games 4 and 5. Detroit worked out in Auburn Hills, Mich., before flying to South Florida.

Pressure situations like this have been commonplace this season for the Pistons, who weathered the brawl with Indiana in November, a four-game losing streak midway through the season, incessant speculation about Brown’s future and a 2-1 deficit against the Pacers in the second round.

Plus, Detroit was in this exact position last year, and won Game 5 of the East finals in Indiana to take control of that series – on the way to the NBA title.

Tension, however, is a new obstacle for the Heat, who cruised through the regular season with a 59-23 record, wrapped up the No. 1 seed in the East without much problem and were unbeaten in their first two playoff rounds.

“We’ve been here so many times,” Detroit point guard Chauncey Billups said Wednesday. “Miami is a strong team, but they haven’t been tested like this, not after their first two series. Will that matter? We’ll see.”

A lack of big-time playoff experience hasn’t held back Wade, who has been spectacular in the last three games, averaging 34.7 points over that stretch. Yet the Pistons have managed, at times, to keep Wade off balance.

In Games 3 and 4, reserve guard Lindsey Hunter was effective defensively against Wade over short stretches. With Hunter on the floor, Wade went 5-for-15 from the field in the last two games, with four of those baskets coming in the final 5:14 of Tuesday’s matchup.

Without Hunter on the floor, Wade shot 17-for-28 in two games at The Palace.

“He comes at you so many different ways,” said Hunter, who calls Wade one of his favorite NBA players. “He’s not a kid you force any certain way. He can go left, he can go right, he can shoot the mid-range, and of course he can attack the rim. He really has no weaknesses.”

Shaquille O’Neal looked as healthy as he’s been in these playoffs in Game 3, scoring 24 points, grabbing six rebounds and adding five assists.

But his scoring was cut in half in Game 4. Superman’s kryptonite wasn’t the bruised thigh that’s nagged him for weeks; instead, it was foul trouble, something that plagued the Heat throughout that game.

O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning were limited to a combined 41 minutes because of fouls. Damon Jones got two quick fouls and never found his outside shooting groove that Miami has thrived upon this season.

“We expected them to come out and play a great game,” Heat guard Keyon Dooling said. “What we didn’t expect was to come out and not defend them well and not put ourselves in position to win the game. Now we have to go home, make some adjustments, and bounce back also.”

Game 4 was perhaps Detroit’s most effective of the playoffs offensively. The Pistons shot 48.1 percent, had 27 assists as a team – and just six turnovers. In Game 2 at Miami, Billups had eight turnovers in the first half alone, but he was virtually flawless, with seven assists and one turnover in Game 4.

“That’s when we’re at our best, when we’re challenged and when our back is against the wall,” Billups said.

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