http://stats.mlive.com/nba/preview.asp? ... e=14&vis=8The Detroit Pistons are looking less and less like an Eastern Conference contender as the season progresses. The Miami Heat could soon be in the same situation if Dwyane Wade doesn't start getting some help.After suffering their seventh loss in 11 games despite Wade's career-high point total, the Heat hope to put together a more balanced offensive effort as they try to send the Pistons to their seventh straight defeat Tuesday night in Miami. Wade topped his previous career best of 48 points with 50 on Sunday, but it wasn't enough to counter the balanced attack of Orlando, which had seven players score in double figures in the 122-99 win. Wade shot 17-for-30 (56.7 percent) from the field while the rest of the Heat combined to go 20-for-59 (33.9 percent). Rookie forward Michael Beasley, the only other Miami player to score in double figures with 14 points, was 6-for-15. "It's great to know you can score 50 points, but it would be better to walk away with a win," Wade said. "It's bittersweet. No player alone can carry everything."
Wade's teammates know they'll have to step up for Miami (29-26) to snap out of its 4-7 funk since Jan. 30. "Dwyane's a great player, but he can't do it by himself," veteran forward Udonis Haslem said. "We know that everyone has to do their job and play their role." First-year Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged he's worried with his team's production. "There's some concerns," he said. Facing the reeling Pistons (27-27) could be the answer for the Heat. Detroit, an East finalist each of the last six seasons, has lost 15 of 20 since Jan. 10, including six straight for the first time since Feb. 3-17, 2004. The Pistons haven't had a longer skid since they dropped seven in a row from Feb. 21-March 2, 2003. Detroit trailed by as much as 36 in a 99-78 loss at Cleveland on Sunday night. "We stunk the gym out," said Allen Iverson, who had a team-high 14 points and went 6-for-16. "We acted like strangers out there tonight."
Pistons coach Michael Curry will need to find an answer to his team's struggles soon. Sunday's loss in Cleveland was only the beginning of a brutal five-game road trip that finishes with games against New Orleans, Orlando and Boston. "I'm sure anytime you lose, it affects (your mental state)," Curry said. "But what are you going to do to correct it? If your confidence is down, get your shot down, get more shots, work a little harder, play a little harder, get some easy ones in the game, be there for defensive stops, help your teammate, help yourself." Curry hopes his club can rebound by taking advantage of an opponent it's dominated in recent years. The Pistons have won 17 of their last 20 regular-season meetings with the Heat, including six straight. In the teams' first meeting this season, Detroit got 18 points apiece from Rasheed Wallace and Rodney Stuckey in a 93-90 home win Feb. 4. Wade had 29 points, seven rebounds and 13 assists in that game but went just 10-for-31 from the field - including a missed 3-pointer at the buzzer - as Miami shot 38.6 percent as a team. Because of injuries, Wade has played in only three of the Heat's eight games against the Pistons since the teams met in the 2006 East finals - won by eventual champion Miami. He's 26-for-79 (32.9 percent) in those contests.
