Heat Sweeps Semifinal Series in Four Games

WASHINGTON – Eddie Jones made a 3-pointer from the right wing with 14.9 seconds remaining Saturday night, thwarting a late Washington Wizards rally and helping the Heat to a 99-95 victory that wrapped up the Eastern Conference semifinal series in four games.

Miami swept two teams it also swept in the regular season, completing the job with Dwyane Wade solidifying his case as a phenomenon-on-the-rise, with Jones hitting the winning shot, and with Shaquille O’Neal sitting on the bench in a dapper dark gray suit.

Jones’ basket gave Miami a 97-95 lead and ended a streak of 16 straight misses for the Heat, who blew an 11-point lead over the final six minutes.

Washington’s Larry Hughes attempted to tie the game with a drive to the basket, but Alonzo Mourning blocked the shot with 8.3 seconds remaining. Wade then made two free throws for the final points.

Wade scored 22 of his career playoff-high 42 points in a dazzling third quarter in which he went 7-for-7 from the field and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. He broke franchise records for points in a playoff quarter and a playoff game and scored 31, 31 and 42 in the last three games of the series.

The Wizards simply could not stop Wade, whether he was working himself open for a jumper or grabbing an offensive rebound and going back up for a dunk. He finished 13-for-22 from the field and 16-for-17 from the line.

“It was just about taking what the defense gave me,” Wade said. “I had confidence in my pull-up, and I was taking that. Then the defense started getting confused, and I was able to get to the lane and make the basket down low.”

O’Neal missed his second straight game with a deep thigh bruise that has hobbled him for several weeks. The sweep will give him a minimum of eight days to recover, with the conference finals against Detroit or Indiana not scheduled to start until May 23, at the earliest.

“It means we get a lot of rest,” Wade said. “We’re just going to try to go get healthy. This team is on a mission. Whoever our next opponent is in the next round is going to be tough.”

A healthy O’Neal wasn’t necessary against New Jersey in the first round or Washington in the second. The Heat went 15-0 against the two teams and are the first team in NBA history to sweep the same two teams in the playoffs that it swept during the regular season. Miami has also won 12 straight against the Washington over two seasons.

Damon Jones added 19 points from the Heat, including 12 points in the pivotal third quarter when he made all four of his 3-point attempts. Miami outscored Washington 40-25 in the third, opening an 11-point lead that became 13 when Eddie Jones opened the fourth with a basket.

All hope for the Wizards appeared to end when Gilbert Arenas fouled out with 6:04 remaining and his team trailing by 10, but Juan Dixon made a pair of 3-pointers and Antawn Jamison hit a 3 that put the Wizards ahead 95-94 with 1:15 to play.

Arenas scored 25 points for the Wizards before fouling out for just the second time this season. Arenas, who usually throws his jersey into the crowd after each game, did so immediately after getting his sixth foul and was called for a technical.

Brendan Haywood added 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Wizards. Dixon and Hughes scored 15 apiece.

O’Neal must have felt very restless watching the game from the bench. The Heat were outscored 20-8 and outrebounded 17-13 at the center position. Mourning, effective in Game 3 in his first playoff start in four years, was in constant foul trouble and contributed little until his block at the end.

Michael Doleac was more effective hitting medium-range jumpers than he was trying to put back offensive rebounds, and he also had three fouls in the first half.

With both teams and all 20,000 spectators aware that no NBA team has recovered from a 3-0 deficit, the MCI Center had a more relaxed atmosphere until the Wizards’ late comeback. The pressure was off, and the teams played accordingly, with a better flow and fewer of the tension-induced turnovers seen in the first three games.

Arenas was the exception. The Wizards point guard was sometimes indecisive as he struggled with his shot, making just 3 of 11 field goals in the first half. He finished 5-for-17.

Meanwhile, Wade was his usual dynamic self, creating plays all over the floor. In the first quarter, he drove into a triple-team and a made a running layup while falling down and drawing a foul for a three-point play.

Neither team led by more than eight in the first half. Damon Jones twice made 3-pointers when the Wizards were threatening runs, and Haywood was strong inside for the Wizards, scoring 13 points with nine rebounds in the half. The Wizards led 26-23 after the first quarter and 51-47 at halftime.

Notes:@ The Heat are 8-3 this season without O’Neal, including 2-0 in the playoffs. … Wade’s 42 points broke the Miami playoff record of 38 points set by Tim Hardaway against New York on May 18, 1997. The 22 points in a playoff quarter surpassed Hardaway’s 20 in the second quarter at Chicago on April 26, 1996. … Wade also tied Mourning’s franchise record of seven 20-point games in a single postseason. … The Heat will need another sweep plus one more victory to match the longest postseason winning streak in NBA history. The Lakers won 13 in a row, spanning the 1988 and ’89 seasons. … Washington’s Eddie Jordan fell to 0-15 as a head coach against Miami. … O’Neal said this week that his aching leg has caused him to play “like Erick Dampier,” referring to the Dallas Mavericks center called out publicly by teammate Dirk Nowitzki. Jordan played along Saturday, closing his pregame chat with reporters by asking, “Is Erick Dampier playing tonight?”