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At halftime of Game 6 between the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, the writing was on the wall.

The Pistons went to the locker room down only seven despite being out-shot 57 to 42 percent. No decisive rebounding edge for Detroit. Nothing else balancing the stat sheet, though the number of field goal attempts was typically low. But hey, we're talking Pistons-Pacers here.

Larry Brown had to be very comfortable given the circumstances. Another low-scoring slugfest - and right on the heels of their opponent, which had seemingly outplayed them at every turn during the first 24 minutes of action. Like a seasoned runner coming around the final turn of a race, Detroit was content to trail ever so slightly.

And in the fourth quarter came the Pistons' kick. The Pacers could only watch as the reigning champs finished strong, earning their third consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Finals and a much-anticipated matchup with the Miami Heat.

Certainly not lost in the moment was the passing of a magnificent career.

Reginald Wayne Miller, as we have become all too accustomed to, treated the masses to one last shooting exhibition. The sure-fire Hall of Famer was brilliant in his finale, scoring 27 points on 11-of-16 shooting. Late in the game, it looked as if Reg might again save the day. Regrettably, he could not.

Gotta hand it to the guy. He did leave the Conseco crowd longing for more. Cries of "One more year" rained from throughout the arena. And those were well deserved. Reggie very well may be pushing 40, but he can still perform at a very high level. His exit, like his jumper, couldn't be much more graceful.

Miller's final basket? Need you ask?

The Pistons did well for themselves in eliminating Indiana last night, three games to two. Seventh games are risky business. A club that is clearly superior to its opponent, as Detroit was in this case, does not want a single winner-take-all event determining its fate.

But considering how Shaquille O'Neal's bruised thigh is taking longer than expected to heal, from Detroit's perspective, the quicker the Heat and Pistons get cranked up, the better. The extent of Shaq's injury is not known, but even if The Diesel gives it a go, he won't be 100 percent. Right now, his injury isn't getting worse, but it isn't improving, either.

Even so, we are about to see just how great this Dwyane Wade kid really is. Obviously, the youngster has already proven to be something truly special. But let's face it; legends are made in the playoffs. And there are much easier roads to travel for an offensive talent like Wade than by way of the Detroit Pistons.