Is too late to redo the All-Defense team vote?

Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince didn’t make the first team (forwards Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett beat him out), but one could make a compelling case that Prince is basketball’s premier defensive stopper. His effort in Monday night’s Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals bolstered his case.

Given the assignment of stopping Miami guard Dwyane Wade, Prince hounded the Heat’s budding superstar into a 7-for-25 shooting performance that keyed Detroit’s 90-81 victory. Wade had dominated in the first two rounds of the playoffs, averaging 28.6 points per game as the Heat swept both the Nets and Wizards. But Prince turned him into a pauper, clogging his path to the basket and forcing Wade to take contested jump shots.

Prince’s two key assets are quick feet and freakishly long arms. The feet help him stay in front of most ballhandlers, but players do beat him off the dribble from time to time. That’s where the arms come in, reaching in at the last second to deflect balls and turn seemingly open jumpers into contested double-clutches.

Prince’s value was further demonstrated in Game 1 by the Pistons’ lackluster performance when he wasn’t on the court. Detroit gave up 5.6 points more per 100 possessions when Prince went to the bench – which was greater than even that of Defensive Player of the Year, Ben Wallace, and the biggest difference on the team.

Even more impressive is the fact Prince was able to handle his assignment without landing in foul trouble. The most amazing stat from Monday night is that Prince guarded Wade the entire night and didn’t have a single foul to his name when the final buzzer sounded. Thanks to his remarkable quickness and wingspan, Prince can play much further away from his man than most defenders can. As a result, he almost never gets whistled for the hand-checking and bumping fouls that most stoppers accumulate during the course of a game.

Because of Prince’s ability to avoid fouls, Wade’s postseason parade to the free-throw line came to a sudden end. After averaging 10.5 free throws per game in the first two rounds, Wade attempted only two on Monday. Including the play on which he was fouled, Wade needed 26 shots to accumulate his 16 points, a horrific ratio.

From Miami’s perspective, it’s still possible to put a positive spin on Game 1. After eight straight victories, perhaps Miami was due for a letdown – especially Wade. But the rest of the news for the Heat offense was mostly good. Eddie Jones repeatedly beat Richard Hamilton off screens and finished with 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Keyon Dooling and Alonzo Mourning continued their strong play off the bench, combining for 12 points and contributing solid defense.

Monday’s stats, in fact, were fairly typical for the Heat, with Wade being the one exception. Somehow, Miami has to figure out how to get their star guard going. One key may be better offensive spacing. Detroit trapped Wade along the baseline with two or three defenders on several occasions, and Miami rarely had an open man in position to receive a pass and convert. In addition to the poor shooting, Wade had only four assists, mostly because he rarely had a clear passing lane. In what is now a must-win Game 2, the Heat need to make Detroit pay for sending extra defenders at Wade.

Another key will be the effectiveness of Shaquille O’Neal, whose status for the opener had been in doubt for most of the past week after he sat out the final two games against Washington with a deep thigh bruise. The Big Question Mark wasn’t his usual dominating self in Game 1, but he was more effective than he had been when he tried to play in the first two rounds.

Shaq scored 20 points in 33 minutes and was active enough defensively to block three shots. A concern for the Heat, though, is that he appeared to lose steam as the game wore on, scoring just seven points in the second half after dominating early. The Heat are hoping it was due to a lack of conditioning from the time off rather than the thigh injury worsening as the night progressed.

Miami also has to hope that Detroit’s offense won’t be clicking so efficiently every night. Ordinarily, the Heat would be more than happy to see Ben Wallace taking jump shots and Rasheed Wallace bombing away from 3-point range. But it just so happened that both players were on fire on Monday, combining for 33 points to make up for a mediocre performance from the backcourt.

That’s one area the Pistons are likely to explore further in Game 2. Point guard Chauncey Billups has a major size advantage over Miami’s Damon Jones and can post him up at will. Detroit went to this play only once, but it was perfectly timed. Right after the Heat had rallied from 14 down to tie the game at 80, Billups took Jones to the blocks and hit an easy turnaround. Expect more of the same tonight. Miami may counter with Dooling, who is quicker and stronger than Jones and played exceptional defense in the opener.

In the big picture, though, Miami’s biggest problem isn’t the secondary defenders – it’s the guy whose long arms are preventing Wade from seeing the basket. Scoring on a defender like Prince is a tricky proposition for Wade, because he isn’t a great outside shooter. As a result, Prince can lay off him, play for the drive, and still have the percentages in his favor if he puts a hand up to contest the jumper.

Of course, Wade isn’t the first outstanding scorer to be frustrated by Prince’s wingspan – just ask Kobe Bryant about last year’s Finals. But if Miami is going to win this series, Wade has to figure out a way to get shots over, under, or around Detroit’s underrated defensive star. Otherwise, the Pistons will have dashed Shaq’s title hopes once again.