In the National Basketball Association playoffs, Dwayne Wade made a key defensive play at the end of regulation to help the Miami Heat beat the New Jersey Nets 106-105 and advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the second consecutive season.
With just over one second left, Wade stole an inbound pass from New Jersey's Jason Kidd to seal the victory for Miami, which won the best-of-seven series 4-1.
Antoine Walker scored 23 points for the Heat, while Wade overcame a slow start to score 21. Shaquille O'Neal scored an additional 17 points in the Tuesday night game.
The Nets lost despite 33 points from both Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Kidd added 20 points, had eight assists and grabbed six rebounds.
The Heat will face the winner of the Detroit-Cleveland semifinal series, which is tied at 2-2.
In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns blew a 19-point third quarter lead and needed two overtime periods to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 125-118. Shawn Marion scored 36 points for the Suns and pulled down 20 rebounds.
Teammate Raja Bell added 22 points, including a dramatic three-point shot with one second remaining in the first overtime to tie the game. Steve Nash scored 17 points for the Suns and had 13 assists.
The Clippers were led by Elton Brand, who scored 33 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, and Sam Cassell, who added 32 points.
The win gives Phoenix a 3-2 lead in their best-of-seven semifinal series, which heads back to Los Angeles Thursday night for Game Six.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
