After coming up a game short of reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history at the hands of the Detroit Pistons, the Miami Heat made quite a few off-season moves. The Heat acquired swingman James Posey and point guard Jason Williams from Memphis, as well as forward Antoine Walker from Boston in a blockbuster five-team trade that sent Rasual Butler to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and Eddie Jones to the Memphis Grizzlies. The team also signed free agent point guard Gary Payton from the Celtics and forward Jason Kapono from the Bobcats and lost point guard Damon Jones to Cleveland via free agency.

The newcomers are expected to be just the support staff that Miami is looking for to make it to the Finals in 2006. The Heat, who led the East with a 59-23 record last season, will still look to their core duo – breakout star Dwyane Wade and All-Star center Shaquille O’Neal – to lead the team to success. In Shaq’s inaugural season with the team, he averaged a double-double (22.9 points per game and 10.4 rebounds per game) for an NBA-record 13th consecutive season. Wade, who had a tremendous sophomore season, averaged 24.1 points, 6.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.

Even with great talent, the question still remains if this fresh-looking Miami Heat team will be able to develop the team chemistry that will allow them to play as well on the court as they look on paper. Judge for yourself on Saturday, as the Pistons look to make a comeback after two straight preseason losses on Tuesday and Wednesday night.

John Hammond’s Three Keys to Success:
Get the inside scoop from Pistons Vice President of Basketball Operations John Hammond. See what the Pistons need to do to be successful against the Miami Heat.

1. Improve assist to turnover ratio:
Turnovers have been a cause for concern this preseason. In the first five games, the Pistons have averaged 17.0 turnovers per game, up from the 13.8 they averaged during all of the 2004-05 season. In Wednesday night’s performance against the Bucks, the Pistons racked up 22 turnovers (resulting in 27 Milwaukee points) and a mere 16 assists. While new players and new offenses could be to blame, the team will need to start taking care of the ball if they want to be successful.

2. Contain Dwyane Wade:
Twenty-three year-old Dwyane Wade managed to carry the Miami Heat to game seven of the 2005 Eastern Conference Finals in his sophomore season in the league. Wade, who earned All-NBA Second Team and All-NBA Defensive Second Team honors last season, is the biggest scoring threat on the Heat. So far this preseason, Wade is averaging 17.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 26.5 minutes per game while shooting 45.5% from the field for Miami. Containing Wade will be a difficult but important task for the Pistons defense on Saturday night.

3. Limit Miami points in the paint:
Miami big man Shaquille O’Neal has dominated the middle since he entered the league in 1992. O’Neal’s brief time with the Miami Heat has been no different as he averaged a double-double and shot a league-best 60.1% from the field in the 2004-05 season. The 7-1, 325-pound center will be tough to stop on the low block. The Pistons, who allowed 58 points in the paint against Milwaukee on Wednesday, must improve their defense in the paint if they hope to beat Shaq and the Heat in their sixth game of the preseason.

Five Things to Know About HEAT Center Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal Height: 7’1" Weight: 325 College: Louisiana State Birthdate: 03/06/72