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The Miami Heat lead the Detroit Pistons three games to two in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals of the 2005 NBA playoffs. Here's what Heat coach Stan Van Gundy and players Alonzo Mourning, Eddie Jones and Shaquille O'Neal said the day after Game 5 (the day before Game 6):

STAN VAN GUNDY

Q. Can you talk about Dwyane Wade’s injury?

Stan Van Gundy: He’s hurting. He’s not doing anything today. We’ll find out tomorrow.

Q. What kind of treatment is he getting?

Stan Van Gundy: I don’t know. I don’t give the treatment.

Q. Would you like to sit Dwyane out the next game?

Stan Van Gundy: That would not be my preference. My preference would be to play my best players every game.

Q. Is there a chance that he can’t play in Game 6?

Stan Van Gundy: There’s always a chance. If he couldn’t go today, there’s a chance that he can’t go tomorrow.

Q. If Wade can’t go, what adjustment would you have to make?

Stan Van Gundy: Everyone will have to play better. Someone will have to step up. Everyone will have to play better defense, and we have to adjust some things offensively. Everybody has to step up and play better. It’s pretty simple. There’s no dramatic answer to that.

Q. How has Wade’s injury affected the team?

Stan Van Gundy: That’s something that you have to deal with. Injuries are all a part of the game. I spend time thinking about things that I may have some control over. I absolutely have no control over things like injuries. I’m not going to spend a lot of time worrying about it.

Q. What did you think about the team’s performance last night?

Stan Van Gundy: I though our team played very, very hard last night. I thought we have made some good improvements on both ends of the floor. We have to come with that same mentality and disposition in Game 6 even more. We didn’t bring that in Game 4 – we didn’t bring that sense of urgency that we brought last night with the series being even. We’ve got to find a way to bring that into Game 6. You know they’ll have it, being an elimination game. We have to have the same sense of urgency that they have.

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ALONZO MOURNING

Q. Can you talk about yesterday’s win and how much more important is Game 6?

Alonzo Mourning: It was a win. We are just trying to move one step closer to achieving our goal.

Q. How does it feel to have teammates injured at this stage of the postseason?

Alonzo Mourning: It’s a part of the game. I’m sure if you ask San Antonio or Detroit how many guys have injuries or aches and pains, they would agree it’s a part of the game at this point in the season. We have played over 100 games, plus practices, so something is going to hurt. This is a team that endures, and if we can overcome that, then we will come out on top.

Q. What do you expect Dwyane Wade to be able to do tomorrow night?

Alonzo Mourning: You will have to ask him. He is a tough young fella, and I wouldn’t expect anything less than him being out there on the court.

Q. Even if Dwyane can’t play tomorrow, you have had guys step up all year and show that the HEAT can play ball.

Alonzo Mourning: You are correct. You took the words out of my mouth. We got enough guys in here to get it done, so regardless of who plays tomorrow, I think we can get it done.

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EDDIE JONES

Q. How did the team adjust its play with the injuries to Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal?

Eddie Jones: We’ve played without those guys a lot. We have to be confident and feel like we can do it again. Believe me, we’re confident. I think right now is the best time to go up there and get a win.

Q. How does Dwyane Wade feel after injuring himself in Thursday night’s contest?

Eddie Jones: He’s just getting treatment. He doesn’t know how he feels. He just wants to be able to just tolerate the pain. But right now, we don’t know how he feels. If we don’t know how he feels, we have to prepare as if we’re going to play the game without him.

Q. Dwyane said it is hard for him to move his left or his right side without pain. How hard is it to play without being able to move without pain?

Eddie Jones: If you can’t do that, you might as well sit. He has to be able to move left and right, north and south, twist and turn. Mobility is important.

Q. How did you feel when he came back into the game after injury to his ribs in the third quarter?

Eddie Jones: Gutsy. It was real gutsy. It shows a lot of character to want to get back into the game. I’m sure Dwyane is going to be ready to go. I don’t know why I feel that way, but I feel that he’s going to be ready to go.

Q. How confident is the team to close out the series in Detroit, especially since you have closed out two series on the road this postseason already?

Eddie Jones: I think we’re confident because we’ve won on the road a lot. We’ve lost one game at home and we have only one loss on the road. We have to feel like we can beat them on the road. ------------------------------------------

SHAQUILLE O'NEAL

Q. When dealing with an injury like you and Dwyane have, is it better to push it and play through it or should you take the more cautious route?

Shaquille O'Neal: It depends. If the injury is getting better, then you can probably push it. If the injury is getting worse, then you probably shouldn’t push it. I haven’t talked to Dwyane and that is not what I am focusing on right now. All of our guys are banged up. We’re just trying to get a win in a hostile arena tomorrow night.

Q. Coach Van Gundy said that there is a possibility that Dwyane might not play tomorrow. What are your thoughts on playing without him?

Shaquille O'Neal: Everyone else just has to step up. We have a good team and whenever we’ve had guys out, we’ve had guys that have stepped up beautifully. Damon Jones is going to have to score more, Eddie Jones is going to have to score more, Rasual Butler is going to have to have a hell of a game.

Q. Does the experience of already having closed out two teams this postseason on the road help for tomorrow night’s game?

Shaquille O'Neal: Yes, I think it will help. We have to come out with a little more energy and play a little bit more aggressive. We got taken out of our game in Game 4, and that would have been a big win. But tomorrow, we don’t want to mess around with these guys. We want to do what we are supposed to do.

Q. The bench has obviously played well this series. Can you win tomorrow without Dwyane?

Shaquille O'Neal: I think so. We have a lot of guys that people don’t know about and a lot of weapons on this team. Somebody is going to step up.