Role players lift Heat

Pat Riley had one thing in mind when he revamped the supporting cast around Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade:

Get past Detroit.

The Miami Heat’s new role players were so effective in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals in Auburn Hills, Mich., that they didn’t need their superstar duo to steal home-court advantage away from the Pistons.

First-year Heat players Antoine Walker, Gary Payton and Jason Williams all scored in double figures to lead Miami past Detroit 91-86 Tuesday night.

Wade, who sat out more than 10 straight minutes of the second half with four fouls, had 25 points in 27 minutes and O’Neal scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half – making the Heat feel better about starting the series strong.

The Pistons, who trailed by as much as 12 in the first quarter and nine in the second, took their first lead on Chauncey Billups’ layup with 6:55 to go in the third quarter.

The two-time defending conference champions didn’t enjoy the lead long.

Miami snatched control of the game with a 20-5 run, taking a 75-65 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Detroit’s backcourt scored a lot, but missed a ton of shots.

Richard Hamilton had 22 points on 9-of-22 shooting and Billups finished with 19 on 6-of-19 shooting.

Game 2 of the best-of-7 series is Thursday night in Detroit.

Around the league

Bernie Bickerstaff will return next season as coach of the Charlotte Bobcats. Bickerstaff had said several times late in the season that he was considering stepping down to focus on his role as general manager. … Dallas Mavericks center DeSagana Diop broke his nose in Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs and will wear a face shield tonight for the opener of the Western Conference finals against Phoenix.