EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. ? Until Shaquille O’Neal’s sore thighs get better, Dwyane Wade is quite capable of leading the Miami Heat past anyone in the playoffs, even sweeping them.

Wade more than filled the void of O’Neal’s scoreless first half by scoring a postseason-career-high 34 points and setting up the big guy for most of his 17 second-half points as the Heat completed a first-round sweep of the New Jersey Nets with a 110-97 victory Sunday.

“He’s been a superstar, even last year,” O’Neal said of Wade. “It’s just now you guys are recognizing it.”

Wade put up spectacular numbers with O’Neal hobbled, averaging 26.3 points, 8.8 assists, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, a block and 42.5 minutes. He shot 50 percent from the field, hitting 37 of 74 shots.

Only six other players have averaged 25 points, eight assists and six rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor in a playoff series. They all are in the Hall of Fame — Oscar Robertson, Bob Cousy, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, the last to do it in the 1991 NBA Finals.

Wade’s big game Sunday in Miami’s seventh straight victory over Jason Kidd and company guaranteed that O’Neal would have at least a full week to rest his legs before the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs starts. The layoff could last nine days, depending on the other series.

“I’m a little more confident,” Wade said in comparing himself to his rookie season last year. “I know my teammates depend on me a lot more. I know what to do more now than last year.”

The Heat cruised past the Nets because they hit shots and they also got contributions up and down their lineup from the likes of Eddie Jones, Damon Jones, Udonis Haslem, Keyon Dooling and Alonzo Mourning, the former Net who was booed unmercifully the past two games.

“Everybody stepped up. Some nights guys you didn’t expect to play well, played well,” said O’Neal, who averaged 18.3 points, 8.8 rebounds and 33 minutes. “The whole team played well. We had six or eight guys play well.”

And the Heat will be a lot better when O’Neal is healthy.

Eddie Jones added 21 points Sunday, and O’Neal shot 7-for-9 in the second half after missing all five in the first half. Miami shot 54.9 percent from the field, with Wade leading the way, making 13-of-20.

Miami's Dwyane Wade goes up for two of his postseason-career-high 34 points over New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, left, as Jason Kidd watches. The Heat won Game 4, 110-97, Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J., winning their Eastern Conference first-round series with the Nets, 4-0.

New Jersey, which qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season by winning for the 15th time in 19 games, was eliminated early because it shot poorly the entire series. Game 4 was another lowlight, a 39.5 percent effort that included a woeful 6-of-22 effort by Vince Carter.

“It says a lot when you beat a team four straight times,” Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. “Normally, there is a letdown. Those guys kept on coming. Our guys made a big run. Once we got it up three, they took it to another level.”

Pistons 97, 76ers 92, OT

Philadelphia — Chauncey Billups carried the Pistons in the final minutes of regulation, Rasheed Wallace hit a couple of clutch three-pointers in overtime, and Detroit overcame an inspired effort by Philadelphia’s Allen Iverson to go up 3-1 in its first-round series.

Billups scored 12 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter. Wallace had 17 points, and Ben Wallace added 12 points and 12 rebounds for the Pistons, who bounced back from a Game 3 loss Friday night.

After a frantic finish to the fourth quarter that saw Billups carry the Pistons, Rasheed Wallace hit a decisive three-pointer with 1:29 left in OT. Richard Hamilton hit a runner on the baseline with 14.5 seconds left, then sealed the victory with a couple of free throws.

Iverson scored 36 points on 14-for-24 shooting and added eight assists. Chris Webber had 23 points, including several key baskets in the third and fourth quarters. Samuel Dalembert had 15 rebounds.

Suns 123, Grizzlies 115

Memphis, Tenn. — Joe Johnson scored 25 points, and Phoenix swept Memphis to advance to the second round of the NBA playoffs for the first time since 2000. They will play Dallas or Houston in the Western Conference semifinals.

It’s the first sweep by the Suns in a best-of-seven series and their first since the 1995 playoffs when they took Portland 3-0 in a best-of-five opening round.

Steve Nash added 24 points and nine assists for the Suns, who outshot Memphis in the highest-scoring game of these playoffs, 60.3 percent (38-of-63) to 50.6 percent (45-of-89). Shawn Marion also had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Jim Jackson had 19 points, and Amare Stoudemire added 18.

SuperSonics 115, Kings 102

Sacramento, Calif. — Ray Allen scored a playoff career-high 45 points, hitting six three-pointers in Seattle’s victory in Game 4, sending Seattle home with a chance to finish the best-of-seven series.

Rashard Lewis scored 19 points, and Jerome James added 17 for Seattle. Allen scored 10 points in the first 31/2 minutes of the fourth quarter, when the Sonics reclaimed the lead for the first time since the opening quarter.