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DREW SHARP: Ben's Pistons smack 'em back

Game 2 energy, even some offense, comes from Wallace

BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

May 26, 2006

If there ever was a doubt regarding the true identity of the Pistons' soul, it was the guy constantly rubbing his jaw, massaging away the pain from the tattoos of Shaquille O'Neal's elbow on his face.

Spiritually, this remains Ben Wallace's team and this was its biggest testament. The choice was simple for the Pistons in Game 2 against Miami on Thursday night.

When you get popped in the mouth, you either smack 'em back or get smacked down for the count.

This was Ben's time to chime. And it was never more important than with the Pistons staring at a potential 0-2 series deficit with consecutive Palace setbacks.

He was everywhere, including this peculiar place -- the Pistons' half-court offense. When Shaq bumped him, he bumped him back and when they left him alone offensively, his teammates finally rewarded him with a few opportunities to flex his limited offensive muscle.

And that's all he's ever asked. Don't ignore him.

That was impossible as the Pistons drew even in the Eastern Conference finals with a 92-88 victory.

When Ben steps on the gas, this team accelerates. Never was that more evident than during one sequence when he grabbed two offensive rebounds, found Antonio McDyess for a dunk and raced down the court, stood his ground and drew a charging foul on Dwyane Wade.

The fatigue argument was a lame justification for the Pistons' Game 1 difficulties. It's not like a year ago in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, when just 72 hours earlier they were in Miami for Game 7 and had a three-hour flight back home before quickly turning around and heading for San Antonio.

They didn't have to leave home between Game 7 against Cleveland and the beginning of this series.

What? Were they too exhausted to read the scouting reports on Shaq's inability to come out and defend the pick-and-roll? Were they too weepy-eyed to see defensive matador Jason Williams defending Chauncey Billups? Were they too sleep-deprived to recognize that defensive energy improves the offensive flow?

This isn't brain surgery.

If one attacks, the other must react.

One of the more telling observations from Game 1 was how the Pistons abandoned running Rip Hamilton through those catch-and-shoot curls inside the lane. But the Heat took it away with O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning cheating defensively on Wallace, laying back, daring the Pistons to employ him as something other than corn-rowed mannequin in their half-court offensive sets.

Wallace's improved offensive aggressiveness warranted enough defensive attention that it provided Hamilton a touch more breathing room. And sometimes, that's all you need to get out of a shooting funk.

Panic isn't a word within the Pistons' vocabulary, but frustration certainly is.

The ease with which they jumped to a lead against the Heat on Thursday suggests the Pistons have a pretty good grip on their "if it isn't rough, it isn't right" battle cry. But the continued lapses only serve as an indictment against this team's desire to distinguish themselves as the defining team of this era.

They're good, but they clearly aren't as good as they think they are. They want to win, but they're not sure what they want to be.

What's the mystery? They must take their cue from Big Ben and work through his offensive liabilities as they did in Game 2.

It's much easier scoring when your transition game comes to life, but that requires making defensive stops and feeding off that energy. That's Ben's forte.

Mourning delivered an elbow under Ben's chin that readjusted a few teeth, but there was no retaliation. Tayshaun Prince tossed a little colorful language in Mourning's direction, but Mourning laughed it off, suggesting he doesn't fear any physical payback.

It had to have turned former Bad Boy Rick Mahorn's stomach, watching from his sideline seat on the Pistons' radio broadcast.

This was the challenge to the Pistons in Game 2.

Smack 'em back or get smacked down.

The NBA has zero tolerance for dark alley muggings masquerading as basketball, but the heart of playoff basketball remains the hard foul. Why wasn't someone (hello, Flip, maybe Dale Davis?) depositing Wade on his back pocket during one of strong runs at the rack?

So what if it results in a flagrant foul? So what if it results in a little lighter wallet, courtesy of the NBA brutality cops?

The Pistons took a punch in the series' first game, but they took a stand Thursday with the threat of the wall against their backs crumbling from the weight of excessive overuse.