Wallace Gives Pistons Identity

Ben Wallace hasn’t gotten his hair cut in six years, he revealed Friday.

Of course, even with six years’ growth combed straight up in what Detroit Piston fans call “The ‘Fro,” Wallace still might not be as tall as his listed 6 feet 9. In 1996, when he worked out for the Boston Celtics as a little-known free agent, they tried him at small forward and shooting guard.

Whatever size he is, Wallace has been the NBA’s defensive player of the year in three of the last four seasons. In the last two games, he has scored 26 points with 24 rebounds, eight blocked shots and six steals. Last spring’s Finals MVP, Chauncey Billups, said Wallace was his nominee for the award this spring.

“I think you could vote for a few guys on our team,” Billups said. “But Ben, he just makes the difference for us ....

“Like I always said, there’s not a guy like him in this league that can dominate an entire game without even having to score ... the way he rebounds offensively and defensively, the way that he plays defense, the emotion and the energy that he brings. He’s one of a kind. There’s nobody like him.”

Wallace is not only valuable but cost-efficient, making $6 million this season. The Pistons offered him an extension, but he turned it down, saying he appreciated the fact they gave him a six-year deal in the first place.

“I’m not complaining,” Wallace said. “I’m having fun being able to go out on the floor, night in and night out, play basketball. And, you know, I’m eating pretty good.”

Since Wallace arrived in 2000, the Pistons have had four 50-win seasons with three Central Division titles, one Eastern Conference title and one NBA championship.

“All those accomplishments ... Ben is the cornerstone of all that,” team president Joe Dumars said recently. “Every successful franchise has an identity and a cornerstone player. Ben has set the identity here, and he is the cornerstone of what we do.”

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The Pop and Larry Show: After routing the San Antonio Spurs in Games 3 and 4, Piston Coach Larry Brown said he felt bad for his former assistant, Spur Coach Gregg Popovich.

“And you bought that?” said Popovich, laughing. “And you bought that?

“How long have you been covering Larry? Good Lord.”

So, Popovich wouldn’t mind beating Brown by 30?

“I want to beat him by 50,” said Popovich.

“No, he’s right. It’s a strange deal.... He felt bad for me personally, but he’s not going to give them back, you know. So that’s just an irrelevant little side note.”

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After giving up 90 points for the first time in three Finals appearances in Game 3, and 100 for the first time in Game 4, Popovich insists the Spurs’ defense is OK.

It’s their offense that’s killing them. After turning the ball over 18 times in Game 3, Popovich stressed taking care of the ball to his players, who then cut their turnovers all the way down to 17 in Game 4.

“So my speech was not heeded very well, or, you know, maybe I didn’t say it loudly enough, but that’s where their points are coming from,” Popovich said.

“I think, well, why is it going on? Well, it’s going on because we’ve succumbed to their physical play, in my opinion. They have raised the bar in physicality. They do not want to give up the ring and we have not met that challenge to date in Games 3 and 4.”