‘Big Ben’ Helps Clock Pacers

Detroit and Indiana were able to just play basketball for the first time this season at the Palace.

“It was good to see the focus on basketball,” said Detroit’s Ben Wallace, the NBA defensive player of the year who also came through on offense Monday night in a 96-81 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. “We sort of left the past in the past and that’s a good thing for both teams, and the league.”

Naturally, Wallace played a big role defensively with 15 rebounds and four steals. But he scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half to help the Pistons build a big lead they maintained easily.

“I thought Ben Wallace really dominated a lot of the activity in this game, and he set an unbelievable tone,” Pacer Coach Rick Carlisle said.

The Pacers’ two previous road games against the Pistons were marred by the infamous Nov. 19 melee -- which started on the court, spilled into the stands and went back onto the court -- and a phone threat of a bomb in Indiana’s locker room, delaying the second game at the Palace by almost 90 minutes.

Detroit’s Richard Hamilton had 28 points.

The Pistons, leading 23-20 after the first quarter, built a cushion by outscoring Indiana, 11-4, to open the second quarter and led by as many as 16 points before taking a 52-38 lead at halftime. The Pistons started the fourth quarter with a 72-57 lead.

Indiana’s Stephen Jackson (15 points) and Jermaine O’Neal (22 points), suspended for 30 and 15 games, respectively, for their roles in the brawl, were booed louder than anyone during introductions and sometimes when they had the ball.

Reggie Miller scored only six points and struggled to stay with Hamilton.

“Right now, we are playing a team that is bringing a different level of force than we have seen in the last couple weeks, and we will have to step it up in a lot of areas,” Carlisle said.