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05-08-2006, 09:53 AM
MICHAEL ROSENBERG: The difference-maker: From big to small, Ben guards 'em all
May 8, 2006
Email this Print this BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The Cavaliers' LeBron James loses the ball between the Pistons' Tayshaun Prince, left, and Chauncey Billups. James had a team-high four turnovers. (ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press)
So who is the biggest difference between the Pistons and the Cavaliers? Is it Tayshaun Prince, who outscored LeBron James on Sunday? Or the entire cast of Pistons shooters, who nailed 15-of-22 three-pointers Sunday? Or Chauncey Billups, who had 14 points and 10 assists?
A case could be made for any of them.
Me, I'll go with the guy who scored two points.
Ben Wallace also had 11 rebounds. And four blocked shots. And a couple of free throws that were not close to ... uh, being near ... the area within range of the rim.
But look at what Wallace did in one stretch: He helped out on a James slash to the basket, stopping a potential lay-up; grabbed a defensive rebound; blocked a Drew Gooden shot; grabbed another defensive rebound; set a pick that opened up Prince for an easy score; drew a charge that the officials didn't call; grabbed an offensive rebound and passed out to Rip Hamilton for a wide-open shot; and then stepped into the lane to stop Donyell Marshall, who was forced to pass out to LeBron ... at which time Ben ran out to the three-point line and got a hand in James' face, which may have caused James to miss the shot.
Time elapsed: less than five minutes.
There is simply nobody else in the NBA like this guy. That's why, for the fourth time in five seasons, Big Ben will be named the defensive player of the year.
"It means a lot," Wallace said. "That's where my pride and joy is at, on the defensive end. That's the reason I'm out there ... not because I can make free throws."
Naturally, Ben's teammates wept with joy at the news.
"They gave that bleep to him again?!?" Rasheed Wallace asked. "That's felonious! Felonious! He wasn't even in my top three!"
Ben walked past, shook his head and said, "With guys like that in your corner ..."
Rasheed was kidding, of course. And in Tuesday night's Game 2, Ben will literally be in Rasheed's corner, double-teaming whenever necessary.
This is what makes Ben Wallace unique: He creates matchup problems playing defense. Think about that. In the NBA, a matchup problem normally means nobody can defend a guy.
But with Wallace, there is nobody he can't defend. When the Cavaliers had their normal starting five on the floor, Ben often guarded 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas. When the Cavs went small, he guarded James, maybe the best wing player in the league.
"That's what it's all about for me," Wallace said. "It doesn't matter who I'm guarding. In different situations, I think I can switch out on anybody, guard anybody for five or six minutes."
He smiled.
"As long as I don't have to guard him for the whole game ..."
Hey, James will still score a bunch in this series. He is the most gifted player in the league. But if you saw him dominate the Washington Wizards in the first round, you noticed something else: Washington's interior defense was a joke. The Wizards couldn't stop Paris Hilton from reading a book.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown can stay up all night watching film, drawing up plays and holding a siance with James Naismith. Unless he convinces Ben Wallace to retire, his team can't win this series.
If the Cavs ask James to be the main ball-handler, as they often did in the Washington series, Wallace can trap him when he crosses half-court. And then, as the rest of the Pistons play their usual lockdown defense, Wallace can scoot back and patrol the lane.
These Pistons are so good, they tend to suck the tension out of a playoff series. You know they will win. But they create a different kind of uncertainty: You don't know how they will win. It creates a fun guessing game: Who will be the star this time?
Well, I'd pick Ben Wallace. The numbers might not show it. But if you made Wallace switch teams with Ilgauskas, Cleveland's second-best player, then the Cavaliers would have a real chance. Wallace would change the entire personality of that team.
He pressures guards. He boxes out centers. He blocks everybody's shots. Defensive Player of the Year? It's almost an understatement. On days like Sunday, Ben Wallace looks like the two best defensive players in the league.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605080390
For all of you responding to the DPOY thread.
May 8, 2006
Email this Print this BY MICHAEL ROSENBERG
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST
The Cavaliers' LeBron James loses the ball between the Pistons' Tayshaun Prince, left, and Chauncey Billups. James had a team-high four turnovers. (ERIC SEALS/Detroit Free Press)
So who is the biggest difference between the Pistons and the Cavaliers? Is it Tayshaun Prince, who outscored LeBron James on Sunday? Or the entire cast of Pistons shooters, who nailed 15-of-22 three-pointers Sunday? Or Chauncey Billups, who had 14 points and 10 assists?
A case could be made for any of them.
Me, I'll go with the guy who scored two points.
Ben Wallace also had 11 rebounds. And four blocked shots. And a couple of free throws that were not close to ... uh, being near ... the area within range of the rim.
But look at what Wallace did in one stretch: He helped out on a James slash to the basket, stopping a potential lay-up; grabbed a defensive rebound; blocked a Drew Gooden shot; grabbed another defensive rebound; set a pick that opened up Prince for an easy score; drew a charge that the officials didn't call; grabbed an offensive rebound and passed out to Rip Hamilton for a wide-open shot; and then stepped into the lane to stop Donyell Marshall, who was forced to pass out to LeBron ... at which time Ben ran out to the three-point line and got a hand in James' face, which may have caused James to miss the shot.
Time elapsed: less than five minutes.
There is simply nobody else in the NBA like this guy. That's why, for the fourth time in five seasons, Big Ben will be named the defensive player of the year.
"It means a lot," Wallace said. "That's where my pride and joy is at, on the defensive end. That's the reason I'm out there ... not because I can make free throws."
Naturally, Ben's teammates wept with joy at the news.
"They gave that bleep to him again?!?" Rasheed Wallace asked. "That's felonious! Felonious! He wasn't even in my top three!"
Ben walked past, shook his head and said, "With guys like that in your corner ..."
Rasheed was kidding, of course. And in Tuesday night's Game 2, Ben will literally be in Rasheed's corner, double-teaming whenever necessary.
This is what makes Ben Wallace unique: He creates matchup problems playing defense. Think about that. In the NBA, a matchup problem normally means nobody can defend a guy.
But with Wallace, there is nobody he can't defend. When the Cavaliers had their normal starting five on the floor, Ben often guarded 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas. When the Cavs went small, he guarded James, maybe the best wing player in the league.
"That's what it's all about for me," Wallace said. "It doesn't matter who I'm guarding. In different situations, I think I can switch out on anybody, guard anybody for five or six minutes."
He smiled.
"As long as I don't have to guard him for the whole game ..."
Hey, James will still score a bunch in this series. He is the most gifted player in the league. But if you saw him dominate the Washington Wizards in the first round, you noticed something else: Washington's interior defense was a joke. The Wizards couldn't stop Paris Hilton from reading a book.
Cleveland coach Mike Brown can stay up all night watching film, drawing up plays and holding a siance with James Naismith. Unless he convinces Ben Wallace to retire, his team can't win this series.
If the Cavs ask James to be the main ball-handler, as they often did in the Washington series, Wallace can trap him when he crosses half-court. And then, as the rest of the Pistons play their usual lockdown defense, Wallace can scoot back and patrol the lane.
These Pistons are so good, they tend to suck the tension out of a playoff series. You know they will win. But they create a different kind of uncertainty: You don't know how they will win. It creates a fun guessing game: Who will be the star this time?
Well, I'd pick Ben Wallace. The numbers might not show it. But if you made Wallace switch teams with Ilgauskas, Cleveland's second-best player, then the Cavaliers would have a real chance. Wallace would change the entire personality of that team.
He pressures guards. He boxes out centers. He blocks everybody's shots. Defensive Player of the Year? It's almost an understatement. On days like Sunday, Ben Wallace looks like the two best defensive players in the league.
Contact MICHAEL ROSENBERG at 313-222-6052 or [email protected].
http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006605080390
For all of you responding to the DPOY thread.