EASTERN NOTES
INDIANAPOLIS – Rasheed Wallace was booed during introductions last night, then cheered for his offensive ineptitude. But in the end, Wallace had the last laugh as his Game 2 guarantee looked prophetic in the Pistons’ 72-67 victory at Conseco Field House that tied the series.
When asked what it’s like to be Public Enemy No. 1 in Indiana, Wallace cracked: “I’m everybody’s Public Enemy No. 1. It don’t matter.”
The Piston rebel shot just 4-of-19 for 10 points, but he had a team-high five blocks and shut down Jermaine O’Neal, holding him scoreless in the second half. Asked if it was a case of “I told you so,” Wallace said, “It’s a case of we got a win and that’s what we came in to get.”
Rasheed (5-of-26 for the series) missed his first six shots and heard jeers when he came out of the game late in the first after jacking up an airball from the perimeter. As Wallace departed, he was serenaded with mock cheers. He waved his arms, signaling for the noise to grow louder and it did.
“Whenever guys guarantee a win, you as a team have to be behind him no matter what,” said Tayshaun Prince, whose block on Reggie Miller’s layup with 17.9 seconds left saved Wallace.
“We got Rasheed’s back,” added Richard Hamilton. “Whatever he says, we got to roll with it. If we don’t think we can win, we shouldn’t be here.”
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With his Pacers three victories from The Finals after last night’s Game 2 loss to the Pistons, Indiana president Donnie Walsh has to feel some vindication over the heat he and Larry Bird took for ousting Isiah Thomas as coach last summer.
Although Thomas’ Pacers fell in the first round three straight years, Walsh defends his former coach, to a point. Walsh said the first two years Indiana was eliminated by clubs that advanced to the Finals (Sixers, Nets). There’s no defense, however, for last spring’s first-round KO to Boston.
“Last year we fell apart, so it came down to this might not work and decided we probably have to change,” said Walsh. “We had young players and you have to keep them and most of the time the coach is out.”
Thomas said last month he could have “won the NBA championship” and Bird still would have booted him for Rick Carlisle.
“Well, that’s not true,” Walsh said. “When teams fall apart, you have to make a change. A new coach came in and started things off in a different light. I didn’t know if Isiah came back if we could’ve come back as a team.”