GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — Even after all these years, it’s a move Ben Wallace still doesn’t quite understand.
“I definitely thought (head coach) Rick Carlisle was the guy to get us there,” says Wallace, Detroit’s starting center in the 2003-04 season. “They made the decision to fire him and I remember thinking, 'Where are we going to go from here?'”
Where the Detroit Pistons went after losing in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2003 was hiring veteran coach Larry Brown and make no mistake, he came to win and not to make friends.
“That’s the Larry Brown way,” says the four-time All-Star and Drive part owner with a chuckle. “He had his mind set on what he wanted to do."
But the controversial move wasn’t the only one Detroit made that year. In the midst of a mid-season slump, they took another risk by trading for the talented but equally hotheaded Rasheed Wallace.
“(The technical fouls) actually comforted me,” explains (Ben) Wallace. “It demonstrates how passionate he is about the game.”
And so it was a roster not full of superstars, but with solid players and by the playoffs, they were firing on all cylinders. After dispatching the Pacers in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals, they were on their way to Los Angeles to play Shaq, Kobe, Karl and GP for a championship.
But after stunning the Lakers in game one, they lost the second game of the series thanks to the heroics of the late Kobe Bryant. Ironically, Big Ben says it was this game that showed the Pistons LA didn’t have what it took to win the series.
“We never wavered,” he says. “What we said was 'Wow! Kobe had to hit a miracle shot to pull them out of there. How many times is that going to happen against the Pistons?.'"
By the end of game three, it was apparent, it wasn’t going to happen again. Two games later, the Pistons clinched their first title since 1990, earning their place in NBA history.
“We had a team and we played as a unit,” Wallace says proudly. “And when we came together and we all played our part, it was like a perfect song and dance.”
Truly a championship team to remember, one that started with a coaching fire Ben Wallace will never forget.
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