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Pistons, Sonics and Mavs Tie Series 2-2

Posted on: Monday, 16 May 2005, 09:00 CDT

INDIANAPOLIS - The Detroit Pistons lived up to Rasheed Wallace's guarantee of a playoff victory over the Indiana Pacers with an 89-76 win in Game Four on Sunday, tying the series at two games apiece. In other playoff games Sunday, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Phoenix Suns 119-109 and the Seattle SuperSonics beat the San Antonio Spurs 101-89, also tying those series at 2.

Just as they did a year ago, the Pistons delivered on Wallace's prediction - this time tying their second-round series. Chauncey Billups scored 29 points, and Wallace had 17 points, 12 rebounds and a playoff career-high five blocks.

"It was answering the bell," Wallace said. "We couldn't afford to go down 3-1 to this team."

Last year, Wallace guaranteed a Game 2 win by the Pistons after they lost to Indiana in the opener of the Eastern Conference finals. Detroit went out and won that game - and the series - and beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals.

Wallace was at it again Friday, saying, "We're definitely going back to Detroit with this thing 2-2, no question about it," after Indiana took a 2-1 series lead with a 79-74 win.

"I'm the megaphone on the team," Wallace said. "I say what other people feel."

Now, the series goes back to Detroit tied 2-2 for Game 5 on Tuesday night.

"I couldn't get a shot to save my life the last game," Wallace said. "Coming into tonight, I don't think there was no pressure on us. We just had to go out and play and execute."

Indiana was done in by poor shooting and turnovers.

In the first quarter, the Pacers scored just one point during a span of almost eight minutes. Of 19 shots from late in the first period to early in the second quarter, they missed 18. Billups, meanwhile, had nine points during a 19-1 run that broke it open.

Detroit led by 17 in the first half and took a 20-point lead late in the third period after Indiana pulled within six. In the final quarter, the Pistons were never threatened.

Nineteen Indiana turnovers led to 25 points for the Pistons.

"It was a tough little stretch when they got back in the game. We knew they would make a run," Billups said. "But I wanted to combat that by being extra aggressive. I kind of took it on myself, and they followed me.

"This has turned into a great series, but the pressure is always going to be on us. We're the (defending) champs."

Indiana's Rick Carlisle was the Detroit coach in Billups' first season with the Pistons in 2002-03.

"I can't believe Chauncey Billups hasn't been an All-Star. It's ridiculous, isn't it?" Carlisle said. "He can control the game from the point guard spot as few players in the league can. ... I expected he would be more aggressive early, and he was.

"But when we got it down to 6, he put his stamp on the game, and that really was the last time we were able to threaten them."

Richard Hamilton added 13 points and seven assists for the Pistons. Stephen Jackson led Indiana with 23 points and Jamaal Tinsley had 17. Jermaine O'Neal, continuing a playoff shooting slump, was just 4-of-15 from the field and finished with 10 points.

"I was terrible. I didn't do anything right," said O'Neal, who has shot just 23 percent in the past two games.

"It is a cycle in basketball. It always comes back to you," O'Neal said. "I'm a true believer you should never get too high or too low. ... At some point, I feel it's going to come back to me."

Reggie Miller, who clinched the Game 3 victory with a basket and four free throws in the closing seconds, had seven points on 2-for-6 shooting and missed all four of his 3-point attempts.

"It's pretty obvious after you play a team a number of times, you find out what works," Detroit coach Larry Brown said. "As the series has gone on, we've tried to be more committed to a pick-and-roll defense, changing up a bit. The big factor was they didn't get out on the break much. And when our defense is set, that's when you're going to get turnovers and be a little more difficult to score against."

Indiana's only lead came in the opening minutes, when two baskets by Dale Davis and a 3-pointer by Jackson helped the Pacers to a 9-2 lead.

It didn't last long.

The Pacers missed their next 13 shots, and with nine points by Billups and baskets by Antonio McDyess and Hamilton, Detroit made it 21-10 before a basket by O'Neal - his first after 14 straight misses since the first quarter of Game 3 on Friday.

"They really raised the level of their game. Unfortunately, after a great start, we struggled," Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

Mavericks 119, Suns 109

At Dallas, Dirk Nowitzki finally snapped out of his postseason shooting slump with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting for the Mavericks. Josh Howard finished with a playoff career-high 29 points and 10 rebounds - six on the offensive end.

Steve Nash scored a playoff career-high 48 points, including 23 in the third quarter when he scored 16 straight for the Suns, but also committed nine turnovers.

Amare Stoudemire, who had scored at least 30 points in three straight games, had more fouls (five) than field goals (three) and scored nine of his 15 points on free throws.

SuperSonics 101, Spurs 89

At Seattle, Ray Allen scored 32 points and Luke Ridnour had 15 of his 20 points in the third quarter, hitting all seven of his field goals in the period.

Seattle forward Rashard Lewis was unable to run because of a sprained toe on his left foot. He watched in street clothes on the bench.

Tim Duncan led the Spurs with 35 points.

Source: Associated Press/AP Online

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