In good company

Wallace reigns supreme in blocks, rebounds

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (AP) -- Ben Wallace pulled down 20 rebounds Wednesday in the Detroit Pistons' 123-89 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks to lock up the NBA's rebounding title.

Wallace's performance meant that Tim Duncan needed 40 rebounds to pass Wallace for the title.

Wallace also led the league in blocked shots, and joins Hakeem Olajuwon, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton as the only players to lead the league in both categories in the same season.

'It really hasn't sunk in yet,' Wallace said after the game. 'That's one of those things that I'll really appreciate after I'm out of the game. I'm more happy that I was able to help the team win 50 games.'

Wallace's teammates may have understood the achievement more than he did.

'Ben Wallace has turned himself into a star,' teammate Jerry Stackhouse said. 'It's just incredible to see how he has become a dominant force inside.'

While the other three players were all college superstars and No. 1 picks in the draft, Wallace was undrafted out of little-known Virginia Union. At 6-foot-9, he is also much shorter than the other three, all 7-footers.

'Ben is a monster out there,' Pistons coach Rick Carlisle said. 'No one works harder and no one does more for his team defensively than Ben does.'

 

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