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Time’s on Detroit’s side

Detroit's Rasheed Wallace grabs the rim after dunking during Tuesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
Associated Press
Detroit's Rasheed Wallace grabs the rim after dunking during Tuesday's Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Indiana coach Rick Carlisle used all four of his second-half timeouts in the third quarter, trying to slow down the Detroit Pistons.

It didn’t work.

Ben Wallace had 19 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks to lead Detroit to an 86-67 victory Tuesday night over the Pacers, and a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The Pistons held Indiana without a field goal for a stretch of 10:39 – including the first 6:26 of the second half – turning a tie game into a 22-point edge. The defending NBA champions turned the game into a rout with a 30-4 run over the second and third quarters.

“I think it’s probably one of our best performances,” Wallace said. “When we play like that, we’re a tough team to beat.”

The outcome was a foregone conclusion by the fourth quarter, but the final few minutes provided a couple of oddly entertaining moments.

League rules require that each team calls a timeout in the fourth quarter, but because Carlisle didn’t have any left, the Pacers were called for a technical foul with 2:17 left.

“I’ve never seen that. It blew me away,” said Pistons coach Larry Brown, whose NBA coaching career started in 1976. “I asked (official) Joe Crawford if he’s ever seen it, and he said he hadn’t in his 28 years.”

Seldom-used Pistons player Darko Milicic, the second overall pick in 2003, made the technical foul shot.

“It wasn’t that big of a deal,” Carlisle said of the quick second-half timeouts. “But at the time, I felt like if we were going to have a chance to stay in it, we needed to stop the game.”

Game 6 is Thursday in Indianapolis. Of the previous 123 series tied at 2, the winner of Game 5 advanced 103 times (84 percent) in best-of-7 series.

Indiana’s Jermaine O’Neal had 14 points and Stephen Jackson scored 12. Reggie Miller was held to eight points – his third single-digit scoring game of the series.

Tayshaun Prince had 16 points for the Pistons, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton each scored 13 points, and Rasheed Wallace added 10.

Detroit’s reserves – led by Antonio McDyess and Carlos Arroyo – keyed a 15-2 run late in the first half, giving the Pistons a 42-33 lead.

Detroit’s starters put away Indiana with a 15-0 run to start the second half.