NOTEBOOK NBA Finals

Big Ben: Ben Wallace turned out to be the center with real superpowers.
The Pistons' undersized big man had the game of his life in Detroit's championship-clinching victory, getting 18 points and 22 rebounds in a 100-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 6-foot-9 Wallace is best known for his incredible athletic skills and skyscraping hairstyle, but the two-time defensive player of the year might have done the best work of his career against Shaquille O'Neal.
Wallace held the self-styled Superman to 26.6 points per game in the finals -- no small feat, given O'Neal's 36-point average in the finals entering the series.
And when the Lakers faced elimination, Big Ben was much better.
"I wanted to leave my whole heart on the court," Wallace said. "We had to have more intensity in this game, because they were playing for their lives. But we were the better team, just better."
Wallace was a whirlwind of energy from the opening tip, frustrating O'Neal into picking up two fouls 18 seconds apart in the first quarter. He hit big shots from inside and outside as the Pistons took a 10-point lead into halftime.
And he dominated the second half, grabbing 17 rebounds in 21 minutes and patrolling the lane with menace. He also threw down two rebound dunks, both inspiring the crowd to deafening cheers.
Wallace could have played all night, it seemed. But coach Larry Brown removed him with 2:56 to play, earning one more standing ovation. When the game ended, Wallace grabbed Pistons owner Bill Davidson in a hug that nearly lifted him off the ground.
Brown's boosters: Larry Brown has impressed the only two basketball coaches in Michigan more beloved than him.
Former Pistons coach Chuck Daly and Michigan State's Tom Izzo were regulars at The Palace during Detroit's run to Brown's first championship.
The Pistons soon will hang their first title banner since Daly's second straight win in 1990. Izzo's Spartans have been the most successful team in the state in recent years, winning the 2000 NCAA title.
Daly, who went 467-271 during nine straight winning seasons from 1983-92, still gets enthusiastic ovations at The Palace -- even while walking in from the parking lot before the game.
"How could you not enjoy what these guys are doing out here?" Daly asked. "I'm just enjoying it along with the rest of Michigan and the country. Coach Brown does a great job playing to his team's strengths, so I recognize that part of their game as something we also tried to do."
Jack's back: After several days of false sightings by star-struck fans and Michigan reporters, Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson attended Game 5.
Nicholson has been the most visible star in the Lakers' galaxy since the 1970s, but the 67-year-old actor rarely travels to road games these days. He made an exception for the most disappointing day of the Lakers' mini-dynasty against the Pistons.
Nicholson sat near the court, wearing a white Lakers hat and grinning at hecklers. In the third quarter, the Jumbotron alternated shots of Nicholson and Pistons mainstay Kid Rock.
Needless to say, the crowd booed Jack and cheered the Kid.
Associated Press