Ben Wallace is considered to be one of the best defenders in NBA history, with the center notably being lauded for his ability on that end of the floor despite being undersized. Wallace was notably one of the key reasons that the Detroit Pistons won the 2004 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, as his ability to play one-on-one defense on Shaquille O’Neal allowed the other players to focus on making life difficult for others, rather than doubling O’Neal.
When speaking to NBA Insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson,” Ben Wallace opened up on his mentality when guarding Shaquille O’Neal. He claimed that while most people were focused on Shaquille O’Neal being dominant, he viewed himself as being similarly dominant on the defensive end. It is clear that Wallace was confident in his approach, and it is clear that this is the confidence that helped him win four DPOY awards during his career.
.@FearTheFro talks about his mentality guarding @SHAQ in the 2004 NBA Finals.
There were 4 HOF players on that Lakers squad, and Ben was the only one from the Pistons!
Watch the full episode with @ScoopB here ➡️ https://t.co/lTty5pD4aJ pic.twitter.com/twNHQYULFb
— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) February 17, 2023
Two ways you can look at it… Everybody looked at it as Shaq being the most dominant player ever… I’m looking at it like “I’m that same thing on the defensive end of the floor”. Probably one of the most dominant defensive players ever that impose their will on the game… I looked at it like scoring is not going to beat our all-around team game.
I knew that if I could just hold him up and keep him from coming down the block just keep him catching and dunking it every time, he was going to have to work for it. I was gonna wear him down… I tried to force him to run with me.
Many other teams didn’t have the luxury of having an elite defensive player like Ben Wallace to put on Shaquille O’Neal. Though O’Neal still managed to put up 26.6 PPG and 10.8 RPG in the 2004 Finals, it is clear that Wallace did enough on defense to ensure that the Pistons came out on top.
Ben Wallace Was One Of The Most Unique Players In NBA History
It is fair for someone to say that Ben Wallace was a poor player offensively. After all, he wasn’t a good scorer or passer, notably becoming the player with the lowest PPG to be indicted into the Hall of Fame.
Even with this poor offensive play, Ben Wallace’s defensive impact was so great that his scoring didn’t matter. He has a legitimate argument for being the best defensive player in history in his prime, and hopefully, we will see him get more respect in the future.
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