Ben Wallace's career-high 29 points and 16 rebounds weren't enought to stop Allen Iverson on Friday night, as the Sixers defeated the Pistons by a final score of 115-104.

Iverson scored 37 points and 15 assists on one of his most efficient nights in his playing career.  He shot 15-26 from the field, including 2-4 from 3-point land.

Larry Brown was impressed with his former player's performance.

``From a personal standpoint, when you know what someone like that is capable of, it's not a comfortable feeling,'' Brown said. ``We all know what he does, and I haven't seen anybody stop him. The reason we've been successful is we've stopped other people.''

The Pistons now lead the best-of-seven series by a count of 2-1.

Allen Iverson delivered a heartfelt concession speech Tuesday night.

"Whenever we need stops, try to cut into the lead, whenever we get the lead down a little bit, they score on us," said Iverson, the Philadelphia 76ers superstar, visibly showing the frustration of trailing the Detroit Pistons 2-0 in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

"If we don't get stops, we can't beat them," wailed Iverson, who should have used a white flag instead of a towel to wipe away his sweat.

Iverson was not only conceding to a superior opponent that won a championship a year ago and is on a mission to defend its title. He was also conceding to a style of play that separates the Pistons from their peers.

In a league overrun with guaranteed contracts and bloated egos, the Pistons defy the norm.

When Tracy McGrady of the Houston Rockets buried the winning jumper in a playoff game against the Dallas Mavericks, he graciously thanked his "supporting cast" for making it all possible.

Welcome to pro basketball in the 21st century.

McGrady, who led the NBA in scoring two years ago in becoming the youngest player to average 30-plus points per game since the NBA/ABA merger in 1976-77, wouldn't last a week with the Pistons.

Iverson might last less than a week.

The me-first mentality of athletes such as McGrady and Iverson, tremendous talents who struggle to master the concept of team play, permeates pro sports.

It's partly why America has fallen out of love with the NBA.

The Pistons didn't come together by accident. Team president Joe Dumars assembled a group of players from winning college backgrounds who were constantly told they weren't good enough.

Compare that with the influx of players who enter the NBA directly from high school, or who have been buttered up like a slice of bread since adolescence.

Dumars' personnel brilliance simplified things for coach Larry Brown, who has convinced the Pistons to play championship basketball with a rare blend of togetherness and unselfishness.

Shooting guard Richard Hamilton and small forward Tayshaun Prince attended Connecticut and Kentucky, respectively, where they both won national championships.

At the NBA level, however, they faced skepticism. Hamilton was considered too "soft;" Prince was - and remains - skinny enough to hula-hoop with a Cheerio. Both players, for all their supposed warts, are now on the brink of stardom.

Center Ben Wallace led Virginia Union to the Division II Final Four, but wasn't drafted because he played for a small school and couldn't shoot (he still can't hit the broad side of a barn, but he's an intimidating rebounder and shot-blocker).

Power forward Rasheed Wallace (North Carolina) and point guard Chauncey Billups (Colorado) left college early for the NBA. However, each player bounced from team to team before finding his niche in Detroit.

Billups, last year's finals MVP, played for five teams in his first four NBA seasons. He butted heads with Brown at first. He'd lost the ability to trust because he had been traded so often, and was determined to play an individual game instead of a team game.

Billups is now a believer in the Pistons brand. "Everybody can't be us," Billups said.

Too bad.

Bobby Simmons of the Los Angeles Clippers was named the winner of the 2004-05 NBA Most Improved Player Award, the NBA announced today. The annual award is presented to a player who has made a dramatic improvement from the previous season or seasons.

Simmons is the first Clipper to be honored with the Most Improved Player award since its inception. He also becomes the first player with NBDL (2002-03) experience to be honored with one of the NBA?s annual awards.

Simmons received a total of 384 points, including 59 first-pace votes, from a panel of 123 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Miami?s Dwyane Wade finished second with 129 points (15 first-place votes) followed by Detroit?s Tayshaun Prince with 107 points (14 first-place votes). Players were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third place vote received.

?Bobby plays the game with toughness,? said TNT analyst Doug Collins. ?He plays hard. He gives you his best effort all the time. He?s smart. He shoots the ball well and he?s an all-around player.?

A former member of the NBDL?s Mobile Revelers, Simmons is in his fourth NBA season and averaged 16.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists over 37.3 minutes per game this season. He improved his scoring average from last season by 8.6 points, his rebounding average by 1.2 rpg. Simmons also increased his field goal percentage to .466 (up from .394 in 2003-04) and three-point field goal percentage to .435 (up from .167 in 2003-04).

He started 74 of the 75 games in which he played for the Clippers this season, leading the team in scoring on 12 occasions, rebounds five times, assists six times and steals 21 times.

A second round selection in the 2001 NBA Draft (42nd pick overall) by the Seattle SuperSonics, Simmons spent two seasons with the Washington Wizards (2001-02 and 2002-03) before signing with the Clippers prior to the 2003-04 season.

Allen Iverson became the latest victim at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  This time an unidentified fan hit the Sixers guard with a quarter.

Iverson spoke briefly with Auburn Hills police and Palace security. Teammate Chris Webber witnessed the incident and pointed the fan out to security officials who immediately rushed over and detained him.

It has been an embarassing season for Pistons' fans, who in November began a brawl after a fan threw a cup of beer at Ron Artest and when the Pacers returned to Detroit several months later, there were multiple bomb threats.

Motivated by a technical foul where he untucked his shirt in a demonstrative manner, Rasheed Wallace scored 11 of 15 points in the third quarter to lead the Detroit Pistons to a 99-84 victory over Philadelphia on Tuesday, and a 2-0 lead in their first-round series as they defend their NBA title.

Rip Hamilton led all scorers with 23 points on 9-13 shooting.

Allen Iverson scored 19 points on a frustrating night where he spent much of the game on the hardwood.

Sixers forward Kyle Korver bumped his right knee diving for a loose ball in the second half Saturday. An MRI exam was negative, and Korver said yesterday the knee was "a lot better."

"It's got a little tendinitis," he said. "When you hit it just right, it just hurts a little bit. It'll be fine."

Korver had just 2 points in 35 minutes in Game 1 at Detroit.

Pistons GM Joe Dumars adamantly denied published rumors from Cleveland that Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilber had discussed his own GM vacancy with Detroit head coach Larry Brown.

"It's so ridiculous," Dumars said. "If you look at all the stories that were printed, each one has a different speculation about who's going to take those jobs in Cleveland."

Brown is under contract for another three years with the Pistons.

The defending champion Detroit Pistons got a first quarter scare from the Philadelphia 76ers, trailing 28-16 at the end of the first 12:00.  They recovered in the 2nd quarter to take a two point lead into the half.

The second half was a complete domination, as the Pistons rolled to a 106-85 win.

Rasheed Wallace had 29 points and 10 rebounds, while TayShaun Prince scored 23.

Allen Iverson scored 29 points on 9-22 shooting, including 4-8 from 3-point land.  Chris Webber was impressive, scoring 27 points.

The Sixers must be disappointed with the result, particulary after they played so well in the first quarter.  They had an opportunity to steal a Game 1 as they did in the 2001 NBA Finals at Los Angeles.

The NBA Playoffs begin on Saturday in Detroit where they left off last season, when the Sixers face the defending champion Pistons.  The match-up features Larry Brown against his former club and Allen Iverson, who thrives on the big game.

The Houston Rockets will then meet the Dallas Mavericks, their in-state rivals.  In past year's this would surely be a shootout, but both teams are stressing defense this season.

At 8:00 EST in Boston, the Pacers will face the Celtics.  This will be Reggie Miller's final postseason and he has made his career on showstopping performances in the playoffs.

The day's nightcap will come from KeyArena in Seattle when the SuperSonics host the Sacramento Kings.  Both teams have been battling injuries, so the healthier team here will have the advantage.

Carlos Delfino was left off the Pistons' playoff roster and was decidedly disappointed.

"They used me, they treated me like trash," Delfino said in an English translation of the stories posted on FIBA.com. "They should transfer me or cut me. From this place, I have the worst memories of my career, and I want to go back home.

"For this guy (Brown), I will not play anymore. And I don't want to stay here."

Delfino practiced Friday but did not make himself available to reporters.

Brown said he doesn't see the outburst as anything to worry about.

"I wouldn't want him to handle it well," Brown said.