Ben Wallace will play in Game 1 of the Pistons upcoming playoff series according to Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press.

Wallace is expected to wear a protective brace to keep from aggravating the knee.

"It looks like he's going to give it a go," John Hammond, the team's vice president of basketball operations, said Tuesday.

Wallace said: "It's killing me to just sit on the bench and watch. I want to be out there."

It is also killing the Pistons. While they are 3-2 without Wallace, the Pistons miss the defense and shot blocking Wallace brings.

"Ben, he gets most of those rebounds and second shots teams have been getting," guard Chauncey Billups said. "I know we're still trying to get used to playing without Ben, but I know guys wouldn't be getting those kinds of shots when the big fella is playing.

"It changes the whole complexion of the game."

The Pistons will face the loser of tonight?s Milwaukee-Orlando game in the first round of the playoffs.