There was a time, not too awfully long ago, that these two teams despised each other.
  Tonight, the Heat and Central Division-leading Pistons hook up at The Palace. And, from the sound of things, it's more like a mutual-admiration-society gathering.
  "There is a whole different philosophy there (in Detroit) now," Heat Coach Pat Riley said. "There is a whole different mind-set. It's a team that's tough."
  It used to be Pistons flash against Heat force.
  Now, it's force against force.
  "Ben Wallace is of the ilk of the Charles Oakleys of the world," Riley said. "He is one of those guys who does all the intangible things -- defensively, shot-blocking, rebounding.
  "Once Grant Hill left, it opened up incredible opportunities for other players. (President) Joe Dumars has proven to be one heck of an executive. He lost Hill, but got effort players back (Wallace and Chucky Atkins). He hired a good coach in Rick Carlisle, and has brought in personnel around Jerry Stackhouse that has allowed him to change his game. I have seen the maturity of Stackhouse into a go-to guy who doesn't have to shoot the ball all the time and a guy who makes the other players around him better."