May 16, 2006 5 min read

CLEVELAND (AP) – Here’s the latest playoff guarantee: The Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers will play a Game 6. And, who knows? Maybe even a 7.

Rasheed Wallace’s defiant prediction of a Detroit victory backfired when LeBron James scored 22 points and the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 74-72 to even their second-round series at 2-2 on Monday night.

Following Detroit’s loss in Game 3, Wallace had pledged the Pistons would not only win Game 4, but that the Cavaliers would be playing in front of their fans for the last time this season. Well, Cleveland has at least one more at home after winning its second straight over the favored Eastern Conference champs.

“We’re not feeling the pressure,” James said. “The Pistons are feeling the pressure.”

With Wallace watching from the bench because of a sprained right ankle, James made two free throws – the last with 1.3 seconds left – and the Pistons threw away their final inbounds pass to James, who grabbed the ball and punted it into the second deck.

Quicken Loans Arena was electrified from start to finish, and Wallace’s boast had a lot to do with that. Detroit’s mouthy forward was booed every time he touched the ball.

Afterward, Wallace remained confident the Pistons would get the job done.

“I ain’t worried about these cats,” he said. “There’s no way in hell they beat us in a series. They played well. I give them credit. We lost. We shot 30 percent and they had to play their best to beat us.”

James added nine assists and eight rebounds, narrowly missing his third triple-double of the postseason. Eric Snow had 12 points – 10 after halftime – and Anderson Varejao had 10 points and drew a key foul late in the game.

Richard Hamilton scored 30 points and Tayshaun Prince had 16 for the Pistons, who suddenly find themselves in a tense series after dominating at home in Games 1 and 2. The series now shifts to The Palace in Auburn Hills, Mich., for Game 5 on Wednesday.

That was when Wallace figured the Pistons, who lost their second straight low-scoring game, would wrap things up. Instead, they’ll be coming back to Ohio on Friday, and if they’re not careful, it could be to save their own season.

The Pistons felt as if they had let Wallace down.

“We can’t let the man go out and predict a win and then go out and stink it up like we did,” Ben Wallace said. “That’s players, coaching staff, everybody.”

For the second straight game, the Cavaliers were without starting guard Larry Hughes, whose 20-year-old brother, Justin, will be buried Tuesday. Justin Hughes was born with a heart defect and had a transplant in 1997.

The Cavs will attend Hughes’ funeral on Tuesday in St. Louis before traveling to Detroit for Game 5.

Wallace came in 4-0 in playoff games he has “Guaran-Sheed.” His first came in Game 2 of the 2004 conference finals against Indiana, and he made another in ’05 in Game 4 of a second-round series with the Pacers.

Last year, he also guaranteed Detroit would win Game 6 in Miami, and he promised the Pistons would be Milwaukee in a Game 3 earlier in these playoffs.

This time, he was wrong.

With the score tied 72-all, James was fouled by Hamilton with 1:02 remaining.

James split the foul shots, but Detroit couldn’t capitalize as Prince missed before Ben Wallace was tied up underneath. The Pistons controlled a jump ball but Billups was whistled for barreling over Varejao with 29.6 seconds left.

James ran some time off the clock but misfired on a 19-foot jumper. After a timeout, Hamilton missed on a drive, Ben Wallace couldn’t tip it in and Pistons forward Maurice Evans knocked the ball out. Again, James, who was only 5-of-10 from the line, split a pair with 1.3 seconds remaining. But the Pistons threw away their last chance, and a series that began so lopsided was suddenly tight.

Much to the delight of Cavs fans, some of whom were booing Rasheed Wallace two hours before game time, Detroit’s boisterous forward rolled his right ankle while guarding James on a drive in the second quarter.

After being helped to his feet, Wallace gingerly walked to the locker room to get re-taped. He finished with seven points on 3-of-13 shooting.

“I’m all right,” Wallace said. “Don’t send me to the glue factory yet. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before.”

In the moments before the opening tip, Wallace danced and shuffled his feet near mid-court like a boxer who had just entered the ring before a title bout. But he and the Pistons never landed any big blows, and now they’re in a fight they never expected.

NOTES: When the arena’s “Kiss Cam” focused on Detroit’s bench, Rasheed Wallace pursed his lips and tried to plant one on Billups. … James plans to leave the prognosticating to Wallace and others, saying he would never guarantee a win. “Those are very, very bold predictions,” James said. “I let my game speak for itself. I don’t do too much talking. But that’s part of Rasheed’s game, that’s what motivates him.” … The Cavs are 25-19 all-time at home in the playoffs.