AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Detroit and Indiana were able to just play basketball for the first time this season at The Palace.

“It was good to see the focus on basketball,” said Ben Wallace, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year who also came through on offense last night in a 96-81 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Naturally, Wallace played a big role defensively with 15 rebounds and four steals. But he scored 14 of his 21 points in the first half to help Detroit build a big lead it maintained easily.

The Pacers’ two previous road games against the Pistons were marred by the infamous melee – which started on the court, spilled into the stands, and went back onto the court – and a phone threat of a bomb in Indiana’s locker room, delaying the second game at The Palace by almost 90 minutes.

Detroit’s Richard Hamilton had 28 points, while Chauncey Billups and Rasheed Wallace each scored 11.

Just like both teams predicted, they were able to play without unusual distractions. Indiana’s Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal, suspended for 30 and 15 games, respectively, for their roles in the brawl, were booed louder than the rest of their teammates during pregame introductions and sometimes when they had the ball. That seemed to be the only carry-over from the regular season matchups in suburban Detroit.

After winning at Boston in Game 7, the Pacers were left with only one day of rest before facing Detroit, which was off six days after eliminating Philadelphia in Game 5.

“We do not have any excuses,” Jackson said. “They wanted to come out and make a statement and they made it.”

Indiana scored the first basket, then fell behind and couldn’t do much about it. O’Neal had a great start, then cooled down, finishing with 22 points. Jackson didn’t score until early in the second quarter and finished with 15 points.

Reggie Miller, who plans to retire after the season, scored just six points – nearly 10 below his playoff average – and struggled to stay with Hamilton. Jamaal Tinsley added 13 points for the Pacers.

“I thought Ben Wallace really dominated a lot of the activity in this game, and he set an unbelievable tone,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said.

Wallace would’ve had a better night offensively had the notoriously poor free-throw shooter not missed 10 of 15 at the line.

Detroit started aggressively, driving for shots in the lane instead of settling for jumpers. O’Neal prevented the Pacers from falling behind earlier by scoring 12 of their first 16 points. Detroit led 23-20 after the first quarter.

The Pistons built a cushion by outscoring Indiana 11-4 to open the second quarter and led by as much as 16 before taking a 52-38 lead at halftime. The Pistons started the fourth quarter with a 72-57 lead.

“Right now, we are playing a team that is bringing a different level of force than we have seen in the last couple weeks, and we will have to step it up in a lot of areas,” Carlisle said.

Indiana lost Game 1 at Boston, then went on the win the series with three straight wins on the road, including Game 7.

The Pacers’ Ron Artest, suspended for the rest of the season for his part in the brawl, is expected to practice with his teammates when they return to Indianapolis.