Ben Wallace Gets 2000th Career Block

Ben Wallace acts as if blocking 2,000 shots in his NBA career is nothing special.

But the list of players who have accomplished that feat is a short one. Wallace became the 17th member of that group Tuesday night when he swatted a layup attempt by New Jersey guard Devin Harris during the first quarter of a road game against the Nets.

Wallace blocked a shot by Harris from behind Harris with 4:33 left in the first quarter. The ball glanced off the backboard and the rim into the waiting hands of Nets center Brook Lopez, who scored to give the Nets a 19-16 lead.

“It is a milestone,” Wallace said Monday afternoon before the Pistons left for New Jersey. “It’s not something that I set out saying that I wanted to do during the course of my career. But if you go out and play hard, good things happen.

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The 2,000-block club features a 11 7-footers and no one else as short as Wallace, who is listed at 6 feet, 9 inches. Just two 6-10 players -- Alonzo Mourning and Larry Nance -- have 2,000 blocked shots.

“Shot blocking is not always about big guys going in and blocking shots,” Wallace said. “You’ve got timing, footwork, being in the right place at the right time and being on a solid defensive team.”

Wallace explained that when his teammates play good defense, it causes opposing players to take bad shots, which allows him more opportunities for blocks.

Wallace has blocked so many shots that he can’t pick a favorite.

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Wallace has averaged 2.1 blocks per game during his 13-year career and is fourth in blocks among active players behind Shaquille O’Neal, Tim Duncan and Marcus Camby.

“I’ve been lucky to have been around for a while,” Wallace said. “Nobody’s gotten tired of me and sent me home yet.”

Piston Boris wrote:“I’ve been lucky to have been around for a while,” Wallace said. “Nobody’s gotten tired of me and sent me home yet.”