Dressing alone in the locker room after a 112-94 blowout of Washington in front of a United Center sellout of 22,180, Ben Wallace said the fallout has benefited the Bulls.

"Things like that, if you're a fragile team, it'll break you," Wallace said. "But if you have a nice solid core together, it helps you come together as a team. You start to pick it up.

"You want to play well because you have a lot of (negative) stuff surrounding the team. It forces you to focus a little bit more and play a little bit harder. We're all on the same page now."

Does that mean Wallace pulled his stunt not only to voice his displeasure with the rule but to fire up his team?

"Had to do something, right?" Wallace said, raising an eyebrow. "All I know is they're back talking about the Bulls."