AUBURN HILLS – As Rasheed Wallace spoke to reporters yesterday, he held the locker-room door half-open during the interview. It was symbolic: Wallace, if the Pistons lose Game 7 to the Nets tonight, could be halfway out Detroit’s door to New York.

Before what could be his Pistons finale, Wallace remained noncommittal about his free-agent future.

“It’s Game 7,” Wallace said. “I’m not thinking about, if we lose am I going to stay? If we win it all, am I going to stay?”

Though Wallace has expressed his liking for fellow Tar Heels alum Larry Brown, Wallace’s decision runs deeper. Wallace said on March 28 his wife, Fatima, will be chief decision-maker. It’s telling that Fatima, their three sons and newborn daughter stayed in Portland and haven’t lived in Motown. Fatima may care less about championships and more about avoiding Michigan’s snow-plagued winters.

“LB is cool,” Wallace said of Brown. “We have Carolina connections so we’re connected in many other ways than just here.”

Last week, Wallace said, “When I’m not at practice or a game, I’m pretty much at home missing the heck out of my wife and kids.

“It’s a tough time for us. Whenever the season is over, I’m on that first jet back to Portland.”

Brown sounded very unsure.

“He knows I want him to do what’s best for him and his family,” Brown said. “The fact he’s here this year has been a great thing for me. If he asks me for my advice, I’ll tell him to do what’s best for you and your family. Selfishly, I’d love him to be here. Either way, he’ll make a decision for the right reasons.”

Brown said the Pistons should not take Wallace for granted.

“I really believe if we do all the right things by him, through his experiences here, we’ll have a chance,” Brown said. “If we haven’t, then he might not be here.”

Wallace said the three-day layoff improved his plantar fasciitis only slightly. Asked if he’s still at “60 percent,” as he last estimated, Wallace said, “Give or take. Ain’t nothing better, ain’t nothing worse.”

Wallace had 14 points and four blocks and made two big low-post baskets in the final minutes of the Pistons’ 81-75 Game 6 win, but he’s incapable of a 20-plus-point explosion.

“I don’t think offensively we’ve seen what he’s capable of doing because he’s so limited,” Brown said. “He’s not as explosive as he was. It’s tough because he can’t get down on the break and be the first big man down.”