Game 3 Recap
On Detroit’s first possession Rasheed Wallace threw an errant pass that was picked off by Andre Iguadala which lead to a Samuel Dalembert lay up. This would set the tone for game three of the Pistons-76ers first round match up.

Just three days after Detroit had one of their most convincing wins of their season the 76ers played one of their most complete games all year with a thorough 20-point whoopin’ over the most confident team in the post season. After Wallace’s first errant pass, the pistons followed their next four possessions with two more turnovers on bad passes, and five turnovers in the quarter. The trend continued throughout the game as Detroit went on to commit 25 turnovers (including one on their first possession of the second half too), the most they’ve had all season.

What was interesting about this game was the play of Philadelphia’s bench’s play. They scored a collective 28 points compared to 19 points from Detroit’s bench who had been heralded all season for their great play. Both Reggie Evans and Louis Williams came off the bench and added nine points, and Evans really got the crowd going with his play in the first half.

Philadelphia ended up playing inspired defense in game three holding the Pistons to only 75 points on 40 percent shooting—after Detroit went into the first half shooting just over 60 percent from the field. The Sixers held the Pistons’ bigs to 12 points collectively. Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess (who left the game in the third quarter with a broken nose) each had two points, Jason Maxiell and Amir Johnson both added two points off of the bench and Theo Ratliff added four. On top of that, those four guys combined for less than half of the teams rebounds.

For game four, Andre Iguodala has to find his shot. He had a better game in game three than he did in game four, but he can’t go two for nine in two straight games and expect Philly to win again. He did do a great job of getting his teammates involved early recording three of his six assists in the first quarter. For the Pistons, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess have to play much better. They have to take more than eight combined shots and score more than four points.
Game Four Prediction: Detroit by six.

Game 2 Recap
There would be no second half collapse in game two for the Detroit Pistons who were upset by the 76ers in game one in their first round match up. After losing by four in game one, the Pistons came out in game two and took care of business. After taking the lead with about 10:20 left in the first quarter, the Pistons ran with it and kept the lead for the rest of the game.

The story of this game was the Pistons’ defense as they held the 76ers to only 88 points, 39.5 percent from the field and an appalling 16.7 percent from behind the three point line. More importantly, they held Andre Iguodala to only four points on one for nine shooting and Samuel Dalembert to only three points on one for six shooting. After Willie Green’s great performance in game one, the Pistons shut him down too. He only had six points on two for eight shooting. The 76ers bench ended up scoring 50 of the teams 88 total points.

Offensively, Detroit played as they had all season. They had 26 assists on 45 made baskets and four of their five starters scored in double figures. Chauncey Billips had nine. Detroit made a statement, showing their superiority over the team that stunned them in game one at the Palace outplaying them in almost every major statistical category.

Philadelphia coach probably said it best when he said, "They not only hit us first, they continued to hit and hit and hit.” For game three, Andre Iguodala has to play better. Tayshaun Price really took him out of his game early and he never really got into it. They’re also going to need to get a spark off the bench from either Louis Williams or Reggie Evans. For game three, I think Detroit will win a close one by maybe four or five points.

Other notes:
Richard Hamilton received a technical foul for complaining when he didn’t need to be complaining. Flip Saunders pulled him out of the game before he could pick up his second. Also, Tayshaun Prince was awarded the NBA’s ‘longest face award’ before the game.


Submit Your Comments About This Series

Game 1 Recap
The Pistons’ quiet arrogance, just like the last few years, is going to ruin their playoff run again this year. Going into halftime with a 51-38 lead and a 15-point lead midway through the third, things were seemingly all Pistons just like everyone expected… everyone except the 76ers. Andre Miller had 20 points and six assists to help lead what seemed like an unrealistic comeback against the pompous Pistons. Willie Green had a playoff career high 17 points and rookie Thaddeus Young got the start and added ten points of his own.

After the Pistons’ lead was extended to 15 points, the Sixers went on a 10-0 run and completely took control of the game’s momentum. The Sixers took that lead into the fourth quarter and took their first lead since early in the first on an Andre Miller put back with 6:03 left to play in the game. Chauncey Billups hit a short jumper on the Pistons’ next possession, but gave up the lead for good on a  couple of Reggie Evans free throws with a little over 5 minutes left to play in the game making the score 80-79.

With 11 seconds to play, Rasheed Wallace sent Andre Iguodala to the line who split a pair of free throws to extend their lead to two giving the Pistons a final chance to tie the game or take the lead. During the timeout, ‘Sheed entered the Sixers huddle (something he has been unfairly scrutinized for because he was not the reason for the Pistons’ loss, in fact, they wouldn’t have even been in the game if it weren’t for his play) before missing a missing a lay up that would have tied the game.

What was interesting about this game is how Maurice Cheeks out coached Flip Saunders. The three games that the Pistons’ starters played significant minutes in the regular season, the Philadelphia only averaged 8.6 fast break points per game in really methodical, half court games. In game one, Philadelphia had 16 fast break points because Cheeks played Rasheed Wallace one on one, creating more one-on-one match-ups which really speed up the game’s tempo. The Pistons took more early shots instead of moving the ball trying to find the open man like they’ve done all season. It will be interesting to see how Detroit adjusts to Philly’s game plan.

Other notes:
Sheed picked up a technical foul in the first quarter complaining about a call on Tayshaun Prince.

Series Preview
The 76ers won their final two games against the Pistons this season by a combined eight points. Although the Pistons rested their starters for much of the fourth game of the season series, each of the final two games were meaningful to the Sixers, who clinched the sixth spot with that win over the Pistons.

The Pistons are poised to handle Philly in the first round, but a sweep is unlikely. Philly has to play four flawless games to win this series. Much like their win at Detroit in early March, the Sixers are going to have to keep their turnovers under 10, win the rebound battle and play great defense. They’re also going to have to be able to respond positively to the runs the Pistons will make, just like that 21-6 run to open up the afore mentioned game. The Pistons are going to have to just keep doing what they’ve done all year. Detroit has the best defense in the league (yes, they do play better defense than the Celtics) and they have three guys who can give you 20 on any given night. The 76ers have the kind of guys that can get out in the lanes and really run against this much older Pistons team, but much like the last two games of this series, the Pistons are going to have to make these games slow, methodical and half-court games.
Prediction: The Sixers have lost their last two playoff series to the Pistons in five games. I don’t see anything changing this year. Detroit in 5

Point Guard - Chauncey Billups vs. Andre Miller
	Chauncey hasn’t played his best basketball against the Sixers but we all know he shows up every game and takes care of business. Billups is still one of the strongest point guards in the league and always elevates his game in the post season.		Andre Miller’s has not played well against the Pistons all season, in fact, his point total dropped every game he played against Detroit. Miller is going to have to find a way to stay relevant in this game with Chauncey Billups guarding him. He needs to score and distribute well for the Sixers to win.
Advantage - Chauncey Billups
Shooting Guard - Richard Hamilton vs. Willie Green
	Richard Hamilton has not shot the ball well at all against Philadelphia this season. He’s shooting only 42 percent from the floor (6% under his season average) and a mere 14 percent from behind the arch. However, Rip has always been much tougher to handle in the post season.		I really like Willie Green, and for the Sixers to be competitive he’s going to have to play well. He’s been very consistent in the three games he’s played against the Pistons this year. Green is this series’ ex-factor.
Advantage - Slight Edge to Richard Hamilton
Small Forward - Tayshaun Prince vs. Andre Iguodala
	Tayshaun Prince is going to have to take advantage of his length to slow down Andre Iguodala. He’s going to get back on defense and run the floor better than anyone else on the floor to slow Iguodala down. He’ll score in double figures every game and grab a few boards too.		Philly’s new AI has played well against everyone this season. I love how he runs the floor and he’s been developing different aspects of his offensive game. He hasn’t been slowed down by Detroit at all this season, and I don’t think we should expect that to change.
Advantage - Andre Iguodala
Power Forward - Rasheed Wallace vs. Reggie Evans
	There are times when Rasheed Wallace isn’t into the game. ‘Sheed has often looked bored against Philadelphia this season, and this is something he can’t do in the playoffs. Don’t expect any lasidasical play from Wallace though, he usually shows up in the post season. He shouldn’t have any problems with Evans.		Reggie Evans is going to have a tough time with Rasheed Wallace. Wallace is one of the toughest players in the NBA to guard when he’s focused, and ‘Sheed is usually focused come playoff time. Evans is going to have to hit the boards to be able to contribute something for the 76ers.
Advantage - Rasheed Wallace
Center- Antonio McDyess vs. Samuel Dalembert
	Antonio McDyess has been great for the Pistons in the postseason the last few years. He’s a great teammate and a tough interior defender. Dalembert has had a better season, but McDyess has 58 games of playoff experience over Dalembert.		I don’t know if anyone’s noticed, but Samuel Dalembert has had a very productive season this year. He’s averaging a double-double this season and his numbers have been slightly better against the Pistons. He’ll keep the consistency throughout the series.
Advantage - Even
Pistons' Bench vs. 76ers' Bench
	The Pistons have one of the most productive benches in the NBA. Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckley and Jarvis Hayes all have been great. Flip Saunders can even go deeper into his bench to find a few veterans like Juan Dixon and, of course, Lindsay Hunter, who is on this roster just for the post season.		There is a lot of young talent on the ‘Sixers bench. Look for guys like Thaddeus Young, Rodney Carney and Louis Williams to come off the bench and contribute. However, this is a very inexperienced bunch, and they don’t have any starters who have the playoff experience to let them know what to expect either.
Advantage - Pistons Bench
Coaching - Flip Saunders vs. Maurice Cheeks
	Flip Saunders has been to the conference finals three times as a coach and has come up empty each time. He knows how to coach, he just has to get over that hump. I think his players like him and he’s an above average motivator. With his roster, he should lead this team to an easy first round victory.		This is Maurice Cheeks first playoff series as a coach in five years. He’s done a great team with the 76ers since the departure of Allen Iverson. The Sixers finished only two games under .500 this season and his guys have really bought into his system. Cheeks has never won a playoff series though, and that shouldn’t change this year.
Advantage - Flip Saunders