Sixers Have The Pistons Attention
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- One gets the feeling from spending time with the Detroit Pistons the last few days that they are both surprised and annoyed at losing the opening playoff game to the 76ers.
Both emotions are understandable. The Pistons
Sixers Have The Pistons Attention
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- One gets the feeling from spending time with the Detroit Pistons the last few days that they are both surprised and annoyed at losing the opening playoff game to the 76ers.
Both emotions are understandable. The Pistons gave away a game they had full contol of and give the Sixers all the credit in the world for taking it away.
Because they are smarting from the loss, the Pistons will likely come out smoking on Wednesday and it has nothing to do with the ridiculous pre-game fireworks.
So watch for Detroit to try to stomp on the Sixers early and then try to kick them when they are down.
The only question is whether Detroit can actually accomplish this feat?
The Pistons seemed to be taken back by the Sixers athletic ability and resiliency. They will never admit it, but once the Pistons led by 15 points midway through the third quarter, they thought the game was over.
And as we know, now it wasn't. What is interesting is that the Sixers are saying all the right things and one can tell they really believe what they are saying.
Instead of saying that they will come out of this with at least a split, the Sixers are talking about the importance of going up 2-0, although they are making no predictions.
Coach Maurice Cheeks confirmed what we all knew - that winning Game 1 gave the Sixers a ton of confidence.
The Pistons have talked about how difficult it has been to have two full days off between games. The loss is really bothering the Pistons, but most of all, the Sixers have placed even the smallest bit of doubt in the back of the Pistons minds.
If the Sixers can hold off the initial rush of the Pistons in the first quarter, then Game 2 should be very competitive.
And no matter what happens in Game 2, the Sixers have Detroit's undivided attention. Before the series, many Pistons talked about how tough the Sixers were. We're not sure if they really believed that, but if not, they sure do now.
Comments (40)
The Pistons seem especially shook. They've been studying the stats and realize that two of the Sixers big guns(Lou and Dala) struggled as much as Rip and Chauncey did. Plus, the Sixers' March victory in the Palace(w/o Miller down the stretch, I might add) is not so easily dismissed. BTW, another sign that Iguodala is becoming a star; when a near triple-double qualifies as a bad game.— rswknight- seude (name change?), me too, I haven't given up just yet, I check this board about 10 times a day. I don't know if it's just my office, but we use IE6 at work and with this new setup I can't post, but it seems to work okay with Firefox or IE7, both of which I have here at home. Here's the head count of the regulars so far: KM, xing, gba, Statman, Jason-LOS ANGELES, JYurk. I had a little exchange with Morty on www.reclinergm.com about adjustments for game 2, and neither of us could come up with anything super-important. Basically, Iggy needs a better game, Sammy needs to rebound better, and Lou should get to the line more. The blogger of www.reclinergm.com, Dannie, thinks the Pistons should have Billups attack more. Part of me hopes I don't get what I'm wishing for here, but I hope the Pistons challenge us more in game 2, I really didn't learn anything new about the Sixers in game 1. Thad's gonna be force to reckon with in a few years. Jason plays great team defense. Sammy's tough to deal with in the low post. The Sixers were just their normal old selves, and the Pistons still couldn't handle it, jeez, so lame... Here's my take on what the Pistons should do - speed the game up against us and have better ball movement, and get as much playing time as possible for their better 3-point shooters, which includes dusting off Juan Dixon.— sixerzguy
- No paragraphs? Come on...— sixerzguy
- Can't believe they took away separating your ideas into paragraphs...— sixerzguy
- I wonder... Does your post have to have certain keywords in it, like "Sixers", and if it doesn't, it gets reviewed? Iguodala Mo Cheeks— sixerzguy
- I wrote last week that I expected them to win at least two games this series but I'm not sure they can win the series. After game one my prediction looks a little better.— cg
- Everyone is talking about how huge of a game this is for Detroit. This is a huge opportunity for the Sixers. If Mo can get them to understand that the Pistons are going to try to run them out of the building and thus prepare to really clamp down defensively for the first 5-10 minutes of each half then we will be in good shape to pull this game out. The pressure is on them to win this one therefore the Sixers should be loosey-goosey and be able to play a strong game.— thurman
- Sixerzguy, spelled it wrong, didn!t want to go through process again. Good night to play our best game of the series, take their best shot and come back at them. Probably going to be tough to score, hope our "D" is as good as possible.Expect better ball movement by Pistons and more threes attempted, guard the perimeter guys, pppplease!!!— seude
- I love the fact we didn't play our best on Sunday night and still managed put together a great win. I really think the Sixers are going to come out loose. They know they can play with these guys and are going to come out and punch them in the mouth. It's hard to imagine Reggie replicating his game one, but I fully expect Iggy and Sammy to bounce back. How great is it right now to be a sports fan in Philadelphia these days? Young Sixers team coming together and giving the big, bad Pistons all they can handle, Flyers winning a game seven in OT, Phillies having a winning record in April, weather's getting warmer....— JYurk
- You're right, they will try to assert themselves right from the get-go, to prove their dominance. They want to break the Sixer's will in the first quarter. Miller and Green (I wish it were Iguadala at 2 guard) have to take away the outside shot. Inside Dalembert has to get in Wallace's way- maybe double him with Evans. Thad can hold his own with Prince- I love it that Prince no longer has that length advantage over our SF unlike a few years ago. If we can minimize their starting 1,2,3, and 5(not an easy feat) we have a good chance. I still think the game is within grasp. Defense wins games, and offense certainly helps. Imagine coming back 2-0!— xing
- In 2 of the last three games we've played against detroit have been pretty much on their terms - lower scoring, grind it out, defensive affairs. And they've lost both of them. Also, they just aren't used to teams coming back on them. They were comfortable with a 15 pt lead because that's generally plenty for them - but we've probably been down by at least that much in a good percentage of our wins this year. Not that you want to dig a whole for yourself, but its got to rattle detroit knowing that our offense is always just a snap of the fingers away from breaking out on them. They had the same problem with lebron last year - they just can't go toe to toe in terms of explosive offense. Sure, in theory there, but it's just not their game to put up crazy numbers. I think they know that, which is what really is getting their attention. We've out piston-ed them in grind it out games, and they're dont want to get into a track meet with us either. Suede, Also think you've got a great point about the ball movement - its just nowhere near as crisp as were used to seeing from detroit - maybe credit to our defense, maybe thaddeus got into their heads early by breaking up their 1st 2 possessions? tonight should answer those questions.— K,M
- Ed Stefanski is the best GM in the league— T. Kurek
- It seems that with the Pistons, we have the ability to really put the clamps on them in the 4th quarter. In the last two games that we played against the Pistons (not counting the one where the starters rested), we managed to hold them to under 18 pts while putting up around 25-26 pts. I think the Pistons are going to try to put us away as early as possible, given the offense that we can generate in the fourth quarter against this team. Again, aiming for Iggy/Sam/Lou to have better offensive games. I think Sam did have 4 blocks though so definitely continue the interior defense. Reggie played a crazy good game and Thad did some damage when he was out there...don't think he got too much fourth quarter burn though. But yea...doesn't seem to be as many people posting but I guess people will stream in one by one or something.— Mercurial41
- sixerzguy, The Greek is in the house. I miss the other page though. Imaging if we win tonight and go up 2-0? Wow, that would be amazing! We need to get Thad some burn at the 3 tonight with reggie at the 4— The Greek
- Marc, History says the Pistons are angry and will come out smoking. I would love to see the Sixers be real tough early, initiate contact, and possibly give a real hard foul early, maybe even a borderline flagrant foul, to send a message that the Sixers are certainly not going to roll over for the old Bad Boys of Motown. The Sixers have to maintain their composure and drive the ball to the basket early, possibly getting Sheed in foul trouble or for that matter, ref trouble. Sixers will give sheed his 25, and limit Hamilton And Chauncey any day of the week. Jason- Los Angels— JASON RINGLER
- This is a lot of work to get on this new site but if it prevents the misinformed posters = then it is worth it. I have been having trouble with trying to pinpoint what the Sixers are doing well in the 2nd half of the season - how they have been able to beat teams that are clearly more talented than them, etc. I think what they have been able to do is not allow teams get comfortable in playing "their" games. For example, in the 1st half the other night - we tried to execute in the half-court and run a set offense, but it didn't work - Iggy was forcing - couldn't guard Sheed - and we found ourselves down 15 at the half. In H2 - Miller seemed to get out in the open court and get some easy buckets - we were able to attack the rim and not let Detroit control the pace of the game, which seemed to rattle them. In the 2 games that they beat us this year - they seemed to play "their" game - really slow - set offense - balanced contribution. In the games we won, we seemed to be able to impose our will a bit. This is somewhat hard to explain, but look for it tonight - it is a critical part of this team's continued success (if they are to have any).— hugh
- Marc, Great point that the Pistons thought the game was over up 15. The camera panned to the bench and the Pistons, mainly McDyess, Hamilton, and Billups were laughing. The scene reminded me of when the Sixers were down big to the Celtics, and the camera panned to the Celtic bench as the big three laughed and pointed to the crowd. We all know how that 19-0 run wiped the smile off of the Celtics that night. Sixers have to go all out tonight, and put the pressure on these guys. If this game is close late, the Pistons will make mistakes, knowing how important this game is. Jason- Los Angeles— JASON RINGLER
- Don't like this new format at all! Adjustments are the key tonight. Thought that sammy did fine job on Sheed last game. Just don't need the fouls! He just got hot. Hope that matchup continues. Need another agressive game by reggie and a big game by either willie or rodney. Don't see Andre M going off tonight. I bet the pistons guards are peaved at their 'D' on Sunday and will attempt to take him out. I think he was the difference Sunday in the 2nd half.— sfw
- KM - looks like your trick no longer works (too bad). Lack of paragraphs in the new format is annoying. Hugh - I've seen a lot of basketball this year with League Pass, and I can say that what the Sixers have, more than most teams, is team speed. In boxing, they say that speed intimidates (think Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Roy Jones Jr. in his prime), and to some extent it is true in basketball too. We all know that the Sixers have one of the best fastbreaks in the NBA, but their team speed also helps on defense, where AIG, Thad, Lou, Carney, and Evans are all good to excellent at getting steals. (NEW PARAGRAPH HERE) At some point in the regular season, the Sixers changed their defensive philosophy so that they switched all picks and then double-teamed on any mismatches in the post. It's not possible to play that way unless you have the personnel to do it, and the Sixers do.— Statman
- Statman, it is a shame. Its tough to proofread a post in this format too, what with the teeny little box to put it in. Agree with your statement about the defense, also. Hugh, I'd actually say that even the games we won against detroit were played to their style (excepting the one where their starters were resting) - scoring in the 80's to low 90's. I really just think it comes down to our ability to disrupt their offense, as statman points out. I'd also add that even when we're not getting steals, we're still getting hands on the ball and forcing the opposing offense to reset off an inbounds play, often with little time left on the clock. I think we've shown this year that we're going to get baskets against most teams on most nights one way or the other, the real issue is can we stop the opponent from just coming right back and trading baskets with us. If you think about it, we really have a similar philosphy to detroit in that everything else flows from a solid defense - the difference, IMO, is that detroit tries to just be efficient and disciplined at the other end, whereas we're looking to get out and score with a quickness.— K,M
- Looks like my prediction for next year might come true this year: Game 1 - Sixers steal Game 2 - Detroit back with a vengence Game 3 - Detroit determined to take back home advantage Game 4 - Sixers win at home Game 5 - Detroit win at home Game 6 - Sixers at home Game 7 - Sixers outlast an aging Detroit— BFrank
- We seem to be a mirror image of Det. . A defensive center that is an opportunistic scorer; an energy player [Evans/Maxiel] ; a point guard who is the biggest threat at the end of a game; an athletic freak at the forward position [Prince/ Young] and a defensive 2 that can get 15 to 20. I just think we match up well no matter what style is played except with their 3 pt. shooting. They don!t post up much either. If I!m Saunders I post up Mcdyess on Young or Evans and go at Willie with Hamilton, he would be foolish not to because Sheed won!t hit those shots the rest of the series.— seude
- I've always thought that the pistons are over rated this year and there record kind of amazes me. They seem like a team that thinks they are cooler/better than they really are. I don't see them coming out of the east. Boston is head and shoulders above them. Of the other teams that the sixers could have played in the first round, I thought we played the the pistons the toughest during the regular season. Anyway, what I'm saying is that I'm a believer and think it possible that the sixers take the series. Detroit's bench is— jsnydes
- hugh, sfw, The Greek, BFrank, welcome back! I like seeing all the newcomers, too! Come on Sixerville, come on back! A lot of NBA teams have these vibrant and passionate internet enclaves, it would be a shame if the Sixers, soon to be one of the best teams in the NBA, didn't have one! It would be gosh darn good to beat the Pistons this series and finally have the respect of the skeptical media. Because of name recognition, I bet the media would give the Bulls a better shot at taking down the Pistons, and we're way better than Chicago. I bet they'd give Miami a better shot, too.— sixerzguy
- I've always thought that the pistons are over rated this year and there record kind of amazes me. They seem like a team that thinks they are cooler/better than they really are. I don't see them coming out of the east. Boston is head and shoulders above them. Of the other teams that the sixers could have played in the first round, I thought we played the the pistons the toughest during the regular season. Anyway, what I'm saying is that I'm a believer and think it possible that the sixers take the series. Detroit's bench is weaker.— jsnydes
- how long does it take to review comments. Let's go guys. This new blog format is feeling lame.— jsnydes
- how long does it take to review comments. Let's go guys. This new blog format is feeling lame.— jsnydes
- What's wrong with Iggy? If he keeps playing this badly, how much money does he lose in contract negotiations? Miller's awesome, what would we do without him...— sixerzguy
- He is losing money with every clang.— hugh
- Bad news for the Sixers - one of the guys who called the last Cleveland game, "Wonder-lick" is there tonight.— sixerzguy
- I'm glad the Pistons showed up tonight - now I wanna see if the Sixers can step up their games.— sixerzguy
- how long does it take to review comments. Let's go guys. This new blog format is feeling lame.— jsnydes
- are the pistons exposing igoudala as a offensive liability?— dbeas
- is igoudala exposing himself as an offensive liability?— dbeas
- I think so - I have completely changed my mind on Iggy - no way he is a max contract guy - he is not worth that much. I want to see Ed pull off a big time trade in the off-season and bring in a pure scorer to build around.— hugh
- dbeas, don't know if you've commented before, but just wanna say glad to see you back. I know what everyone is thinking right now - we need to go with that lineup everyone's been clamoring for: Miller, Iggy, Thad, Evans, Sammy. Iggy's just not gonna be able to get his shot off against Prince.— sixerzguy
- Unbelieveable.. ok, it's believeable. You're right sixersguy, I don't see Iggy scoring any more next game unless this team figures out how to set up some good screens for him. I don't think he's gonna do much against Prince. I'm thinking that Thad would fare better against Prince given the similarity in height and length. Miller can play well against Billups, Iggy should be able to defend Rip, Evans on McDyess, and Sammy on Sheed. I still think we're worse on paper, but it's closer than what it is. What do you think, Sixers?— xing
- Interesting, my comments are being screened!— xing
- I don't believe I said anything controversial or problematic!— xing
- The new set up for this blog stinks.— charlievhenry
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About this blog
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
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