AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The 76ers haven't always played well this season, but even in defeat on many occasions, they have shown plenty of fight.

In the last six quarters they haven't shown that same spirit and now they could be down to their final four quarters of the year.

 Coach Maurice Cheeks insisted after Tuesday's 98-81 loss to the Detroit Pistons that put his team down 3 games to 2 in the best-of-seven series, that there is plenty of fight left in his team.

If only they could give an indication of it on the court. The Sixers were outscored 58-37 in the second half of Sunday's 93-84 loss. And on Tuesday they were outplayed the entire game (even though they outscored the Pistons in the second and fourth quarters).

The Sixers could never rebound from the opening body blow delivered by the Pistons during a 35-21 first quarter.

That's not to say the Sixers didn't play hard. It's just that they were extremely unproductive. And they seemed demoralized.

Then again when the Pistons are into it, they are still a very impressive team. This is the same Pistons team that looked on the elderly side in losing Game 3, 95-75. That game seems like a long time ago.

The Pistons appear to be refocused and one has to question whether the Sixers have any answers when all five of Detroit's starters are on the same page.

Even with Andre Iguodala having his first solid game of the series, the Sixers will be in trouble if none of the other starters plays well, which is what happened in Game 5. 

Samuel Dalembert, who has had one exceptional game in an otherwise disappinting series, was thoroughly outplayed by Rasheed Wallace (who had 19 points, six rebounds and six blocked shots).

Andre Miller picked an inopportune time to have his worst game of the series. The only other Sixer besides Iguodala who performed well was Lou Williams (16 points).

The Sixers have no choice but to put this game behind them and based on their performance, it shouldn't be too hard to do.

Still. one has to wonder how much confidence the Sixers have at this point and whether they have it in them to come back once again when virtually everybody thinks they may stay down for good.

There is a general feeling that the Detroit Pistons have finally woken up and that they will now go on and put the 76ers away in six games.

 Here are three words that we would say to that - Not so fast.

While the Pistons looked like they crushed the Sixers spirit with Sunday's 93-84 win, who is to say they have turned the corner for good? Or who is to say the Sixers have finally faded?

The Pistons have been wildly inconsistent in this series. Many said after their Game 2 romp of the Sixers that the Pistons would now be in overdrive.

And then the next game the Pistons looked like they were shell-shocked, with little intensity in their 95-75 loss to the Sixers.

So it would be premature for anybody to conclude the series is over. Then again, the Sixers have to show that they are capable of wiping away the bitter aftertaste of the second half of Game 4, where Detroit simply steamrolled them.

At Monday's practice, the Sixers said all the right things, about how confident they were and how they have to do a better job in various situations, particularly defending the screen and roll.

What seemed to hurt the Sixers the most about Sunday's loss was that Detroit played harder than the Sixers in the second half. While the Sixers don't always match teams in the talent department, they pride themselves on bringing it every game. In Game 4, they only brought it for a half.

The players talked about how they relaxed late in the second quarter once they were up 14 points. And the relaxation extended into the second half.

No doubt the Sixers have their work cut out for them and there is a good reason why many figure they are finished. Still, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

For that matter so does Detroit. The Pistons haven't shown consistency and fire for any extended period this series. Which is why Game 5 should be so compelling. And also why this series, which some felt would be over by now, has provided us with no shortage of drama.

The 76ers have shown they can bounce back from one demoralizing loss. Now they have to prove they can do it again.

Even Maurice Cheeks admitted that it was difficult not to look ahead when the Sixers led the Pistons by 10 at halftime of Sunday's 93-84 defeat. Now the Sixers are back to their accustomed underdog role.

If Detroit comes back to win this series, everybody will point to the Pistons 34-18 third quarter.

Remember, the Sixers bounced back from a demoralizing 105-88 loss in Game 2.

The difference is that the Sixers trailed that game by 17 at halftime. Sunday's loss looked like a win, especially since Detroit appeared to sleep-walk through the first half.

So now the Pistons have some real life. The Sixers shouldn't be counted out just yet, but here's stating the obvious - they need to get some production from Andre Iguodala.

He's shooting just 22.4 percent for the series and has missed all nine three point attempts. Tayshaun Prince has been the most dominant player in the series and he has put the clamps on Iguodala.

Sure, Detroit has done a good job on help defense, but Prince has enhanced his reputation as one of the best defensive players in the NBA.

Time is running out on Iguodala To his credit, he will continue attacking, but it won't do the team any good if he's forcing shots.

Of all the developments in this series, Iguodala's disappearance has been the most stunning and disappointing of an otherwise interesting series.

So much of the talk at both the 76ers and Pistons practices on Saturday centered on the first five minutes of Game 4. Both Andre Iguodala and Rodney Carney said that the first five minutes will be crucial.

"We have to be ready in the first five minutes," Iguodala said.

Added Carney, "I think the first five minutes will determine how the game will go."

The thinking is that the Pistons were pounded, 95-75 in Game 3, and will want to come out strong and make a statement in the beginning of the game.

Pistons coach Flip Saunders also mentioned the importance of gaining early momentum.

"In their two wins, the Sixers got off to good starts early," Saunders said.

That's not entirely true. In the Sixers 90-86 win in Game 1, Detroit led 27-22 after one quarter and 51-38 at halftime.

And in the Sixers' 95-75 win on Friday, the score was tied, 20-20 after one period.

Still, the point is, that Detroit must re-establish itself after getting embarrassed on Friday.

The Sixers will try to build on the momentum. Either way, it might be placing too much on the early porition of the game and not enough on the late stages.

In both losses, Detroit faded in the second half. The Pistons were outscored 52-35 in the second half of Game 1 and 51-35 in the second half on Friday.

What this seems to indicate is that the team with the younger legs, the Sixers, has been the one in control in the second half of both wins.

So while the start of any game is important, the Sixers have proven that the finish might be more crucial.

Here are some random thoughts on other topics.

ITEM: Many have voiced their displeasure with the new format of the blog. Morty among others asked if anything can be done.

RESPONSE: Change is always difficult, but this is the way it's going to be. The other format was easier for me, but my view has been to make the best of it. For those who have followed us over here, your participation is greatly appreciated. If there are any specific complaints, please email them to me (mnarducci@phillynews.com) and they will be forwarded to the appropriate people.

ITEM: The other day The Greek noted that one of the blog posts was done at 3:47 a.m. He suggested that somebody took over the blog and began posting.

RESPONSE: No, that was me. The reason for the early post was simple. After falling asleep early the night before (following five nights in Auburn Hills, Michigan), this reporter was awakened by his cat at 3 a.m. who wanted to eat.

Anybody with a hungry animal, realizes that it's easier to feed the little critter than to continue to hear him crying for food. It was too difficult to return to sleep, so it was as good a time as any to work on the blog. 

ITEM: Xing writes that Flip Saunders may find himself on the unemployment line if the Sixers eliminate the Pistons.

RESPONSE: Book it.

ITEM: Where are all those people who complained about Reggie Evans earlier this year?

RESPONSE: Evans' warrior mentality has been one of the biggest reasons the Sixers lead this series. And lost in how well he is playing is how Thaddeus Young is excelling in his first postseason. Young is averaging 10.3 points in the first three playoff games and has been outstanding in the first quarters, when many of his teammates have not gotten off to quick starts.

Who would have thought that after three games, that Evans and Young would be averaging more points than Andre Iguodala?

ITEM: Speaking of Iguodala, there has been the expected backlash with the way he has played this series (7 for 33 shooting).

RESPONSE: There is no question he has been pressing and it's why he has committed 12 turnovers. For the Sixers to have the lead, with him playing below par, has to actually be encouraging. And it says here that Iguodala will bounce back. Write him off at your own risk. 

By the way, one other admirable trait of Iguodala is that he doesn't hide when things aren't going well. He is a stand-up guy who has faced the constant questions of his slump.

ITEM: Ed Rosenberg writes that the Sixers can win this series and whether it happens remains to be seen. Ed points out that the Sixers know they can win it.

 RESPONSE: Ed, no question in their minds now, they know they can win it. The Sixers won't admit it, but it seems as if they entered the series thinking they could be competitive. None of the players were making foolish predictions, but there was a feeling that they could compete. Three games is a big enough sample to make the players realize they can not only compete, but win. Who knows what will happen, but as Ed mentions, it's going to be very interesting and very exciting.

ITEM: More and more are writing in about the need to extend Andre Miller.

RESPONSE: Of all the moves, none would be more important than extending Miller. If it doesn't happen and he departs after next season, the Sixers will take a serious step back. This should be priority No. 1 in the offseason.

After checking with the NBA office, it's now official, this reporter's pick of Detroit beating the 76ers in five games can't happen.

The Sixers made sure of foiling that prediction with Friday's 95-75 pounding of the Pistons to take a two games to one lead in their best of seven series.

It helped to be energied by the crowd, but the Sixers also made the Pistons look like a tired, old team.

Detroit has the capability to come back in this series, but not if the Pistons don't show more energy. 

All the talk this series was how the Sixers would struggle in the half-court offense.

Well, Detroit missed 17 consecutive field goal attempts beginning early in the third quarter.

The Sixers made the Pistons look their age, which is old. While Andre Iguodala continues to struggle with his shot, the Pistons Chauncey Billups isn't faring much better. Billups, a notorious Sixers-killer, shot just 2 for 11 and is shooting just 30.8 percent for the series.

It's surprising to see a Pistons team that prides itself on taking care of the ball, commit 25 turnovers.

Considering how dominant Detroit was in Wednesday's 105-88 win, this may have been one of the Sixers most impressive victories.

It also was their best defensive effort of the season. 

And now the Sixers are likely laughing at all who picked the Pistons in five. And those who made those picks, deserve any jeers for once again underestimating the will and ability of the surprising Sixers.

The 76ers will be distributing 20,000 t-shirts for fans at tonight's Game 3 with the Detroit Pistons that say "Run with us." Now the question is whether the Detroit Pistons will allow the runnning to occur?

The Pistons ability to shut down the Sixers transition game was one of the reasons they won so handily on Wednesday, 105-88. The Sixers had just one fastbreak point in the first half, when they trailed by 17 points.

The Sixers were forcing one shot after another and never got into an offensive rhythm.

Coach Maurice Cheeks has emphasized the importance of getting easy baskets in transition. Yet Detroit rarely allows easy baskets. In the opening 90-86 win, the Sixers earned 16 fastbreak points. For a Pistons team that allowed 9.6 fastbreak points per game during the regular season, that was good production for the Sixers.

Without those easy baskets, Andre Iguodala has been struggling, relying too much on his jumper. He has had to shoot the jumper over the long-armed Tayshaun Prince and the results haven't been pleasant. Iguodala is shooting 5 for 24 and he remains the key in this series. Yes, the Pistons did a good job of slowing down Andre Miller with a variety of traps in Game 2, but the biggest key is for Iguodala to get untracked on offense.

Now the Sixers have to adjust, which means Iguodala could be handling the ball more in the open court. And if he could get a few easy baskets early in transition, that would give the Sixers some needed momentum.

Cheeks preached before the postseason that it would be more difficult to get in the running game in the playoffs, but he said the Sixers wouldn't be backing off.

So the Sixers will continue to try to run because the option of attempting to win while primarily executing their half-court offense, isn't the best way to go about beating the Pistons.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The 76ers played like a team that was satisfied with a split. Despite the Sixers being more athletic and having younger legs, it was the Detroit Pistons who looked fresh and certainly rejuvenated during Wednesday's 105-88 win over the Sixers to even their best of seven series one game apiece.

"They not only hit us, but continued to hit us," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.

Everybody knew the Pistons would come out with their best shot, playing with a sort of desperation that they haven't shown in the final few weeks of the season, when they had already clinched the No. 2 seed.

With their collective backs to the wall, the Pistons showed pride, not to mention pretty good defense.

Now it's the Sixers turn to counter, but it won't be easy if 40 percent of their starting lineup is MIA.

Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert have shot a collective 8 for 40 in the first two games.

Iguodala had just four points in Game 2 and appears to be getting frustrated by the defense of Tayshaun Prince.

Prince is among the better defensive players in the league and he is causing Iguodala to force shots.

Dalembert has had his trouble on offense, but what is more cause for concern is his defense. While he made some good defensive plays in Game 1 and had four blocked shots, Dalembert didn't block a single shot in Game 2.

In two games, Rasheed Wallace has taken Dalembert to school, scoring a total of 40 points.

So the Sixers have a lot to work on before Game 3 on Friday. This was the type of thorough beating that can demoralize a team. Now the Sixers have to show the same resiliency that Detroit displayed after lbeing stunned in Game 1.

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.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – After losing Sunday's opening playoff game 90-86 to the 76ers, the Detroit Pistons insisted that they didn't take their opponent lightly.

And in this case the Pistons are to be believed. What seemed to happen is that when the Pistons took a 15-point lead midway through the third quarter, Detroit appeared to think the game was over. At that point, the Pistons appeared to relax mentally, while the Sixers kept charging.

"Usually when get leads in the second half it's because we take care of the basketball, get shots we want and our ability to make free throws," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said after Monday's practice. "Those are games we don't let slip away."

But?

"We let it slip away," he said.

The Sixers meanwhile were doing their best not to gloat after the big win. True to their nature, the Sixers didn't give Detroit any bulletin board material.

"We understand the type of players and team Detroit has," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said after Monday's light workout at the Palace of Auburn Hills. "We know it's a long series. It's not like they get rattled after losing a game."

No, but the Pistons were officially angry. The Sixers, meanwhile are loose. It should make for an interesting Game 2 on Wednesday.

So much of the talk the day after the win was what the Pistons didn't do. Detroit shot just 32 for 82 (39 percent) from the field. In the fourth quarter when the Pistons were outscored 27-16 and shot just 4 for 17, the Sixers' young legs seemed to win out.

Sure, Tayshaun Prince, Chauncey Billups Rip Hamilton and Antonio McDyess shot a combined 15 for 48 from the field for the game and that won't always happen against the Pistons.

But there is a flip side – no pun intended Pistons – to the thinking that the Sixers won because Detroit didn't capitalize on opportunities.

What if the Sixers had a decent shooting night from Andre Iguodala or Samuel Dalembert who were a combined 6 for 25?

It's not like the Sixers had to play the game of their lives to upset Detroit. The Sixers played far from a perfect game and still won. Remember, Andre Miller was shooting just 4 for 12 before entering the final period. Lou Williams shot 4 for 12 for the entire game.

So even though Detroit didn't play its best game, neither did the Sixers. And they were still able to win.That has to be an encouraging sign.