Remember me? I'm the one who picked the Sixers to win 30 games, and wasn't sure they could even approach that. And anybody who was anybody picked them to finish dead last in the weak Eastern Conference. (Bless center Samuel Dalembert for saying he believed they could be the No. 4 seed. They don't call him "The Haitian Sensation: for nothing.)
The Sixers beat Detroit two times in the regular season. One of the Sixers' victories came in the Wachovia Center last in the season, when the Pistons held out their starters in the fourth quarter, but the other victory came in the Palace of Auburn Hills, with all the regulars in place. But this is a daunting challenge for an emerging young team, trying to take down an opponent that is deep, skilled at both ends of the floor and vastly more experienced.
Whatever happens, the season is a Sixers success story. It's important, though, that they be competitive and avoid getting blown out. It would take a herculean effort to win the series, and I don't think they have reached that level yet. What they do in the offseason is more critical than what they do here.
PISTONS IN 6.
The Sixers have a math problem because they have a matchup and style problem. During the regular season, their wide-open style really played well, until the final few weeks. This will be much more of a halfcourt game with fewer possessions and fewer easy baskets. I actually think the Pistons are a slightly better matchup for the Sixers than the three-point bombers from the Magic, but I still don't think they can win.
The Sixers, a dreadful three-point shooting team (31.7 percent), were outscored by 765 points from the arc during the season. Their backcourt, Andre Miller and Willie Green, shoots 0.88 percent and 28.5 percent from the arc. Detroit's Rip Hamilton and Chauncey Billups shoot 44 percent and 40.1 percent, respectively. Threes are killer points in playoff games. The Pistons will pack it in and dare the Sixers to make shots. I think the Sixers' exuberance and athleticism give them a chance to win a game or two, but I see little chance they can make enough shots to win four. And, if games are close down the stretch, when halfcourt execution and halfcourt defense are everything, the Pistons, with all their playoff experience, have long since shown they are absolute masters of those moments.
PISTONS IN 6.
Generally, there is no substitute for experience. In this case, because the Detroit Pistons, who have played in five consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, also have the advantage of superior talent, it's going to make for a quick series.
Chauncey Billups is a field general on par with the Sixers' Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince has the defensive abilities to slow down Andre Iguodala. Detroit has every advantage.
PISTONS IN 5.
Even those of us who have followed the Sixers closely this season can't be sure of what this youthful team will do under the playoff pressure.
It is a fact that playoff basketball in the East is played at a much slower pace than regular-season games. That doesn't bode well for the fastbreaking Sixers. However, having so many young players in the rotation who have little or no playoff experience might help. The youngsters know one speed, and that's fast. Running and using natural ability negates a whole lot of thinking. There's no way the Sixers will outsmart the veteran Pistons, but they'll run by them more than a few times.
This one will be closer than a lot of people might think. The Sixers will win a couple and keep a couple very interesting before eventually falling.
PISTONS IN 6.
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