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But this is the way it is. The 76er are suddenly looking very much like a team capable of becoming the first No. 7 seed to take a first-round playoff series from a No. 2 seed in a best-of-seven format. Going in to the current postseason, No. 2 seeds had won all 10 series.
The Sixers, though, are refusing to get ahead of themselves, even if they got way, way ahead of the Detroit Pistons last night, storming out of the Wachovia Center with a 95-75 victory that served not only as retribution for a 17-point loss in Game 2 but gave them a 2-1 advantage with Game 4 looming tomorrow night.
This was an explosion that wasn't on anybody's radar, and it was fueled by a Sixers defense that created enough havoc to leave the Pistons with 25 turnovers, seven more than in any regular-season game. They didn't ring up a lot of fast break or second-chance points (12 in each category), but they kept the Pistons on their heels all night. They even kept Antonio McDyess in the training room for much of the evening with a broken nose.
"Something that I talked to the players about was, we've been very good playing games after we've struggled in the game before," Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks said.
Never mind that Andre Iguodala, the Sixers' leading scorer during the season and their acknowledged go-to guy most nights, still hasn't found his offensive flow. His teammates were more than happy to take him along for the ride, and he quickly rediscovered the joy that can come with creating opportunities for others, sometimes even serving as a decoy. That the Sixers can be ahead in the series with Iguodala shooting a combined 7-for-34 (3-for-25 in the three first halves) is phenomenonal unto itself.
"It's coming," Cheeks said of Iguodala. "We keep putting the ball in his hands. He is our guy. We're going to stay with him. Andre's going to be fine, because we need him."
Iguodala finished with 10 points, six assists, four rebounds, four steals and six turnovers.
"I feel like I'm helping," Iguodala said. "It's never about me. It's about us. I pride myself in knowing that I don't have to score to be effective. There are players in the league who, if they're not scoring, they not giving you anything. We're playing basketball."
The Sixers played at an emotional peak, bringing the crowd of 18,805 to its feet time after time. Samuel Dalembert scored a playoff career high 22 points, swept a game-high 16 rebounds and blocked two shots. The last time he played against the Pistons in the postseason, in 2004-05, he made $64 million. Last night, he helped make the Pistons paupers. He didn't follow Rasheed Wallace (two points, five rebounds, four turnovers) to the perimeter, instead staying closer to the basket, making himself more available to rebound at one end and to catch lobs for dunks at the other.
While all of that was going on, point guard Andre Miller dealt with any pressure tactics, and found his way more easily to the rim, knifing into the lane enough to contribute 21 points.
And any time there was a lull, there was Reggie Evans revving things right back up. The team's resident catalyst had just nine points and five rebounds, but he mercilessly threw his body around, setting some hellacious screens. With 3:47 remaining in the third quarter and the Sixers up, 62-50, Evans cupped his ear to the crowd. The last Sixer to do that was Allen Iverson, who won four scoring titles and an MVP.
Evans can only do what he can do, but last night that was considerably more than the Pistons can handle. He helped a defense that left the Pistons missing their last 14 shots of the period, and their first three of the third. (The official box score had the Pistons missing 16 straight, but several reporters kept charts that showed 17.)
"The team was feelin' it," Evans said. "It was a team effort, from the team and the crowd. We had to keep our heads up [after getting thumped in Game 2]. We had to stay focused. We came back and did the same thing [to the Pistons], but we can't get too happy."
They could, however, be happy with a defense that recorded 15 steals and scored 29 points off the Pistons' mistakes. Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince combined to shoot 17-for-27 and score 41 points. The rest of the Pistons shot 10-for-39, with Chauncey Billups 2-for-11, Rodney Stuckey and Jarvis Hayes each 1-for-7 and Wallace 1-for-6. The visitors' 75 points represented the fewest allowed in the postseason by the franchise since 1955.
For Cheeks, this was the next step in the growth and development of a young team. The first was for the players to "get their feet wet" in a playoff game, then to take a hit in the second game, then to play for the first time "with the crowd behind us. Tomorrow night's critical step will involve trying to maintain the homecourt advantage they have earned."
"I understand why they're happy," Billups said. "They're not supposed to be where they are right now. They're playing well and they're up 2-1 against a team that no one thought they had a chance with. I can see why they're happy, but at the same time, being on the other side, you don't forget that." *
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