Conventional wisdom says teams can't run so much in the NBA playoffs, that the games tend to come down to gritty halfcourt battles.

The Pistons are subscribers to that premise, living off their methodical, efficient approach, forcing opponents to pick their poison. The 76ers, though, thrived all season on their fastbreak, getting in the open floor, getting easy baskets.

The key, Sixers point guard Andre Miller said, is getting the Pistons "out of their rhythm."

"You can't let a team like that slow you down and methodically pick you apart," Miller said, looking ahead to tomorrow night's opener of their best-of-seven first-round series in Auburn Hills, Mich. "They've been doing that for 5 or 6 years."

Coach Maurice Cheeks has made it clear to the players that they can't recklessly gamble, because the Pistons have a way of vacuuming up mistakes and turning them into layups and open three-pointers.

"The good thing is, we don't gamble that much," Miller said. "The turnovers we force have been off our athleticism. Andre Iguodala is probably one of the five best defenders in the league. You throw Thaddeus [Young] and Sam [Dalembert] with their length in there, and we force some turnovers off good defense."

And even when the game seems to be slowing down, Miller said perception isn't always reality.

"In halfcourt offense, you've got to make decisions quicker," he said. "If you don't, you might turn the ball over or make a mistake. You want to be aggressive, but don't want to be too deliberate. You've got to be able to mix it up. When we rely on our offense too much, we end up playing bad defense. I think if we come with a defensive mind-set, we'll be all right."

Six shots

Maurice Cheeks wasn't ready to commit to whether Reggie Evans or rookie Thaddeus Young would start at power forward tomorrow, but in the portion of yesterday's practice open to reporters Young was working with the first unit. "I was telling Jason [fellow rookie Jason Smith], 'Forget the regular season, I've always wanted to play in the playoffs,' Young said. "That's been my dream" . . . Of the 14 players on the Sixers roster, only Evans, Calvin Booth and Kevin Ollie have ever been past the first round . . . According to the NBA, the Sixers are scheduled to have the No. 16 pick in the June draft. They do not have a pick in the second round. *