The good news is that playoff
basketball is back in
Philadelphia.
How long it will last remains
to be seen.
The Sixers,however,surprised
many by winning the first game
of their best of seven series.
“Detroit’s, by far, in my opinion,
the best team in the East,”
says Sixers swingman Andre
Iguodala. “In order to beat them,
you’ve got to play perfect. It’s
going to be a challenge for us to
go out there and try to play to
perfection.”
Mo Cheeks’ men have fared
reasonably well against the Bad
Boys this season.
They split the season series,
with each team taking two game,
and by taking game one, they
have gotten the Pistons attention,
The Pistons, however, have been
a playoff regular over the past
few seasons.
In their past six trips to the
playoffs, Flip Saunders’ team has
failed to reach the conference
finals only once.
They were crowned NBA
Champions in 2004.
Forcing Detroit into turnovers
will be a difficult task.
The team only averaged 11.64
per game this season, the lowest
of any NBA team.
This is due in large part to
Chauncey Billups, perhaps the
top point guard in the East since
Jason Kidd’s return to Dallas.
However, Sixers playmaker
Andre Miller has given Billups
some serious competition for this
title in the current season.
The 34 year old point guard
has been masterful for the Sixers,
spreading the floor and creating
opportunities for other Sixers
players, giving teammates like
Thaddeus Young and Samuel
Dalembert open looks to the
bucket and speeding up young
players development..
An important thing for the
Sixers’ will definitely be whether
or not the point guard can keep
Billups at bay and make the
Pistons’ point guard work for
every shot he takes.
The two point guards for the
two opposing teams have similar
playing styles, and their numbers
are eerily similar this season.
Both averaged exactly 17
points, and Miller has the edge in
rebounds (4 a game to Billups’
2.7) and has a slightly better
assists tally (6.9 to 6.8). The
matchup between the two point
guards should prove to be an
enthralling battle.
One thing the Sixers will have
to key in on in the series is low
post scoring, primarily from
Detroit go-to guy, Rasheed
Wallace. The power forward can
shoot from the outside as well as
nearer to the basket, so the
Sixers’ will look to change
matchups at multiple times.
Look for one of their versatile
forwards, such as Andre
Iguodala or Thaddeus Young, to
cover Wallace on the perimeter,
while center Dalembert tries to
take his shot away from underneath
the basket..
The Pistons will be more than
ready for the task at hand. In the
Sixers last postseason berth during
the 2005 season, they were
beaten soundly in five games by
Detroit.
The Sixers have overachieved
all year, and remain a team for
the future. But for the present,
expect the Pistons to advance in
six games.