Game 1 in Detroit: Sunday (4/20), 6pm TNT
Game 2 in Detroit: Wednesday (4/23), 7:30pm NBATV
Game 3 @ Philly: Friday (4/25), 7pm ESPN2
Game 4 @ Philly: Sunday (4/27), 7pm, TNT
Game 5 (if needed) in Detroit: Tuesday (4/29) TBD
Game 6 (if needed) @Philly: Thursday (5/1) TBD
Game 7 (if needed) in Detroit: Saturday (5/3) TBD (TNT)
All in all no complaints, but if the Pistons get the sweep they’ll be sitting on their hands for over a week. It’s better than the alternative, though.
Pistons sweep. Game 1 will be a 20-point blow out as usual.
No sweep. Detroit will have a hard time in this series. I think they win, but in 6 games at least. Philly has Detroit’s number in certain ways and they will play hard as the underdogs.
It should be a good group of games with Miller and Igoudala leading the way.
i think a week or so ago i would have agreed with brad. now i’m leaning more towards fadel. the sixers have lost 5 of 6, all to teams they should have beaten, and their one win in that stretch was against us at home in full resting mode. they’re in happy-to-be-here mode. if detroit comes out and steps on their throats in game 1, philly may never recover. that being said, i hope they put up a real fight. the pistons playing a tough opening round opponent is ultimately going to help them when they get to orlando and/or boston.
Brad Bice: “Philly has Detroit’s number in certain ways and they will play hard as the underdogs.”
Just like Chicago did last year in the regular season.
Pistons in 5, six at most.
I call for the unprecedented: Detroit in 3. Philly forfeits the last game, and the team implodes and moves to Seattle.
At last its time to get to gettin, I don’t think that philly has a chance to play past game 5, id be really shocked to see this go 6, theyll win game 4 at home to stave off elimination. these guys are rested for the first time since ‘04 due to having a solid deep bench for the first time since ‘04. i think stuckey will make a big impact, similar to the one daniel gibson had for the cavs last year, hes throwin himself around well, plays a very physical game for a combo guard. he is under the radar right now, ripe for the pickin against teams down the road.
Bold, Rob G. I like it!
By the way, Pistons fans, if you don’t already– prepare to hate Reggie Evans. Out of the whole Philly squad, he’s the only one that worries me. He’s like Maxiell’s evil doppleganger, the energy man that kills opponent hot streaks and rips down offensive boards. he averaged nearly 4 offensive boards against Detroit in 4 contests this season.
I have no fear against philly. I’m just prepared to get frustrated by Evans many times in the next week…
Good point about Evans. Let’s hope he doesn’t punch Sheed in the man-region (like he did to Chris Kaman). I can’t see Sheed taking it too well, and I’d prefer if no Pistons were suspended in the playoffs.
I waited an extra day just to confirm that there are no delayed technicals being called against Sheed. He made it!!! No suspension, no speculation about whether or not he’ll become a cancer to the team, no big fights between him and Flip. He’s controlled himself and contributed when and where he needed to. The slog of the regular season is over and now it’s the time.
Quiet, please. Direct your attention to the East side of the state, where the Detroit Pistons are about to flip the switch.
I think this will be where the Pistons come out and show their true colours. We’ve all been complaining about how they don’t take the regular season seriously and they lose games they should win. I think they’re going to show us all what’s up and stomp on Philly’s throats until the sweep is complete. I predict a hungry, focused Pistons team — the one we’ve been waiting all season to see.
Iguodala and Miller are good players and probably better than Boston’s backcourt. It will be a good test for Detroit because a good opposing backcourt forces you to play smart ball. I look for one or two close games that could go either way but there’s no way the Sixers have the depth and talent to win the series. The only question mark I see is Rip ’s health but if there are any questions on that front then I’m comfortable with Stuckey and Afflalo. Injuries are part of basketball.
If Philly makes it to six games against us, that’s the equivalent of a huge upset in my book. Philly absolutely sucks. They played out of their mind for a stretch of the season, but that’s not really a reflection of their team’s actual talent level nor is it a reflection of their playoff capabilities (read: none). Their 8th and 9th men are Rodney Carney and Jason Smith. I know that a playoff rotation often runs only something like 7 deep, but those two are bums. Jason Smith wouldn’t even be on most teams’ active 12-man roster, let alone even get a spot on the Pistons’ 15-man roster. That guy is the definition of garbage.
LawyerBoy: Reading your post with a Hubie Brown accent makes it even more awesome than it already was.
Garrett: that’s a very high-percentage point.
Ladies and Gentleman!
John Hollinger
‘Back East, I already gave away my Pistons-Magic projection — Detroit in a grueling seven. Meanwhile, the Boston juggernaut will dismiss Washington in four. That sets up a much-awaited conference finals battle between Boston and Detroit. But I think Boston will win in five easier-than-expected games.’
Put that on the locker room wall.
Garrett: That comment is quite hilarious. I suppose I went on a Hubie-esque rant there, but I think most intelligent basketball fans agree that regardless of your take on Hubie’s voice, his insights are usually spot on. I’m going to take your comment to mean that my insights were comparable to those of Mr. Brown. And for that, I thank you.
Laughton: That bodes well for us in my book without even using it as motivation. Hollinger is a math guy; he’s not a basketball guy. He THINKS he’s a basketball guy. He’s notorious for having laughable forecasting skills. While I think the Pistons may not emerge victorious against the Celtics, they certainly should not under any circumstances be put away in 5 or less.