I've yet to do any playoff previewing here at DBB, but I got warmed up with this little nugget over on Yahoo's Ball Don't Lie:
So what can we expect now that the games actually matter? For starters, forget what you saw in the regular season. Yes, the Sixers managed to win two of four against the Pistons, but that included one game in which not a single starter for the Pistons cracked 30 minutes. Flip Saunders did an admirable job resting his starters this year, sacrificing a handful of wins in exchange for letting young guys like Jason Maxiell and Rodney Stuckey sink or swim in the fourth quarter. But in the playoffs, Saunders will coach to win, not develop the future.
Hard-hitting, I know. Give me a break, I'm talking to the masses over there, not hard-core fans like yourself. Hit up the newspapers for the mainstream previews (I'll trust you've seen that Pistons Newswire tab at the top of the page by now, or better yet, the MCB Pistons section), but here are some other series previews from around the internet:
Key matchup:
Detroit's experience vs. Philly's youth vs. Detroit's youth. Yes, that's a trick answer. On the off chance that the Sixers' frenetic style pans out in the post-season, the Pistons can still matchup by bringing Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey and Amir Johnson off the bench.
Everyone thought the Sixers were hot as sh*t about a month ago. I never bought it. This squad is out-talented, out-matched, out-witted and out-housed. They're one of those "We have a balanced attack" teams. Yeah, balanced attack this. The Pistons are going to shut them down at every angle. Even if one of their Little LeBowski Achievers manage to pop off for 25 points or more, the rest of them are going to bomb like they never existed. The Pistons will put the lock down, the shut down, and the smack down on the little surprise Sixers. They might be able to sucker the Pistons into a low shooting night, but they're not going to average over 85 points for the series. Say goodnight, kiddies. It's time for the big boys to go to work.
This series doesn't seem quite as hopeless as Atlanta versus Boston. Instead of having only a snowball's chance in hell, I'd say the 76ers are more like a large, stubborn block of ice in hell. Still melting, but maybe a bit more slowly.
Last but not least, a few random links worth your perusal:
- Jason from BallHype took a look at blogosphere's preseason previews and compared them with the final standings. Of the four Pistons blogs that participated, each one underestimated this year's win total by 7-9 wins. Consider that a reminder that 59 wins is just nuts. It's easy to take this team for granted sometime, but that's the third-best record in team history.
- Also from BallHype, don't forget about their Playoffs Pick'em Contest. It's like filling out a March Madness bracket, except it takes skill and you actually know who all the teams and players are.
- Whoa, I did not expect to see this: the Free Press is pimping our Free Amir t-shirts. Seems like a good time to mention that you can get free shipping if you use the promo code SPRINGFREE (if you're in Canada, use CADSPRINGFREE) when ordering any DBB shirt this weekend.
- Depressed Fan ponders whether ESPN's experts are showing a lack of respect. I think they are -- not one is predicting a sweep? Outrage!