To win in the playoffs, you have to have a short memory span. That’s what the old adage is when it comes to the post-season and games that are truly do or die. The Sixers shocked the basketball world by taking game 1 in Detroit, but were out hustled, out worked, and just flat against the revved up Pistons on Wednesday. It was an effort that they would need to forget if they want to be more than a feel good story in these playoffs. Game 3, tonight, was this opportunity and they welcomed the shift in scenery as the Wachovia Center and a sea of white shirts played host to the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

The Sixers got the exact start they wanted to the game, jumping out to a very early 6-0 lead, getting baskets from 3 guys who they needed points from: Thaddeus Young, Sami Dalembert, and Willie Green. But as soon as you could settle in to a fast paced, Sixers style of play, the Pistons responded with an 8-2 spurt led by Prince and Hamilton. These 2 players would pace the Pistons the entire half; combining for 29 of the 40 Pistons 1st half points on terrific shooting.

The Sixers took it to the Pistons using what they know how to do best: create turnovers and score on the break. The Pistons turned the ball over 11 times in the first half (they average just 12 per game), and the Sixers grabbed a whopping 9 steals. Second chances were something else the Sixers wanted to get better at, both for themselves and stopping Detroit from dominating the offensive glass. In the first 24 minutes, the Pistons had just 1 offensive rebound.

So with a slim lead at 44-40, the Sixers took the floor for the start of the 2nd half. Andre Miller as usual had paced the Sixers up to this point with 11, Dalembert with 8, and Mr. Energy himself- Reggie Evans, on the bench with 7. But here’s where the tide turns, right? When push comes to shove, the seasoned group from Detroit will start to slow the game down, eliminate the slim deficit, and run away with it. Right? Not so fast, pardon the expression.

It sure looked like the Pistons were going to come right at the Sixers early in the half, as their big guns in this game, Prince and Hamilton, each hit 3’s. But the Sixers again answered right back with an 8-0 run featuring 4 points from the 19-year old (looking like a veteran) Thaddeus Young. Andre Iguodala continued to struggle however, as he would continue to miss shots, thus far just 2/8 on the game (both were lay-ups).

But the 3rd quarter was a huge story in itself. The Sixers outscored the Pistons by 11, 26-15, in the quarter to up their lead to 70-55 with just one quarter to play. The Pistons who had begun the quarter 2/3 hitting those before mentioned 3’s, missed their next 14 shots from the field. Yes, they missed 14 straight shots from the field. The Sixers took full advantage both on the break and from the line, as both teams were indeed in the bonus quite early. This crowd began to erupt as the Sixer lead got higher and higher. Reggie Evans, as Iguodala’s offense was quiet, provided scoring and his usual energy on the boards. After getting fouled by Rasheed Wallace while grabbing another rebound, Evans cupped his hand to his ear and the crowd went nuts. “Reg-gie! Reg-gie! Reg-gie!”, a sight no Sixer fan would ever have thought they would see.

The 4th quarter started exactly how the Sixers wanted; their first 3 pointer of the game compliments of Rodney Carney. The lead was 18 and the Pistons hadn’t scored since there were more than 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter. Detroit did eventually get a field goal on a questionable goaltending call, breaking their field goal drought that lasted over a quarter of basketball. But Detroit didn’t play like the seasoned team knowing how to get it done in this game. They picked up a foul…and another….and 3 more. They were in the foul, putting the Sixers to the line for 2 for the rest of the game at the 9:24 mark. Five fouls in just over 2 minutes for the Pistons, on and one of those fouls? Rip Hamilton, his fifth.

The Pistons were turning the ball over and missing just about every shot they took. They looked confused, they weren’t communicating, and they got frustrated as the quarter moved along. They had turned the ball over more than 20 times, and credit the Sixers tenacious defense for that. All game long, the Sixers were more aggressive on the boards. All night long, the Sixers had hands in the Pistons faces, dove for loose balls, blocked shots, and all in all, wanted this game more. Players who hadn’t come up at all in the first 2 games came up huge for Philadelphia. Example 1: Sami Dalembert who averaged 4 points in these playoffs so far, had 22 points and 16 boards.

Detroit threw in the white towel (not one handed out to the Philly fans, the metaphoric type) with just over 5 minutes left, emptying their bench. Wallace had 2 points, Billups had just 11, and nobody came up big in the 2nd half when Hamilton was on the bench - the entire team was ice cold.

So the 2 seed, the 59 win team, had a Sixers team in the first round of the 2008 NBA playoffs. The Sixers star, Andre Iguodala, was arguably the least productive player on the entire Philadelphia team the first 3 games. If you had told anybody this situation, 100% would say, “No question, Detroit has got to be up 3-0 in that series.” Well basketball fans, the series is 2-1 SIXERS. They came out flat a few nights ago in Detroit, as the Pistons evened this series. But tonight in Philadelphia, the first home playoff game in 3 years, the Sixers treated their fans to a show, as they destroyed the hapless Pistons by a score of 95-75.

This team is no joke basketball fans.

Aaron’s 3 Stars of the Night:

1. Samuel Dalembert: 22 points, 16 rebounds, 2 blocks

2. Reggie Evans: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals

3. Andre Miller: 21 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists

Game 4 is Sunday @ Philadelphia, 7pm

(photos from nba.com)