[DetBNyce]

Detroit Pistons @ Philadelphia 76ers

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Probable Starters:


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Injuries:
Chucky Atkins (PG)
Strained left knee, injured list
Zeljko Rebraca (C)
Back spasms, injured list

Glenn Robinson (SF)
Sprained left ankle, day-to-day
Monty Williams (SF)
Left knee injury, injured list
Greg Buckner (SG)
Hamstring, injured list
Derrick Coleman (PF/C)
Knee injury, day-to-day

The Return


Big game -- LB's return to Philly, where he will be booed loudly. He is a hated man in Philly. The teacher versus his pupil as LB matches wits with Randy Ayers.

It'll be interesting to see how Rip performs coming off an injury, offensively and defensively. He did a pretty good job chasing Iverson around during the playoffs. We cannot afford to play Corliss at the four this game, escpicially if Philly goes to a lineup of Thomas, Dalembart, and Jackson in the frontcourt. We will get killed on the boards. Hopefully Tayshaun can carry over from his play on Monday in which he had 22 points (he will be booed loud too).

Philly will be playing us in the second game of a back to back which should help.

Key Matchup:



vs.

The battle of the boards will play a big part in this game. Whoever wins tthe battle of the boards will have the upperhand IMO.

[DetBNyce]

Article

"They should be tough on everyone," Snow said. "I think they'll be tough on him from the fact that he's not coaching [the Sixers] anymore. I think they still respect...and love what he helped this team accomplish.

"But he's the enemy now, so that's all you have to look at. It's nothing personal. Well, not me, but it may be to some other people. He was the enemy the day he left here, even more of an enemy the day he took the Detroit job. That's the team that put us out of the playoffs. You always want to beat that team; it probably adds a little more incentive to it."

So how, Iverson was asked, might Brown be received tomorrow night?

"Philly fans?" Iverson said, smiling. "Y'all already know. I definitely believe he knows, too. He knows how it's going to be.

..."Without coach Brown, there wouldn't have been an All-Star Allen Iverson, there wouldn't have been an MVP Allen Iverson. Without coach Brown, I don't think we get to the Finals and get a taste of trying to win a championship. I know a lot of players on this squad feel the same way; he helped us a lot. He did a lot for us."

Article (seems kind of biased against Brown)

"He was the enemy the day he left here and even more of an enemy the day he took the Detroit job," Eric Snow said, adding that it was nothing personal. "That’s the team that put us out of the playoffs. You always want to beat that team. This probably just adds a little more to it."

For all that Brown did for the Sixers, his departure and the words that followed engendered hard feelings among many fans.

First, at the press conference after he was hired in Detroit, he said he didn’t know what his title in Philadelphia had been and said he didn’t have total control over personnel decisions. Not true.

Then, in a long article by Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom, Brown took a number of shots at his former team, at one point saying he couldn’t coach "a-holes" anymore.

[PistonFAN81]

I thin that this will be a great game, i love when we play philly it is always a good game, I think that chancey will come out looking to be big since his lack in play the last couple of games, I think that he was mad because he struggled so much from the field and all. I think that Rip will be quiet though.As was said I do think that this will be the battle of the boards...

[bananas]

I think bench play will be the deciding factor for Wednesdays game. Philly has really had to dig into their depth chart with Coleman, Thomas and Robinson having been out. Thomas is back, but they're still missing their two best forwards / big men in Robinson and Coleman.

With everyone back in the lineup, I'm expecting an ugly win.

[Brian]

I think a lot of it will have to do with how rip can defend AI. With chucky out rip is really the only guy on the team that has the quickness to stay with AI. If we can't stop AI then lights out for the pistons.

[DetBNyce]

Originally posted by Brian!
I think a lot of it will have to do with how rip can defend AI. With chucky out rip is really the only guy on the team that has the quickness to stay with AI. If we can't stop AI then lights out for the pistons.

I was going to put that for my key matchup, but I didn't want a key matchup to focus on the way Rip defended AI. I feel the same way though, it'll be interesting to see how well Rip can chase AI around and through picks after hurting his neck. I think Lindsey will get his chances to defend AI as well. Iverson as much as I like him, does flop sometimes, and mixing that with Hunter's aggressive defensive style could mean whistles U against the Pistons.

[Austin Kent]

We are gonna crush this game.

Centre: Campbell > Dalembert (sry Canadian friend)
Power: Wallace >>> Jackson (slaughterfest?)
Small: Prince = Thomas (too different style of play no comparison)
Shooting: Hamilton < Iverson (it's Iverson!)
Point: Billups >> Snow (Billups is a scorer, Snow is a contributor)
Bench: Detroit > Philly (Williamson vs who?)

OVERALL: DETROIT >>>>>> PHILLY: The <>'s don't lie.
Let's give them > for homecourt. > In Motivation and > In Rip's potentially effect play. We still GREATER THAN them by 3.

DETROIT >>> PHILLY

I will take it.

[Austin Kent]

Let's get ready to rummmmmmmmmmmmmbllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllle!!!!!!

[DetBNyce]

Prince ballin...

5 points in the first 4 minutes.

[Austin Kent]

AH TOO BAD EVERYTHING FELL THROUGH! BAH!

[Aurelino]

Originally posted by KABI!
We are gonna crush this game.

Centre: Campbell > Dalembert (sry Canadian friend)
Power: Wallace >>> Jackson (slaughterfest?)
Small: Prince = Thomas (too different style of play no comparison)
Shooting: Hamilton < Iverson (it's Iverson!)
Point: Billups >> Snow (Billups is a scorer, Snow is a contributor)
Bench: Detroit > Philly (Williamson vs who?)

OVERALL: DETROIT >>>>>> PHILLY: The <>'s don't lie.
Let's give them > for homecourt. > In Motivation and > In Rip's potentially effect play. We still GREATER THAN them by 3.

DETROIT >>> PHILLY

I will take it.

You were right about the bench.

[DetBNyce]

My thoughts on the game:

Turnovers - TO's were killing us and we were getting them at costly times, especially near the end of games. This has been a problem this year and I can't put my finger on why they're happening, but if we stop committing them we will have a better chance of winning these close games.

Billups/Hamilton - Foul trouble... they could never get into a rhythym, because they both were in serious foul trouble. IMO it was some bad calls out there by the officials, but what can you really do about that. Our backourt is the second highest scoring backcourt in the league and when they can only play 30 minutes apiece we are going to struggle because they are a big part of what we do. AI was flopping just like I thought he would.

Corliss/Darvin Ham at the PF - There really is no need to keep saying Corliss doesn't need to be playing the four, because it's been said enough. I'll leave it at that. But why is Darvin Ham on the court without the purpose of using one of his 6 fouls. There is no way Ham should be on the court at that point in the game.

Fowlkes/Ham - this is kind of lumped in with the Darvin Ham part above. This guy should not be playing in crunch time. In the last minute he had Rip/Sura/Fowlkes in instead of Hunter/Sura/Rip. There was a time where Fowlkes was wide open for the three, but he didn't take it for obvious reasons, if Hunter was out there he would have at least had a chance at making the shot.

Corliss is a SF, he loses effectiveness at the four.

Elden Campbell - How he gets only 11 minutes confuses me. He's old -- yes, could be saving him for the playoffs-- yes, out of shape -- maybe. But this guy should be playing more than 11 minutes a game. Especially down the stretch. I would much rather have Ben and Elden out there than Ham and Ben.

That's all for right now.

[fear the fro]

Do you think we could start a petition or something to get Larry Brown to stop playing Corliss and Darvin Ham at the 4? It really is killing us...

Anyways, there were a lot of crappy calls and at times a disappointing lack of defensive intensity (just letting AI come right up and lay it in or dish it to someone else) but we still would have won without all those stupid turnovers.

[Brian]

Originally posted by fear the fro!
Do you think we could start a petition or something to get Larry Brown to stop playing Corliss and Darvin Ham at the 4? It really is killing us...

Anyways, there were a lot of crappy calls and at times a disappointing lack of defensive intensity (just letting AI come right up and lay it in or dish it to someone else) but we still would have won without all those stupid turnovers.

I think we are going to see the Darvin Ham/Corliss Williamson show until Brown feels like Darko can contribute on a regular basis. It pains me to see Corliss and Darvin at the 4. I have no problem with giving corliss minutes but play him at the damn sf position.