5 Things to Keep an Eye on: 76ers at Pistons, Game 2 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the 76ers-Pistons Game 2 tonight.

1. Shock And Awe: Admit it. You didn't see it coming either. The question now is whether Detroit can get their mojo back and put a righteous beatdown on the upstart kiddos. Detroit has a penchant for taking series' off. The thing with the Sixers is now they have some belief. If the Pistons let them walk out of Detroit with a 2-0 lead, that belief is going to swell to confidence and a killer instinct. In the playoffs, you cannot let them smell blood. Detroit can't just be concerned about the Sixers. They've also got to try and save as much energy as possible, because Boston's way down the line and the Magic are suddenly looking very legit. That's all after just getting past Philly. They need a quick, decisive win tonight.

2. Statistical Outliers: I'm still stunned that Chauncey Billups allowed himself to be played the fool like he was by Andre Miller. Miller used a terrific balance of offensive versatility to drum up 20 points in the Sixers win, and Billups went 3 of 9 from the field. That's unlikely to happen again, both Billups' struggling and Miller's explosion. At the same point, it's unlikely that Andre Iguodala will be held as in check as he was. The Pistons did a good job with Tayshaun Prince to keep him in check, but it's hard to keep a scorer scoreless. It'll be interesting to see how the Sixers' stars respond to what is likely to be increased defensive pressure.

3. Whatever Happened to D-Troit?: The Sixers out-hustled the Pistons. Anyone that watched the game could tell that. But the boxscore also pitches in, pointing out that the Pistons were outrebounded by the Sixers, particularly in the last three minutes, and especially by Reggie Evans. Like I said, little things like free throws and rebounding can be the difference between winning and losing in the playoffs. If the Sixers want to get back to even heading back to Philadelphia. they need to start focusing on those little things.

4. So Much For That "Depth.": All year long, the Pistons have been impressing people, including me, with their combination of veteran star starters, and young, athletic bench players. And then the playoffs... not so much. Rodney Stuckey and Maxiell got significant minutes, and Jason Maxiell produced. But as Detroit Bad Boys pointed out, Flip Saunders decided to completely shift the rotation. And against a young, raw, athletic team, the Pistons turned to Lindsey Hunter and Theo Ratliff, and played the starters into the ground. If the Pistons are going to re-establish dominance, it starts with letting the talented young bench contribute.

5. Will Sheed Get Down To Business?: All season long, Rasheed Wallace has been in a playful mood. He hasn't really played with a level of killer instinct. Now there's a lot of criticism aimed at him after Game 1. Will he respond? Because the odds of Samuel Dalembert having as bad of a Game 2 as Game 1 (5 points, 10 rebounds, 5 fouls, 2 turnovers) is unlikely. He's got too much raw athleticism to be held down for a seven game series. Sheed needs to take the safety off and lead for a squad that's injured, tired, and confused.