5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Pistons at Sixers, Game 3 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

In another of our continuing series, five things to keep an eye out for tonight in the Pistons-Sixers Game 3 tonight.

1. The Road Home: So it appears that Philadelphia is starting to get all excited about the Sixers again. Which is fun for them. And important. If the Sixers can't protect their home court in Game 3, this series can get out of hand quickly. The Pistons can snap the trap if they smell blood, you don't want to wake them up. The Sixers also need to come out and hit shots to get the crowd excited. What you don't want is to let Detroit hang around. Put them down hard and fast, or they will close on you. You won't be sneaking up on them like you did in Game 1.

2. Iggy No Biggie: All year long I hear about how great Andre Iguodala is. Every game I watch, he's marginal. He can fill a stat sheet fine, but the Pistons have completely swallowed him whole this series. The Sixers need to break 95 to win tomorrow night, and they wont' get there if Iggy doesn't have a breakout game. The Pistons have actually turned to the ridiculously long Tayshaun Prince to contain him and it's been effective. Pick and roll plays are in desperate need of improved efficiency, and Samuel Dalembert may want to stray from the lane to set the pick more in order to create the separation Iguodala needs.

3. What's Wrong With Mr. Big Shot?: Chauncey Billups is averaging 40% in this series. He did shoot 50% in Game 2, but took just 6 shots, scoring 9 points. He had 6 assists, but Rip Hamilton had more. It's not that Billups has played badly in this series, he's just absent. And that's not something you want out of the guy who's supposed to be your glue. Billups is matched up with a bigger, faster, more athletic Andre Miller, who's pretty much racking up dollar sign after dollar sign with every bucket this season. Billups needs to force some steals. It's important to note that almost all of Billups' numbers are higher than his season average on the road. Like most of the Pistons, he prefers things the hard way. Watch out for Billups to lead the Pistons tomorrow night to assert themselves.

4. Sam He Hasn't Been: Samuel Dalembert is averaging 7 fewer points and 4 fewer rebounds in this series than he did in the regular season. Now, being matched up against Rasheed Wallace will do that to you. It's unrealistic to suggest he produce against the Sheed. What the Sixers need is to create enough offense with their young power forward Thaddeus Young and the resurgent Reggie Evans to force Sheed out of the block. Then Dalembert, some way, some how, has to find his shot against Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell. If Dalembert can have a few burst games and draw some fouls, the Sixers can get into a scrap fight, and that's their game. Who would have guessed it, the Pistons aren't the team that wants to get dirty in a playoff series.

5. As The Rotation Turns: In Game 1, Detroit completely shifted its rotation. In Game 2, Flip Saunders loosened the slack and let the bench off, to great returns. There seems to be a measure of "chicken" in this series. Both coaches are hesitant to blink. In Game 1, Saunders refused to get away from McDyess, even though the young legs of the Sixers were prevailing. In Game 2, he outran them with Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell. Conversely, in Game 1, Mo Cheeks let his players play as they were performing, letting the game dictate the rotation. Conversely, in Game 2, Cheeks pulled back and forced the Andre Iguodala issue, playing him 31 minutes with a +/- at -18. This series hinges on both coaches' willingness to blink and adjust their rosters.