5 Things to Keep an Eye on: Pistons at Sixers, Game 6 - FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

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

1. And Lo, Mr. Big Shot Awakened, And The Earth Did Tremble: It was only a matter of time, really. Chauncey Billups is too good of a player to have five straight bad games. Billups erupted in Game 5 to the tune of 21 points and 12 assists, looking very much like the underrated superstar we've come to know and love him as. While Andre Miller seemed to plummet to the Earth after his meteoric rise with 13 points on 5 of 17 shooting, Billups lead the charge for the Pistons and putting them firmly back in the driver's seat. Miller having the advantage was a central element in the Sixers' success, and if Billups is really back to playoff form, the Sixers are in deep trouble, on top of it being an elimination game.

2. Welcome Back, Iggy! You Do Remember Which Team You Play For, Right?: Andre Iguodala finally got off the snide for the Sixers and scored 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting to go along 6 assists! Hurrah! Oh, wait. He also turned the ball over 6 (!) times and the Sixers lost by 17. So I'm thinking maybe Iguodala isn't the most important factor in this series. The only game where he's an impact, and it's a blowout. Part of that could be the fact that the Sixers have dominated when they've had more size on the floor. Or part of it could be that when Iguodala's gunning, the offense isn't as effective. If the Sixers want to prolong this series, they need to either get back to what was working with Iguodala stifled, or somehow get all the pieces clicking. I'm not sure that's possible for them, yet.

3. 90 Score And Three Losses Ago: The Sixers aren't an offensive juggernaut, or anything, but they need to put the ball in the hole in order to beat the Pistons. In their three losses, they've failed to break 90. In their two wins, they scored over 90. A defensive slugfest favors the Pistons, because it allows them to pick you apart at the edges. In Game 5, the Pistons focused on shutting down the fast break, and it worked well. If you let the Pistons control the pace, that's usually game, set, match.

4. Knock Them Down: This series is ridiculously even. Only a 4.6 scoring differential, even with the blowout in Game 5, the Pistons have a 1.2 edge in turnovers, the Sixers lead in rebounds, and they're tied for offensive rebounds. Really the gap comes in shooting. The Pistons are shooting 3.8% better than the Sixers. That's it. This series isn't as much about talent, or size, or matchups, as it is about poise and shooting. When the Pistons flex it, the win, when they don't, the Sixers scrap it out. It's a closeout game for the Pistons, which they're great at historically, and an elimination game for the Sixers, who should have enough emotion to go around.

5. How Many Times Must I Say It?: This series is not about Andre Iguodala. It's about Samuel Dalembert. Dalembert made me look like a smart man when the Sixers got creamed with him putting in only 4 points and 6 rebounds. He's at home, where he's played well. He's young, but he's got to step up and be a leader for this team. Otherwise, he's got plenty of time to work on his game for next year.