FanHouse

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

1. Superman Vs. The Automatons: Chris Webber said on Inside the NBA after the Magic eliminated the Raptors that the Pistons would not choose to double Dwight Howard. That's a matter of some debate in the Pistons camp, and it looks like they have decided to bring the double. The thinking here is pretty clear. We shut down Dwight Howard, and this team is without competent weaponry. Howard has to be on his game for every single game in this series. He needs to take advantage when he gets a step, an opening, or a mismatch. He needs to control the boards at both ends of the floor. But most importantly, he needs to make the pass to the open shooter on the perimeter. From there the question gets a little more dicey for the Magic ...

2. .Better Be Good: If the Magic perimeter shooters aren't on target in this series, it could get out of hand very fast. They are going to get open shots. The Pistons are willing to accept shots from Jameer Nelson, from Maurice Evans, from Keith Bogans. As long as it's not Howard dunking on them or Turkoglu slicing to the basket, they'll take their chances with their ability to closeout and put pressure on shooters. Keith Bogans was 12 of 14 against the Pistons this season, and he has to keep up that kind of accuracy to force the Pistons out of the double-team.

3. No Double. Okay, Double. : Like I said, doubling Howard is the smart route to start. It's the safest decision, to make the weak part of the Magic beat them. The question arises as to how they'll manage the double effectively and if they can do it without fouling. The problem with Howard is that if you do manage to force him into a miss near the basket, you feel like you've accomplished something, only to find that he's gone up and gotten his own rebound since, um... he's bigger than you. He draws a large number of fouls in that situation, which is fine, he's not a great free throw shooter, but it starts to thin out your roster. The Pistons do have Antonio McDyess, Jason Maxiell, and Amir Johnson to burn fouls with, but you have to be careful as to how small you go after that. Because with Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis comprising the rest of the frontcourt, going small is a risky proposition with their ability to attack the basket in so many ways.

4. Tay-zered: Tayshaun Prince had a lights out first series against the "explosive" Andre Iguodala. Now, it's not just because I am unimpressed with Iguodala on the whole that I recognize the jump Prince has to take in this series. Hedo Turkoglu is older, more experienced, bigger, and more reliable that Iguodala. He has a solid array of offensive moves at his disposal, and his defense is nothing to sneeze at, either. If you want a tipping point, this is going to be it.

5. Rip Tide: Rip Hamilton just keeps plugging along, rarely getting the credit he deserves for the Pistons' success. In this series he's got favorable matchups galore. If Hamilton gets hot, he can anchor the Pistons offense if Sheed struggles against Superman and Billups struggles against... himself. Maurice Evans has played better, but he's not in Hamilton's league, yet. And the playoffs are where Hamilton reminds everyone of just how good he is.