April 25th, 2008 
Stephen Rhodes 
Posted in ????????????????????????
I am sure that there’s lots of people out there who thought the victory by the Philadelphia 76ers over the Detroit Pistons last Sunday was a fluke; after all, the Sixers were considered heavy underdogs in this best-of-seven series.? Friday night’s game at Wachovia Center was a contest where defense ruled the proceedings as Philadelphia held Detroit to 41% shooting in a dominating 95-75 win; this win gives the Sixers a 2-1 advantage in this Eastern Conference first-round series.
Philadelphia started out strong in the first quarter as they converted the game’s first 6 points; Reggie Evans – typically offensively challenged – made up for that shortcoming as he helped Philadelphia grab a narrow, 44-40 lead going into halftime.? The Sixers broke the game wide open as they ignited a 22-9 run; the Pistons managed to miss 16 straight shots spanning the third and fourth quarters until finally scoring – thanks to a goaltending call whistled against Philadelphia’s Samuel Dalembert.? The Sixers’ Rodney Carney opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer then Dalembert dunked, giving Philadelphia an insurmountable 82-61 lead.
Philadelphia’s leading scorer was Dalembert with 22 points, 16 rebounds, an assist, a steal and 2 blocks while Andre Miller scored 21 with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.? Detroit was led by Richard Hamilton with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while Tayshaun Prince scored 18 with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal.? Philadelphia takes their 2-1 lead in the series into Wachovia Center Sunday as they face Detroit in what has to be a must-win game for the Pistons.?
