The Pistons and 76ers resume their best of seven first round playoff series tonight at Philadelphia’s Wachovia Center with the series tied at one game a piece. The game tips at 7:00 and can be viewed locally on TV20 Detroit, and nationally on ESPN2.

For game three the series shifts to Philadelphia (can’t you just hear that line on one of those NBA retrospective videos?). They’re really excited about these Sixers. Philadelphia is going all out for their surprising heroes:

For this, the first home playoff game in Philadelphia in three years, the city has gone all out. While encouraging fans coming to the Wachovia Center tonight to wear white in order to “Run with Us,” they’ve also come up with a few gimmicks.

For one, I-76, a.k.a. the Schuylkill Expressway, the main highway running into town, has been temporarily renamed, I-76ers. And at noon today gas will be pumped at one local station at 76 cents for 76 minutes.

I’d like to get in on some of that .76 gas, that’s for damn sure.

So, in game one the Pistons mistook the game for the 83rd regular season game and got outworked by the 76ers. Game two they restored their good name for the sports media proclaiming them to be the “same old Pistons”. Now they need to keep up the intensity that they showed they had in them in game two to keep the doubters at bay. I hope they can. I hope they’re able to find the challenge in putting away a team they’re expected to put away.

I look for Andre Iguodala* (which I’m now spelling without looking up) to try to force his game. He’s under the microscope after averaging 10 points in the first two game, that’s down from his 19.9 regular season average. Those numbers are supposed to go the other way in the playoffs. One possible explanation for Iggy’s 5/24 combined shooting might be the defense of Tayshaun “Daddy Long Arms” Prince, even if Tay can’t/won’t explain it himself.

Is tonight the night we see the Mr. Big Shot ‘Playoff Edition’? If Chauncey were to have the two consecutive ho-hum games in the regualr season it wouldn’t hardley raise an eyebrow. He hasn’t played bad enough where there’d be cause for concern, but he just hasn’t looked like he’s stepped up his game for the postseason like he usually does.