The Pistons and 76ers resume their best of seven first round playoff series tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills with the series tied at two games a piece. The game tips at 7:00 and can be viewed locally on TV20 .

With the series tied at a game a piece what we basically have is a new 3 game series with 2 games at the Palace. The Pistons are one of the better home teams in the whole league but they cannot rely on that especially against the Sixers who own a regular season and playoff win on our floor.

Here’s some of PN’s keys to winning Game 5, and the series for that matter:

• Make shots! It sounds simple right? If it was we might not have a tied series after 4 games played. Executing the offense and hitting open looks is the key to slowing down Philly’s running attack. If they’re not beating us down the floor off errant shots we’ll be able to better counter our defense to whatever they want to do in the half court set.
• Take care of the ball: We’re turning the ball over much to much in this series. Every time we’re lazy with passing or trying to force the ball the Sixers end up burning us. It’s very frustrating because it’s an area we usually have no problem with, win or lose.
• Not just Tay: Tayshaun has been the man and it’s scary to think about where we might be if he hadn’t. But, we’re not our best when Tayshaun is carrying the offensive load. He should be a threat but not the main attraction. Tayshaun feeds off everyone else’s play. He fills in the gaps. We need guys like Rip, Rasheed, and Chauncey bringing more consistency. We also need the bench to pick it up. They’ve been given opportunities, but have not risen up the way they did over the last month of the regular season.
• Urgency: No more trying to stay close in the first half and trying to blow by in the second half. It’ll be too late. From the jump we need to capitalize on all opportunities to put Philly in the rearview. The more they hang around the more confidence they build and before you know it good players like Dalembert, Miller, and Reggie Evans are playing out of their skull and it’s too late to stem the tide



If you were wondering, it sounds like Maxiell will again get the start and McDyess will come off the bench. This is a move I was campaigning for back in November. Maxy is eventually going to be the starter. As for Dice, read his quote and you can decide which he prefers.

“Coming off the bench is what I’m comfortable doing,” McDyess said.

“Starting? It’s just a routine thing. I feel like now, I get in there … when I start, I feel like a robot sometimes. But when I come off the bench, I feel I’ve got to step up and make something happen.”