Sports 4 Dorks

Scanning the blogs and beats following the Pistons’ 100-77 series clinching win over the Sixers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals …

Mitch Albom, Detroit Free Press: "It was over before it started, the way people once felt this series would be. From the second half of Game 4 to the closing seconds of Game 6, the Pistons shook off rust and rumor and rediscovered themselves. They solved the riddle of this fast but limited opponent and stole its mojo. By the first quarter Thursday, the Pistons not only had time to pick up loose headbands, they could have purchased three-piece suits and waited to have them fitted. Whoever started games hot in this series tended to finish them that way. The Pistons opened with a 28-9 run. The rest was just veggies and dessert."

Marc Narducci, The Philadelphia Inquirer: "By halftime, some in the crowd of 14,130 voiced their displeasure with a sound the home team had not heard much lately: Boo! When the Sixers led the series by two games to one and owned a double-digit halftime advantage in Game 4, it provided hope for the local faithful. Looking back, it was false hope. Detroit has been accused of turning the switch on and off, but the real difference was that the Pistons started making shots, starting with the second half of Game 4. And many of them were wide open."

Krista Jahnke, Detroit Free Press: "The Pistons owe the 76ers a thank-you card. Or maybe a fruit basket. Why? Because, despite the angst it caused, they say their six-game first-round series provided a necessary wake-up call. "Philadelphia gave us a hell of a series," coach Flip Saunders said. "They woke us up, and they probably made us a lot better going into the next round because of the things they did and the things we did to get back on track."

Passion and Pride: "For the Sixers to have a chance, Andre Miller had to outplay Chauncey Billups. That hadn’t happened since the first half of Game 4. Without his strong play at the point, the Sixers would have been well suited to try playing Iguodala at shooting guard to get him off Tayshaun Prince. Jason Smith could backup both Reggie Evans and Sam Dalembert, while having Rodney Carney spell Thad Young at small forward. The backcourt would be crowded, but you just go with the hot hand and go small to sub in for Iguodala."

Deep Sixer: "The roster doesn’t have to be totally revamped, but a minimum of one impact player at shooting guard and/or power forward has to be added. And there will be questions whether the Sixers should upgrade at center, especially with how inconsistent Samuel Dalembert was against the Pistons. But there is a lot of time for those questions. For now, the Sixers should be proud of the fact that they overachieved, but should also realize that the last three games of this series showed how much work the organization has to do during this offseason."

A. Sherrod Blakely, MLive.com: "Playing a team such as Philadelphia was exactly what the Detroit Pistons needed. Far too often, they coast through games, even in the playoffs. But the Sixers forced them to play at a high level, well aware anything short of that would spell defeat. The level of intensity and focus displayed by Detroit in the last two and a half games will be needed against a much-improved Orlando team that’s looking to exact a bit of revenge after being swept by the Pistons a year ago."

Chris McCosky, The Detroit News: "A few days ago, after the Pistons had lost Game 3, the buzz in the newspapers, on the message boards and on local sports talk radio was the end was near for Pistons coach Flip Saunders. Now, the national buzz has Saunders among the candidates for coaching jobs in Dallas, Chicago and perhaps Phoenix. One city’s trash is another city’s treasure, huh? "Maybe they know more than I do," Saunders joked."

Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News: "This was spur of the moment. This was Reggie Evans’ way of saying thank you. … Evans, who had given all he had all season, gave the only thing he had left. He gave the fans his shoes. He stopped at center court, pulled them off and tossed them into the stands. And just like that, Kevin Ollie, Lou Williams, Willie Green, Rodney Carney, Jason Smith, most of them, followed suit."

Krista Jahnke, Detroit Free Press: "Forward Jarvis Hayes suddenly has found himself as the odd man out in Saunders’ rotation. Asked about it Thursday, he cited the team’s success and said, "I’m holding up. Holding up good." Hayes doesn’t want to complain, especially while on a three-game winning streak. But it’s clear he is upset to see his role change so drastically. During the regular season, Hayes averaged 16 minutes and 6.7 points per game. In the playoffs, those numbers have shrunk to 6.7 minutes and 2.5 points."