Sixers Shock

Boredom has not settled in.
Heck, it's only the first game of the playoffs.
And like they've said in past playoff runs, the Detroit Pistons insisted there's no need to hit the panic button following their 90-86 loss to the upstart Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of a best-of-seven playoff series on Sunday.
Playoff Schedule

The Pistons lost an important game and with it home-court advantage. But they said they haven't lost perspective.
"We expected a tough series," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said. "We're disappointed, we're upset, we're mad, all those things. They way we play, not turn the ball over, grinding things out -- we should win those games; we didn't. They played hard. I thought that we're extremely aggressive and it's not that we lost the game, they beat us. There is no question about it."
The main question now is if the second-seeded Pistons can regain their focus for a must-win Game 2 on Wednesday at the Palace.
Few expect the Pistons to lose this series. And even though the Pistons stumbled out of the playoff gate, their track record suggests it's highly likely they'll advance.
But the simple fact that the Pistons dropped their playoff opener gave reason to question their mindset, which has cost them in the past. As talented and successful as the Pistons have been, you still don't know what you'll get from them on a given night.
In the days leading up to Game 1, the Pistons said the ways in which they were ousted from the previous three postseasons still stung. They said they're hungrier and readier than ever to make a run at the NBA Finals.
But Sunday was a painful hiccup.
The Pistons have made it no secret that they love it when their backs are against the wall. But even they didn't expect to be faced with such adversity so early, especially against a Philadelphia team with practically no playoff experience.
"This is going to be tough to try to accomplish and get where we want to get, that's pretty much all it is," forward Rasheed Wallace said. "It's simple basketball."
But the Sixers made things difficult, and they probably surprised the Pistons with their second-half emergence.
The Pistons led by 15 at one point in the third quarter. Then it all unraveled like it has so many times before.
The Pistons committed an uncharacteristic six turnovers in the second half, many of which were easily avoidable. And then it was as if someone placed a lid on the basket, because Detroit (39 pecent field-goal shooting) couldn't make even the easiest of shots.
There were missed layups. Missed put-backs. Missed free throws. Then there were the individual showings.
While Wallace (24 points, nine rebounds, seven blocks) dominated the post, guard Richard Hamilton was nowhere to be found. Hamilton, who was bothered by a sore hip late in the season, finished with 13 points on a forgettable 5-for-17 shooting. Antonio McDyess, back in the starting lineup this season, missed seven of nine shots for six points.
Wallace had a chance to tie the game at 88 with 10 seconds left, but missed an eight-footer. Andre Iguodala grabbed the rebound, was fouled and iced the game with a pair of free throws. Iguodala got his offense going in the second half, when he scored 10 of his 16 points.
Point guard Andre Miller (20 points, six assists) and forward Reggie Evans (11 points) were the keys to Philly's fourth-quarter comeback. Philly's up-tempo style of play worked in spurts, and when it didn't the Sixers still proved they could execute and hang with one of the league's elite.
After the game, the Sixers walked off the court smiling and high-fiving each other. Their confidence shot up tenfold.
And that nothing-to-lose attitude that so many underdogs say they take into the playoffs was non-existent in the visitor's locker room at the Palace. "No, we've got something to lose, just like they do," Miller said. "We're here to play basketball and hopefully win. We've got something to lose just like they do."
Only for the Pistons, there's so much more at stake.