Professional Game Coverage: Philadelphia 95, Detroit 90

Detroit News

“Pistons go cold, fall to eighth in East,” by Ted Kulfan

"Andre Iguodala led all scorers with 31 (15 in the first quarter) for the 76ers. Miller had 21 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. His triple-double was the first such performance against the Pistons since the Heat’s Dwayne Wade did it Dec. 30, 2004.“We brought good focus and effort, but we just made some mistakes,” coach Michael Curry said. “On a night like tonight, you just can’t make that many mistakes.”The Pistons allowed Iguodala four lob dunks and shot 26.7 percent in the second half (after shooting 50 percent in the first half)."

“Allen Iverson, Pistons didn’t blend well, Curry says,” by Ted Kulfan

"Curry thinks Iverson, 33, still can be a force in the league.“He’s still a starter in this league; he’s going to have a lot of success,” Curry said. “This was a tough situation this year. As he gets older, he’ll have to do different thing so his body can hold up for the rigors of an NBA season. He’ll probably have to adapt a little bit, because I’m not sure how many teams will be centered just around him, but he’s still a very capable player, and at times this year, he was really, really good for us.“A lot of things maybe I could have done better, and the players could have done better, and maybe he could have done better. All of us, we haven’t gotten it done this year. By no means do I want to make it seem it was just on Allen.“The reality is we’re in the position we’re in, and we have to make the most of.”"

Detroit Free Press

“Pistons run out of gas, lose to 76ers,” by Vince Ellis

"The 76ers were effective double-teaming Rip Hamilton whenever he would come off a screen. The Pistons countered by moving the ball quickly to the other side of the floor, but the recipient of the pass would often miss as both Antonio McDyess (2-for-9) and Rasheed Wallace (3-for-12) shot poorly.But Hamilton wasn’t much better, shooting 6-for-17, and scoring 15 points and he missed two good looks down the stretch."

“Iverson, Pistons never really clicked,” by Vince Ellis

"Curry said a training camp with Iverson could have helped. Dumars orchestrated the Chauncey Billups-for-Iverson trade two games into the season.“I’ve always been a big believer in training camp,” Curry said. “In some of our areas where we struggled while Allen was playing, I think we could have been better in those areas had we been in training camp. I just think getting used to playing with him and him used to playing with the other guys, you could have gotten that done in training camp."

“Winning Bobcats series now the concern,” by Vince Ellis

"Buoyed by the midseason acquisition of Boris Diaw and Raja Bell from the Phoenix Suns, the Bobcats made a surprising run into playoff contention. Each team has six games left, but it would appear the Pistons might have an edge since the Bobcats have five games on the road. But besides the obvious ramifications of tonight’s game, if the Pistons can get the victory, they would win any tiebreaker with the Bobcats since they would take the season series, 3-1."

Booth Newspapers

“Pistons lose ‘must-win’ game at Philadelphia,” by A. Sherrod Blakely

"With the loss, the Pistons (36-40) have now lost three in a row and are four games below .500 for the first time this season. Meanwhile, Philadelphia (40-35) clinched a playoff berth with the victory.More importantly, Chicago’s victory over the Nets dropped the Pistons into the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Pistons hold a two-game lead over Charlotte, which in ninth in the playoff race in the East. The Bobcats visits Detroit in an important game tonight — a win and Charlotte would be only one game back in the playoff race."

“Pistons try to hold off Bobcats for final playoff spot,” by A. Sherrod Blakely

"Several Bobcats have stepped up their play lately, but much of the credit for their late season surge has gone to Brown who coached the Pistons for two seasons which includes the 2004 NBA championship squad.“LB is a great coach,” Hamilton said. “He’s going to have his guys out there fighting until the end.”"

The Philadelphia Inquirer

“76ers beat Pistons, clinch playoff berth,” by Kate Fagan

"The most important of those free throws came from forward Reggie Evans, who was fouled with 30.8 seconds left and the Sixers leading, 90-88.As Evans walked to the line, Miller mimicked a high release. Evans practiced. A few seconds later, Evans, who entered the game shooting a career-high 61.3 percent from the line, made both.“He always kids about he wants to shoot the technicals,” deadpanned DiLeo. “So he’s been working hard on free throws.”"

“76ers beat Pistons, clinch playoff berth,” by Kate Fagan

"With 2:47 left in last night’s game, Tayshaun Prince caught an alley-oop pass and tried to lay it in. On the play, Sixers center Theo Ratliff was called for a foul.Prince then appeared to land awkwardly on his left knee. He stayed down for a few minutes before walking off under his own power. Prince didn’t miss a second and made 1 of 2 free throws."