DCSIMG
Print RSS Feeds RSS Sign up for E-news

Round Two Review

A look back at Round Two of the NBA Playoffs 2003 - #1 Detroit Pistons vs. #4 Philadelphia 76ers

NBA Playoffs 2003 | Pistons Playoff Central | Recent Postgame Quotes | Game Notes | Pistons Playoff Roster
Playoff Television Schedule

Sixers 87



VS.



Pistons 98 		Tuesday, May 6, 2003

Mehmet Okur scored 16 points, including six in a row midway through the fourth quarter, as the Pistons got the jump in the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 98-87 victory over the 76ers. The top-seeded Pistons won their fourth straight playoff game with a huge lift from Okur, a rookie reserve 7-footer from Turkey who burned the 76ers with his versatile offense.

"Everybody is feeding off each other and it’s fun. We are doing a good job of getting stops, and once we get those stops, we get the outlet and go. I’m sure (Phily) is going to come back and try to get (Allen Iverson) more easy looks at the basket but we just have to worry about ourselves and play our game. If we play playoff style basketball, we will have nothing to worry about."
--Pistons Guard Richard Hamilton

High Scorers: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 27; (DET) Richard Hamilton, 25
High Rebounders: (PHI) Derrick Coleman, 8; (DET) Ben Wallace, 12
High Assists: (PHi) Allen Iverson, 8; (DET) Billups / Robinson, 4

Headlines: Despite power outage, Pistons light up 76ers, --Detroit Free Press | Depth powers Pistons to series-opening win, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k

Sixers 97



VS.



Pistons 104, OT 		Thursday, May 8, 2003

Tayshaun Prince didn't look like a rookie. Prince forced overtime with 4.2 seconds left, then scored seven points in the extra session to lift the Detroit Pistons to a 104-97 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference Semifinals series. A first-round pick who played sparingly during the season, Prince had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds.

"I just like the fact that we are playing hard and incredibly unselfish. All we have done so far is take care of our home court. Philly is going to try to take advantage of being at home. I told the guys to just focus on one game at a time so even though we have a back-to-back coming up, we will just focus on Saturday’s game as of now. We are going to go to work tomorrow to get prepared so we can come away with a win on Saturday."
--Pistons Forward Michael Curry

High Scorers: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 31; (DET) Hamilton / Atkins, 23
High Rebounders: (PHI) Kenny Thomas, 19; (DET) Ben Wallace, 15
High Assists: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 7; (DET) Richard Hamilton, 6

Headlines: Rookie's late heroics lift Pistons to 2-0 lead, --Detroit Free Press | Prince comes through for the Pistons in Billups' stead, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k

Pistons 83



VS.



Sixers 93 		Saturday, May 10, 2003

Kenny Thomas gave the Philadelphia 76ers their own version of Ben Wallace. Thomas had 10 points and 14 rebounds as the 76ers controlled both backboards and got back into their Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 93-83 Game Three victory over the Detroit Pistons. The Pistons had their five-game playoff winning streak snapped but still hold a 2-1 lead in the series.

High Scorers: (DET) Richard Hamilton, 24; (PHI) Allen Iverson, 25
High Rebounders: (DET) Mehmet Okur, 10; (PHI) Kenny Thomas, 14
High Assists: (DET) Richard Hamilton, 4; (PHI) Allen Iverson, 11

Lifeless Pistons get knocked silly in Philly, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k

Pistons 82



VS.



Sixers 95 		Sunday, May 11, 2003

Three days after blowing a chance to even the series, Allen Iverson seized his second opportunity. The superstar guard scored 15 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 95-82 victory over the Detroit Pistons, squaring their Eastern Conference semifinal series at two games apiece.

"Those guys had a lot of aggression and energy. Defensively, they have been more aggressive than they have been. We have to turn that around. I think we can turn that around by being a lot more aggressive offensively on Allen (Iverson) and some other guys as well. We definitely have some adjustments to make. (The Sixers) did what they were supposed to do, now we go back to Detroit."
--Pistons Guard Chucky Atkins

High Scorers: (DET) Richard Hamilton, 30; (PHI) Allen Iverson, 36
High Rebounders: (DET) Ben Wallace, 15; (PHI) Derrick Coleman, 15
High Assists: (DET) Three tied, 3; (PHI) Allen Iverson, 11

Headlines: Painful game was needed by Billups, not by the Pistons, --Detroit Free Press | Pistons give up control of series without much of a fight in Game 4, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k

Sixers 77



VS.



Pistons 78 		Wednesday, May 14, 2003

Three days after blowing a chance to even the series, Chucky Atkins snuck the Detroit Pistons past the Philadelphia 76ers once again. Atkins flipped in a running layup in the final second to give the Pistons a 78-77 victory over the 76ers and a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series. Detroit won its sixth straight postseason home game, including the last two from Philadelphia with last-second heroics.

"You’ve got to give them credit... I don’t know how we stayed in the game with Keith (VanHorn) going two for ten and Allen five for twenty-five. I thought we defended, kept fighting back. I know it was a really difficult, game too, but this one really stinks."
--Sixers Head Coach Larry Brown

High Scorers: (PHI) Derrick Coleman, 23; (DET) Richard Hamilton, 20
High Rebounders: (PHI) Derrick Coleman, 11; (DET) Ben Wallace, 17
High Assists: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 9; (DET) Richard Hamilton, Chucky Atkins, 5

Headlines: Atkins' shot wins it in last second for 3-2 lead, --Detroit Free Press | Atkins Saves Pistons, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k

Pistons 93



VS.



Sixers 89 		Friday, May 16, 2003

Even on a bum ankle, Chauncey Billups had enough to be a hero - again. With pain shooting through his heavily taped sprained ankle, Billups shot the Detroit Pistons into the Eastern Conference finals with a 93-89 overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.


"It was a heck of a win. It was pretty ugly for both sides for quite a long time. But it's great to see the old (Chauncey) Billups back. Corliss (Williamson) came in and was awesome. Everybody played great. That's the sign of a good team. We knew we had a game seven in our back pocket, but we came in with a good focus, played intense and just did the job. That's what it takes."
--Pistons Guard Jon Barry

High Scorers: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 38; (DET) Chauncey Billups, 28
High Rebounders: (PHI) Kenny Thomas, 14; (DET) Ben Wallace, 18
High Assists: (PHI) Allen Iverson, 9; (DET) Chauncey Billups, 5

Headlines: After OT, Dumars finally can exhale, --Detroit Free Press
After latest win, there's not much room left on Pistons' bandwagon, --Detroit News

Box Score | Game Recap

Highlights: 56k | 300k