Old, Tired, Disinterested... and down 2-1 to a 7 Seed

Here's how much I believed in the Sixers taking a 2-1 lead in their series against the Pistons tonight.

(A) I didn't buy tickets.

(B) I scheduled a poker game, rather than commit to watching the game fully.

So yes, the level of commitment was going to be a simple matter of having it on in the background.

And the Sixers repaid that faith with... an absolute rout. Tonight, we saw:

> Reggie Evans, hearing the first chants of "Reggie, Reggie!" in his life

> Detroit playing at their pace, but just not seeming to care

> No Pistons, other than Prince and Hamilton, seeming to give half of a damn, let alone a full one

> Rasheed Wallace being thoroughly outplayed by Samuel Dalembert, on both ends

> The Pistons shooting at one point in the fourth quarter, before all of the starters were removed, 15%

> Detroit not seeming to be able or interested in running a trap, even when down and running out of time

> Chauncey Billups looking as bad as he has ever looked

> The Sixers going to a whitewash victory lineup with Shavlik Randolph -- Shavlik Randolph! -- Jason Smith and Kevin Ollie at the close (Ollie's not white, but he should be... and, for that matter, unemployed)

> Detroit committing five defensive fouls in the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter, more or less ensuring that there was no chance of a comeback

> And all of this with Andre Iguodala, the Sixers best player, giving them very little.

So now we're back in the same place that we were before Game 2: waiting for the Real Pistons to show up, and wondering if it might be too late when they do. And well, the Sixers only need to win two out of the next four, and playing with nothing but house money.

What's this emotion welling up inside me? Could it be... hope?