Sixers Hosts Iverson-Less Pistons for Saturday Matinee

This preview comes courtesy of Andrew Unterberger.   Since ties were cut between the 76ers and Allen Iverson over two and a half seasons ago, the former face of the franchise has had only one real homecoming back in Philly--last season's remarkably poignant visit as a member of the Denver Nuggets. After a stunningly emotional ovation from the crowd in the pre-game, AI went for a scorching 32 and 8, despite ultimately getting upstaged by, ironically enough, the man he was traded for--Andre Miller, whose 28 and 12 led the Sixers to a riveting 115-113 victory. For Sixers fans, it was really the best case scenario--they could be reminded of the reasons why they cheered the braided wonder on for a decade, without shedding any tears for having let him go.   What does Allen Iverson have in store for his second visit to the Wachovia Center? Unfortunately, we won't be finding out, as the Pistons have put the former MVP on ice for the rest of the season, bringing an unequivocally disastrous era in Detroit basketball to its appropriately disgraceful conclusion. What this will mean for the Sixers is unclear, as the mysterious dynamics of the Billups-less Pistons--with or without AI--have really been anybody's guess from game to game this season. The two teams have split two games in Detroit thus far this season--both nailbiting matches featuring unlikely heroes (Donyell Marshall the first, Will Bynum the second), and with the history of last year's first-round series behind them, they've actually started to make for a pretty decent rivalry. Y'know, if anyone cared about that sort of thing.   Of course, it's going to be too hard for anyone in either city to get too jazzed about this particular game, given that mere hours later, both Villanova and Michigan State will be attempting to extend their impressive NCAA tournament runs--in the Motor City, no less. But the Sixers' lead over the Heat for that much-lusted-after fifth seed is still tenuous at best, so here's hoping that Rip and Sheed are too busy worrying about the possibilities of Goran Suton taking too many outside jumpers or Ty Lawson falling awkwardly on his right toe to be particularly effective today.