Somebody break up the Sixers. Almost no one gave them a chance in their return to the playoffs, on the road against a powerful Detroit team that won 59 regular season games.

I’ll admit I was one of them. So of course, the Sixers fell behind by 15 early in the third quarter Sunday and it appeared everybody was right.

Not so fast. It looked like the Pistons packed it in at that point, too. So the scrappy Sixers scratched back and stunned Motown by posting a 90-86 win. The look on Coach Maurice Cheeks’ face at the end of the game was priceless. If he’s not coach of the year, I’m not real sure who is.

One caution here: I distinctly remember a few years ago when Allen Iverson led the Sixers to a first-game win over the Lakers in the NBA Finals. The Lakers were heavily favored. They then won four straight to take the title.

But enjoy the Sixers’ run. No one expected them to make the playoffs. And certainly no one expected them to take Game 1 in Detroit.

Then there’s the Flyers, who got outhit and outplayed in Washington Saturday as the Caps staved off elimination.

Here’s a tip for the orange and black. Don’t even think about losing tonight’s Game 6 at the Wachovia Center. The last thing this team wants to do is travel back to D.C. for a deciding Game 7.

Again a glance at the past. A few years ago the Flyers took a 3-1 lead over the Devils. They basically mailed it in for Game 5, thinking they still had two chances to finish them off. Didn’t work out that way. The Devils took Game 6, then stuck a dagger in the Flyers – and star Eric Lindros who returned from a concussion only to be leveled by Scott Stevens – in Game 7.

If the Flyers lose tonight, anyone give them a chance to win Game 7 in Washington? And they will face the Caps without Mike Knuble, who blew out a hamstring Saturday.

Finally, there are the Phillies. Hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Yesterday the team placed Jimmy Rollins on the 15-day disabled list.

It can’t be retroactive because Rollins was used as a pinch-hitter. Someone wasn’t totally on the up and up on this injury. Either Rollins was not truthful with the team about the extent of his injury, or the team was hoping it was not as bad as it now appears to be and rolled the dice on getting him back early.

They lost big time. Ankle sprains aren’t something to mess around with. And they aren’t something to play on, either. Now Rollins is gone for another two weeks. He should have been placed on the DL immediately.

The only hope now is that this is not something that lingers through the summer.