Philadelphia are leading Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals 3-1. They showed who was the better team tonight with a convincing 82-71 win over Detroit. Although not exactly a blowout, Philadelphia coach Bob and his players outplayed Detroit from start to end. "I was hoping for a better outcome," said Detroit coach David Smith during a post-game interview. "But they just overpowered us, and there was nothing we could do to adjust. Bob's team was more talented and better-prepared, and it would have taken quite a bit of luck for us to overcome that."

The loss was tough on Detroit fans, who had expected great things from their team after some offseason moves. "I think reality is starting to sink in," said one team. "We didn't expect to see other teams outplaying us this badly, but Philadelphia sure made their point."

Philadelphia was led by Ferguson (16 points, 9 boards, 0 assists, a steal), Eatmon (15 points, 7 boards, 1 assists, a block), Norman (18 points, a steal). Detroit was led by Fox (24 points, 5 boards, 0 assists), Newman (15 points, 5 boards, 1 assists, a block), Armstrong (6 points, 5 boards, 6 assists).

box score Philadelphia roster Detroit* roster