The problem with the Pistons’ near-perfect Round 2 opener against the Magic? They set a pretty high bar for Game 2, especially on the defensive end.

The Pistons limited one of the NBA’s best 3-point shooting teams to 2-of-15 from beyond the arc and minimized the impact of “Superman” center Dwight Howard, who finished with a marginal 12 points and eight rebounds. It added up to a 19-point Pistons victory.

Howard, who went for 20 and 20 three times in Round 1, faced four different defenders but was rarely double-teamed. That limited the number of kick-out opportunities for open 3s, so there’s little doubt in Flip Saunders’ mind what the Magic will attempt to do in Game 2.

“They’re going to try to get more 3-point shots, get where they can get the ball inside more to Dwight, try to let him go to work,” said the Pistons coach.

Beyond the X’s and O’s, the mild-mannered Magic had an uncharacteristically chippy demeanor in Game 1 – perhaps a sign that last year’s sweep by the Pistons is on their minds more than they’ll admit. If Orlando continues to play with a mean streak, the Pistons welcome it.

“That’s us. That’s what’s we do,” Chauncey Billups said. “We’re physical team, and we feed off of other teams when they try to be physical because it’s like somebody coming into your house and they’re doing exactly what you’re want them to do (so you) have an advantage…. if they want to rough it up, it’s going to be tough.”

He meant for the Magic.

The Pistons might not necessarily “flip a switch” against a disadvantaged opponent, as the saying goes, so much as go about exploiting the mismatch the wrong way.

Billups used his 3-inch and 10-plus pound advantage over Orlando’s 6-foot, 190-pound Jameer Nelson to dominate last year’s playoff meeting. Based on Billups’ team-high 19 points and 7 assists in Game 1, it’s safe to say Nelson did not hit a growth spurt since last spring.

But Billups realizes Orlando’s inability to guard him should not be exploited by simply keeping the ball in his, or anyone else’s, hands. “It’s got to be out of the offense. It’s got to be out of a set. You just can’t come out and isolate,” he said. “When we do that we’re an average basketball team because we don’t really have iso players.”

Billups scored 11 of Detroit’s 21 points in the second quarter. Though the Pistons shot well from the floor (8-of-15), Saunders saw less ball movement than he would have liked. And “standing around” on offense is often what fans see when they lament the Pistons “effort.”

“When we didn’t play well in the second quarter, it’s because those guys thought they could score whenever they wanted, and they can’t,” he said. “They score out of their offense, that’s when they’re at their best. So we’ve got to make sure even though we might perceive a mismatch at times, we’ve got to get to those mismatches out of some motion, so we’re not just throwing a guy the ball and everyone stand and watching.”

If the Pistons keep themselves (and the ball) moving Monday, they might run circles around Orlando for a 2-0 series lead.