Detroit Pistons vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Detroit Pistons Home Arena
Friday, March 20, 2009
108 - 90 Win 

Basketball Arena Review - Pro Ball in the Motor City
The Motor City is a great sports town with solid franchises that represent the work ethic of its residents. With representation in all four of the major sports leagues and a recent world championship success rate that rivals any other city (with the exception of the Lions), it’s easy to see why the Pistons home court advantage is so formidable for opposing teams. The Detroit Pistons have a rock solid fan base that comes out in droves to support the hardest working team in the NBA when they play at home at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Palace is an incredible, modern facility with ample parking space, great site lines from every seat, and high octane energy that courses through the facility on game day.

To kick off my quest to attend an NBA basketball game in every arena in the National Basketball Association, I thought it fitting to begin in my journey starting with my current home town of Detroit, Michigan to support the basketball team I love, the Detroit Pistons. With Joe D at the helm, for years it seemed like there was nothing the Pistons could do wrong personnel-wise (Okay, Darko was a bust), but lately it’s been a different story. Considering the Chauncey Billups trade, Allen Iverson coming to town, and the consecutive steak of conference finals appearances coming to an end, the shine on Joe D’s legacy seems to be losing its luster, but I digress.

The Palace at Auburn Hills is an exceptional facility within which to watch some NBA Basketball. The place looks great from the outside, and houses some incredible NBA fan amenities. The family and I actually arrived early so I could get some outdoor shots of the Palace before I lost sunlight, but when we entered The Palace, it was all about getting to the business of eating some dinner, as we were all starving. So we scanned our tickets and headed toward our seats, but as we walked the concourse I spotted a concessions food court where we might grab some grub. The seating areas in the food court were packed, but as I approached the bar area in the back there were empty tables all around us. Not only was there plenty of seating, but the beer was on special until tip off ($3 per beer), and carved black angus roasted sirloin or roast turkey breast sandwiches were available for purchase for $9. An additional plus is that only adults of drinking age are allowed in the bar area, which accounts for the empty seating.  The food was superior, the beer was cheaper (just out side the bar area the same beer sold for $8.50) and the NCAA tourney was being played on flatscreens all over the area. To top it all off, there was no additional charge to enter. I therefore strongly suggest you hit the bar area at The Palace if you decide to see a game here, the price breaks and breathing room are more than worth it.

As for the game, the Los Angeles Clippers were in town to take on the Pistons and I’m sorry to say that most of the Pistons starting roster was out due to injuries, leaving me to watch the Detroit Backups with Tayshawn Prince as their only regular starter. The Pistons happened to be in a stretch where they were battling for their playoff lives to try to keep the number eight playoff spot. Considering that these last few wins were critical, it was a bad time for the starters to be out. Pistons fans are incredibly passionate, as visitors will find the Palace to be a very live and supportive home crowd. I actually have to take issue with the rude Palace Staffers however, that approached us as we were trying to get a photo from the top of the Section ????. We stood at the top of the level, not obstructing anyone’s view and they proceeded to harass us as the shutter clicked to get out of the way. I’ve been to multiple NFL stadiums and arenas throughout the country and I’ve never had a problem taking pictures, this experience happened to be the lone exception.

After the game, The Palace had a promotion going that allowed those with a special ticket to take a foul shot down on the court. We were able to get tickets for the promotion and after waiting in line as most of the Palace cleared out, each of us took a foul shot out on an NBA court … definitely a unique thrill. All in all I was very pleased with my Palace of Auburn Hills Experience and look forward to continuing my journey to all 30 NBA Arenas.

 

 
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