The Palace, Still Palatial After All These Years

Official Review by Paul Swaney, Stadium Journey Co-Founder

In 1988, the Detroit Pistons moved out of the cavernous Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan and set up shop in the nearby suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan. Their new home was audaciously named "The Palace," and it was meant to usher the Pistons into a new era of championship basketball.

Sure enough, the Pistons won the franchise’s first NBA Championship in that inaugural season, and went on to repeat in the 1989-1990 season. The Pistons claimed their third championship in 2004. Only the Celtics, Lakers, Bulls, and Spurs can boast about winning more NBA titles than Detroit.

Today, as we approach the silver anniversary of The Palace, much of the venue continues to have that shiny and new feel. Renovations continue, including the current renovations going on in the entryway and at the box office. The purplish composition of red and blue is being replaced by blue and silver (don’t worry, there are no plans to reclaim the teal color of the Grant Hill era).

While the Pistons are fully immersed in re-building mode, the arena experience retains an atmosphere that feels like you are seeing one of the best teams in the NBA.

Food & Beverage    5

There is an ample selection with the concession offerings as you walk through the concourse, although the typical stands won’t wow you with something you haven’t seen at most NBA arenas. Encased meats include your standard hot dog ($4), kielbasa, bratwurst, or Italian sausage ($5). One of those giant victory knot pretzels ($14) are here.

There are also several sandwiches and entrees to choose from including Philly cheese steak ($7.50), fish & chips ($8), chicken sandwich ($7), cheeseburger ($6), bacon cheeseburger ($7.50), and veggie burger ($6). Drinks include the bottomless Coca-Cola soda ($6), bottled water ($3), and coffee ($1.75). You can also grab some stir fry (which smelled great in the concourse) for $8.

Hungry Howie’s is the pizza vendor at The Palace, and you can get an 8-inch personal sized pizza for $8.

Beers on draft will run you a cool $8.25 (Budweiser, Bud Light, and Leinie’s), or $8.50 for a bottle or 20-ounce can.

The real beauty of the food and beverage inside The Palace are the numerous restaurants and bars inside the arena. The Comcast Pavilion on the north side of the arena features Big Boy Restaurant, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Bull Bar (featuring Red Bull cocktails), and a Captain Morgan Bar.

The Palace Grille offers fine dining, and fans should plan to make a reservation if they plan to visit before a Pistons game. The restaurant offers fish, steak, quail, and lamb entrees ranging from $17-$26. Next door to the Palace Grille you will find the Old No. 7 Club, serving slightly elevated bar food. Both are open to the public two hours before tip time. Given that there aren’t a lot of great bars and restaurants immediately near The Palace, this may be the best place to spend time pre-game, especially since you don’t have to re-park.

Finally, there is the Terrace Club, which is also open to the public two hours before the game begins, located above the east entrance. This is a bar that you can access just off the concourse. There are other more exclusive clubs for use by season ticket holders, and people who purchase suites, which aren’t typically accessed by fans. I can tell you that they look pretty nice, as I had a chance to take a look.

Atmosphere    4

The Palace of Auburn Hills sits alone, just off of I-75, north of Detroit. You will likely enter through the west entrance which has mirrored ceilings, which make the facility feel a bit futuristic.

Once inside, you will climb the stairs or take the escalator up to the roomy concourse. Grab some food and head for your seats. One of the best features of The Palace seating is the legroom. All seats have better than average legroom, although only the 100 level seats have cupholders. It would be a great addition for the Pistons to add cup holders to the 200 level seats. After all, it is difficult to clap with a beverage in one hand.

I was surprised by how empty the arena was when the Pistons took the floor around the 16-17 minute mark of pre-game. The Pistons players will throw some t-shirts into the crowd during warm-ups, so you might want to sit towards that end of the floor, or sneak over and try to grab a shirt. At one minute before tip, a solid montage of Pistons highlights plays on the four-sided scoreboard.

The lights go off for pre-game introductions and giant flames shoot up from behind the basket nearest the Pistons bench. If you are anywhere near that end, you will likely feel the heat from these upright flamethrowers.

Unfortunately, the biggest thing lacking is the energy from the crowd. The building was half empty during my visit, and there just wasn’t much of anything that the fans provided as far as creating a hostile environment for the opponent, nor were they much of a factor when the Pistons did something well.

The Pistons organization certainly realizes that rebuilding years are difficult for the fans, and have been offering halftime concerts in an effort to create more of a draw. Black Sheep performed during this particular visit, but they have also had Wyclef Jean and Flo Rida during the 2012 season. Generally, the music will be hip hop, as will most of the music you hear through the PA.

Neighborhood    3

There are a few options for a pre or post game meal or drink. I stopped into Hoops, a sports bar featuring 12 beers on tap, and typical bar food. The place is packed with memorabilia for all of the Detroit sports teams, so it’s a decent place to get you in that sporting mood. The cheeseburger I tried was pretty decent, and my tab with a beer was less than $10. They also have a pool table, hoop shoot game, and different Michigan lottery games like Keno present.

Santa Fe Mexican Restaurant is nearby as well if you are in the mood for some pretty average Mexican food. My recommendation is to go to the arena early if you want to get something before the game.

Fans    2

The biggest piece missing from the experience is from the fans. The reported attendance was just over 11,000 (so the arena was half full), but it felt like there were fewer than that. This is one drawback of having the largest capacity in the NBA.

Most importantly, there seemed to be no passion for the team. No outrage that the Pistons were playing like garbage on this particular night. Fans just seemed to sit and watch, blank-faced. I understand that it is hard to support a team during the down years, but that’s really when fans have a chance to show their dedication. Moreover, the Pistons are providing plenty of good incentives to see games, and the prices are some of the best I have seen in pro sports. It’s too bad that more fans aren’t taking advantage.

Access    5

There are over 8,000 parking spaces that surround The Palace, and the cost to park for a Pistons game is only $10. The arena is located very close to I-75, and traffic back-ups before and after are fairly manageable.

Once inside, you will find wide concourses, and plenty of bathrooms, which are very clean. When there is a small crowd, like what I experienced, then there are no lines to contend with when looking for concessions or restrooms, but even with a full house, there seems to be ample space.

Return on Investment    4

Tickets start at just $10 for upper level seats, and with attendance being as low as it has recently, you can easily move around into a better seat. That being said, most of the seats feel reasonably close to the action, so I would feel perfectly comfortable with most seats in the upper section. I would shoot for sections 201, 202, 230, or 229 optimally so you can sit even with the court and face the player benches. Those seats start at $40 on the ever-annoying Ticketmaster (so when I say $40, I mean more like $50 with the "convenience" fees and such).

In down years like 2012, you can also find good deals on individual games or smaller packages, so look for those if you are considering a visit.

With reasonable parking, and concessions that are not as excessive as other NBA venues, you could put together a fairly affordable trip to The Palace for about $30 per person. Really what’s missing at this point is a quality product on the floor and the raucous fans to support them.

Extras    5

The Pistons PA announcer, John Mason, is one of the best in the business. His call of "DEE-TROIT BAS-KET-BALL!" is well known to Pistons fans, and his nicknames and commentary are entertaining.

Mike Abdenour, the Pistons trainer, is also a mainstay, and is a lot of fun to watch. Abdenour began as the Pistons trainer in 1975, and other than a 3 year stint with the Philadelphia 76ers, he has been on the Pistons bench. He serves almost as an assistant coach, but you can see him direct the ball boys, or other staff during the game. How this guy isn’t in the National Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame is beyond me.

A third extra point for the cool sound effect that can be heard on a swish. I think the basket must be mic’ed up, but however they do it, it’s a pretty fun effect.

An extra point for the staff at The Palace. Everyone that I interacted with was pleasant, knowledgeable, and helpful. This is often the most overlooked element of a good arena experience, and the Pistons have done a good job in ensuring that their staff are committed to providing a great experience.

Finally, sitting beneath the banners of three Championship trophies, as well as the retired numbers of notable names like Isiah Thomas (#11), Joe Dumars (#4), Dennis Rodman (#10), Vinnie Johnson (#15), Bill Laimbeer (#40), Dave Bing (#21), and Bob Lanier (#16) is pretty special. I appreciate that the franchise has also retired #2 Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly (in honor of his two championships won as Pistons coach), as well as banners honoring long-time GM Jack McCloskey and long-time owner William Davidson, both of whom had significant impact on the Pistons most successful years.

Final Thoughts

While this may be a down era for the Pistons basketball team, the arena experience continues to be stellar. Rising stars like Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight may help to make the Pistons a playoff contender, but in the meantime, a trip to The Palace is a good deal by NBA standards, and worth a visit.