The Palace’s Finale Marks End Of An Era
As the Pistons close their home schedule against the Washington Wizards on Monday, they will play their final game at the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Palace has been the home of the Pistons since 1988, housing three Pistons championship teams, nine division titles, numerous Hall of Fame careers, and countless memorable moments.
The final game at the Palace marks, in many ways, the end of an era. The Pistons have struggled mightily the past ten years following a great deal of success in the mid-2000s. The end of that era, for Pistons fans and its ownership, cannot come soon enough.
The departure from the Palace also marks the end of the franchise’s nearly 50-year hiatus from the city of Detroit. Finally, the Pistons will move from Auburn Hills to downtown Detroit, where they belong. Their return to Detroit will come at a time when the downtown area has enjoyed a rejuvenation of sorts. The Pistons’ presence in the city will only help that.
The move is also the end of an era in some not-so-good ways. When the Palace opened in 1988, it was the first NBA arena financed entirely with private funds. Next season, the Pistons will move into Little Caesars Arena, an arena being constructed with a large amount of public funds. The Pistons will also have to share Little Caesars Arena with the Red Wings, after enjoying their own space for the past twenty-nine years.
The Palace opened up with a bang. In its first season, the Pistons won the first championship in franchise history. Season Two? More of the same. Two full NBA seasons in and the Palace saw nothing but championships. The Bad Boys owned the Palace.
After the Bad Boys left town, it was opponents who owned the Palace. A young Grant Hill provided some hope, but nothing that ever translated to wins.
Then the Palace welcomed back the Finals MVP of its first season — Joe Dumars. He had retired only a season prior, and he was welcomed back with open arms. Dumars was hired as president of basketball operations and turned the franchise back into what fans saw when he was on the floor early in his career. Dumars signed Chauncey Billups, traded for Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, and Richard Hamilton, and drafted Tayshaun Prince.
The acquisitions turned around a desperate franchise and re-invigorated the Palace. With the Wallace front court patrolling the Palace paint, the team shut down opposing offenses and won games. The Palace drew the largest crowds in the league for multiple years. Public address announcer, John Mason, became an integral part of games at the Palace. His signature “Dee-troit Bas-ket-ball” call became a staple.
The Pistons kept on winning — especially at the Palace. Mr. Big Shot earned his nickname.
The Pistons rode Billups’ late-game heroics to the NBA Finals in 2004. In Game 5 of those Finals, the Pistons won their third NBA championship, this time clinching it at the Palace.
The Pistons third championship team evoked memories of its first two. There was no real MVP candidate. Rather, it was led by tough point guard play and suffocating team defense. The Palace was the home of blue-collar basketball. It’s fitting, given that the arena was financed in a way to spare the blue-collar taxpayers of Detroit.
In the season following the Pistons’ 2004 championship, the Palace found itself at its worst. On a seemingly innocent November night in 2004, the Pacers were beating up on the Pistons. And then, suddenly, everyone was beating up on everyone else.
Ron Artest committed a hard foul on Ben Wallace. A fan threw a cup that hit Artest. Artest ran into the stands and then all hell broke loose. Fans were fighting Pacers players in the stands and on the court in one of the lowest points in NBA history. Five fans were charged criminally, and the Palace went from being a beloved arena hosting blue-collar championship teams to the host of a tragic event — the Malice at the Palace.
The Pistons and the Palace never quite recovered. Sure, there was some success. The Pistons made it to the NBA Finals the year of the Pacers brawl, but lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2005 Finals. They continued to make the Eastern Conference Finals the next two years, but were never much of a title threat.
The 2008 Eastern Conference Finals was the sixth consecutive conference finals for the Palace. In 2009, the Pistons made the playoffs but lost in the first round. Then the franchise went into a tailspin. The Pistons wouldn’t make the playoffs again until the spring of 2016.
Once a staple of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Palace began booking concerts for June. It became a place you went to because you could get a cheap ticket.
The lack of energy in the Palace was matched only by the teams that called it home. The Pistons changed coaches and players like they were playing a video game. The atmosphere at the Palace changed just as dramatically. The Palace went from sellouts every night to being empty for all but a few big games each year.
The Pistons and the Palace never quite recovered from its 2009 first round exit. The once proud arena became known for its cheap prices and Pacers brawl rather than its great basketball.
So, it was probably time for the Pistons to move on from the Palace. The physical structure has aged well. The teams inside of it have not. For them, a change is much needed.
The Pistons will look for that change downtown at Little Caesars Arena. They will look to create some new memories, washing away the disappointment of the past eight years.
The Malice and the Pistons’ recent failures will always be a part of the Palace. They’re inescapable black marks on its legacy. But the three Pistons’ championships, and the way they were won, will always be a bigger part of the arena’s legacy.
Blue-collar to the core.
