AUBURN HILLS -- For years, the Detroit Pistons have played some of their best Basketball on the road. That road success will be put to the test early this season as four of the team's first six games and nine of the first 14 come away from The Palace of Auburn Hills.
Detroit, looking to rebound from its first losing season since 2001, opens the 2009-'10 season at Memphis at 8 p.m. on Oct. 28. The Pistons' first home game is scheduled for 8 p.m. Oct. 30 against Oklahoma City. Although the Pistons do not have as much national interest as they did in the past, Detroit appears four times on national TV -- all at home -- on ESPN (Philadelphia on Dec. 9, Cleveland on March 5, Boston on March 15 and against the Cavaliers again on March 21). The Pistons also will play five nationally televised games on NBA TV (at Phoenix, Nov. 22; Washington, Dec. 6; Miami, Jan. 29; Utah, March 10 and at Atlanta, April 3).
Here are some other key dates on the Pistons' upcoming schedule:
-- Oct. 31, at Milwaukee: Charlie Villanueva's first meeting against his former team.
-- Nov. 14, at Washington: Former Pistons coach Flip Saunders faces Detroit for the first time since he was fired in 2008.
-- Nov. 17-22: Detroit's first West coast trip.
-- Nov. 25, Cleveland: New coach John Kuester, a Cavs assistant last year, faces his former team and reigning league MVP LeBron James.
-- Dec. 2, at Chicago: Former Bull Ben Gordon returns to the United Center.
-- Dec. 20, Los Angeles Lakers: The NBA-champion Lakers play at the Palace.
-- Jan. 20: Boston: Rasheed Wallace, now with Boston, returns.
-- Jan. 20-31: Detroit's longest homestand (six games) of the season.
-- Feb. 21, San Antonio: Antonio McDyess returns.
