Detroit Pistons - Lipstick on a Pig?

Last night was the home opener for the Detroit Pistons, a team which is clearly in the rebuilding stage. With the Lions actually good and back in the NFL Playoffs, Red Wings on top in the NHL, and the Tigers' playoff 2011 season with the league MVP as pitcher, it would seem impossible to get fans excited about a Pistons team predicted to finish at the bottom of the Eastern Conference. So the BIG question going into the shortened, partially locked-out NBA season was (and continues to be), "How the heck do we get fans to come to the game?"

The Temptations perform as fans arrive to the Palace of Auburn Hills (Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

Taking pages from Howard Schultz at Starbucks and Mark Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks, the only chance the Palace has to attract customers is to provide them with an experience worth the price of admission. New team owner, Tom Gores, and the Palace staff knew this first impression would be an important opportunity to build a buzz. So, they pulled as many tricks out as possible. So much so, that it seemed I was attending a concert with an NBA basketball game in between performances.

Mike Posner performs the National Anthem. Mittens Up! (Allen Einstein/NBAE/Getty Images)

To begin, the Motown sensation, The Temptations, serenaded the early-arriving fans with their classic hits. A few minutes later, pop-star and Detroit native, Mike Posner, sang the National Anthem. Then, they had flames, fireworks, and the famed Detroit "Selected of God Choir" perform the introductions -- this was all before the game even started.

During a television timeout, the jumbotron showed Ndamukong Suh flexing his Pistons jersey in the upper balcony. After the 1st quarter, the Pistons revealed the new banner to honor their previous owner of 37 years, the late Bill Davidson. At halftime, "headliner" Taio Cruz, performed his multiple international pop hits with a dance team and the high-flying Flight Crew performing in the background. After the third quarter, Kid Rock came out to center court and honored returning service men and women back from their tours of duty.

Kid Rock shows his support for the troops opening night

Intermixed between the "show" was a basketball game that featured two teams predicted to be at the bottom of the league standings. The Pistons lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers by 16 points, 105-89.

Can the experience of being at the game make up for a lackluster game? Can the experience of the product out-perform the actual product itself? Could Starbucks sell this much coffee with their trademarked "third place" environment but by selling dirt-water coffee? My late Grandpa used to say, "You can put lipstick on a pig, but that doesn't make it pretty."

The Pistons organization are doing everything in their power, and the players and coaches are working hard to improve day in and day out. I just hope that is good enough. I hope the experience of going to a game, the sites, sounds, smells, and energy can hold fans over through this rebuilding process. I've grown up supporting my hometown team, and I don't plan on stopping. I hope others can bare with it and do the same.