Auburn Hills ? It's a "home" game away from home, a game not at The Palace, although a palace, Buckingham in Westminster, isn't too far from where the Pistons will play on Thursday afternoon.
The bags were packed along the baseline of the Pistons' practice facility after Monday's practice, in preparation for the 200-person caravan that will accompany the Pistons across the pond to London for their game with the New York Knicks at the O2 Arena.
"The last time we flew on a plane with people other than normal was The (2005) Finals when we flew our families with us to San Antonio," forward Tayshaun Prince said.
With NBA commissioner David Stern's obvious impact on the globalization of the pro game being one of his greatest achievements, it's no surprise two teams will cross multiple time zones in the effort to keep promoting the game.
The Knicks, predictably, were an easy choice. As for the Pistons? Well, no one truly knows whether Stern closed his eyes and played a game of "eeny, meeny, miny, moe," and wound up selecting them ? or whether they simply needed an opponent to play the part of the Washington Generals ? but for most of the players, it's an experience they likely will cherish.
Prince took the panoramic view ? how it'll affect a team scrambling to put itself in the bottom of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
"I don't like it. I think the purpose of us being on this trip is the reason having days off here and there," he said. "Coming back, that's the brutal part."
It's a necessary evil for the veteran, and although the monotony of the NBA season's dog days has been broken up, the trip is still somewhat a nuisance.
The Pistons and Knicks have some "NBA cares" events on their agenda, as well as other league-mandated activities.
"I think guys are excited about the trip, going somewhere most of the guys haven't been," Prince said. "But a lot of guys are looking at the travel and the bus ride and having to do some things over there.
"Then getting adjusted to the time. Then, here we go, four games in six nights (after the trip). But hey, sometimes you're dealt cards you don't want and you have to play them out as best you can."
Pistons coach Lawrence Frank has been to London on official NBA business, when he was a member of the Nets' coaching staff, and this matchup makes it 115 international games since 1988, including 16 regular-season games in Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom.
"There is great enthusiasm. It's a really great environment," Frank said. "The O2, the fans are really excited to see NBA basketball. It'll be a fun place to play, London's a beautiful city. But at the end of the day, you're there to win a game."
After landing and meeting with NBA security, Frank said the Pistons will go through a light workout to get loose ? he doesn't want much stiffness after such a long flight.
"It's a privilege to be able to go over there. This game has gone global, you can trace it back to the Dream Team. We have two foreign players; it's great to be able to share those experiences. So yeah, I think it's a positive."
And the game will come with all the bells and whistles of a normal NBA game, possibly down to the music that's played during timeouts and halftime. The Pistons' normal score crew, renowned announcer John Mason and some of The Palace's in-house entertainment also will make the 3,762-mile, 7-1/2-hour trek to London because it's their home game.
Several of the players also are bringing family members along, wanting to take advantage of a unique situation.
Presuming Rodney Stuckey makes the trip ? he was having replaced the front tooth that was fractured a couple weeks ago ? he and Jonas Jerebko will spend some time checking out the sights.
The young Pistons, particularly Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond, are excited about the trip but have no idea what's in store, if they'll be recognized on the streets or how they'll be received as a whole.
Drummond, it should be noted, is the Piston most likely to go to Buckingham Palace and mess with the statue-like Queen's Guards, in an attempt to make them laugh.
"I'm looking forward to it. It's a privilege being picked for this," Pistons center Greg Monroe said. "For me, this is my first time going overseas. The little free time we have, I'll see as much as I can.
"I don't think it's a nuisance at all. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing."
Monroe's mother and sister will arrive later and have an itinerary of things to see. The 22-year-old said he'll go along with whatever they have planned, since he's been focusing on the game for the past few days, not necessarily the venue.
"It's the first time for everybody in my family, going overseas," Monroe said. "They're gonna meet us out there. Looking forward to spending some time out there, seeing something new."
Prince doesn't believe he'll have to make sure his teammates focus on the task at hand ? playing a Knicks team that waxed them by 21 at Madison Square Garden in November.
"It's gonna be a lot of noise around because we have to do appearances and stuff," Prince said. "There are things we don't like but guys are excited about it. We have to be prepared about knowing that we have a game, more than anything, and being ready for that."
vgoodwill@detnews.com
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Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130115/SPORTS0102/301150309/1127/rss13
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