“It’s our first time really doing it,” Mark said. “It’s for the girls, get a chance to come out and see the different things, meet the different players, see the locker room. They enjoy sports so - “

“We love basketball,” specified Nia. The precocious six-year-old wanted to “come here and come see a lot of things about basketball.”

She was in the right place Thursday evening, the 2007 Crew Party. There was no opponent, not even a game, but plenty of “things about basketball.” Season-ticket holders and their guests lined up for a tour of the Pistons locker room, a free-throw contest on the Pistons’ court and to pose with the three NBA championship trophies. The dancers from Automotion also met fans and signed autographs.

The main attraction, as always, was the Pistons themselves, who stayed for over an hour to sign autographs. While the masses gathered around the signing stations of Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Rasheed Wallace, fourth-year Crew member Kevin Schierlinger and his son, Chad, 13, started with the free-throw contest.

“The lines are going to be long (for the players), there’s nothing you can do about that,” said Kevin, from Rochester Hills. “So we said the heck with it, let’s come down here and not spend the whole time waiting for one autograph.”

There were plenty of distractions for everyone until the autograph lines thinned out, including the silent auction for exclusive Pistons memorabilia. The Palace concourse was buzzing from The Palace Locker Room store to the Comcast Pavilion food court, where Big Boy’s, Buffalo Wild Wings and the Barcardi hot-dog stand distributed complimentary servings of their signature favorites.

“You are the family fun sports team, you really are,” Kevin said, who also has season tickets for another Detroit pro sports team. “You’ve got more stuff for the kids, plenty to do for the kids, don’t have any language problems, swearing in front or behind you, and you’re easy to get to, very easy to get in and out of (The Palace).”

It was the relative ease with which 73-year-old Mary Miller could get around The Palace Thursday that made the Crew Party an event worth attending - even though she still has a full 41-game package. “It’s more personal, and it’s so crowded in here during the regular games,” she said. “It’s nice to be so close to the things you don’t see very often.”

Such as the locker room tour, which Mary and her son, Marvin, 37, both from Flint, took at last year’s Crew Party. “We went in the locker room last year, that was kind of interesting too,” Marvin said. Crew members could take pictures and even sit in the large chairs in front of the players’ lockers, which was Zoe’s favorite part. “I think it was sitting in the chairs, because I’d never really sit in a celebrity’s chair before,” she said, “so that’s pretty cool.”

Zoe will go to five or six games with her father but says, “Nia comes to about three because she wants to leave so early.”

“I’m only six so I haven’t been alive that long!” retorted Nia, who clearly cherishes her sleep as much as her favorite moments from the Crew Party. “I liked most sitting in the chairs, getting an autograph by Chauncey and getting free dip-and-dots.”

All before bed time? That should lead to some pretty sweet dreams.