AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – There’s an old theory among NBA talent hunters that a team needs three players among the very best in the league at their positions in order to compete for a championship. The Pistons are giving fans a way to put that to the test this season if they buy the Primetime Plan, one of several attractive partial season-ticket packages available.

Among the 11 regular-season games plus one preseason game – all for the price of 10 games – included in the Primetime Plan are games with Phoenix, Boston and Washington, each featuring an All-Star-caliber trio of players and all believing they can compete for the 2008 NBA title. Packages are priced at $250, $350 and $400.

“The Primetime Plan gives fans a great variety – teams from both conferences, veteran teams, exciting young teams, elite teams and lots of great star players,” said John Ciszewski, executive vice president for corporate sales. “The games are sprinkled throughout our schedule, so it’s also going to give our fans a chance to see the Pistons grow as we mix some of our young players – guys like Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo – into our All-Star veteran core.”

The Pistons believe they’ve had the best starting five in basketball over the last five seasons, but a debate over the best three-man core would probably start with the Suns, Celtics and Wizards.

2007-08 Primetime Plan
	Friday, Oct. 12	Utah*
	Wednesday, Nov. 21	New York
	Sunday, Dec. 16	Golden State
	Friday, Dec. 28	Indiana
	Saturday, Jan. 5	Boston
	Friday, Jan. 25	Orlando
	Wednesday, Feb. 6	Miami
	Tuesday, March 4	Seattle
	Sunday, March 16	New Orleans
	Monday, March 24	Phoenix
	Friday, April 11	Washington
	Tuesday, April 15	Minnesota
* - Denotes preseason contest
Click Here to Purchase Tickets

Boston’s busy summer has added superstars Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to a lineup previously built around Paul Pierce. The Celtics – who visit The Palace on Jan. 5 – might spend most of the season searching for answers elsewhere on their roster, but that kind of firepower at the top should keep Boston fighting for high playoff seeding all year.

High-octane Phoenix comes to town March 24, fueled by two-time MVP Steve Nash, Team USA mainstay Amare Stoudemire and All-Star forward Shawn Marion. The Pistons and Suns split their two meetings last season, though Chauncey Billups missed the Palace loss due to injury and barely played when the Pistons won in a rout to wrap up their 5-0 Western road swing last March.

Washington is due in for an April 11 game that could carry heavy playoff implications as the season heads for the home stretch. The Wizards were fighting the Pistons for No. 1 in the East last winter when injuries to all three of their All-Stars – first Antawn Jamison, then Caron Butler and finally Gilbert Arenas – ruined their postseason chances.

Another set of Primetime Plan games involves teams that at least feature a potent 1-2 punch – New York, Orlando, Miami and Seattle among them.

The Knicks made a bold draft-night move, taking Zach Randolph from Portland to pair with Eddy Curry to give New York the most dangerous interior scoring tandem in the NBA. The Pistons get an early look at the revamped Knicks when Isiah Thomas leads them into The Palace on Nov. 21.

Orlando, scheduled for a Jan. 25 visit, was equally aggressive over the summer, signing Seattle scoring machine Rashard Lewis to the biggest free-agent deal of the off-season. Lewis’ scoring ability should lessen the load on the Magic’s freakishly athletic young big man, Dwight Howard.

The most feared 1-2 combination in the league remains Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade. Rarely healthy at the same time in their title defense season, Shaq and Wade are probably thinking the breaks are due to come their way this year. Their Feb. 8 meeting at The Palace is part of the Primetime Plan.

If Boston and Orlando are feeling better about themselves these days, so is Seattle despite losing Allen and Lewis to the Celtics and Magic. That’s because the Supersonics believe they’ve laid their foundation for the next decade with the drafting of NCAA Player of the Year Kevin Durant of Texas with the No. 2 pick and versatile Jeff Green from Georgetown with the No. 5 pick. That 1-2 punch for the future makes its Palace debut with Seattle on March 4.

Rounding out the Primetime Plan are games with Golden State (Dec. 16), Indiana (Dec. 28), New Orleans (March 16) and Minnesota (April 15).

The Warriors stunned the NBA last spring by eliminating the West’s No. 1 seed, the 67-win Dallas Mavericks, in six games of the postseason’s first round. Led by explosive point guard Baron Davis, Golden State plays at a breakneck pace under Don Nelson that drives opposing coaches nutty but delights fans.

Indiana continues its transition process, but despite heavy trade rumors the Pacers have clung to perennial All-Star Jermaine O’Neal over the summer. New coach Jim O’Brien runs a system that should maximize the talents of last winter’s big trade yield, Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy, and young Danny Granger is a star waiting to happen.

New Orleans stunned the Pistons in an early-season 2006 win at The Palace accomplished without injured big men David West and Tyson Chandler. They’ll be back – joined by big free-agent acquisition Morris Peterson, a cog on Michigan State’s 2000 national championship team – as will budding superstar point guard Chris Paul, whose injured ankle cost the Hornets a shot at a playoff berth last season.

Minnesota is in full rebuilding mode after shipping Garnett to Boston, but the Timberwolves think they got building blocks for their future back in the deal in power forward Al Jefferson, wing Gerald Green and steady Ryan Gomes to surround second-year guard Randy Foye.

The preseason game thrown into the Primetime Plan for free brings Utah – built around Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams and ex-Piston Mehmet Okur – to The Palace on Oct. 12.