Die-hard. That's how we describe the devotion of Detroit Pistons fans. We follow the team like they are family. We watch every game, celebrating the victories and wallowing in the defeats. Simply put, we bleed the red, white and blue. I’ve seen evidence of it on my site Need4Sheed.com and I experience it every time I travel to The Palace of Auburn Hills for a game.

But after hearing the tale of two university students from Vienna, Austria, yes, I said Austria as in Europe, and the pilgrimage, yes it was a pilgrimage, they made to watch their beloved Pistons, I’m re-thinking my definition of die-hard.

It's not easy to follow the NBA in Europe. Vladan Katanic and Martin Monitzer, the heroes of our story, know this all too well. Having jobs and being students while watching live games at 2:00 a.m. through NBA Euro League Pass is a burden they are willing to bear – just as long as they can watch their beloved Detroit Pistons. The two started following the team in 2004 because they liked their hard work, gritty play and team ball. Beating the Lakers was the hook and the two have been fanatic for DEEEEE-TROIT BASKETBALL ever since.

It took Vladan and Martin two years to save enough money for the trip to see their first NBA game in person, but what better place to do it than in a palace – The Palace. Vladan and Martin reviewed the 2008-09 NBA schedule and decided on a stretch when the Pistons battled some of the league's heavyweights -- Boston, Cleveland and Miami -- in the span of one week. It seemed like more than they could ever ask for.

But traveling 5,000 miles from Vienna, Austria to Detroit is no easy task, particularly in early February when the weather is a factor, in both countries. That didn't bother the two, who got more out of the city of Detroit and the Pistons in only seven days than most of us do in a lifetime.

The two Austrians took advantage of everything the city and the Pistons had to offer, soaking up all they could in a week that passed by all too fast. They explored the downtown Detroit area, starting from the Milner Hotel near the Detroit Athletic Club every day and hitting Ford Field, Joe Louis Arena, Comerica Park, Greektown Casino and the Coach’s Corner restaurant where they were mesmerized by the selection of NBA games on the televisions.

They took cabs to the Boston and Cleveland games, from Detroit, something probably none of us have experienced (or paid for) and met Rodney Stuckey, Hooper and Automotion at a Meijer appearance in Royal Oak (again, no easy cab ride from downtown).

They bought up most of the merchandise at The Palace Locker Room Store and on Wednesday, they were guests of the Pistons organization (and Need4Sheed.com) in the Pistons.com suite to watch their adopted team beat the Miami Heat. They met the Larry O’Brien trophy and will be taking home Stuckey, Chauncey Billups bobbleheads along with a giveaway umbrella and mini-hoop they got before the games they attended.

Now I pride myself on being a pretty rabid Pistons fan and I’m with them win or lose. But being able to see Vladan and Martin's experience and watching the true joy and astonishment they felt with EVERYTHING that may or may not have become commonplace with me, made me realize just how lucky I am to be a fan of such a special team and organization.

They say world is flat and this past week might have proven it to me. But I also learned something else: DEEE-TROIT BASKETBALL knows no borders.

Check out www.need4sheed.com.

Check out http://dunkonu.wordpress.com/ the blog from Vladan and Martin about their trip to Detroit.

Editor’s Note: Natalie Sitto is the creator and administrator of www.need4sheed.com, one of the most comprehensive sites on the Internet involving the Detroit Pistons. Natalie blogs on a daily basis and provides her loyal fans with everything that is Detroit Pistons basketball.