Top 5 season openers in Detroit Pistons history

1999-00 @ Miami Heat

This game is notable for a few reasons.

Firstly, it was a hell of a battle, with the Pistons falling to the Heat 128-122 in double-overtime.

Secondly, Grant Hill dropped a cool 41 points and played a staggering 52 minutes.

To go with his great scoring, Hill also pulled down 9 rebounds and finished with 5 assists, the equal most of anyone in the game.

For the Heat it was Tim Hardaway who was mostly responsible for the Pistons taking a loss, dropping 32 points in 46 minutes.

The third and final reason why this game is interesting is that a mind-boggling six players fouled out and a further five players ended the game with five fouls.

Jerry Stackhouse (24 points) and Lindsey Hunter (19 points) were massive losses when they fouled out, while Jamal Mashburn (21 points) and Alonzo Mourning (14 points) were equally important players watching from the bench for the Heat.

Overall, there were 81 personal fouls handed out over the course of the game.

When looking at this Pistons starting lineup it actually seems kind of fun.

It featured Hill, Stackhouse, Hunter and Christian Laettner, but unfortunately, the bench left much to be desired.