The Detroit Pistons haven’t expanded their fanbase much over the last few seasons, as they’ve been the worst team in the NBA.
But with some of the brightest young talent in the game, that will change soon, and the NBA is trying to help by showcasing some of their young teams in preseason games in Canada.
Detroit has long had a substantial Canadian fanbase due to the fact that they are one of the closest teams to the border and Canada didn’t always have its own team. Before the Toronto Raptors came along in 1995, the Pistons were one of the most popular teams above the border, and many of those fans stayed with the team even after the Raptors arrived.
So the Detroit Pistons should have somewhat of a “home court” advantage when they travel to Montreal for a preseason matchup vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Detroit Pistons vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
The Detroit Pistons and Oklahoma City Thunder, two teams with a ton of young talent between them, will play a preseason game on Thursday, October 12th in Montreal.
The game is part of the NBA’s Canada Series and will also feature a matchup between the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors.
The Kings and Raptors will play in Vancouver (a former NBA city), while the Pistons and Thunder will play their game in Montreal.
As the NBA continues to talk about expansion, you have to wonder if one of the new teams will be in Canada, especially given the wealth of talent they currently have.
Tickets for the games and the events around them are not yet available but you can get on the list for presale by following the link above.
This will be the 9th such event held in Canada and the Detroit Pistons are hoping they can make a few new French speaking fans across the border in what should be an exciting preseason game featuring two young teams.