Detroit Pistons head coach Dwane Casey had high praise for the fans who packed Little Caesars Arena for Game 3 of the Pistons opening round playoff series against the NBA-best Milwaukee Bucks.
Though the Pistons would ultimately fall into an 0-3 series deficit, the noise level as Detroit kept up with the Bucks for much of the game was palpable. Fans may have even been reminded of the way things used to be, when the Pistons were annual contenders to come out of the East.
“We had a great crowd,” Casey said after the game. “This is one of the best crowds we’ve had all year.”
The upper deck was filled to the top, something not typically seen at Pistons games this season. Attendance slowly but surely began to climb when the Pistons were in the midst of a playoff run, and Saturday night capped off their largest and loudest crowd of the season.
“You looked up to the top row and it was filled, and that’s what we’re here for,” Casey said. “That’s what we’re growing to do. We’re trying to get our program where Milwaukee is. I remember going into Milwaukee two years ago (with the Raptors), they were at the same stage we (are now).
“That’s growth. That’s continuing to be consistent. And that’s what we’re building here.”
Casey has talked continuously about the need to build a product that the fans in Detroit can appreciate, and has alluded to his past tenure as coach of the Raptors when the then-named Air Canada Centre was sparsely filled for home games. Casey left the Raptors in a much better position than when he arrived, and that’s his goal with the Pistons.
Game 4 is tonight, and while the Pistons will likely need a miracle to extend the series back to Milwaukee for a fifth game, you can bet Little Caesars Arena will once again be rocking.
